What does it really mean to make someone feel heard?
Maria Gallucci learned the answer long before she had words for it.
Raised by Deaf parents as a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), Maria grew up navigating both the Deaf and hearing worlds. American Sign Language was her first language, and from an early age, she learned to pay attention to far more than words: expression, body language, emotion, and whether the person in front of her truly felt understood.
At just 12 years old, Maria found herself helping her parents navigate the closing on their home when no interpreter was provided. She didn't fully understand the paperwork herself, but she understood something even more important: her parents deserved access to communication that allowed them to participate fully in one of the biggest decisions of their lives.
That experience stayed with her.
Today, Maria is a bestselling author, top-producing Colorado REALTOR®, and founder of ASL Realty, a nationwide network connecting Deaf and Hard of Hearing clients with real estate agents who communicate in American Sign Language.
In this conversation, Pam and Maria explore what growing up between two worlds taught Maria about empathy, resilience, people-pleasing, belonging, listening, and the difference between simply hearing someone and making them feel understood.
They also talk about the childhood patterns we carry into adulthood, Maria's struggle to say no, why kindness can be powerful without requiring perfection, and the simple philosophy she returns to again and again:
Just try.
Because people may not remember the perfect words. They will remember how you made them feel.
In this episode:
• What it means to grow up as a CODA
• Why Maria learned ASL before spoken language
• Helping her Deaf parents buy a home at only 12 years old
• What Deaf culture taught her about truly listening
• Communication beyond words
• The connection between belonging and feeling understood
• People-pleasing, boundaries, and childhood patterns
• Why Maria created ASL Realty
• Turning lived experience into purpose
• The story behind Raised in Silence
• Why “Just Try” became Maria's personal philosophy
Watch the entire conversation: https://geni.us/dtb-maria-gallucci
Connect with Maria Gallucci
Website: https://galluccihomes.com/
Raised in Silence: http://raisedinsilence.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/galluccihomes/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@galluccihomes
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Delay the Binge™ explores the patterns behind the moments when we react, retreat, overdo, shut down, or fall back into behaviors we thought we'd left behind.
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Delay the Binge™ explores the patterns behind burnout, Quiet Depletion, reactive coping, and the behaviors we return to even when we know they no longer serve us.
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