Reconnecting to your own power as a leader, with Adriana Caliri | 028

Have you ever felt the pull to do something different, but doubted your inner voice? What if finding your wings starts by truly listening inside?

Today's guest is Adriana Caliri, a leadership coach who has spent the last five years supporting leaders around the world to reconnect with their evolution, fulfillment, and joy.

She is a former corporate executive with 25 years of experience leading global teams. Adriana’s journey began in Italy, took her through a two-decade corporate career at Nike, and eventually led her to open her own coaching business. 

On the outside, she had the dream job, the global lifestyle, and the promotions. On the inside, she was navigating emptiness, pressure, and an eating disorder she kept hidden for decades. In this episode, she shares what changed, how coaching transformed her life, and why she now helps others “find their wings.”

We talk about what it really means to learn the game before trying to break the rules, why meaningful work starts from within, and how sharing your story can open doors for others. Adriana also opens up about healing from bulimia and how forgiving herself became the first step before ever telling that part of her story publicly.

If you’ve ever wondered who cares about your story or questioned whether your experience truly matters, this conversation is a powerful reminder that your story begins with you seeing its value first.

Get ready to reflect, reconnect with your own wings, and maybe even ask yourself a bold “what if?” 

Links/resources for this episode: 

Adriana Caliri’s links:
- Website:  https://www.renaissance-cec.com/ 
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coach.adry/ 
- LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachadry/ 

Grab "WNGSway the Workbook", by Adriana Caliri:  https://www.renaissance-cec.com/shop/ 


My links:
- Website: https://www.rememancera.com/ 
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rememancera/ 
 -Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reme-mancera-postigo/ 
-Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rememancera 

Ready to gain clarity and confidence in storytelling? Let's explore your 10 Story Connectors:
https://www.rememancera.com/story-connectors/ 

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CREDITS
Host: Reme Mancera
Guest: Adriana Caliri
Podcast Editor: Rocío Giuletti
Cover art creator: Danna Manija
Music: Funny Upbeat Pop Funk, by LightBeats
Contact information: https://www.rememancera.com/podcast/ 

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👄 Who Cares About My Story?
- Conversations on Personal Brand Story

Interviews with amazing guests about how sharing their stories has impacted their businesses. We cover the benefits and the behind-the-scenes challenges you face in deciding what to share, without oversharing or pretending to be someone else.

Subscribe now and don't miss an episode!
https://www.rememancera.com/podcast/ 

Transcript

apparently I had everything I wanted in my life
because I had a good job, I had a good family
I had a beautiful white house,
a lot of friends,
and everything but inside I felt really empty
and that was a moment that I met
an executive coach,
leadership coach and in that exact moment
I said,
one day I'm gonna do what she does

Welcome to Who Cares About My Story? the podcast on how sharing your personal brand story can impact your business. We will explore the perks and also the behind the scenes challenges of figuring out what to share. I'm your host, Reme Mancera, a personal brand strategist who loves finding the Story Connectors that illustrate the benefits of what you offer.

And by the way, you don't need a Hollywood tale for that. In case you ever wonder, remember, 

your story is relevant and worth telling! 

