“Courtside Les” On Why She Only Dates Black Men, Pickleball With Cam Newton, & Living In Atlanta.

Summary

CLUB SHAY SHAY — EPISODE SUMMARY
Guest: Lesia (“Courtside Les”)
Hosts: Cesar Faraday, Paul Pzar (Episode crossover with Truth After Dark)
Release Date: May 7, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this engaging and candid episode, Lesia—known as “Courtside Les”—joins the Truth After Dark crew to discuss her journey in podcasting, why she exclusively dates Black men, her viral pickleball encounter with Cam Newton, and her experiences navigating career, relationships, and community as an immigrant living in Atlanta. The conversation is both humorous and unfiltered, delving into topics of cultural belonging, ambition, dating standards, and the unique dynamics of being a woman in a male-dominated media space.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lesia’s Podcasting Origin Story

[05:49–09:08]

• Lesia describes how her podcasting started with impromptu YouTube Lives alongside a friend to grow their channels. The show's format emerged organically and was later named “Talk Les” based on a viewer suggestion reflecting her playful, talkative nature.
• A chance sponsorship (from a tequila brand in Miami) funded her first studio episodes, which included guests from the Atlanta entertainment scene. She credits these early risks and hustles for building her following.
• After a strategic relaunch of her YouTube to address growth missteps, Lesia innovated by centering comedians and big personalities as guests.

Quote:
"As long as I'm not homeless, it's all good." — Lesia [05:22]

2. The Viral Cam Newton Pickleball Story

[09:08–12:06]

• Cam Newton, former NFL MVP, reached out after seeing Lesia’s viral tennis videos online, leading to a friendly pickleball game and follow-up podcast appearance.
• Lesia clarifies the interaction was strictly professional, despite rumors or assumptions to the contrary, but acknowledges Newton’s appearance propelled her into Atlanta’s media blog circuit.

Quote:
"Cam just wanted to play pickleball with me. That's it." — Lesia [11:12]
"Because of Cam, they discovered me. And then after that, it was Carlos Miller. And that just skyrocketed..." — Lesia [12:06]

3. Purpose, Hustle, and Community

[12:47–14:29]

• Lesia views her podcast as a business and source of community uplift, especially for Black-owned businesses in Atlanta.
• She shares stories of audience members relating to her authenticity and their gratitude for her impact during tough times.

Quote:
"Some people say, like, she's trying to come off because of black people make. I'm not trying to come off of nothing. I'm bringing them clients." — Lesia [14:08]

4. Navigating Race, Gender, and Opportunity in Media

[14:38–21:39]

• Lesia pushes back on being labeled “white,” emphasizing her immigrant roots and work ethic. She highlights the importance of bringing value rather than relying on appearance or privilege.
• The panel (especially Cesar) brings up the added challenges Black women face in media and the nuances of pretty privilege, racial bias, and social capital.
• Lesia acknowledges these inequities but leans into her experience of overcoming cultural and systemic obstacles as an immigrant.

Quote:
"You can walk in the room, but who is going to keep you in the room?... What kind of value do you bring that you can stay in the room?" — Lesia [15:06]

5. Atlanta, Belonging & Black Culture

[21:39–23:34]

• Lesia expresses deep gratitude toward Atlanta’s Black community for welcoming her so warmly, describing her integration as a mutually beneficial exchange of culture and support.
• She underscores the importance of “giving back” and lifting others as she has been lifted by her community.

Quote:
"I truly feel like home there. The entire black community is so welcoming. I've never been welcomed like that in my life." — Lesia [22:20]

6. Mindset, Self-Sufficiency & Relationship Standards

[23:34–48:36]

• Lesia unequivocally states she does not depend on a man for finances—she values independent ambition and mutual effort (50/50 or alternating gestures).
• She prefers partners with ambition, status, or at least a non-traditional career, citing conflicting lifestyles with 9-to-5 workers. She has little patience for lack of communication or initiative.
• Her attraction to Black men, especially in the US, developed early through exposure to visiting athletes, and she’s never dated a white man.
• Lesia expects social status and confidence from a partner, insisting her own energy requires someone who can match her stature and recognition.

Quote:
"We can work with that [half a million dollars]." — Lesia [26:13]
"If a man doesn't have status, especially social status, it's going to be hard... It's a good balance. But I can't date somebody who is like...a regular person." — Lesia [45:35]

7. Personal Growth, Childhood, and Self-Talk

[33:14–41:26]

• Lesia opens up about childhood trauma around neglect and self-worth, which manifests in her stringent communication needs in relationships.
• She and Cesar share stories of negative self-talk and the importance of affirmations, reframing, and building inner confidence—especially for women seeking self-validation over external approval.

Quote:
"All you had to do was text me. 'Hey, I changed my mind.'" — Lesia [30:19]
"My mom told me, you're too big to fit in the camera. Like, literally...I didn't hear, 'You're pretty.'" — Lesia [41:26]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On only dating Black men:
  "I've always been very attracted to them...I've never been attracted to a white man. I've never even dated nobody in Russia when I lived there." — Lesia [44:09]

• On career expectations:
  "When you get around somebody like a teacher, he has a schedule of, like, he needs to be at work at 7:45. I'm a podcaster. Sometimes I'll be in the studio till one in the morning... it just inherently is not going to work because we live very different lifestyles." — Lesia [26:32]

• On being a guest-turned-star:
  "That's why people think that I'm an industry plant, because I had to start over [on YouTube]. But when I started over...Cam Newton reached out to me." — Lesia [08:26, 08:49]

• On race and privilege in media:
  "We don't have the luxury to say, I don't look at it as black and white... I could be doing three times harder just to get the same results you’re getting, if that makes sense." — Cesar [19:06]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [05:49] — Lesia’s start in podcasting: naming, initial struggles, and getting a sponsor
• [09:08] — Cam Newton and the viral pickleball story; how celebrity guests boosted her profile
• [14:38] — Discussions on racial dynamics, privilege, and being a woman in media
• [21:39] — Atlanta, community, and feeling welcomed by Black culture
• [23:34] — Ambition, 50/50 partnerships, standards for dating
• [26:32] — Why Nine-to-Fivers don’t work for her
• [33:14] — Communication triggers and childhood wounds
• [39:01] — Affirmations, shifting self-talk, and learning self-worth
• [43:28] — Why she only dates Black men, her standards (height, status), and dating life details
• [45:35] — The importance of social status in a relationship
• [49:42] — Networking at Atlanta games and how it creates opportunities
• [54:34] — Lesia’s upcoming projects: new shows focused on tennis and Atlanta living

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Tone & Style

The episode is lively, unscripted, and frank, with Lesia’s quick wit and directness fueling much of the conversation. The hosts facilitate deeper discussions around gender, race, ambition, and personal healing, embracing both humor and vulnerability.

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Final Thoughts

Lesia is building more than a podcast—she’s constructing a brand and a network by navigating both the opportunities and obstacles presented by her identity, community, and hustle. Her candor about dating standards, self-critique, and cultural integration offers listeners an inside look at the realities behind viral clips and rapid growth in today’s influencer landscape.

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Find Lesia online:

• Instagram: @CourtsideLes
• YouTube / Socials: Talk Les Show
• Upcoming: Tennis-themed and lifestyle shows set in Atlanta

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Memorable Sign-Off:
"I'm not just an industry plan that's like, let me get all the money... I'm giving back." — Lesia [52:11]

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This summary highlights all essential topics and moments from the episode, providing a comprehensive recap for listeners or newcomers alike.

Transcript

[Lesia (Les)]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Lesia (Les)]

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[Lesia (Les)]

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[Paul Pzar]

did you say you only date black guys?

[Lesia (Les)]

Yeah. Why are you laughing?

[Paul Pzar]

I know, I'm just saying. I'm just saying.

[Lesia (Les)]

I'm just saying smirk.

[Paul Pzar]

Well, no, it ain't no smirk, but clearly you probably belong to the black market because of your height and everything. Because, like, what's more tall black men than probably any other race? This is the taking over the game. All right, everybody. Welcome to Truth After Dark.

[Cesar Faraday]

Do you think that men or women are more toxic? Welcome, everybody, to another episode of the Truth After Dark. I am your host, Cesar Faraday.

