AdaPia D’Errico (Part 1) - Merging Business, Intuition, and Purpose #legacybuilding

Welcome to the Legacy All Stars podcast. We feature inspirational stories from people who dedicate themselves to helping others. Here is your host, Alan Pavloski.

Welcome back to the Legacy All Stars podcast where we celebrate people making a difference in the lives of others. Today's guest is a good friend of mine, Adapia Dirico, a visionary, strategist, author and transformational leader who bridges business intuition and inner authority. She's raised hundreds of millions in capital, helped build entire industries, and advised visionary founders across fintech, real estate and technology. But after achieving success on paper, Atapea went through a profound personal transformation that led to redefining her success from the inside out. That inner shift became the foundation of her book, Productive Intuition and now fuels her life's work, helping people reconnect to their power, trust themselves, and build lives and businesses from a place of alignment. From boardrooms to soul rooms, Atapea is guiding strategy, sparking transformation and modeling what happens when we stop outsourcing our authority and start building from within. Atapia, so good to see you as always, Alan.

Thank you so much for having me.

Always a pleasure. Jump right in. Let's talk about the background and how everything kind of played out. You've had an incredible career across industries like fintech, real estate, entrepreneurship. Can you walk us through the professional journey and the moment you knew something had to change?

Yeah, I mean, the journey is long and I would say there's multiple moments. So I started working a bank when I was 18, so, like, really young. Like, I wanted to have a career. So my parents are Italian, they're immigrants. So there's that immigrant kind of, like, drive that people have. And like, you want like, one of these, like, top professions because, you know, that's kind of how it works, I guess. So I really started young but also really wanted to go my own way. And I ended up moving to Europe in my 20s and had this whole living abroad experience, but ended up in hedge fund there. So I, like, found my way back into this, like, finance world. But when the great recession happened, I was at the hedge fund. That was like a whole experience and an incredible experience there. And when I left the fund, it wasn't because the fund did poorly, actually went on to do very well, but because something in me needed to change. I ended up going into entrepreneurship with my sister, who's an artist, and I built for six years, really stood up and helped her build a brand. She's a painter, a pop surrealist, and, you know, I kind of like jumped from finance into going to Comic Con. And that was a moment where I realized I'm actually an entrepreneur. No wonder I kept putting everybody on the back foot when I was younger and, like, finding all the things I wanted to improve and change. And, you know, everybody hated me because they're like, who's this kid that's like, change it, change it, change it? And so I guess I discovered I was an entrepreneur. And in the six years that I was working with her through social media, figuring out a lot of, you know, we started with a MySpace page, just to put it in context. Like, that's how far back I go with social media and marketing and did the creator economy before creator economy was a thing. But that also kind of came to a close. Like this natural where she and I always said, when it stops being fun, it's over because we're sisters. And the point of this was something else, something deeper. And so when I kind of went my own way, that's when I jumped into real estate crowdfunding. And I helped launch that industry after having completely changed the game, which I know you appreciate being, like, deeply connected to the arts. For artists who are being told, you can't make money with your art, only the galleries can make money with your art. And, like, you know, and it was like, no, I'm pretty sure we can do this. And we did. And so I'm very proud of that and, like, really showing, you know, because artists are sensitive, like, they're not entirely, like, business oriented for the most part. Like, no, you can do this. And, like, changing the game for them. I'm very proud of that work. And then jumping into real estate crowdfunding when it was starting, and helping launch that industry, that was meaningful to me because I saw the possibility of merging, you know, real estate, which everybody knows is how we build wealth with access, which is what crowdfunding was bringing at the time. And that's really how I got into real estate, which is ultimately, you know, a decade later, how you and I met. But there was this other moment when I had put my entire identity into being the chief marketing officer, the one of three women in the real estate crowdfunding industry at the time. I put everything I had of me into this job, into this role, and that role came to an end. And, you know, I was really struggling with, like, well, who am I if I'm not this person, if I'm not the entrepreneur, if I'm not the founder, if I'm not? And there wasn't anything that naturally came after that. I would say this way, that My ego could, like, cling on to. So I struggled for several years around, well, you know, what do I do? Do I want to have a blog? Do I want to, you know, I started to think about giving back in different ways and doing. I did some leadership training because I think the schism in me was I knew how to be successful in business. And then that stopped working kind of all of a sudden, and because I was being pulled in this other direction that I can encapsulate as something more meaningful. But that was really like a deeper inner part of me that didn't want just the title or the role or the exit or these things that I was going for. And I've been on that path ever since of, like, trying to merge the two because they can't be separate, at least not for me to be successful. It has to be an integration of all the different parts of me, including the creative part and the sensitive part and the, you know, maybe deep down I'm an artist too, even though I can't draw pencil, you know, a stickman to save my life. But, like, there's that creative force and I try to bring that out in what I do.

