Acting Lessons for the Boardroom: Why Empathy Matters in Leadership with Matt Drago

Have you ever wondered what happens when the worlds of Hollywood and business collide? Matt Drago, actor and real estate professional, reveals the surprisingly powerful connections between these seemingly different realms in this enlightening conversation.

When Matt stepped onto the set of his first lead role in a theatrical film "Somewhere in Montana," alongside veteran actors Graham McTavish and Michelle Hurd, he faced the universal experience of self-doubt. But rather than being paralyzed by it, he transformed those nerves into fuel for his performance. "Your nerves are a good thing because it shows that you care," Matt explains, offering a refreshing perspective that challenges how we typically view anxiety in professional settings.

The conversation takes a fascinating turn as Matt makes a compelling case for why everyone—especially business professionals—should take an acting class. Far from being just about performance, acting develops our capacity for empathy and human connection in ways that translate directly to leadership and client relationships. Matt's success in real estate stems directly from these skills, allowing him to support clients through emotionally charged transactions with genuine understanding and care.

What truly sets this episode apart is Matt's wisdom about the journey itself. Having dedicated his life to acting since childhood, he shares how the relationships built along the way matter more than any single achievement. "The journey is the destination," he reflects, encouraging listeners to reconnect with why they entered their profession and to appreciate both the struggles and triumphs that have shaped their path.

Whether you're navigating leadership challenges, building client relationships, or seeking more fulfillment in your work, Matt's insights from bridging artistic and business worlds offer a refreshingly human approach to success. Listen now to discover how embracing your authentic self might be the key to unlocking your next level of achievement and satisfaction.

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Sponsored by Nico Van de Venne CommV

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction and Welcome
• 2:09 Acting and Imposter Syndrome
• 4:41 The Power of Acting and Empathy
• 8:31 Creative Collaboration in Acting
• 11:32 Building Meaningful Relationships
• 22:32 Finding Joy in Your Journey
• 26:19 Closing Thoughts and Farewell

Transcript

Matt: 0:00

If you can really lead with passion, a lot of times, I think, a lot of the insecurities that you have as a person melt away and then the best part comes is when you are around people that align with you, people that are your tribe.

Nico: 0:21

Let me invite you to sit back, drop your jaw, tongue and shoulders, take a deep breath and, if you wish, close your eyes for a moment and feel the beat within. In a few seconds, you just jumped from your head to your heart and felt the beat within, opening up to receive even more value and fulfillment out of your business and life and today's episode. I'm your host, nico van de Venne, confidant to successful CEOs, founders and entrepreneurs striving to achieve everlasting fulfillment. Before we dive into today's episode, as usual, guys and you probably forgot last time but put out a five-star review on the podcast, please, and share this one with somebody who might be interested or might get good value out of this episode. Thanks a lot for the support and let's move on. So I welcome Matt Drago to the show. Matt, you are a very unique guest on my show. You are an actor and you are in real estate. That's one hell of a combination. I have to ask the question have you ever heard of disease, ceo disease and founder syndrome?

Matt: 1:28

No, but it makes sense because I think the same exists in entertainment as well. If I'm being completely honest, you know, I think that it's really honestly just, you know, self-doubt and imposter syndrome, as it's called, in acting. So I think, honestly, the way I look at it is it's just human emotion. You know, you can call it whatever you want, but we're all built the same way and we all feel the same way, and so, whether it's called one thing in the corporate world or whether it's called another in the artistic world, I believe that they're one and the same.

Nico: 2:04

I'm so happy you say that, it's so wonderful to hear that, because indeed it's. You know, what's in a name basically comes down to that. Now, in your own experience, you mentioned the acting world, but is that something specific you experienced yourself or are still experiencing? You never know.

Matt: 2:23

Absolutely. I think everybody experiences it at some point. I've got a film that came to theaters this year. It's the first time I've really carried the weight of a lead actor in a big film that came to theaters and showing up to set. There's a lot of pressure there and there's a lot of pressure that you put on yourself, but that's where the preparation becomes incredibly important. You know, to be able to say, okay, well, listen, I've been preparing for this moment my whole life. I've been doing this my whole life. I've been in 50 shows. I got a degree in this. I have studied with the best acting teachers in New York City in this I have studied with the best acting teachers in New York City. I have moved across the country. I've been to hundreds of thousands of auditions at this point in my life and it's just another opportunity to do what I love.