Welcome to Who Cares About My Story?
I am so delighted to have you here Adriana,
welcome to this podcast
and thank you for accepting this invitation.
Well, hello Reme I'm very very excited to be here
with you and spending some time talking together.
Nice, so let's start by
sharing a bit about who you are and what you do.
Yeah! Well I'm Adriana, I live in the south of Spain
in front of Morocco.
I'm lucky enough to have the sea in front of my office
and yes I'm a leadership coach,
it's five years that I've been
coaching people all around the world.
I say I coach leaders
because I think that leaders are people that take
seriously their own evolution,
their fulfillment and joy in life.
So this is what I like doing and
I work with like a big company 
but also with young people that really
want to have a very fulfilled, joyful life and meaningful
for whatever success takes for them.
Nice, so can you share a bit about your story.
How did you get involved into leadership coaching?
Yes, so I was born in Italy
and well I was born from my father
that always show me that
impossible didn't exist.
His dream was to work
for Ferrari in Formula One
and he managed to do that, as a very young age.
So for me life
was about achieving
any dreams you might have had
and so I tried really
everything that
excited me but above all something
that above all in the beginning was maybe
giving me back a bit of admiration,
appreciation for people that I love the most,
in that way I started really a career in
the fashion world, first in Max Mara and then I started
I've been...
I've been hired in Nike in Italy
and I started my career there.
That was a career of 23 years
but there was a moment in my life
where I was moved from Holland
from Nike Holland to Nike US
that...
apparently I had everything I wanted in my life
because I had a good job, I had a good family
I had a beautiful white house,
a lot of friends,
and everything but inside I felt really empty,
 I felt not enough.
I felt I had to prove, I felt I have to fight
every single day
and that was a moment that I met
an executive coach,
leadership coach and in that exact moment
I said...
one day I'm gonna do what she does
because she literally helped me
to see life from a different perspective
and to embrace the success and fulfillment
so much,
but with more ease
and that's what really inspired me to do that,
so I continue to work
in the company for another ten years,
coaching people there
and then eventually I left and I opened my business.
Beautiful because we have worked together
I know like more details
about these and how has been all the journey so
I feel like this really inspiring how
in that moment
you saw like yeah I want to do this someday
and actually you get to do that exactly in the same place
that you receive that coaching from her, right?
Yes, it's really incredible
I really believe that when we see something
that we admire so much in another person
most of the time
we just see ourselves, we see a part
of ourselves that has not bloomed yet
and that was for me and that is for everyone of us
so when we see something that
we really admire, the reality is that there is
probably a part of us that does not really
that is not developed yet,
or we believe that we don't have.
So, looking inside it's always the first step
to really  step into our power. 
Yeah. Okay. So...
how do you think
sharing your story has impacted your business? 
Well, in general, I think that,
well I come from 23 years in Nike, so Nike is
absolutely one of the best
company in terms of storytelling and
the reality of storytelling is that,
when we tell our story, we really open
the door for people to listen to us.
Above all, when we are in our story,
we are in our story with our emotions.
Not just really we try to explain things, 
but we share things
and as human being
we want to listen, we don't want to be
told or said what to do.
We just want to hear
what is around us
and understand what can be
connected to our own story,
to the things that really matter for us
and so this is it for me,
sharing the story
it's really opening the door for people to listen
to something that maybe can be important for them.
Beautiful.
So, and I know that
for you like people that you work with
they highlight how...
when they work with you they feel seen
and they feel that you are kind of holding a mirror
for them to see their own potential
that sometimes they are not able to see 
at the beginning of working with you. 
I wanted to ask you,
do you feel that sharing your story is also a way
for you to allow them to see you
and see the context of who is behind
this person helping them?
Absolutely, absolutely again like
I really believe above all in coaching
we are at the exactly at the same level.
So the more we can,
share the human behind
any kind of job we do, 
and the more...
it's easier that people can understand
any kind of concept or again
can take advantage
of anything we share for them for their life.
So, do you remember a specific moment
when someone...
the feedback of someone
make you realize
how important was that you have told
your own story?
Yeah, I think at the beginning when we
were creating also all this workshop...
for people, for different groups
either they were younger or they were
executive in companies,
we had really quite a long agenda
and we always ended up
cutting the agenda in half and just really
working and presenting just a part
of the subject we wanted to present in that day
and the reason why was that
at the beginning we always were opening up with,
with my story
and people were asking so many questions
and then we realized that
probably the story can become
and is one of the most important part of any kind
of proposal and interaction
and so we shifted completely
our offer also and our presentation
or our workshops,
where the stories and my stories had a bigger
space or better,
bigger space for people to ask
and you know in the end like it was the same
also for me when I was younger
I was asking so many questions
think about kids,
they always ask question and question,
after question
and more than asking
how...