[Paul Pzar]

Paul Pzar.

[Cesar Faraday]

And tonight we have a very special guest, somebody that's really paving her own way in the industry and building a strong voice for herself in media and podcasting. You may have seen her from some of her viral clips on her podcast Talk Les. Everybody. Welcome, Les, to Truth After Dark.

[Paul Pzar]

What's up, Les?

[Cesar Faraday]

What's up?

[Paul Pzar]

You got a nickname? Is that your nickname?

[Lesia (Les)]

My full name is Lesia.

[Paul Pzar]

Yeah. So Les is your nickname?

[Lesia (Les)]

Les is my name because people can pronounce Lesia. So when I moved to this. So my full name is Alessia. So it's. You say, but nobody can say it because it starts with an o and it's pronounced with an a. And so when I was playing tennis, that's how people would call me because, like, I used to coach kids and they'll just be like, can we just call you less? Yeah, I'm like, you know what? I like it. So it's either less, you're a less.

[Paul Pzar]

Yeah. Simple. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

And when I started, when we were doing, you know, when I came up with a name for the show, it wasn't even me. It was. Somebody said that would be so fire if you would name your show Talk Less because you talk so much.

[Paul Pzar]

Talk Less because you talk so.

[Lesia (Les)]

And I'm like, this is fire. This is like, this is a play. So I can say anything less. I'm like, I always say, as long as I'm not homeless, it's all good.

[Cesar Faraday]

That's not right. That's the less we not working with. Well, we're really excited to have you on. You've been doing your thing in podcasting. I know how hard it is, especially as a woman, so congrats to that. Just tell me a little bit about how you got into podcasting.

[Lesia (Les)]

So it's actually kind of crazy. My friend who's here, Glenn.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yes.

[Lesia (Les)]

He. He. Me and him were trying to grow our YouTube pages, okay. And so we were like, why don't we just go on YouTube live on the dual YouTube live? And so he was like, let's just. Let's just go on YouTube live and let's just talk. Because I kept telling him. I was like, you know what? We need to get on YouTube live. That's how we can get the subscribers up, and we can just, like, have a conversation. So that, literally, that was the first episode. That's how we started. And then I ran into one of the girls who plays tennis on a pro tour, and she had, like, a crazy story. Like, she's a single mom of two. Her husband cut her off, no child support, no nothing. And she's trying to make it on tour. So I was like, girl, let's jump on YouTube live. Let's. Let's tell your story.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

And that's when the. The name kind of came to be where people were, like, in the live chat saying, hey, you should call this talk Last show. Like, just basically having conversations. And so I did about six or seven episodes on Live, and then I got a DM from some producer in Atlanta who is producing, like, Real Housewives and all of that. Like, just big names. At first, I thought it was a scam. Like, honestly, Because I don't believe people when they DM me. I'm like, this is. This is. This is too good to be true. And then he literally sends me his IMDb credits, and he was like, I am for real. Like, this is what I do. I think what you need to do is get a studio, do your makeup, you know, get pretty, and then go and film in the studio. And he sends me a studio, and I'm just like, okay. I mean, shit. I was like, how am I gonna pay for this because I have a full time job. I don't really make the money, extra money to, you know, go and pay for the studio. So I happened to go to Miami a couple weeks before and I ran into somebody who had a tequila brand. And he goes, hey, let me pay for the studio for you, as long as you put my tequila bottles on the table. And that's how I started because, like, I had no money to pay for it. And he was like, I'll pay for 10 episodes. And I brought in the first episode with. Was with Jonathan Richard, unemployed. Jonathan Finesse, rich and employed. He's a big podcaster in Atlanta. And we sat with him and I was like, what are we gonna talk about? And he's like, just talk. And we just, we just started talking. And then, you know, that's where it started. Like. But then I kind of learned I can't just sit down and talk. Like, it's gotta have a structure. It's gotta have something to it. So then I said, you know what? If I'm gonna bring people on, I wanna prep for it. Like, I really wanna dive into conversation as far as, like, who you are, why, you know, what's your story, how did you get to where you at? And then, like, I did 50 episodes, right? And then I'm like, my YouTube is not doing numbers. Like, something is wrong. Something is wrong. So comes out to the point that I built my YouTube page the whole, like, the whole time I built it wrong. So I got a consultation from somebody who does YouTube and he goes, well, you have to hide all your 50 episodes. I said, what?

[Cesar Faraday]

You have to what?

[Lesia (Les)]

Hide all the 50 episodes you've done? So just remove them from YouTube, basically. And I'm like, what do you mean? So I had to remove all of them, start a whole new YouTube page and start, like, over again this year. That's why people think that I'm an industry plan, because I had to start over. But when I started over, I was like, okay, let me do a spin on it. And I was like, you know what? I just want to be myself because, like, I'm naturally witty and funny and I can say something that's like, people are like, what? And then I was like, you know what? Let me bring comedians on. And that's how, you know. And then Cam Newton reached out. He reached out to me because he wanted to go play pickleball. And I said, you know what? You want to play pickleball with me? I want you to come with my show. He's like, bet That's. That's. That's a deal. So I went and played pickleball with him the next day, and then a week later, he came on my show.

[Paul Pzar]

So. Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. Before we go any further. So Cam Newton, the ex football player, right? That one, yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

The number one pick. So.

[Paul Pzar]

Yeah, the number one pick, yeah. He reached out to you?

[Lesia (Les)]

He reached out to me.

[Paul Pzar]

Dm, Instagram. How he got your number from somebody or.

[Lesia (Les)]

No, he never gave me his number. Whenever he called me was from. No caller id.

[Paul Pzar]

You just happened to answer.

[Lesia (Les)]

Well, I knew it was him because he was pulling up to the studio, but he was on DMS, so everything was on DMs. He saw my video. So my tennis videos have been going viral. Like, they go. I think that video got like six or seven hundred thousand views. And he was like, I kept seeing your videos. And so I thought maybe because he's so into pickleball. So he was like, I thought maybe it would be a good idea to bring you out to play against. Because he plays against his brother and his coach. And so, yeah, he was just like, hey, pull up wherever we were. And then, yeah, we played. His brother actually came to my tennis event.

[Paul Pzar]

That's a fascinating first date.

[Lesia (Les)]

It's not a date. Win.

[Paul Pzar]

That's pretty slick. Let's go. Hey, Cam. Hey. Hey. Okay, I see you, my boy. That's cool. Cooper. That's creative.

[Lesia (Les)]

Cam did not. That was not what you. Well, that was not a date.

[Paul Pzar]

That wasn't a date.

[Lesia (Les)]

That's like four of the people in.

[Paul Pzar]

No, let me DM her, see if she want to go play pickleball. What is it?

[Lesia (Les)]

And you know, it's funny because. So I. When I started doing the podcast, I had a list of, like, dream Guest on Cam Newton was the top of the list. And I DM him when I was four.

[Paul Pzar]

Episode six that's Christina. That's wild.

[Lesia (Les)]

Yeah. And then he just, like. I'm telling you, it's just crazy because, like, Carlos Miller, dm. Me too. It was not. You know, I think, like, when you were in Atlanta, it's kind of like you. You get like. It's so small.

[Paul Pzar]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

Especially, like, in the industry that you kind of will, like, you will come across all these people regardless, and. But it wasn't a day. Don't put that on me.

[Paul Pzar]

We'll get the real story and put that on Patreon. Don't worry.

[Lesia (Les)]

But anyway, you know, so many people ask me, they're like, did Cam Try to hit on you? Did Cam try? I'm like, no. Cam just wanted play pickle ball with me. That's.

[Paul Pzar]

He just saw her online and said, I want to play pickle ball with her. This one right here. All the pickle ball players. Her. She's the one.

[Lesia (Les)]

And I hate playing pickleball. And I was like, I will do it just for.

[Paul Pzar]

I know what was going on now.

[Lesia (Les)]

No, it was never.

[Paul Pzar]

I didn't say nothing went on, but I know what was going on. I know his probably mind thinking or something.

[Lesia (Les)]

I've seen Cam twice in my life. One time was when we played pickle. Second time was he. When he came on my show. That was it. Just. Let's clear the air. But you know what Cam did?

[Paul Pzar]

I mean, he putting that seasoning, you know, before you put it in the. Oh, you got to season it, you know, here. Seasoning.