Matt: 3:15

And if you can really lead with passion, a lot of times I think a lot of the insecurities that you have as a person melt away. And then the best part, nico, comes, is when you are around people that align with you, people that are your tribe. You know I got to set. And the second I met Graham McTavish and Michelle Hurd and Kate Orsini and Jonathan Stoddard and all of these wonderful actors in Somewhere in Montana.

Matt: 3:43

All of that melted away because actors in somewhere in Montana, all of that melted away because, frankly, they became my friends very quickly because we were doing a job together, we were telling a story together and I would think that, even though you know I'm a realtor, I'm not necessarily in the higher corporate world.

Matt: 3:58

I would find that there's probably a lot of that same type of emotion going into the corporate world where a lot of times maybe you know you've been preparing for this moment but you get that big, you know leap whether it's a promotion or a different job, something that you've been working for your whole life and just lean in on that, lean in to the insecurity in a way, because I was told by an acting teacher, terry Schreiber once, is you know your nerves are a good thing because it just shows that you care. And so I think that you know, like I said, it's no different in one arena or the other, but lean in on your nerves because sometimes your nerves are the thing that fuels you to success, because sometimes your nerves are the thing that fuels you to success.

Nico: 4:46

That's a lot of wisdom in one answer. That's amazing. Thank you so much. Indeed, it's something that a lot of people step next to and saying my body is actually telling me something, but I'm not listening, and I can imagine what you're doing. You're actually playing the life of another person, even a fictitious person or a real person or whatever. You're probably playing that role more deliberately and stepping into that body, but a lot of the c-levels and executives we're talking to here are people that step into a role but don't appreciate what the body also signals.

Nico: 5:25

I think that's a major one, that this beautiful what you just said, and it's very insightful how these two completely different environments you know the acting or a theater or entertainment, and in the and the, the real corporate world or the founders world of entrepreneurs and so on it's so much aligned. Like you said, we are so much alike and I always love the story where somebody's saying to himself my front garden it's just a mess, there's a lot of herbs there and stuff growing out and this and that. What would my neighbor say about my front garden and his neighbor next door if you would crawl in that guy's head. You're dealing. You know you'd hear probably the same thing going on, exactly the same thing, and we're looking at each other but nobody's doing anything about the front guard.

Matt: 6:11

It's so astute. I mean just to add on to that again, we are built the same way and so if you're feeling insecurities, well, the person across from you has felt those exact same things before. So you're not alone. And I really do. I feel like sometimes leaning in on that, accepting that accepting sometimes it's okay to not be okay, just really gives you the power to just be like all right, you know, let's go. This is a new chapter, this is a new opportunity, and I know that I've prepared for it and I know that I've earned it, and so let's go.

Nico: 6:46

Yeah indeed. So tell us, how did you go from being a realtor being an actor? It's something that I don't really relate to each other. I would say how does that happen?

Matt: 7:11

that has always been. My first love in life has been acting and telling stories. I feel like connecting to my own humanity and you know, the human psyche at large has always been something that's been fascinating to me. And so as a kid like I, was that kid that really didn't need a lot of toys. I just needed my own creativity, my own imagination and I really just couldn't get enough of it.

Matt: 7:29

Nico, I mean again, I was probably in like 30, 40 shows growing up. I would do shows at the community theater, I would do shows at the local you know theater one town over that was a dinner theater. I would do shows at my schools growing up and I really just loved it. You know, I just really, really aligned with it. But it's one thing that I've actually talked about a lot to a lot of different people is that, like, I just really, really aligned with it. But it's one thing that I've actually talked about a lot to a lot of different people is that, like, I believe that everybody should get into an acting class at some point. It doesn't mean that you need to, you know, pursue it as a career. No, it really honestly, it's such a great tool, it's such a great medium and it's such a great platform to really be in touch with your empathy, and I think that that is something that really could bring a lot of value to people in the corporate world, because then you start to really understand, you know that other people, like, are built the exact same way as you and it really just kind of breaks that barrier of all the feelings that you feel like you're feeling in a bubble. You start to feel them and be a little bit more empathetic towards other people and I think that really is the gift of acting.

Matt: 8:39

I'll tell you a movie right now that I think a lot of your listeners would glean from in terms of the ultimate love letter and the power of acting. It's called Sing Sing. The ultimate love letter and the power of acting is called Sing Sing and it's it was produced by Coleman Domingo, who is actor I've been following since I went to go see him in off Broadway shows in New York City and it's this brilliant story of an actual program that exists at Sing Sing, the federal penitentiary, and the program is called Rehabilitation Through the Art penitentiary, and the program is called Rehabilitation Through the Art and essentially what it is is you know these incarcerated felon that have, you know, basically gotten their psyches stripped away from them, their humanity stripped away from them, being in a federal penitentiary, getting back in touch with themselves through the power of acting, and there's just some really, really great. You know just moments in that show, but it really does teach you that, like, acting can really give you the ability to connect with people and connect with yourself at the same time. And so, to answer your question, real estate kind of came naturally to me because it's a people business.

