Fundraising for Other People's Stories: Alicia DeLia on Taking Up Space in Impact Investing — Part 1

What does it cost to spend 20 years raising money for other people's stories — and then decide your story is worth funding?Alicia DeLia has been in the impact investing sector since before it had a name. She worked at FINCA International when microlending was a radical idea. She raised capital for movements. She built a consulting firm. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, she watched the sector she believed in get watered down — from bold, disruptive activism into "profit as usual with a sprinkle of impact."In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Alicia breaks down what it actually takes to take up space in impact investing when the sector wasn't designed to see you — not as a leader, not as a founder, not as someone whose story is fundable.Alicia breaks down :Why following your curiosity is more reliable than following your purpose How to know when you've outgrown your plant pot — before you talk yourself into staying What the impact investing sector got wrong — and what taking up real estate in a broken space actually looks like How a woman singing in Spanish in a side room at a conference in Atlanta became one of the most important partnerships in Alicia's work Why the ancestors conspire — and how to train yourself to follow the signalIn Part 2, Alicia breaks down the building of Buen Vivir Capital Institute — the philosophy, the Mexico City launch, and what relational infrastructure actually means for women moving capital in 2026.Subscribe now so Part 2 lands straight in your feed.Chapters00:00 Introduction & What You'll Learn Today 03:30 Meet Alicia DeLia — 20 Years in the Money Game 07:00 The Belief You Have to Shed Over and Over to Take the Leap 11:30 Your Body Knows Before Your Brain Does 14:00 Follow Your Curiosity — Not Your Purpose 17:30 "I Never Feel Like the Boxes Are Checked. I Just Do It." 22:00 Where Does Audacity Actually Come From? 26:00 The Worst Case Scenario Is Lovely Most of the Time 30:00 What's Wrong With Impact Investing Right Now 35:30 "The Gatekeeping Is So 40 Years Ago" 38:00 The Woman Singing in Spanish — And What the Ancestors Knew 44:00 On Not Shedding What Is Sacred to Do This Work 48:00 Right Relationship — What Capital Can Actually Feel Like 51:00 The Whole Damn Talk — Work with MagogodiResources Mentioned:📚 The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk 🌺 VidaAfroLatina — Lori Robinson → vidaafrolatina.orgConnect with Alicia📸 Instagram: @adelia4peace 🔗 LinkedIn: Alicia DeLia 🏢 Buen Vivir Capital Institute: linkedin.com/company/buen-vivir-capital-instituteGet Madame Speaker Says CoachingThe Whole Damn Talk — 3 hours. Your hook, your spine, your one-liner, your business case. Built from scratch. Five spots a month. → madamespeakersays.com#ImpactInvesting #WomenInPhilanthropy #BlackWomenLeaders #BuenVivir #MadameSpeakerSays📧 JOIN -  Expect fresh newsletters every week or so, where I share bare truths, storytelling tips and plenty of F-bombs.Ready to turn your ideas into influence? APPLY for 1:1 coaching to transform your voice into your greatest asset.