Now, that's funny because, you know, I have a musical background, as, you know, I can't draw to save my life. I can't even draw my own name, for crying out loud. But the funny thing is I always joke around even more because knowing, you know, who you're associated with and architectural things and woodworking. I always joke around and tell people that I have a woodworking disability because literally, I will ruin anything that is made of wood. I will ruin it if I try to build it. So it's pretty hilarious. But tell me more about your experience in Europe, because I know you were there to help your sister. I know you had a deep appreciation for the culture that you experienced and the food etc, and of course your upbringing and your background. It was really meaningful. Tell me more about that and how it contributed to your path.

Yeah. Wow. So when I went to Europe, it was for university exchange. And, you know, like, so again, it's like me butting up against familial expectations at like 19 and 20, like, I was already in a bank. I was in this fast track financial advisor program. My parents couldn't be happier, right. And I just wanted to travel. And my grandpa, he was always traveling the world because in Europe, people travel a lot. And so he would come and visit like two or three times a year. And, like, he would talk about all his adventures, traveling And I always learned from him and just loved this idea of travel. And I'm naturally curious and I wanted to see the world. So my best friend and I kind of manufactured or figured out a way to go on a university exchange in Holland. And so we ended up being able to go there on a university exchange, which was partially okay for my parents because it wasn't just me, you know, giving up a banking career. It was like, no, it's for school, I'm going to finish my degree and all this kind of stuff. So like I, you know, I figured that out. My parents were very happily watching me in this like banking career. But I really wanted to travel and so I managed to do that in a responsible way, you know, by going to school. And gosh, I love the perspective that I gained. And Italian's my first language. And so I grew up very Italian. Like my dad would say, like, in this house you're in Italy. So I was like in Canada, but like also Italian. And so I went to Europe and gosh, did I not understand anything about Europeans. Like, I just was so close minded, I guess. And mind you, this was way more than 20 years ago. I can't even do the math right now because it's a long time ago. So it was before we were as connected as we are today. So there's a naivete that comes with that. But that experience really, really shaped me. And I found this level of like joy and freedom and meeting other people in these other cultures. And I got a second business degree by being there. But I just loved being in a world where there were so many different people, so much to learn, so much history. And I ended up staying and moving to Italy. It was actually my first marriage. I got married, I found somebody and got married and moved. Lake Como of all places.

Yeah.

And I, again, I'm butting up against what I think it means to be Italian. Having grown up a certain way, but being entrenched in that culture was actually a little bit enclosing because I was young, I was 22, I was 23. And there's these cultural expectations that felt very weighty even though I was free in other ways and you know, really enjoying my life and having a little bit of trouble. Like it took me years to get to that hedge fund because it's really hard for a young woman to find a job in Italy at my age. So like there's these things where it's like freedom and joy and curiosity and creativity and then reality. And every time, like I would try to Maneuver my way around it or like, other people's expectations. And this is, like, a consistent theme, right? I think we all have it, but it was definitely very pronounced for me, like, the expectations of family, of culture, of, you know, like, my expectations of what I wanted for a career, etc. So it was very formative in different ways. But in a sense, being there, I actually really lost myself because I sort of trapped myself in a life and in a culture that I thought I wanted and I thought I was ready for, but in fact was very. Was actually rubbing up against what was right for me. And it took me many, many years to build up the courage to be able to say that this is not working. You know, and that's. And it happens.

You know, getting uncomfortable can be the most productive thing, but sometimes it takes a window of time to get where you need to be. Honestly, that's what I love about some of our conversations, is that we both have these discussions about being uncomfortable, but also sticking with our core beliefs and sticking with the things that are most meaningful for us at our core, to make sure that our authenticity comes through and what we're doing and to make sure that our purpose is always foremost, what we're doing in life.

Yeah, absolutely. And the discomfort is huge. At the end of the day, nobody really wants to be uncomfortable. And some of the most uncomfortable things is like saying something that could hurt somebody else and feeling the weight and the responsibility of that. And so, at least for me, I would actually sacrifice my own penis. And, like, really a lot of myself that I would, like, turned off and found joy in other places. And so it's like, kind of, like, make up for the fact that inside I was kind of, like, slowly dying until I couldn't anymore, until it kind of all came out. And that was a big kind of awakening for me. And that led me to leaving Italy at that time. I had been working with my sister for a few years, but remotely like, she lived in Canada, and I was in Italy. And, like, we would travel all over the world doing these conventions and comic cons and gallery shows. And that's where I found my freedom and my creativity and my joy. And it allowed me to avoid what was going on. So it's interesting how we find these coping mechanisms and coming out of that really sort of set the stage for me to be more aware of the next time and the next time this would come up, because it takes a long time for us to find confidence in who we really are and to be able to say, this is What I need, it's one of the hardest things for a lot of people to say is like, no, I'm putting my needs first because. And I'm going to say it this way, especially for women. That's not the expectation for women. Not traditionally. Maybe today it's a little different. But for my generation and older, that was not okay to put my needs first. It was expected that I sacrificed my own needs and my body and all kinds of things. And that's not right. And it takes a lot of rewiring and re patterning and reparenting, whatever you want to call it, to, like, put myself first. And when I started to put myself first, I realized that everything else could get better.