how do you do these things or how
certain things need to be done,
what was very important for me it was always
like what was your experience?
and i'm talking about like either being a mom
or being a...
a young business woman
in a very masculine driven company,
or being successful abroad
or having a husband that doesn't work
and being the only one bringing actually
the economics at home,
like so many things 
so it was not really just to read a book
where there was the ABC on how to do something
because that doesn't really click
in people and it didn't click in me,
but the luxury to have somebody that
went already in that path and ask,
so how was you?
it doesn't mean that the person
need to do the exactly same things,
but these can really open up to question,
open up to possibilities, open up to ideas
that maybe without a story
you don't even think about.
Yeah, yeah I feel that too
and I know that you work with the leaders
in like in corporate and so on,
and I feel because you have been there
you really know that environment,
and I know that you use this idea of
knowing the game
and it's like you sharing your stories also
is a way for them to see how you really understand.
And it's not that you
know the tools and the techniques
and the things to help them,
you also have the background to understand
the environment, that they are playing in, right?
Yeah, that's absolutely right I mean,
we work out the methodology
that is called the WINGS Way
the way to reconnect to your own power
and the first pillar it's really like find your wings,
we believe that everyone
has wings.
This incredible power
that it is really unique to each of us.
But the second pillar is like learn the game,
because I really believe that in any environment
that you might be in
either you are an entrepreneur
or you are in a big company,
there are always
some rule of the game
that means like something you cannot control,
because if you start imagining that you are
participating a game
and that you can win and you can have fun,
still you need to understand which are the rules,
which are the things you cannot control
and so you don't really spend time and energy
fighting those rules, wanted to
change the rules,
because it's not our job
to change the rule. Our job is to win within...
that set of rules.
And so the rules at the end
can be like politics in companies, so they can be
dynamics, power dynamics.
So of course we can say this is not fair and it's true
like big corporate they are absolutely not fair
but we can still win and winning
it's very personal to each person.
Winning is like how do you want to
transform the environment around you
and starting from yourself
and then the people around you,
and whatever it's important for you, you can do it
even in a big company
if you keep in mind that that's just a game,
but within the game
you can win by transforming, by doing things
that is very meaningful for you.
And so that really helped me
to see like every time I was falling
or maybe somebody was telling me some
great ideas
or some suggestions
and then I gather all these,
like okay so at the end like these
are some rule of the game.
Because when you enter in a company
there are some rules that are written
but some that are not written, are hidden so...
the faster we learn them
the faster we can really have fun, enjoy,
and win in the way
that is really meaningful for us.
Yeah, it's like
you know,
even for breaking the rules,
you need to know the rules
so it's like a
learning about that environment
and being able to know what is...
what is there
for you to be able to
to expand or to explore, but first you need to really
understand what are you playing.
Yes, yes
you know, like when I was in Nike,
like breaking the rules
was really their thing, no?
Breaking the rule was very important,
because then at the end
if you think about
what was meaningful for Nike
was actually to be seen,
and so for example by putting like...
some shoes at Wimbledon,
for Roger Federer would like,
the sole that was orange
in a way was breaking the rule,
but the reality was a clarity
about what Nike wanted,
they wanted the entire world to look at them.
And so by doing that,
yes there was a breaking the rule
with consequences of a big fine
 but paying a big fine was part
of the game that Nike wanted to play.
So, clarity I think it's very very important. 
The problem come when we think that
we want to break some rules
just because they are not fair,
and then we put all our energy there
but then, at the end that the system kick us out
and when we are out from the system
we cannot impact anything.
Yeah and I feel this is connected to your idea
of the potential, no?
like what is your potential and how to go with
your wings, finding your wings and then
exploring all the possibilities that
what you can do. 
Yeah.
Again, I think it's very very important to be clear
what is our,
our role and what we want to do
and not really to spend energy in something that
it's not our,
I mean if we work for another company it's not our...
our job to create the rule.
I mean, as simple as that.
We can create the rule,
if we want to create a different company
but if we want to stay
in that company, we need to respect those rule
and still doing meaningful work.
And that is possible
because I really believe that you can
climb the ladder and in the meantime
being the person you want to be.
Yeah.
I think that the big things
that people sometimes
they think that they need to sell their soul
to the devil in order
actually to climb the ladder
and it's absolutely not like that
because maybe you can do it
but then it's very
stressful and hard
and absolutely not fulfilling.
Yeah and connecting to this idea
of the meaningful work
I know that this is something key
to the way that you approach
the work that you do,
on how you help others,
is like...
how for you like that
finding your meaningful work
something meaningful to you
how do you think sharing your story
is helping convey that idea of how meaningful
is for you the work that you do?
You know like I really believe that we all came
in this world
with a set of tools