[Lesia (Les)]

It's been months. I haven't. I literally have not even talked to him, man. But I said, thank you. I really said, I appreciate you for what you've done for me. Cuz he was the. Because of Cam, I ended up being in all the blogs.

[Paul Pzar]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

So because of Cam, they discovered me. And then after that, it was Carlos Miller. And that just skyrocketed to the point where, like, it. To this day, my. My. My second YouTube channel with clips is like, at almost 300,000 views. Just because of Carlos Miller.

[Paul Pzar]

Yeah. Oh, dope.

[Lesia (Les)]

Just him alone.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah, he's dope. He came on our show too, and.

[Lesia (Les)]

And I watched that episode, and it was such a beautiful episode.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

I love.

[Cesar Faraday]

I love Carlos.

[Paul Pzar]

He's really good.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah.

[Paul Pzar]

Hey, she in the game now, right?

[Cesar Faraday]

You got Cam, you got Carlos.

[Paul Pzar]

That's right.

[Lesia (Les)]

I got a czar, too. You coming next, too?

[Paul Pzar]

All right, all right. There we go. Yeah, that's what's up. That's amazing, though. That's amazing.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yes.

[Paul Pzar]

I mean, you get off to a fast start.

[Lesia (Les)]

Yeah.

[Paul Pzar]

How long have you been doing the podcast now?

[Lesia (Les)]

For about a year and a half now.

[Paul Pzar]

Year and a half now.

[Lesia (Les)]

So a year and a half. But, you know, I approach this as a business. Like, I don't do this just so I can go and film something. Like, what am I doing this for? You know, I kind of. At first, I didn't really know what was the reason why I'm doing the podcast. Now. I understand that a lot of people reach out to me and they're like, you were getting us through our work shift, you were getting us through the day, you were getting us through you know, whatever. Tough times. Like every time, you know, I was, I, I was stuck in Miami and so I had to drive back to Atlanta from Miami. And the moment that I returned the car, the guy who was at the car rental, he's like, oh, my God, I just watched your episode with Carlos Miller. You're real and you cool in real life. I'm like, yeah. And he's like, he's like, thank you so much. It really, like, it made my day. Or like I ran into Lou Will's DJ and he was like, I was having a horrible day. And then I just put your episode on and I was just laughing and it was just so light. So like, there's a purpose behind it. And I think, because what I do is not really what anybody else has done because I'm not really, like, I'm not in the industry the way that, like Hollywood is, you know, I'm not in, like, oh, let me be brand safe. Let me do this. No, I have my own thing going. You know, I understand that I might not be brand safe for some big, big names, but I'm brand safe for the local businesses.

[Paul Pzar]

Right, Right.

[Lesia (Les)]

So I promote a lot of black owned businesses on my show and I, I honestly mostly work with black owned businesses. And some people say, like, she's trying to come off because of black people make. I'm not trying to come off of nothing. I'm bringing them clients. I made the, the sponsor that I had with Carlos Miller, he got four clients from me just in the first two days. Four clients as a personal injury attorney.

[Paul Pzar]

Wow.

[Lesia (Les)]

Like, you can do the math.

[Paul Pzar]

Wow, that's amazing. That's amazing. I like that. Atlanta is. Hey, Atlanta.

[Cesar Faraday]

I have a question.

[Lesia (Les)]

Good.

[Cesar Faraday]

Do you think being a white woman has given you more opportunities in this space than maybe like a black woman would have?

[Lesia (Les)]

I hate when people call me white. And I've said that before. I am, I'm an immigrant. I am. I was born and raised in Russia. Yeah, you're.

[Cesar Faraday]

You look blonde, blue eyes.

[Lesia (Les)]

Yeah.

[Cesar Faraday]

You know what I mean? Do you think that you were able to have more opportunities presented to you because of that?

[Lesia (Les)]

I don't think so. Because I work for everything that I have. You know, it's not like I just show up and I'm looking pretty like you still, you know, you can walk in the room, but who is going to keep you in the room? They can kick you out of the room like this, you know, just because you're a girl or they're going to try to have sex with you, it's two options, or the third option is how. What kind of value do you bring that you can stay in the room? And so I think for me, it's the third option. Cause I come from corporate world, you know, So I come from a background in sales. That's why, like, sometimes, like I told you, I'm so oblivious when men try to hit on me, I have no clue. Cause, like, to me, I see an opportunity. For me, it's a business conversation. This is what we're gonna do. And so, like, if somebody's coming on my show, I always make sure, what is the value that you were getting out of it? You know, are you getting exposure? You know, what are we doing? Why are you coming to my show? Cause I can't just reach out. Like, that's why. For me, it seemed to be ridiculous to reach out to Cam. Cause it's like, he doesn't gain anything by coming on my show. So that's kind of like why I was like, ooh, the audacity of me reaching out to him. Like, that's just shooting far in the dark. So when those opportunities started happening, I was like, oh, oh. I feel like I'm actually creating something really cool. Because otherwise, like, people wouldn't reach out to me. People wouldn't watch me, you know, if I was just a white girl that was looking pretty. I mean, there's so many of them. There's millions of them on social media, too. There's millions of creators, but they're not. They're not getting the same opportunities. They're not, you know, having the same guests. They're not doing the same work that I'm doing. So there has to be something different about me. So I don't think it has necessarily, but I think, like, and I've said that before, I think it's. Now I'm learning how hard it is to be a woman in the space. Like, it is really hard because, you know, just. Just like my production team, you know, if I have a woman sitting across from me, I have a very different treatment. They can be rude. They can be disrespectful. They can say something before I film the episode. They can, you know, just. Just say that I. I'm this and I'. Like, I'm not. I'm. I'm. When it comes down to business, I have a business mode on. I'm not going to be. If. If I need to make sure the mic is on point, the. The camera is on point, the camera is put the way I wanted, like, that's how I'm going to do it. This is not personal. This is business.

[Cesar Faraday]

Do you think that it's harder for black women in this space?

[Lesia (Les)]

I think it's harder for. I think it's hard in general to make it in creations, in content creation space now because there's so much of it. So I don't really know if it's like, black or white necessarily, because you have to have a personality. You have to have something that's different, regardless of how you look. Because there could be people who are looking. I mean, there's just so many different things. Like, you got to bring something new so people will go there, and it shouldn't be because, like, I mean, if we look even into the podcasting space, there's a lot of black women who are doing really, really, really good. Like Sarah, for example. She's a good friend of mine.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

I mean, she is doing numbers like she is, and she's had anybody and everybody on her show, you know, so it's like, I don't think that that's a conversation between black and white. It's just like, what can you do that has not been done before? What is it that is new or exciting? Are you bringing a new perspective? That's why I, like, you know, people, like, people hate and love. Sarah, for example, people hate and love me because we have stance. And so the moment that you have stance on something, that's when you can make it. You know, I don't really. I don't really like having those conversations between black and white because, like, I don't, you know, I've never. I am what I am. I only know my experience.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

You know, so I can tell you how hard it is for me because I have my things that I have to deal with, you know, like, I'm an immigrant. I haven't seen my family in 10 years. Nobody knows about that. You know, like, every day I have to. If everything fails right now, I got no home to go to.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah, I get that. I think that there has to be acknowledge. Acknowledgement, though, for how much harder it is for black women to be in these spaces. And I say that because black women are the most disrespected. And we are women that don't get the same credit that a lot of other races get. So I think it's remiss to brush that off. It's not. There is. We don't have the luxury to say, I don't look at it as black and white. We don't have the luxury to say that. Me, as someone who is a mixed woman and been working really hard to be in this space, I had to bust my ass for years just to be where I am. And I think that, you know, I look at people like Bobby Atloff and these people that are this white woman and call her the Alex Cooper and call her dad. Not to say or take away credit from the work that you guys have put in. I believe that you work very hard. I know you came from and all of that. But I'm saying, to say, like, even with the same hard work that you're doing, I could be doing three times harder that just to get the same results you're getting, if that makes sense. So that's something that I really think that we need to acknowledge and be honest about. And I feel like there's a lot of people that they will come on people who are Russian, white, whatever, not black, and support them, especially like black people and not support our own people as much. And I've noticed that. And that's something that I just want to acknowledge and. And that doesn't take away from how hard I believe you work. I can tell you are a hustler, you're about your business, you do your thing. But we have to leave a safe space for acknowledging that it is hard. It is harder.

