Podcast Summary: She’s So Lucky – "What Would Beyoncé Do?"

Host: Les Alfred
Episode Date: September 23, 2025
Duration: ~44 minutes (content)
Theme: Using Beyoncé's work ethic, resilience, and public persona as a model for motivation and creative excellence—embracing the power of showing effort, putting in the right kind of work, and creating your own version of luck.

Episode Overview

In this solo episode, Les Alfred dives deep into the motivational mantra "What Would Beyoncé Do?" (WWBD), drawing personal and professional inspiration from the global icon Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. Through stories from her own career, pop culture analysis, and practical advice, Les highlights the value of being “seen trying,” dispels myths about effortless success, and encourages listeners to chase their own ambitions with intention, practice, and resilience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bringing Beyoncé Into the Conversation

• Personal Backstory: Les shares a story from a recent girls' trip where her admiration for Beyoncé became a running joke, prompting her to bring more of that inspiration into her content.
  • "I didn't realize how much you love Beyonce... but I thought I should bring more of my love of Beyonce to the podcast because it is something very important to me." – Les Alfred (02:00)
• Defining Influence: Les distinguishes between being influenced by peers versus a public figure and acknowledges Beyoncé as a true source of personal motivation.

2. The Value of Being Seen Trying

• Cultural Insight: Discusses the social stigma around trying and being a beginner, underscoring the importance of embracing public attempts and even failures at new endeavors.
  • "It's never too late to try something new, to pivot, to change course, because there's so much that is potentially available to you that may not exist yet." – Les Alfred (04:30)
• Personal Example: Les recounts starting her podcast at 29 and turning it into a business at 34—emphasizing that opportunities and platforms often materialize later than society’s arbitrary deadlines.

3. Beyoncé as the Embodiment of Effortful Excellence

• Beyoncé’s Reputation: Highlights how, in her early career, Beyoncé was criticized for being "extra"—simply because she actively tried, experimented, and honed her skills in public.
  • "She would go all out. She would try different creative things and different forms of artistic expression to figure out who she was... Oftentimes there is this idea that if you are trying... it's being seen as extra." – Les Alfred (07:00)
• Debunking 'Effortless' Success: Les argues against the notion that value only comes from effortless or ‘natural’ output, stressing that continuous rehearsal and practice are critical to achieving excellence.

4. Turning Point: Beyoncé’s Homecoming & Its Lasting Impact

• Personal Milestone: Les recalls the transformative impact of watching the Homecoming Coachella performance and Netflix documentary, especially during a period of personal upheaval in 2018.

  • "Seeing the behind the scenes of what really went into that performance... unlocked something in my brain." – Les Alfred (11:30)

• Actionable Inspiration: After Homecoming, she began applying "What Would Beyoncé Do?" as a lens for her work ethic, especially when motivation lagged.

  • "If Beyonce had a podcast, do you think Beyonce would go into the studio unprepared for the conversation she's about to have? No ma'am." – Les Alfred (13:00)

5. Adapting Beyoncé’s Standard to Your Own Life

• Realistic Adaptation: Les acknowledges that not everyone has the luxury of time and resources to stage a 'Coachella' in their own field, but everyone can prepare and bring their best to their circumstances.
  • "I can't give y'all Coachella every week... but I can be prepared. I can show up and do the best I can on the mic each time I'm here. And that's my version." – Les Alfred (17:45)

6. Handling Criticism & Letting Success Take Time

• Business Ventures: Les discusses Beyoncé’s entrepreneurial efforts, like the launch of the Sacred skincare line, and how people prematurely criticized or doubted its success.
  • "Sometimes it can take a while for something to take off, even if you're the most famous person in the world. But it's okay to let the quality speak for itself." – Les Alfred (24:15)
• Lesson: Give ventures the breathing room to grow and prove themselves, and don't let early negativity derail your efforts.