Matt: 9:49

People that are buying or selling real estate are in a highly emotional state because they are either buying something, a lot of times, that is going to be a home that they live in, that they build their families within, or maybe they're selling something that has been in their family for, you know, decades and decades. So you know there's a lot of emotional weight that goes into that and I feel like, for me, ding really taught me how to be in touch with those people and to be able to love them through it, but to also be able to be honest with them at the same time no-transcript.

Matt: 11:17

I think it does. I mean, I think it's kind of, you know, come in all shapes and sizes. I mean, I worked in five-star restaurants in New York City. I've worked in, you know, steak restaurants in LA and you know, I'm always looking for people to try to have the best experience with me, because I know that they're partnering with me. I know that I am trying to create a team around them to make sure that they are successful. I am supporting that success and so that's the way I look at it is, you know, whether it's getting the right lender for you know, the right first time home buyer, you know, maybe it's a woman that has a couple children. I've got a wonderful lender that I work with that's a mother of four. She's a cheer mom, she's fantastic with those types of clients. I've got, you know, another lender that's more analytical, that kind of gets in the nitty gritty of things, and so I'm matching personality a lot of times, because the reality is is that we support their dreams.

Matt: 12:12

And so, you know, even in serving in five star, you know, restaurant in New York City, I broke records at a lot of the restaurants that I was at. You know, when I moved to LA. I, within the first week there, I broke the record for the most Kobe filet that were sold, and everybody was coming up to me and asking me how I did it and I said, well, I really lean into their experience and I offer them something that I think that they would enjoy. But I don't push it. I'm not fail-y about it. I just, you know, push things that I like personally. You know, and you know the Kobe A5 filet is one of the best filets out there in terms of its marbleization. It's, you know, it's fat to lean meat content, the you know just the taste and the flavors of it, and so those are the things that I impart to.

Matt: 13:04

You know, my customers in restaurants, like I do in real estate, you know it's like you have to be customers in restaurants like I do in real estate. You know it's like you have to be honest. And maybe sometimes, you know, it's just a Tuesday night meal and they want to split a ribeye and they don't want to spend as much, and I will absolutely lean in on them enjoying that experience fully. Maybe it is like a big birthday celebration. They want to pop open a couple great bottles of wine and, you know, get Kobe filets for the.

Matt: 13:36

I'll lean in on that, you know, that night and make sure it's the best that it can be. So it's really like again being on your podcast today, like I follow the lead of other people, and I think that is something that I've always done, just because being an actor is being a collaborator. You know, working with a director, working with a producer, working with the crew Crews are what make films great, and just being a part of that puzzle and serving the material and serving the people that have put this wonderful environment together that we can all thrive in. I look at myself as a team player and honestly, I think that comes from being an actor.

Nico: 14:18

That's beautiful. Yeah, wow, it's a it's. It's a very different perspective than what I usually hear from guests. Indeed, you know a lot of people who have their, their story, of course, and they've built their businesses or their corporations or whatever, but then acted as a certain person to do that. And you're actually turning it around, because you're actually acting yourself and maybe tweaking a little bit toward the person that's in front of you, of course, because that's only natural for a human being to adapt, and we are very versatile to change we don't like it, but we are very versatile to change. We don't like it, but we're very versatile towards it. So, in any case, what's something that you would like to do in your acting career in the future? Who would you love to work with and what would you kind of want to put out in that, in that direction?

Matt: 15:10

Absolutely. I mean, I grew up as a young Sicilian kid really admiring the greats. You know, I lived across the street from Al Pacino in New York City. We used to go to the same diner. I mustered up enough strength to say hi to him a couple times. You know Robert De Niro. You know I grew up on the Coppola movies, I grew up on the Scorsese movies.

Matt: 15:40

These are people that I just have so much respect for in their craft of storytelling, in their love of actors and their love of, you know, just creating a wonderful environment, a wonderful set to be a part of. And you know, for me that would be a dream in terms of working with people like that. But there are so many I mean the list goes on and on and on. For me, because there are up and coming directors, on and on and on. For me, because there are up and coming directors, writers, actors that are cutting edge that you know, I think about all the time.