[Lesia (Les)]

I think it is definitely hard. And I think it's also. There's a lot of. I mean, you can call it prerequisites just given the access to education. Not everybody has that kind of education level. When I came to the United States, I didn't even know that that was a big issue where people don't have access to simple thing as going to college. You know, something that's so normal anywhere else in the world. And when you come here and for people, it's like, like that's a big deal to go to college. Like, that's where I learned that, you know, you are a first generation, you know, graduate. Like, I didn't even know that that was a thing. And so when I came here, I was like, oh, wow. Like this is. This is really different. And yes, of course there is. Because I feel like, you know, America is, at the end of the day, it's a very. It's. It's capitalism, so money talks here. And that's the thing is, I think it's also, as far as, yes, I acknowledge there's racism, yes, there is not fair treatment and there's also not fair treatment between men and women as much as we want to say. But it is very true. True. But at the end of the day, what I do believe in is your mindset. How do you approach that? Because even watching. I'm very close with 85 south, but watching those men work and what they have to deal with, I'm just like, damn.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

Like, this is crazy. Because I do know that. And that's why, like, sometimes I will use my pretty privilege to help other people out. I will use my whatever, whatever. Like, if somebody wants to talk to me, like, whatever, I'm gonna use that so I can direct it to where it needs to be directed. Yeah. Like, whether I need to be a representative for them, whether I need to, you know, like, if I need to pull the sponsors, I will go and have a conversation. But also, you know, because, like, I believe in helping people out. I believe that, like, those people, they put me on. So I'm forever grateful for that. Like, I would not be where I'm at without them. Like, let's be for real. It's not because I, you know, I just showed up and I sat down and I'm so pretty. Like, if I do a solo episode, it's not going to do the same numbers as Carlos Miller if I do a solo episode. Because they don't know me, but they know those people. But my. My whole thing is, like, what can I give back? And that's why, like, for me, it's very important to give back, you know? And I think that's why I love living in Atlanta, because it's such a. It's such a beautiful community. And I, like, I truly feel like home there. Like, it's just that the whole. The entire black community is so welcoming. It's crazy because, like, I've never been welcomed like that in my life. You know, they don't have to do that. They can say, like, oh, you white girl. You know, like, we're scared of you. Just. Just stay there. But no, they welcome me. And then it's kind of like, now it becomes an exchange of, like, okay, let me teach you something from this world, and you can teach me something from that world. And it's like an exchange of information. And so I just, you know, like, I refuse to believe and say that because, like, at the end of the day, I can also sit down just like, man, I'm an immigrant. Like, life is tough. Like, my life is really hard, but I just close my eyes on it and then keep going every single day. Like, I've been through depression. I've been Suicidal. I've been through, you know, like, I've been through. My mental is. Is really not, you know, obviously on camera, she's so. But, but no, like, I, you know, I have mental breakdowns where I come home and I'm just like, I don't know, what's tomorrow going to look like. I don't know if I'm going to have my lights on or not, if I'm going to pay my bills on. It looks like I got it all figured out.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

But one thing I know, I'm going to wake up tomorrow and shit, if it's going to, you know, if it's going to hit the fan, I'm going to figure it out one way or another. I don't, you know, and that's why I like going back to the conversations, like, between men and women, too. I don't believe in, like, that a man needs to pay for all my stuff. Hell no. For what? What am I to him? For him to pay my bills? Like, why, why would you do that? You know, I believe in like, okay, this is my responsibility. This is my apartment that I want to have. I have a dog and a cat. It's my responsibility. I have a family. When something goes south, it's my responsibility to help them out.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

So, you know, it's kind of like that's why I think my, my worldview. And I feel like everybody has their own worldview. That's the world I choose to live in. You know, I choose. I'm not going to say that it doesn't exist. The racism doesn't exist. It exists, but I don't choose to participate in that. I don't choose to discriminate based on this color of the skin because it's not fair how that you don't choose that. You don't. I wasn't, I wasn't. Like when I was up there when God was creating me, like, hey, let me be born in Russia. If I had a choice, I would be born here.

[Paul Pzar]

Yeah, you, you hold on. You said you, you believe in going 50, 50 with a man. You see how you don't need a man to pay for. But if it, you know, would you believe in that?

[Lesia (Les)]

You know, you say, I mean, here's the thing. I will, I'll, I will tell you this. 50% of you going to take 50% off my load. That's a win for me because 50% can go into, you know, into my business. So that, that's a great. For now, I would probably say, sure, listen, because it's helping me out. But if we're going, like, if we're

[Paul Pzar]

living together, he pay half the rent.

[Lesia (Les)]

I. Listen, here's the thing.

[Paul Pzar]

Or do we got to pay the rent to be with you?

[Lesia (Les)]

This is how I am. If I go out with my friends, I'm not going to sit here and be like, you owe me $33.33. I can. I would just put my card down and we'll pay for it next time. You pay for it. And I'm the same way with men. Like, the men that I date. I can go to a steakhouse, pick up a dinner for him, break it to bring it to his house. I'm not gonna be like, baby, owe me $88. No. Like, I'm not gonna do that because. Okay, you gonna do something for me? I'm gonna do something for you. I don't count the pockets, because it's not really. You know, that's just. That's. I hate that stuff. Like.

[Paul Pzar]

Well, that's the American mindset. I'm just saying.

[Cesar Faraday]

You.

[Paul Pzar]

Not American. That's. But the American mindset is the man supposed to take care of everything and a woman stay together. He the provider. You know what I'm saying?

[Lesia (Les)]

But I think provider doesn't really mean necessarily financially provider. Right. He can provide safety and peace for you, too.

[Paul Pzar]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

Like, obviously, you know, I'm not going to sit here and be like, oh, I'm going to date a broke. You know, I'm not going to date nobody who doesn't make equal or more money than me, preferably a lot more, because I want a man to be ambitious.

[Paul Pzar]

What's the number? What's. All right, give us. Give us how much? It's got to be just. Well, don't give us a number. Give us, like, all right, is 500,000 a year enough for a man?

[Lesia (Les)]

We can work with that.

[Paul Pzar]

You can work with that.

[Lesia (Les)]

We can work with that. That's.

[Paul Pzar]

That's a good number.

[Cesar Faraday]

Okay, well, you also said that you didn't like nine to fivers. And you said that you stayed a teacher and that you considered it charity work.

[Lesia (Les)]

Girl, that was charity work. I said, listen, it has to be written off my tax tab. Asked my accountant if I could. He was like, nope, not this time.

[Cesar Faraday]

I'm like, I'm crying.

[Paul Pzar]

But.

[Lesia (Les)]

Because the thing is. So you got to understand, I am a very ambitious woman. When you get around somebody like a teacher, he has a schedule of, like, he needs to be at work at 7:45. I'm a podcaster Sometimes I'll be in the studio till one in the morning. You know, sometimes I will be up, like, writing the episode or, you know, working on the sponsorship proposals on pitch decks. I don't have a set schedule of nine to five, so it just inherently is not going to work because we live very different lifestyles.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

You know, what is he going to talk to me about? His conversation with a fellow teacher? I don't care.

[Paul Pzar]

But getting into it, is that something you didn't think about? Like.

[Lesia (Les)]

No, I tried.

[Paul Pzar]

You just.

[Lesia (Les)]

I tried.

[Paul Pzar]

You just got into it. It just felt right.

[Lesia (Les)]

It was. It was a very big accident that it happened. I didn't even know. It was just kind of like we kind of like fell into each other's lap. And then after that, it kind of like unfolded. And so it only lasted for a week because.

[Cesar Faraday]

Wait, what?

[Lesia (Les)]

I'm tired.

[Cesar Faraday]

I'm done

[Lesia (Les)]

for a week.

[Paul Pzar]

I'm thinking this was like a year, Right?

[Cesar Faraday]

Or at least a few months.