and I call them our wings, you know
our mix of talents, passion and values
that are very unique to us
and sometimes we see other people
wings and not our because
we always compare ourselves
to others and so we lose a bit of power
by doing that,
but because we've been
gifted with this incredible power
the moment to start accessing to it
we also are on purpose,
on purpose it means like to use,
to fly, to use our wings
because when we use our inner power
we give the big gift to do this work.
We inspire other people to find their
unique purpose and power
and we support people in a way that is really
very natural to us and is,
so I really believe that every time
we are fighting something
that's not our path
our path...
it's really flow. Flow and flowing
so for me for example when I coach
I'm really feel center,
I'm really feel at ease.
Because I'm there with all myself,
with all my wise
and I try to access everything I need
because every person
in front of me needs something different in order to
switch on their light
and I don't switch on their light
I just try to keep my light switch on
in order for them to find their.
Yeah, that's a really nice
approach where you are empowering them,
it's not that you are the one
doing the thing for them but helping
to find their way to do that, so that's beautiful.
Yeah, I really believe that at the end
like we're not really...
everyone has their own time
to find their own potential
to let go some of limiting beliefs and so on.
The only things we can do is to be ourselves
and...
actually leave the space for people,
to do the journey,
while we're doing our.
Yeah.
Okay, so you know the name of the podcast is
Who Cares About My Story?
So, what would you say
to someone that is wondering that,
who will care about their story? 
I really believe, again like that
we are a mirror of each other,
so, sometimes I heard even people saying like...
oh maybe you're telling too much about yourself
or other people say,
well who cares about like
my stories and so on.
And I think that already there, there is a gift
like when we think something like that
there is already a gift there
that means that we are not seeing our story.
We are not really value our story
so if we don't value our story,
how can we think that other people can do that?
how can we think that people can see us?
So, I think the first step
it's not about telling our story,
the first step is to see our story
it's to be compassion towards ourselves
it's to really be
and fall in love
for every single part of our story,
of ourselves and to see if there is a
part of us or a part of our story that still
hold us back with some shame or guilt
and so after we've done that work,
that is the moment actually to share that story.
Because if we don't really tell something
that means that the story is still on us.
The fear, the shame
the moment actually we've forgiven ourselves,
the moment that we really
really connected to ourselves,
then that is the moment that
we just want to share our story,
because the story doesn't really hold
that pain anymore,
doesn't hold that shame anymore.
And we know that our story can help somebody else,
so I think the work is very internal before
appearing external.
I tell you like for example I've been with bulimia
for like probably twenty five years,no?
so that was a very hidden,
eating disorder, nobody could see
I was already this successful,
business woman,
flying all around the world,
working with like a very famous
athletes and everything.
Everyone being jealous about my life and my work
but instead I was still with like this
incredible and mean disease
that is bulimia
that nobody was seeing.
So the moment that
I could really start telling this story,
was the moment that I completely
managed to heal myself from this.
managed to heal myself from this
I would have never been able to tell my story
if I still was...
was actually not forgiving myself about that
or not giving myself
the permission to get out
from the gate once forever,
and sometimes we can even tell our story
when we are still
going through that
but because we started to see the light,
we started to see actually
the power and the gift that the story has for us.
Yeah, I feel that it's different
for different people but something that I have seen
overall is how
when you are sharing
that part of your story is like somehow that's
something good
for you as well, like sharing that is something good
either because it's part of the process of
getting over it or either it because it's over
and then now you are ready
to share your experience
and somehow inspire
or help others so yeah I feel like it's not just
in the case of personal brand story is not just helpful
for your business,
for your audience but also for yourself
to understand
the context of why you do what you do
and why you are
interested in working with a certain group of people
and how you are connected to them and so on.
Absolutely.
Nice. I wanted to ask you when you were
deciding what to share and what not,
at some point you decided to go to help, to work
on your stories,
and we have worked together on
your personal brand story,
I am curious to know about
what made you
do that, like decide to go and get help in shaping
how you share your stories? 
I think that...
your gifted again it's really that
it's that you help people to
translate the story
in a language that is a bit like more
more easy to understand,
for a diverse audience and so on.
Sometimes we can have something very clear
in our mind
but when we start talking
specifically with you
that you are very good in this, we realize that maybe
there is a part of our story that we don't really
value that much,
we don't think that is
particular or can benefit other people and you see
something and then working together
we can really package in a way that
can support other people even more,
and can become even more clear.
Yeah, I feel that this something
that even for myself
my own story, getting someone
to help me to go through that is it
helpful because we are so in our own
narratives and that, that we don't see
we sometimes overlook certain things
