L E S L I E OF AMERIDREAM R I C C I T

E L L I

The Voice

Singing allowed Leslie Riccitelli to see the world at a very young age.

“I was blessed with a very unusual upbringing,” Riccitelli said. “At age six, I travelled the world in the ministry with my family for six years. I branched out and then travelled the world again as professional singer for nine years.”

Singing also taught her to build relationships with people. “It’s not the limelight, it’s that I get to make connections with people,” said Riccitelli. “Speaking and singing in front of thousands of people made me fluent in understanding people and how to relate with them.”

Being a singer didn’t just help Riccitelli get comfortable with being in front of large crowds, it also gave her a solid work ethic. “My family would go on these four and five-day long shows three to four times a month. We were running the entire thing, from setting lights to building the stage,” she said. Living such a fast lifestyle and growing up working hard quickly became normal to her and allowed her to graduate high school she was 14.

When she was old enough to be on her own, she moved to Nashville and lived there for five years where she sang, did voiceovers, made commercials, and learned to play several different musical instruments. “Knowing the right people at the right time, I made connections there and I was able to evolve my singing from gospel to country,” she said.

Soon, Riccitelli leveraged her people skills along with her knowledge of stage presence and singing to work for the Miss America pageant. She worked there for three years helping pageant contestants with choreography and producing the show. “I got to let out my creative side with the choreography,” Riccitelli said. “I also got to teach other women how to be empowered and be strong women. I’ve always had a passion to help others. It’s what brings me joy and determination.”

Marriage and a move to Dallas made Riccitelli switch careers once again and she got into the aerospace industry where she worked for 12 years, first in sales at an aviation repair station and then moving into logistics. “I had customers all over the world, so that meant getting calls at all hours to facilitate millions of dollars in aviation parts getting to where they needed to go,” said Riccitelli. When she got pregnant with their third child, Riccitelli realized that schedule wasn’t going to work, and something else happened that made her understand she couldn’t handle such extreme hours any longer.

“I was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia while pregnant with my third child. After almost two months of strict bedrest at the hospital during COVID and not being able to see my family or kids, my body had enough and was giving up,” Riccitelli said. After an emergency c-section, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl weighing 1lb 10oz. Paris Celine Riccitelli was three months early and came out breathing on her own.

“Nurses and doctors called her the miracle baby,” said Riccitelli. “During this challenging time, the owner of AmeriDream Mortgage showed his true colors by offering help and making sure my family and I were okay. At this moment, I decided this is the kind of company I want to work with. They proved that people mean more than the circumstance. So, in January 2021, I officially started at AmeriDream Mortgage and have loved every day since.”

Besides Paris, Ricitelli and her husband Chris, have two other children; Scarlett age 6, and Enzo, age 4. Instead of trying to get everyone out of the house to spend time together, they enjoy time at home with family movie nights. “We make homemade popcorn, eat candy, and drink hot cocoa cuddled up on the couch. These are memories that are hard to forget when you slow down and love on each other,” she said. “It sounds cliché, but I love spending time with my family. I love to see their own personalities take form and to laugh with them.”

When the whole family does venture outside the house for adventure, one of their favorite destinations is Disneyworld. “I never got to go as a kid, so now we go at least once a year,” said

Riccitelli. “It’s so much fun to watch my kids and their reactions. I think it makes us more childlike and real people. We get so caught up being mature. Things like going to Disneyworld brings real life back in perspective.”

Perspective is also Riccitelli’s driving force at work. “As a mortgage loan originator, I get to help people into their dream homes on a daily basis,” Riccitelli said. “AmeriDream has a great reputation for not turning away loans. What I mean by that is, for challenging loans we always provide a plan to get our clients where they need to be to fulfill their goals. While the W2 borrower loans are exciting and easy, we have a niche for complicated loans such as Jumbo or Self-Employed business owners that require thinking outside the box and persistence with following through to the end. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”