Yeah, for sure. Let's move right into what I think is going to relate to this subject. Let's talk about your book, Productive Intuition.

Yes.

It's resonated with so many. What does productive intuition mean to you? And how do you think leaders are seeking it out now more than ever?

Yeah. And it is because I talk about a lot of this in that book. And Productive Intuition, to me is the book that I wrote where I encapsulated all these lessons that I learned over the years about waking up. So it's like, it's a little bit bohemian and it's a lot business. And it's really about. We are so intuitive, scientifically proven from there's more brain cells in our guts than there is in our cerebral brain, to the electromagnetic frequency of our heart, to, you know, all the way out, to like, clairvoyant or like clairsentient kind of abilities that we have and can activate. But productive intuition basically is like, listen, we all have intuition. We're all using it all the time. And if you listen closely to interviews with, like, even Gary Vee recently was telling somebody, like, I use my intuition to pick the winner because I know how this works. We use it all the time. But it hasn't been in the lexicon, like in how we talk about business until recently. It's starting to come up a lot more. So you can be productive when you're not grinding. Like, there's the big difference. And we have to think about intuition as a different form of intelligence, and it shows up in different ways. And we can use it to be way more productive than if we were just trying to do it all only from the mind. And that's really where that concept came from.

Yeah, great. You talk about the power of reconnecting with your inner authority. What does that look like in practical Terms for a founder or an executive.

Yeah. And actually didn't answer your previous question of like how leaders can use it. And this is actually this because intuition can maybe feel a little like that's not a good word for some people. And that's fine, you can call whatever you want, but essentially it's. There's an inner part of you that knows things that are far beyond what just the prefrontal cortex, like mental even, like your memory knows. Like we are so intelligent, so vastly intelligent. And to go back to my story about, you know, when I was younger and I moved to Italy and I did all these things, like that was me not listening to my inner authority that was saying, like, girl, like, this is not good for you. Like you are not happy. This is not going well. You won't even get into, you know, some of the things that the body dysmorphia, just things that I did to try to like have control of something. And there was deep moments where I knew it was wrong. I knew I wasn't happy. I knew. But I would just push it down, push it down, push it down and so transpose that into business. People all the time, especially founders, they're going off of instinct, they're going off of intuition a lot of times and they're collecting information. And if they're not listening deeply to themselves and outsourcing their decisions to someone else or to the market or to, you know, to whatever, they're giving away their greatest power. Because when we get back to who am I, what do I want, what do I desire, what is meaningful to me, how do I want to contribute? Like, those are the questions that you can like anchor into those and then you go forward from there. Like, you center yourself in who you are and you don't let that change. You don't let anyone change you. You can still operate around others, but instead of trying to please everyone, which is completely impossible, you come from a place of deep internal alignment and integrity. And your outputs and your outcomes, they're simply better because they're more authentic to you.

Yeah. Let me ask you a related question. You've worked with many high level leaders. What patterns do you see when it comes to burnout, misalignment or disconnection from purpose?

