Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Leslie.
Hi Jennifer, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story did not begin with titles, books, crowns, or accomplishments. It began with a little girl who learned far too early how to survive.
Some of my earliest experiences taught me responsibility before I was old enough to understand what responsibility meant. I grew up carrying circumstances that shaped my strength, my independence, and eventually my determination to create a different future for myself. There were chapters of trauma, difficult relationships, personal struggles, and moments when simply continuing forward required more strength than anyone around me could see.
Education became one of the most important tools in changing the trajectory of my life. I learned that although I could not rewrite what had happened to me, I could decide what happened next. That belief carried me through my education, professional accomplishments, entrepreneurship, advocacy, and eventually into becoming an author.
Today, I am the author of the four-book A Part of Me series: Hidden Scars, Vicious Games, The Struggle, and Fueled by Compassion. Together, the books tell one continuous journey—from trauma and survival to reclaiming my voice, pursuing justice, discovering purpose, and ultimately asking what we do with everything life has taught us.
Completing the series led me into a new chapter. I recently began developing an author-led empowerment and life-lessons video series inspired by the lessons within my books. Rather than simply telling people what I survived, I want to share what surviving taught me. My first sessions, inspired by Hidden Scars, explore messages such as “Your Story Is Not Your Shame,” “Never Confuse Survival With Maturity,” and “You Don’t Have to Rescue Everyone.”
My journey has also expanded into speaking and advocacy, and I currently hold the title Miss United Crown of America | Ms. Executive Florida 2026. Whether I am writing, speaking, advocating, or using the visibility that comes with a crown, my purpose remains the same: to turn lived experience into something useful for someone else.
If I had to describe how I got from that little girl to the woman I am today, I would say that I stopped allowing the hardest chapters of my life to have the final word.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. In many ways, the road itself became the story.
During my early childhood challenges, I learned how to be strong before I understood that children should not always have to be strong. For a long time, I confused survival with maturity. As I grew older, the challenges changed, but the pattern of surviving continued. I experienced trauma, difficult relationships, psychological betrayal, periods of profound struggle, and circumstances that forced me to fight for myself and my future. There were times when I had to rebuild while still carrying responsibilities that did not stop simply because my life had become difficult.
One of my greatest challenges was learning that strength is not just the ability to endure. Sometimes strength is speaking when you have been conditioned to remain silent. Sometimes it is asking for help. Sometimes it is setting boundaries. And sometimes it is having the courage to walk away from what is hurting you—even when you do not yet know what life will look like on the other side.
Those struggles eventually became the foundation of my four-book A Part of Me series. I did not write the books because every wound disappeared or because every difficult experience suddenly made sense. I wrote them because I reached a place where I could look at what I had lived through and ask a different question: What can someone else learn from what it took me years to understand?
That question continues to shape the work I do today. I cannot change the road that brought me here, but I can decide what I do with everything it taught me
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Though my professional and business identity span over several areas, my creative work has evolved – from writing, artistry, and mentorship.
After completing my four-book A Part of Me series, I created a seven-track sonic musical companion that translates the themes and lessons of the books into music. The first four tracks parallel the journey across the four books, while the remaining tracks extend that journey into messages about self-reliance, discernment, personal agency, and moving on.
More recently, I expanded that creative world again through an author-led empowerment and life-lessons video series, where I take lessons inspired by the books and turn them into short, intimate conversations. In many ways, the books tell the story, the music lets you feel the story, and the video series allows me to teach from the story.
What excites me most is that A Part of Me is no longer simply a collection of books. It has grown into a multimedia body of work built around storytelling, reflection, and lessons drawn from lived experience.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
The concept of my author-led empowerment and life-lessons video series grew from a simple question: What do I know now that I wish someone had told me when I was younger? Instead of simply retelling difficult experiences, I take the lessons I learned from them and speak directly to women who may be navigating similar circumstances. My hope is that they can take the lesson without having to inherit the pain.
My work also extends into advocacy and public service. As Miss United Crown of America | Ms. Executive Florida 2026, I have chosen to use the visibility of my title as another platform for awareness and meaningful conversations, including my Crowns Against Ovarian Cancer initiative. For me, a crown is not simply something to wear—it can also be a platform from which to use your voice.
At this stage of my life, I am also embracing something I think women sometimes need permission to remember: there is no age limit on becoming—or returning to—who you truly are. Your season has not expired.
I spent many years learning how to survive my story. Now, I am deciding what I want my story to do.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Drjenniferleslie
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Drjenniferleslie
- LinkedIn: Drjenniferleslie
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@drjenniferleslie