[Lesia (Les)]

No, this lasted for a week because it all ended with him saying, let's go for brunch on Sunday. And I said, you know what? Okay. Just. He was like, call me in the morning. I call him in the morning. He doesn't pick up the phone. Text him. He doesn't pick up the phone. I'm just sitting here listening. This is a goddamn teacher and he's playing games with me. So I'm like, you know what? Because the thing is, like, my time is precious. I don't like when people waste my time. You said you want to get brunch, so now I'm leaving that space for you. But I'm gonna give you like a two hour window. So if within two hours I don't hear from you, I'm not going to brunch.

[Paul Pzar]

I gotta, you know, I want you to keep. I don't mean to cut you off, but you met him on what day? Like, what day did you meet him?

[Lesia (Les)]

I met him, like, on a Sunday prior to that.

[Paul Pzar]

Okay, so you met him on Sunday?

[Lesia (Les)]

Yeah. This has been a week.

[Paul Pzar]

So y' all was together?

[Lesia (Les)]

No, we weren't together, but we were just talking. Every single day.

[Paul Pzar]

Every single day. Did you go on any dates?

[Lesia (Les)]

Yeah, we did. We went on like, three days.

[Paul Pzar]

During the week.

[Lesia (Les)]

During the week? Yeah.

[Paul Pzar]

Well, he. He made time.

[Lesia (Les)]

No, he made time. He made time, but it was because he took days off.

[Paul Pzar]

Oh, damn. He couldn't do that every week.

[Lesia (Les)]

And it was because I kind of convinced him to do that because I was like. I was like, you have so many days off. Why don't you just take days off? Like, and. And mind you, you know, I was just like, I'm gonna give it a chance because I know myself. I know that, like, this is not gonna work. Like, deep down, I knew that this is not gonna work. I'm dating all these athletes and stuff. I'm dating all these people in the industry. So cold, and it's just not working out. So I'm like, you know what? Everybody was like, you need to try something new. I gave it a chance.

[Paul Pzar]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

And the thing is, like, for me, communication is a big thing, you know? So he. I think he heard something from somebody. I don't know what it was. I have no idea what. Like, I have no clue what was the conversation. But On Sunday at 4pm he texted me, hey, sorry, I had a busy day.

[Paul Pzar]

This is when y' all supposed to go to brunch, right? Yeah, that's when we're supposed to go next Sunday. Oh, then. So y' all didn't go to.

[Lesia (Les)]

So we didn't go to brunch. And I said, what happened to you asking me to call you? He was like, oh, I just went to the gym. And then I felt like I needed a day for myself. I said, why didn't you just text me that? Yeah, you literally can just tell me I need a day for myself. Because now it's like the communication is so off, where you taking, you know, whatever, however many hours to respond, which is fine. I mean, take it, whatever. But at this point, like, I'm already understanding that this is not going to work if you have to take days off to hang out with me. And I need time with my person. Like, I can't, you know, how am I going to get to know you if you were in school from, like, 6 in the morning till 6pm or 7pm and he has a child, too, so it's like there's no time for a relationship. And he even said it himself. He said, the only way it's going to work with me is if a woman lives with me. Oh, yeah. Because. Because. But because he doesn't really have time.

[Paul Pzar]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

And at the same time, it's like, to me, it sounds like you're spinning the wheels because it felt like he was scared to get out of that environment where he's in. And for me, it's a big issue. Like, I can't be, you know, I know what I'm doing, that I'm constantly getting out of my comfort zone. Like, I had to quit my corporate job. Do you think I had any savings in my bank account to go and become a full time conqueror? I had like $5,000 to my name. And I quit my job because I took a risk. Because I knew that if I don't quit this job right now, I'm not going to do this because I don't have time. Because time is the most precious thing that we have. The only thing we can exchange is we can exchange attention for the time. That's it. Like we can exchange the. Even with content creation, it's all, we're selling attention, we're selling attention span, how long they can stay on our content so we can get paid for the ads and sponsorships. Same thing. So here it was just like. So he stops responding and then a week later I call him because I'm like, you know, I was just, I don't like, you know, lingering around. Like I kind of know this is not going nowhere. I called him, I said, hey, what happened? He's like, I changed my mind. And I said all you had to do was text me. Hey, I changed my mind. Because there's nothing wrong with you changing your mind. It's just, you know, whatever happened and I don't really care for whatever reason that is, whatever you heard, whatever, whatever happened, maybe you are in a relationship. I don't know what's the reason. All you had to do was say, hey, I changed my mind. And that's where I was like, you know, this person is just, it's just we're on different levels of development. Like I don't really agree with that. And you know, it's just as much as I try to date normal people who like, because I was in nine to five jobs before and I see how it is. It's like you have to really conform to what's going on. You have to live with the policy of the company. You know, they're gonna, they're gonna put you in the box and you have to stay in that box. I can't be in the box. You cannot put me in a box no matter how hard you try. I'm like, there's nothing average about me. And when they put me in the box, I feel like I'm just, I'm. I was like, this is, I can't breathe here. So when I date a man who's a nine to fiver, I understand that's the concept that he is in. And for me, I can't do that. I need somebody who is more open minded, who sees A bigger opportunities, bigger future. I would date somebody who runs a startup because now you're trying to create something new and you're taking a risk like, yeah, you might not make it. But hey, I failed two businesses too. So, like, this is my third business, technically speaking, that I'm growing. And so for me, it's just. It's just not gonna work. You know, as much as I've tried and I've tried, I really, really gave it time. I've dated nine to fivers before, you know, when I was in my 20s. It's just, you know, it's just, it's not it. But now, because we have freeze, like, our schedule is so unpredictable. Like, sometimes I'm gonna go to sleep at three in the morning. You know, I might, I might have to get up at 5 and go play tennis and train. Like, I just. My schedule is so not predictable. And I cannot afford to have it with like, somebody who is a 9 to 5.

[Cesar Faraday]

I know you mentioned that communication was big for you. Like, if you're talking to a guy and you call him and he doesn't answer, you're going insane.

[Lesia (Les)]

Yeah, I have like. And you know that actually, that conversation that we had yesterday, I really sat down and I started thinking about it and I'm like, yeah, it is a big trigger of mine. It's a big trigger. And it comes from, from my childhood when, you know, I call my mom after my tennis practice and, you know, because she would have to pick me up because Russia is not really like, the safest place. And I literally sit outside and wait for her for sometimes for two or three hours.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

And then she would always just be like, oh, I'm five minutes away. And then she wouldn't pick up the phone for an hour. And I'm just like, now I'm scared because now, like, I don't feel safe anymore. I'm here alone. Like, there's literally like the complex is closed at this point. I'm sitting outside waiting for my mom. Like, and I think, like, that's what it's lingering to. Like now relationships and like, conversations, especially with men. Because to me, I can. Like, a text message is two seconds. All it is is two seconds. Two seconds. You don't have two seconds for me. Well, I don't. How. How can I, how can I give you my attention if you don't have that? Like, I feel like it's such a bare minimum and so. But like, again, I try to come. I communicate that right away. Like, whenever I talk to somebody I say, listen, I'm big on communication. Like, to me, I don't need your money. Talk to me, talk to me. Have conversations with me because that's going to do more for me than, you know, you giving me gifts and all that. Because, like, I don't need you to buy my love. I don't. I got, I can love you without you buying me stuff. And I actually never had nobody buy me shit, like, because I don't ask

[Paul Pzar]

for that or you said a text was two seconds, right? I don't believe that. Okay, so like, you know, me being an ex NBA player, you know, people come up to me and ask for autographs and say like it's a bunch of, you know, one dude will come up and say, hey, can you sign us? It's one autograph. They don't see the other people behind them that's gonna ask for just one. So I add up. So now you text me hi, then I say hi, then you be like, what you doing? I ain't doing nothing. So that's not two seconds. Now I'm doing something to where I can't give you a full conversation on text. So I'd rather wait till I'm done. But you're gonna feel a certain type of way because I didn't take two sessions just to say hi back when in reality I thought about how this is gonna go to where it's like, it's all right. I can't get into a full blown conversation. I hit her when I'm done.

[Lesia (Les)]

Yeah.

[Paul Pzar]

You know what I'm saying? So it's never like. But I heard this before. You're not the first one to say that.