and from outside is like yeah that actually give
a lot of context about who you are and
how you are in the world
Absolutely.
Yeah, so...
for a lot of people that
might be listening to this
they are
somehow navigating a transition in their business
so they are somehow changing, how they position
themselves or the type of work that they are doing,
and they feel this lack of clarity
you have been going through
some big transitions through your journey,
So, can you tell us about
your own experience of deciding
how you communicate those changes to the people
that are maybe in your audience
or people that know about what you do. 
So, the question is about really
how you communicate your changes to people?
I think it's important to understand why,
why do you want to communicate
the changes to people?
I think Reme, I think everything start inside.
When we are clear about
what is the message we want to give
and why we want to give that message
everything is much easier,
everything is much easier.
For that reason I think like spending time and hold
some space for us to listen to our intuition
it's always the starting point,
now there are so many podcasts
that there are with social media,
we can have like
hundred and hundred
of very knowledgeable people
telling us what's the right things to do
exactly in this moment,
but the point is that if we listen outside before
listening inside
it's really a mess, we have also
artificial intelligence now
and if we start using this tool
before asking ourselves the question
then it's really a nightmare.
So, even in this case how we want to share our story
I think the first step is always to hold space,
to ask questions to ourselves.
You are very good by sending a questionnaire,
I created a book where
for ninety day people they ask themselves
some different question
in order actually to get
into their power and purpose
because when you are connected
to your power and purpose
everything
becomes so much clear and easy,
even to tell your story.
Because your why is what driving
and not the how.
Yeah yeah, hundred percent when you have clarity
why you are doing something
everything is like, the clarity
will be easier to find,
I agree in that.
Ok, so I like to do a question to all my guest
and is like what part of your personal brand story
surprises people the most?
Maybe it was really bad when I was really working
in tennis and I was really
every single month traveling around the world
going to slam
and I was very passionate about tennis
and so on, and I have this like beautiful life in the US
and I was promoted and so also
from a company point of view
I was really in a very good level
and the company was keep on promoting me 
but still...
there was a voice inside of me that was saying
what if you open your own company,
what if you leave the company Nike and US
and you really believe...
together with my husband by the way,
to your company, to something that you want
for you, to do for you
where you can actually set the rule of the game
and where you can really say yes or no
to some work,
and so probably that was the moment
when some people were saying like but why
did you leave in that moment,
but you know sometimes leaving
is much easier than staying
because that intuition is so clear.
Yeah and it's like I feel like this
connecting back to the beginning like the idea
of all the possibilities and
thinking that you have
possibilities to do things so, I feel that.
That is a powerful question
like they what if
is such a powerful question
to consider like
is opening all the doors of different possibilities
Yeah, absolutely.
Okay, I don't know if there is any
message or important
yeah question
that we haven't
covered and it's something that you feel is important
for the listener to consider and a message
that is important for you to share with them?
Maybe, I mean I think one thing
that is very important that like whoever is listening,
being really aware that wherever they are,
whatever they feel,
they are just in the right place
and they are right, in the right place
and that they have
everything they need
in order actually to
open the door to even more possibilities or step into
a chapter of their life
where they feel even more confident and where
they really attract more abundance.
It's just important that
with just this belief
they can start
looking for those resources inside of them
or asking the right question to the right people
that can support them,
but without that belief
then it's really difficult
to take any step in order actually to evolve,
and then believe in something
that we can put in our mind.
and so again like holding space for...
some questions
and some care,
I think it's very very important in any time in our life.
Thank you! thank you so much for this insight and
for people that are curious to learn more about you
and your work
I know that you are releasing 
at the moment of this recording
and this piece of work that will help them
to also do this internal work
so, how they can learn more about you?
Well, we have a group of young women
that are helping me with my social media
so we are posting every week 
@coach.adry
with the Y, and then in
Linkedin also Adriana Caliri, we post several things,
or in the website,
in our website.
I mean, you can write it down.
Yeah, I will...
I will add the links.
Yes!
So thank you so much for this
has been lovely to have you,
and having this conversation
I'm really grateful for...
yeah for the work that you have done
in the past and for having you here
sharing your thoughts and your inside
and I feel that this is really inspiring
for people to listen to that idea of
how you can find your wings. So, thank you for that.
Thank you very much to you
and thank you very much for the incredible work
you are doing to support like a lot of people,
to really share their story,
or have the benefit of themselves and others.
Thank you!


Thanks for tuning in to Who Cares About My Story? 

the podcast on how sharing your Personal Brand Story can impact your business. 

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Until then, remember, your story is relevant and worth telling!