7. The Importance of Reps: Fitness, Business, and Beyond

• Fitness as a Metaphor: Drawing on her background as a personal trainer, Les uses the idea of “reps” (repetitions) in fitness to describe how persistent, targeted practice builds excellence in any pursuit.
  • "If we were to think of excellence as a muscle... it is from doing the things—whether that's rehearsal, pitching, or posting content." – Les Alfred (33:00)
• Right Action vs. Busywork: She cautions against 'productive procrastination'—doing activities that feel useful but don’t actually move you toward your goals.
  • "You can wear yourself down to the ground doing things that are not going to move the needle... Just because you work hard doesn't necessarily mean that you're working smart." – Les Alfred (36:30)

8. Empowering Others by Trying Publicly

• Ripple Effect: Les explains that being openly seen trying motivates others to take their own risks.
  • "When you give yourself permission to try, you also give other people permission to try." – Les Alfred (40:00)
• Redefining Cool: Effort and visible striving, Les argues, are cooler than effortless achievement.

9. Final Takeaways and Encouragement

• Call to Action: Les invites listeners to identify what they really want to be rehearsing for, to reconsider how they're spending their “reps,” and to embrace being a beginner or visible trier.
  • "If you are contemplating trying something new, if you are contemplating some sort of pivot or taking a new path or making something out of nothing, I really encourage you to go all in for it." – Les Alfred (42:26)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "It's never too late to try something new, to pivot, to change course... Are you going to stop because you didn’t do it straight out of school, or because you’re a certain age? No, you should just seize it and you should do it, because why not?"
  — Les Alfred, 04:30

• "Beyoncé is not afraid to be seen trying personified... In order for something to be valuable, it needs to be effortless. And that's not true." — Les Alfred, 06:25

• "Seeing the behind-the-scenes of Homecoming... and of being willing to try and of messing up the choreography and of feeling weak and rebuilding your strength... truly unlocked something in my brain." — Les Alfred, 11:30

• "Do you think Beyoncé would ever show up unprepared? No ma’am. She would get her notes together, she would rehearse." — Les Alfred, 13:00

• "I can't give you all Coachella every week... but I can be prepared. I can show up, and I can do the best I can on the mic each time I'm here. And no, it's not Coachella, but it's my version." — Les Alfred, 17:45

• "All movement isn’t created equal... You can be like a hamster on a wheel, running and running and getting absolutely nowhere." — Les Alfred, 36:30

• "Trying is cooler than anything else, because I don’t know about you—there’s not a whole lot that I can do effortlessly. And when we all give more space and more grace to be seen putting in effort, putting in the reps, it creates a better environment for all of us." — Les Alfred, 41:10

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | | ------- | --------- | | Introducing Beyoncé as Motivation | 00:12–02:30 | | The Value & Challenge of Trying | 03:30–06:00 | | Beyoncé’s Early Criticism & Embracing Effort | 06:00–09:30 | | Coachella/Homecoming as a Turning Point | 09:30–13:00 | | WWBD as Creative Fuel | 13:00–13:30 | | Adapting Coachella-Level Effort to Ordinary Life | 17:00–19:00 | | Criticism of Beyoncé’s Businesses & Lessons | 22:00–25:00 | | Reps, Productive Procrastination & Right Action | 33:00–38:00 | | Empowering Others by Being Seen Trying | 40:00–42:00 | | Final Call-to-Action & Affirmation | 42:20–43:30 |

Overall Tone

Les’s solo episode is warm, candid, and encouraging. She blends humor and vulnerability, particularly in recounting personal anecdotes and in her self-aware “productively procrastinating” moments. Her language is accessible and motivational, with a distinctive conversational style.

Final Thoughts

This episode distills Beyoncé’s public journey into actionable steps for listeners:

• Don’t fear being seen trying.
• Put in intentional, targeted effort.
• Give your ideas and businesses time to flourish.
• Model your own version of excellence, regardless of the scale.

As Les encourages, channel the WWBD mindset—show up, rehearse for the right goals, and embrace being “seen trying” as an inspiring act, not a liability.