[Lesia (Les)]

I think it's a difference between, you know, what you're saying, like wid and hi. I don't, I don't have those conversations, you know, I don't. I'm not gonna ask you what you're doing. I probably already know your schedule or pattern or whatever. Like, right, let's say you're at practice. So like, if I know you're at practice for hours, like, I'm not, you know, you at practice, practice for hours. I can't do nothing about that.

[Paul Pzar]

Right.

[Lesia (Les)]

So I'm, I'm aware of that, but I'm talking about like scenarios like the guy who could have said, hey, you know, I just need a day for myself. Two seconds.

[Paul Pzar]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

You know, I'm talking about those kind of scenarios where because I know I'm not going to bother people just to bother people if I'm reaching Out. I'm reaching out with something. I don't really. I've never been this person who was like, on Snapchat, you know, sending snaps or like, just texting randomly. Like, I don't really text people like that. I'll text, you know, about the things that are important where it thinks that, like, hey, I'm gonna let you know, you know, are we doing this? Are we doing that? Because, like, we already spent so much time online. I don't want to be on my phone. But I think, like, when it's especially like, if I give you a call and sometimes, like, I know because I know people's patterns. I'm like, super observant with that and I know that, like, I've seen you before not pick up the phone and not text that. Like, hey, I'll call you back or anything. Just because you don't want to talk

[Cesar Faraday]

to them now watch them.

[Lesia (Les)]

Watch them do that.

[Cesar Faraday]

So you're like, you're doing that to me.

[Lesia (Les)]

Yes. And I don't like when that's done to me because kind of like I'm supposed to be like, maybe like a little bit more important than that. For sure, you know, and so person, that's your person. It's, it's your. Like, especially like, if, if we haven't sex and having any kind of relationship like that, like, I'm giving you my body. Like, that's the least you can do is just, you know, text me. Say, like, hey, I'll call you back then. And granted, like, it's getting better now with, you know, with people who I talk to, like, with one specific person that, you know, I'm currently, like, seeing what's gonna happen. It's getting a lot better. It's getting a lot better because, like, I've communicated those things and I said, listen, like, it. Because it's just. It like, truly triggers me sometimes, but I have to also catch myself. Hey, let's like, relax. This has nothing to do with you. Like, and I don't know what it is. Like, I'm so bad and negative to myself. Like, I don't think people don't even. I'm so ruthless to myself. Like, even, like you see me before the camera. Like, my chin is big, you know, my this and that. Like, I am so, like, I have a lot of negative self talk, but I'm super nice to other people. And so it's something that, like my therapist, she also says she's like, you, you really need to start working on that because you can't Go far with that. Like, yeah, you are beating yourself down but it's going to be like even like relationship with food. You know, I would go the whole day without eating. And so it should be like, how can a human go without eating? Like you have to feed your body because then you're not going to have the energy to do anything. Or like if I train, you know, I'm going to be on a tennis court until I make that shot the way I want it. I'm not going to stop. I might be in pain, I might be hurting, I'm like mentally losing, but I'm not going to stop until I get it done. So it's kind of like, it's really like it's bad. It's really bad. But I'm now acknowledging that and I'm trying to just catch myself and say, you know what, this has nothing to do with you or stop doing that. Because you can't treat yourself like that and treat others in a like a much better way. Like you can't put other people on the pedestal.

[Cesar Faraday]

You're neglecting yourself.

[Lesia (Les)]

Yes, exactly.

[Cesar Faraday]

And you are the most important and you cannot pour into people if you're pouring from an empty cup.

[Lesia (Les)]

Exactly.

[Cesar Faraday]

And it's so important, especially as a woman. And I struggled with self esteem issues like throughout my life and confidence and it's something that I now, you know, have. But it takes a lot of understanding like yourself and not beating yourself up like, oh, take a compliment, you look pretty. No, no, I'm looking this my chin, you know, like that's you say thank you.

[Lesia (Les)]

Ye. Yes.

[Cesar Faraday]

You know what I mean? Feel good about yourself. And I think when you approach it in that way, the what you're willing to accept from other people is different. You know, when you don't feel like you're deserving or you feel like you're at a place in your life where you're like, I don't like this or my chin or this or that or that, like that's what you feel. But when I look at you, I think you're beautiful. I never, I'm not looking at your chin. I don't see that. You know what I mean? But that's just this negative self talk that we give ourselves because we don't have the self esteem to be confident. And that's something that once you work on that, it will really change your life.

[Lesia (Les)]

And it's been changing my life. So pretty much the moment that I've kind of recognized that when I was told by multiple people that like, hey, you need to stop doing that.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

That's when literally everything started changing my life. Like, in every single aspect.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yes.

[Lesia (Les)]

And something that I started really doing. I started watching what I say. You know, I don't say if I say when.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

You know, even, like yesterday, I corrected myself. Not if I get married. When I get married, you know, I don't say thank you. I say I receive it because I truly receive it. So now I receive it. And, like. And I acknowledge that. And so I think it's so important to speak the words. And, like, I heard this one thing from one of my guests that came on my show. He said every morning, you need to do this. This affirmation where you say, I am wealth. I know wealth. I live wealth. I am health. I know health. I live health. And, like, the word that you want to be, you already say it in present tense. And so, like, that thing started really, you know, especially when I write, when I plan something, when. You know, because obviously, like, my show is just. It's all written on the paper, but I. I wrote it out as if it's a present tense. You know, I didn't think, like, I'm a girl who didn't even speak English until I was 14 years old. I didn't think I'm gonna sit across. I mean, I didn't think I was even gonna be in la, sit in the studio, you know, being on your podcast. Like, what. What kind of world? Like, that's impossible. If you were to tell me that at 14 years old, I'd say, you tripping. Like, there is no way. I would say it's just. It's. It's just there's no chance that me speaking English, that I can, like, communicate with people and speaking on camera and doing all those things my entire life. My mom told me, you're too big to fit in the camera. Like, literally, those are the words that I heard. You're too fat. You're too big to fit into the camera. You know, I didn't hear is. Is. My mom said, I'm not going to tell you pretty, because I feel like that's just reaching. Like, you're okay looking.

[Cesar Faraday]

I'm sorry, Les. I went through that, too. And I know how hard that can be on your confidence. You know, I understand that. And. And a lot of the time, you can seek relationships from people to feel chosen. And it doesn't matter what they're giving you. You just want to prove that you are worthy of being chosen. And it's like you're looking to get that validation you didn't get from your mom.

[Lesia (Les)]

Yeah.

[Cesar Faraday]

And so I know how hard that is. And it looks like you're doing the work to get better, and that's what's important. And I always feel for people who went through that, because I've. I. I understand. I went through that.

[Lesia (Les)]

Yeah.

[Cesar Faraday]

And I know how tough that is.

[Lesia (Les)]

And I think that's something that men don't really understand that, like, as women, that's what we go through. Like, we're not trying to put you all down. We're not. We're literally trying to just build ourselves up sometimes, you know? And a lot of times, like, walking in the rooms and when you're seen as a sex object, like, that's offensive sometimes. Like, it really, like. Like, to. I think, like, to man, it's like, oh, wow. Like, she's a sex symbol. She's this, she's that, you know? And to me, I'm like, well, I'm more than that. You know, There's a lot more to me that I can bring to the table or just. Just. Just that I can do than just my looks. And so every time, like, I get compliments about my looks like it never really mattered, because to me, like, if you say something more about my character now. Okay, now I'm flattered.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

Now I really, really like it. And so. And I think that's why, for me, it's always been so hard to, like, get in relationships, because the moment it would get to the point where I, like, feel my triggers, I jump right out. This is one week, and I'm out. I'm done.

[Paul Pzar]

But you said you dating now.

[Lesia (Les)]

Yes, yes, I'm dating now.

[Paul Pzar]

Dating, like multiples.

[Cesar Faraday]

One.

[Lesia (Les)]

No, no, no. I date one person at a time.

[Paul Pzar]

One person at a time.

[Lesia (Les)]

No.

[Paul Pzar]

How has that been, like. Like, being over six feet, you wear heels. Like, I just feel like the market for tall women versus, like, would you like a man that's taller than you, or do you like short men? Because it ain't a lot of tall men that can, like, look you in the eye. You know what I'm saying? Easy, because I feel like you probably cater. I heard you say you. Did you say you only date black guys?

[Lesia (Les)]

Yeah.

