Dialogical Educator

After a long training as a social scientist and applied economist at some of the world’s most renowned institutions, including the very peculiar Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and after two brief yet highly formative hi-tech start-up experiences, I moved back to my home country, Italy.

Here, for the past 10 years, I have served as an Adjunct Professor of Sustainable Business at the University of Bologna, as well as a professional and personal development mentor at the Bologna Business School and the Golinelli Foundation. Over time, my Sustainable Business course has become a truly heterodox forum, inclusive of a variety of voices, perspectives, and real-world best practices. I have experimented with an academic education “from the inside out,” in which students and contributors widely, critically, and compassionately reflect not only on our global economy and society, but also on themselves.

We don’t just reflect on companies as external entities that can evolve, but also as parts of ourselves that we can evolve—by questioning our own mixed feelings and outdated beliefs around money and work, personal success and authentic fulfillment, in this time of transition from a purely materialistic society to a more spiritually mature one. This approach helps students regain a sense of agency and personal responsibility, as well as a renewed capacity to appreciate one another and recognize their power to make a positive impact on society.

Some of the cutting-edge international companies that have contributed to my Sustainable Business course include Aboca, Tetra Pak, Chiesi, Loccioni, and Acetaia Giusti. Here is an example of the kind of feedback I regularly receive from students:

“This course has left us with a deep sense of empowerment and a renewed commitment to creating change. It provided a safe space for dialogue, where our perspectives were valued and encouraged. Unlike traditional courses, we weren’t just taught how things are, but were invited to consider how things should be. The realization that alternative approaches exist—and that change is both necessary and inevitable—has ignited in us a desire to become active contributors to a more sustainable world. We’ve learned that paradigms are often barriers of perception—and that breaking them requires more than revolutionary ideas; it takes practical actions such as fostering connections, building communities, and demonstrating that solutions are already within reach. Ultimately, this course has instilled in us three key values: awareness, curiosity, and exploration, which we believe are the foundations for creating meaningful, lasting change.”