Yeah, I mean, the burnout is tough because especially in America, the culture is very much like work 247 and sleep in the office and, you know. Yeah. I mean, we have to work hard. There's like limited amount of time in the day and so like the more sort of time that you can put in, the faster you can get somewhere, you know, possibly. But the burnout actually comes when they're moving too quickly. In one of the patterns that I've seen that is the most destructive is they have a vision and they tell everybody, because, you know, a founder has to, like, pour Kool Aid for everyone and get them to drink it and, like, you know, do all the things and. And solicit feedback, of course, because you need that. But where it starts to turn on them is when they're listening to every single thing that everybody says and trying to put it all inside their companies to make it. And there has to be a boundary between, like, okay, I hear you. Thank you for your opinion. Thank you for your point of view. I will take that into account. There's a difference between that and reflecting on, okay, mate. How could that work? And how could we implement something like this to, oh, I just talked to somebody and they think this is a great idea. So let's change the price of the product and let's totally, like, change course on the company. And you just can't go anywhere if you're constantly tacking for those who sail right, like, like, you'll eventually. But you also can just end up spinning around in a circle because you're maybe always turning right because everybody's telling you to turn right. And so that leads to profound burnout on levels where they think that they're listening and doing something with it, but they're not looking at, you know, also objective market data, let's say, and just listening to opinion. So I see that as a very primary thing, because a lot of founders are visionary. They're almost akin to an artist. And, you know, like, they have to be semi delusional because you have to get over the reality hump and to make something happen. Right, you have to. And they're such beautiful people. That's why I love working with them. So they also need to be protected from themselves a little bit, but also energetically from all these people who want to have an opinion. And so that's a really big one. So then if they can stay centered in, that's them. Thank you for your opinion. I may take it or not, but this is what I want and this is what I decided, and this is what we're doing. Then that boundary allows them to just go like an icebreaker. They can go through all the noise and really pick their path based on hard data, as opposed to everybody's opinions that might touch on an idea that they loved. Right. Shining object syndrome. So I've seen that happen a lot. And then the other one is being too dependent on one or two outside people for all their information. And like, oh, you have to go this way, like one particular advisor, like, you know, chasing the big names that, you know, make your cap table look good or make your advisory board look good or make it, you know, like dropping names like that can be a strategic investor at times or you know, strategic partner. But sometimes that person can also lead them astray and they're again, outsourcing authority to oh, but this person's a three time exited founder or you know, whatever and like, oh, they know so much more than me. But do they, do they really know your vision? Do they know your grit? Do you know you chose this path and like stay on that path until you're very certain you're going to pivot. And if you're going to pivot, have a plan to pivot.

Yeah, that's great. You know, getting a little bit more granular on how you help people make that shift from performance mindset to an aligned embodied leadership model. Tell me about your strategy to help people get there.

Yeah, I think I've experienced it personally.

I'll say that.

Thank you.

You've helped me kind of get my thoughts together in ways that I really needed to really refocus my energy in the right area. So I want to compliment you on your ability and I want other people to hear about how you accomplish that.

Gosh, thank you. You know, I think I come at it primarily from I listen to what the person is saying, but I listen to. I know, sorry, it's gonna sound woo, but like the energy, like I in the story, I can hear things in the pattern of what's going on. And because I have so much experience, because I also have to name that it's not just like I'm not like channeling something. Like, no, I have all this experience and so like chances are I know a lot of different things. And so I'm like listening, I'm deeply listening for the problem and like what the underlying issue could be and then tracking it against potential solutions and in the listening also. And you've experienced this, I will ask more questions than I make statements because it's in the asking questions where I'm trying to get clarity for myself and for you or for the person so that I can understand what's really underneath it and where do you want to go and then I can help identify. Well, maybe it's this issue or maybe we can Try this thing or look at this resource. I think I accomplish it by being in that space of curiosity and having an open mind. And I'll say this before, years ago, when I wanted to do some, like, leadership training, I did this, like, women's leadership training, and I loved it. And I had a mental or egoic of, like, I want to be right about this, and I wanted to have all the answers. And it's like a very clutchy kind of, like, mental feeling. But over the years, I've done so much work on myself to really realize that I don't have any answers. I have a lot of questions. So I just come with my questions, and I can reflect back. Most of the time, I'm reflecting back, hey, I heard this. And then I'll ask more questions until we get to the heart of it. And I think very few people receive this, like, witnessing and this reflection. And I am not a psychotherapist by any stretch of the imagination. I just come at it with, I don't know the answer, and it's not my place to know the answer. I can have answers, but if I just stay open, we will find the answer together. But you're going to give yourself the answer, and I'll probably just reflect it back to you, but it's usually coming from the other person. And I think this mix of the personal work that I've done and the variety of parts of my career that I've had really allow me to bring all these different perspectives as well to help people. And I love strategy, and I'm a visionary. So most of the time, if you're telling me about something, I can see it. I can see exactly. I can see your potential, and I can tell you how to get there, because I have this ability, almost like, I call it operationalizing vision, which is why I love working with founders and business owners. Like, I get you. I am you. But, like, let's operationalize it. Like, what is step one half to get to where you're going? And we will build it. So I love building things and seeing things built and. And I get so much more joy in building other people's businesses or seeing them succeed than building my own. So I don't have, like, this big firm or anything. It's like, me. And I just love working with people and seeing them flourish. That is my place of joy and purpose and commitment and contribution.

Hi, everybody. Alan Pavloski for Legacy All Stars. This very special episode with my good friend Adapia d' Rico is going to be part one of the Part 2 series. I hope you enjoy it.