Matt: 16:09

And you know, one of the things that you do as an actor is you're always curious. I mean you're watching all the content that you can because you want to see. You know I sit in that world? I don't think so, but I love this show. Oh, you know what this show actually I really could fit into and I actually feel like there might be a place for me. So, you, you are objective about. You know the actor, that you are, the type of person you are, the types of things that you give off as an actor, which sometimes you can't control, right, you know, you just learn and you study and you grow, and that is the beauty of the craft of acting. So, yeah, and to answer your question, Nico, I'm really open to all of it because, you know, the journey has always been the destination in my book and so you know, if I am, you know, offered or granted a role, well, that means that that was supposed to be part of my journey as an actor.

Nico: 17:05

Yeah, I love what you just said. You know, the destination is a journey. Some some people might learn.

Matt: 17:12

The journey is the destination.

Nico: 17:14

Yeah, yes, that's what I meant. It's even mind flipping it over, yeah. But, it's true.

Matt: 17:22

It really is. You have to like, embrace the fact that you know you're you're enjoying the fact that you're building something and you're you're meeting people and you're creating these. You know lifelong relationships an actor that I acted with in this film that told this big story with me, graham, but now he's a friend. You know, a few months back he was making sure that I was okay when there were a couple fires. You know, next to us and you know these are, these are the relationships that matter more than just the position that people are in, the success that they've had.

Matt: 17:59

You start to melt that away and you start to see them as equals, as people that you know are that you can learn from, that you can grow with and that you can adopt as part of your journey. And that's why I say like the journey is the destination, because having people like him and Michelle Hurd in my life are just ultimate gifts and I'm so grateful for them. And so, if you can really just take in those gifts and understand that, like you know, it's building towards something and there's going to be ups and lows and you know, and challenges along the way, but you're going to learn some great things in the process. I think that's where I say you know, adopt that mentality of the journey is the destination that you know, mentality of the journey is the destination.

Matt: 18:47

Yeah, so your your co-stars, michelle I know her from from star trek, the card you know it's the yeah, the one show and the other one is, of course, indeed, outlander.

Nico: 18:52

We mentioned earlier, uh, in the green room. Um, so, working with these kind of people, they, they've already done a couple of, you know, bigger shows and stuff like that. You've done a lot of shows. So how does that work within this, this, this acting world, do they act differently, as in? You know, I would, I would, I don't know how you would describe it, but like the big boss is here and you're just, you know, the new guy walking in, so you have to listen to me. Is that, is that the way the actor is? Just, you know, human beings talking to each other? I think the latter, but I just want to hear you tell a tale, yeah well, I mean, you said the key word, yeah, um, two words.

Matt: 19:28

They're human beings, you know, and, and every human being is a little bit different, but I have found in my life that actors are the most selfless people I've ever met, and I really mean Again, because they're in touch with their humanity, people that have these long successful careers in duration, like Graham and like Michelle. There's a reason for it, and they are wonderful collaborators and they're wonderful people and they give you so much space. I mean, that's what I love about artists more than anything else, and it's something that I wish existed actually more in the real estate space and probably in the corporate space as well is that people allow space for each other, you know, to have a bad day, to ask those tough questions, to really try to learn and grow, and what people better than people like Graham and Michelle that are just ultimate lovers and givers to acting and to creatives and just bringing a story to life? You know, graham and I knew pretty early on we were telling a big story together. This is a very politically, socially charged story about two different people from two different worlds coming together. It's a beautiful story crafted by Brandon Smith, who's the writer and the director of it and you know you feel a lot of responsibility. Pros like Graham and Michelle and Kate and Jonathan I mean we had so many pros on set. You just glean so much that the you know the, the fact that maybe I'm a little bit more of the unknown actor and they've been successful that all melts away. And they've been successful that all melts away Because it's almost like Michelle Hurd's husband said to me at a premiere recently when one of the hosts actually said, oh, and you've got this up and coming actor Matt Drago and Garrett looked over at me and I know what he meant when he said it and it really meant a lot to me in the moment, like it really really did me hard.

Matt: 21:45

He said what is he talking about? You've been doing this your whole life and it really meant a lot to me because it was that gift of like, regardless of maybe the outward facing success that I've had. I have been committed to this my whole life. I have been fighting for this my whole life. I have been fighting for this my whole life. I have been working toward this my whole life and if you give yourself that, whether it be in the entertainment space, whether it be in the corporate space, you really just give yourself like such confidence to go in there and you know these the day, and I think that that is something that I'm eternally grateful for when I think about all of these relationships that I've collected, not only in somewhere in Montana but along this journey.