[Paul Pzar]

Well, no, it ain't no smirk, but clearly you probably belong to the black market because of your height and everything. Because, like, what's more tall black men than probably any other race?

[Lesia (Les)]

Okay, Sarah said that, and she got eaten up because I think, like, the tallest men are in Denmark or something. Like, they're somewhere in Europe.

[Paul Pzar]

Yeah, I don't count.

[Lesia (Les)]

Yeah, I don't. Right. I mean, in America, like Grant in America. I don't think. It's just, you know, I feel like I've been attracted to black men since I was very young. Because in Russia, we had overseas these players who would come in and play during the NBA, whatever, Shutdown, whatever it was here. The. You know.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

A lot of players would come out there. And so, like, I was always. Because I spoke English, so I was always around them. And so, like, I've always been very attracted to them. I've never been attracted to a white man. I've never, you know, even dated nobody in Russia when I lived there. Literally, not even kiss nobody. Like, I never, like, never.

[Paul Pzar]

And that's why you love Atlanta.

[Cesar Faraday]

Oh, I love Atlanta. Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

Because, you know,

[Paul Pzar]

I'mma go from rushing to Atlanta. You know what I'm saying? Hold on. Her list was D.C. atlanta. Let me see where else I like Atlanta. Charlotte, you know?

[Lesia (Les)]

No, Charlotte. I don't really like Charlotte. I feel like Atlanta is the best for. For.

[Cesar Faraday]

I used to live in Atlanta. It's. All the black men are there.

[Paul Pzar]

Yeah.

[Cesar Faraday]

They're gay to me. And I'm so scared to date in Atlanta. I was so nervous.

[Paul Pzar]

So how tall is the guy right now?

[Lesia (Les)]

It doesn't matter how tall he is. I'm not saying nothing. I like men who are my. I don't see. This is something. My person is gonna be my person until I'm ready to talk about it. And I'm not really ready to talk about because it's still very new and I don't really know, you know, I still need to figure a lot of things out, and I think he still needs to figure a lot of things out. We enjoy each other's company. We enjoy each other's, you know, conversations. We. We're vibing. It's great. But I will tell you this. There is an abundance of tall men I do not really like. I probably dated one person who was shorter than me.

[Paul Pzar]

Okay, okay.

[Lesia (Les)]

One person.

[Cesar Faraday]

You also said you wouldn't date a man who doesn't have a status.

[Lesia (Les)]

No, I wouldn't date a man who doesn't have a status because for what? What? What? You know, the thing is, even, like, I dated an ex NBA player and he called me one day and he said, I don't understand. Why do you get up so early? Why do you. Like, you were just doing this. This. You were just shooting this podcast. This is a stupid hobby of yours. Why don't you just like focus on your job? And I was like, oh, okay, so you don't believe in me. So now this is like, now this is a challenge that, oh, can I make it? And it really, like, when people say those things now I'm like, oh, I love that. Now this is, let's see if I can make it. And it happened multiple times in my life. And so, you know, because I think, because now he's removed from the spotlight because he's an ex NBA player, he doesn't want to be in a spotlight. Now when he sees me and he said, he said something, he's like, every single time I open up my Instagram, you were sitting across some fine ass black man or you sitting, like, you know, you always around men, you, you know, so it's like, it's a, it's a jealousy thing. And to me, I think a man has to have status and has, he has to have confidence. Confidence to the level where he wants me to do those things. He knows that I'm not doing this to get a man. I'm doing this because I truly want to do those things, you know, And I think it's, it's, it's a really, it's also very important because if I were to walk in the room with a nobody, now I gotta work three times harder, right? But if I walk in a room with somebody who has a status now, people look at me different too. So it's kind of like, I think it's very important because if I'm in this industry now, I can bring things to him and he can bring things to me, and I think it's a fair exchange. But if a man doesn't have a status, especially social status, it's going to be hard and it's going to be hard for him to be around me because I know when I walk into the room, I know that people are going to notice me. I know that people, like, I have the energy where people are drawn to me and it's not really like. And sometimes it's actually kind of fun because if I'm around, like, if I'm, you know, with the, the person who I'm currently like talking to, if we're out somewhere, he would have people talking to him and then people will have talk. People talk to me. And it's like, it's kind of cool because it's like, oh, we're both recognizable people. And that works because it doesn't feel like, oh, like, oh my God, these girls are walking up to him. Like, yeah, of course girls are going to walk up to him, but he also sees, oh, like, all this. Men are walking up to him, to me. So it's kind of like. I think it's just. It's a good balance. But I can't date somebody who is like. And, you know, unfortunately, yeah, maybe you can call me an opportunist or whatever it is, but I think it's important to, like, I want to strive to be somewhere up there. Like, I'm not. I didn't move to this country to just be, you know, with a person who is a regular person, who makes, you know, regular. But I'm sorry, it's like, why would I stay here if I, you know, I can be with my family in Russia living that life? Why? Why do I need to be here? For what? Like, if I moved here, then there has to be a reason. You know, if I. If I moved here, I need to build a much better life than I could have had there. And I'm already, like, I'm already doing those things. But that's another thing that, like, what's the point of living here then? I'm not out here to be on Social Security. For what?

[Cesar Faraday]

So you associate status with, like, a successful life?

[Lesia (Les)]

I think it's. It's more.

[Paul Pzar]

Status is famous.

[Lesia (Les)]

It's.

[Paul Pzar]

It's status.

[Lesia (Les)]

Not just famous, but it's also.

[Paul Pzar]

You have to have a million followers minimum to be famous. You. You got to be black, and you got to be over 63. That's her standard. That's what we call that. That's her standard. That's her standard.

[Lesia (Les)]

That is my standard. And there's. And that's the thing. If people have a problem with that, that's your problem.

[Paul Pzar]

That's your problem.

[Lesia (Les)]

I don't have a problem with that. I am dating those people. I am on that level. So if you. And then I have a lot of comments like, oh, name the athletes that you dated. And I'm just like, for what?

[Paul Pzar]

I don't really talk about that.

[Lesia (Les)]

No. Like, I would never do that. For what? I will never go on the Internet and put none of that out. For what? Why? I don't need to. I don't need to prove you. Nothing. Like, I know what I date. I know who.

[Paul Pzar]

I've been in the Laker Games. No, since you've been in la.

[Lesia (Les)]

No, no, not in la. I haven't been to the. To the new arena.

[Paul Pzar]

Okay.

[Lesia (Les)]

I've been to this.

[Paul Pzar]

You go to a lot of Atlanta games.

[Lesia (Les)]

I do yes. But for me, it's a networking opportunity.

[Paul Pzar]

Yeah.

[Lesia (Les)]

Because the first time that I got. So the first. The way that Charleston White happened was because I went to the Falcons game.

[Paul Pzar]

Okay.

[Lesia (Les)]

I didn't even know who Falcons were, to be honest. Girl, when I moved there, I was like, huh? But my friend was like, hey, do you want to go to the Falcons game? I was like, sure. So we had tickets to go, and I was in the lounge getting food, and somebody was like, courtside less. And turns around, and I'm like, oh, this is weird. Like, the first time I got recognized. And he goes, I have a proposal for you. I said, what's up? He's like, I want you to bring Charleston White on, and I will pay all the expenses, and I'll pay for him to come on. And I'm like, how am I going to get to Charleston White? I don't even know who that is. And I DM Charleston White. And then I. I just went around me, naturally, being me, I went around. I asked a bunch of people that I knew. I said, hey, do you know Charleston White? And then just through, you know, couple handshakes, I got to Charleston White. And then he gave me a number at first, and I said, charleston White, I appreciate your business. We're not doing this. This is. It's just. To me, I'm not going to make it back. So I'm not. It's pointless. And I know for a sponsor, I don't know what numbers you're going to bring me. So I told him no. And then he. I kind of left it on red. I was just like, you know, I'll let it be. Then a week later, he reached out to me. He's like, hey, I'm in Atlanta this weekend. You want to film? I'll work with your budget. He worked with my budget with a. So to the point where I made some money from it, and I made. Afterwards from YouTube. I'm still making money from that episode.

[Paul Pzar]

Nice.

[Lesia (Les)]

Yeah. So that's how it happened. That's why I prefer to go to the games, because it's a great networking opportunity. Every time I go to the games, like, I meet somebody. Somebody who is. Like, the last time I went. They want me to do some radio work with them. So, like, now they're like, we like your voice. We want. We want to put you on the radio. And, you know, people walk up to me now. They. They recognize me, and, oh, dope. I think, like, yesterday I was. I was out with my friends, and, like, somebody was like, Oh, I just watched episode. You know, I. I didn't want to come say hi because I feel like. Because they're like, oh, we didn't want to scare you. I'm like, oh, no, I'm good. You know, I appreciate when people walk up to me. I appreciate when people take pictures with me. I appreciate when people say that they watch my episode. And, you know, I also respond to every single comment that comes on YouTube. I am a very. Like, I believe in giving back, and if they're watching my show.

[Paul Pzar]

Right.

[Lesia (Les)]

The least I can do is to communicate back to them, and I hear what they're saying. They ask, asked for certain people. I bring those people on because, like, that's the way that I can build, you know, some communication with my audience. Because down the road, I want to do live shows, so I want to make sure that they can come out and they can vibe and, you know, it's like, we're building a community, you know?

[Paul Pzar]

Right, Right.

[Cesar Faraday]

Good for you.

[Lesia (Les)]

I'm not just an industry plan that's like, let me get all the money, you know, because I. I heard. I heard some numbers that those girls are throwing. The girls that you mentioned. I was like, God damn, what girl?

[Paul Pzar]

The.

[Lesia (Les)]

The podcast girls.

[Cesar Faraday]

The.

[Lesia (Les)]

The white girls that are. Oh, I heard the numbers. Oh, I heard numbers.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah. I mean, you know, it's just one of those things where it's. It's just when you're in this position, it's like, it's different. You know, you see those girls and she's on a bed filming with Drake, and it's like, you. What are you?

[Lesia (Les)]

Who are you?

[Cesar Faraday]

You know what I mean? I don't believe that it's an industry plant, but I just think that it's a different opportunity for. Based on how you look. And, yeah, it's just the truth, you know, like, but I mean, I don't think it's like, if I was you, like, I'm taking all the opportunities. I think you should, and I think that, you know, people should use what they can and go out there and get it.

[Lesia (Les)]

Yeah.

[Cesar Faraday]

Period.

[Lesia (Les)]

So I agree with you. I think you have to, because it's like, it's. It's not like you just fell into the NBA. You didn't just fall into the NBA. You did the work for it. You know, it's not like you didn't practice for your entire life to know how to shoot that basketball, you know? And that's why, like, a lot of people, they're like, oh, NBA players. No, not. Oh, NBA players? No. Oh, practice squad. You don't know what it takes to even be on a practice squad. You are not on a practice squad. But they are. So why are you talking?

[Paul Pzar]

Right?

[Lesia (Les)]

And, like, it bothers me. So when I was doing my. In the beginning, I wanted to have a lot of athletes on because I just wanted to get in the mind of an athlete. But then I kind of, you know, learned that athletes have to just, like, thread lightly, especially if they're in season. Especially, you know, there's like, PR stuff that they can do. But yeah, like, I had. I had some of the NBA players on, and it's. It's beautiful stories that they tell me. And everybody has a story, and a story is not. Sometimes it's not sweet. Tory Craig, who was on my show, his mom was incarcerated for 25 years. You know, so it's like, still with that, you gotta make it. And you know that now it's on YouTube to provide for the family. And so it's like, you know, everybody. Everybody has it in some sort of way. Hard or, you know, even if you got the money, like. Like, money doesn't fix everything.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yeah, for sure. 100. Well, we really appreciate you coming on the show. You drop some gems. You are incredible. You're doing such a good job at just building your platform, and I'm so proud of you. Continue doing the work and you're winning, and I love it.

[Paul Pzar]

Absolutely.

[Cesar Faraday]

Please let everybody know where they can find you and anything else you want to share.

[Lesia (Les)]

You can find me on Instagram under Courtside List. You can also find me on every single platform that exists on social media. Talk less show. There is going to be another show that I'm about to start. So we're actually going to bring tennis into the content space. So we're gonna do a tennis show and I have another show that I'm working on. So now I'm actually going to be a part of three shows.

[Cesar Faraday]

Oh, wow.

[Lesia (Les)]

Yeah, we got another show with my friend that we're just gonna. We're gonna walk around Atlanta and we're gonna do things just to show our life a little bit more. Just so they don't see that.

[Podcast Advertiser 1]

Like.

[Lesia (Les)]

Like, because, again, you know, I. I want to break the stereotype. I don't. I don't believe in judging a book by its cover. So, yeah, they will see that. Some people tell me they're like, you're more black than me. Like, wait, what? But, like, so it's funny. Like, because people joke like that. They're like, damn, like, the things that you do, they're more black than black people. I'm like, hey, you know what?

[Cesar Faraday]

Like,

[Lesia (Les)]

my friend, she was like, I didn't know that. That, like, people with white skin put lotion on. I'm like, what you mean? Like, it's an everyday thing. Like what? Like this is craz. Like, things like that. So, yeah, we're going to do a show where we're going to show a little bit more of my life. So, like, give them a little bit more of an access to. To that and. Yeah, just continuing to build my empire, you know, Talk less empire.

[Cesar Faraday]

Yes. Yes. Okay, well, that's amazing. Thank you guys so much. We'll make sure to put all of her information in the description so you can find her easily. I hope you guys enjoyed this episode.

[Paul Pzar]

Man, this is dope. Look forward just to hear more from you.

[Lesia (Les)]

Les come on my show, right?

[Paul Pzar]

Sure. We can come to Atlanta.

[Lesia (Les)]

Yes, please make a trip.

[Paul Pzar]

Yeah, I've been. We've been trying to get down there.

[Lesia (Les)]

Okay. Yeah, let's do it.

[Paul Pzar]

We've got family down there.

[Lesia (Les)]

I'm building a studio. So you're going to be in the new studio?

[Paul Pzar]

Yeah. When is that?

[Lesia (Les)]

In the next two weeks.

[Paul Pzar]

Two weeks?

[Lesia (Les)]

Okay, listen, my. My timeline is yesterday.

[Paul Pzar]

I don't do yesterday.

[Lesia (Les)]

My timeline is yesterday.

[Paul Pzar]

Right.

[Lesia (Les)]

Yeah. I've been on. On the phone with said designer and everything. So, yeah, building a new, new, new studio.

[Cesar Faraday]

Amazing. Congrats. We love that. Thank you guys so much. Make sure you subscribe, like, follow comment. Let us know what you want to hear from us, who you would like to see on our show, or any topics that you feel like we should cover. Appreciate you guys so much.

[Paul Pzar]

Peace out.

[Cesar Faraday]

Peace out.

[Paul Pzar]

This is the taking over the game. All right, everybody. Welcome to Truth After Dark.

[Cesar Faraday]

Do you think that men or women are more toxic?

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[Cesar Faraday]

Wasn't that delicious? So good.

[Lesia (Les)]

Your bill, ladies.

[Cesar Faraday]

I got it. No, I got it.

[Lesia (Les)]

Seriously, I insist. I insisted first. Don't be silly. You know me, silly.

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[Lesia (Les)]

unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

[Paul Pzar]

Okay.

[Cesar Faraday]

Rock, paper, scissors for it.

[Lesia (Les)]

Rock, paper, scissors.

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Shoot.

[Paul Pzar]

No. The Wells Fargo Active cash credit card.

[Jacob Goldstein]

Visit Wells Fargo.com ActiveCash Terms apply.

[Lesia (Les)]

M&M's Popped Caramel do sound different.

[Paul Pzar]

Oh, no.

[Podcast Advertiser 3]

People are going to be obsessed. What do you mean?

[Paul Pzar]

Hmm.

[Cesar Faraday]

People hate the sound of chewing. Maybe they won't like the crunch.

[Podcast Advertiser 3]

Maybe we're saved.

[Lesia (Les)]

Wait a minute. Yellow.

[Cesar Faraday]

Have you been eating them this whole time? Mmm.

[Podcast Advertiser 3]

So tasty. Hands off us. M and M's Popped caramel. It's more fun together.

[Podcast Advertiser 1]

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[Cesar Faraday]

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