Nico: 22:30

Yeah, it's nice to hear that. This brings you well, actually brings you a lot of self-worth, and self-confidence is one word that I've heard in so many different aspects and so many different perspectives. Well, where, where self-worth is, for me, much more deep. You know, and it's it's what you're actually saying is that you yourself, you already knew that you were doing this. Because you were doing this, you're doing a great job because you're already doing this, for you know the duration of your life, and it's always so strange that people only see the tip of the iceberg.

Nico: 23:04

You know, it's such a classic image. You know that big iceberg that's underneath the water and people don't see it. And there's a lot of success going on on the outside, but you only see the last drop of that success, that that you know the hard work, the continuous persistence and, and and you know, contribution to the, to the arts or anything else like that. You know it's amazing that you're at your point right now. Man, you know, I don't know, I don't, maybe in in a couple of years.

Nico: 23:30

You're like I can say, no, this guy was on my podcast, you know, it's like when he was, you know, already very big. He now became bigger or something, and I'm like no, I shouldn't even think about that, because what you're doing all right now is effectively continuously keeping to your own worth and going forward and doing the best you can, which is beautiful, and I think that's a really good message that can go out there. But the other question I want to ask you is so what would be something that you would like to bring to my audience as a message that they can take with them from our episode today?

Matt: 24:06

Yeah, that was a beautiful Nico and really insightful. Um and again, this has been a great conversation. Is why I love having conversations, because every platform is a little bit different, and so, um, I, I really do this. These conversations become part of my journey and and I don't take them lightly because, again, as an actor, as a creative, we only have so much time within, you know, a theatrical production or a film or a TV show to show our work, but that doesn't necessarily show what we're about.

Matt: 24:38

I'm a big sports fan and so, you know, I always think about, like these players, now that we have social media, and what they stand for off the field of play as much as on the field of play, and so I feel like these interviews are my opportunity to tell people a little bit more about what I'm about as a person, you know, not just as an actor, because acting is very forward facing you see the red carpets and you see the, and like you know who doesn't want to take, you know, your wife out to a really nice, you know meal and a really cool event, right, you know, so it's it, but but what we stand for is the work. What we got into this for is the work. What, what we love about it is the work. And and I would say that to your, to your listeners, to you know, take a moment, and why did you get into this profession? What does it give you? You know? Maybe it gives you all of the things that you know help your kids live the best life that they can. Maybe it gives you the home that you need to build a future. Maybe it gives you those experience, whether you like to travel, whether you like to go to concerts or sporting venues, you know what does it gives you? Those experience, whether you like to travel, whether you like to go to concerts or sporting venues, you know what does it give you. And knowing that you're sacrificing pretty much every day of your life to make those things happen for others, because, again, you're part of someone else's journey too, and that's that's why I love traveling so much.

Matt: 25:59

I went back to Sicily a couple of years ago with my cousin.

Matt: 26:02

I went back to Sicily a couple of years ago with my cousin and, you know, I dug up the documents for my great grandfather, collegiero, and I found out where he was from, in the middle of Sicily, and it was just this incredible, you know, two week journey where it really connected me, nico, to the fact that, like I, am part of someone else's journey he was the youngest of eight kids in Sicily and he was the one that decided to board a boat to come to America. And if he hadn't done that, I wouldn't be here talking to you right now. So you know, enjoy where you are, enjoy the sacrifices, enjoy the work that you have put into the moment that you're in right now. And that's the message that I would leave to your listeners is you know, just take, take accountability for all of the things that have led you to this moment and revel in it, because sometimes you have to pat yourself on the back. That way you can take the next step forward in your journey.

Nico: 26:59

That's now. That's a beautiful one. Thank you so so much, Matt, for for putting that out there and uh and bringing us some so much wisdom. You know it's. I didn't even think that this would end into this podcast. You know, it's always a. It's always so wonderful to see how different perspectives end up in our in this conversation. It's. It's so nice.

Matt: 27:19

Thank you very much for your time. Thank you again, Nico. I really appreciate it. Thank you for having me on today.

Nico: 27:25

You too, and to you, listener, as usual. So many thanks for listening again to the podcast. Remember, don't forget to put that five-star review out there and sharing it with somebody who might be influenced, because there's a lot of people who might listen to this and get really good insights, and I can promise you that. So thank you very much, everybody. Have a good one, bye-bye.