"As within so without. In order to transform our outer world for the better, we are called to heal our inner one”


Life Journey

I grew up in a humanistic and relationship-oriented Italian environment, and I have always been a philosopher at heart, eager to learn across disciplines and immerse myself in different cultures, mentalities, and ways of living. After graduating in Communication Sciences at the University of Padova, I decided I wanted to become a well-rounded social scientist and embarked on a long and peculiar PhD journey that took me to the United States, the Netherlands, and Austria, resulting in the co-founding of two M.I.T. start-ups and in a doctoral degree in (applied) economics from the Free University of Amsterdam.

With the arrival of my new family and a post-PhD “professional crisis,” I found myself revisiting my core values and embarking on a long journey of inner reflection and the pursuit of a well-balanced and well-lived life. After years of competitive pressures and hectic travel, I redirected my professional path toward broader questions that I discovered I held closer to my heart—namely, how to evolve our global economic and scientific systems toward a more life-affirming, ethical and spiritually informed paradigm.

Today, at 48, I live in the vibrant city of Padua, teaching Sustainable Business at the University of Bologna and advising companies through the Great Place To Work Institute. I also conduct extensive independent research and travel internationally, as active member and contributor of the Scientific and Medical Network and the Spirit of Humanity Forum. 

I have always had the habit of reflecting on my life experiences, extracting useful lessons and profound meaning, guided by an intense desire to grow and mature as a human being. Over time, I embraced silent meditation as a daily discipline to restore clarity and a more natural rhythm to my busy daily life, while deepening my connection with my inner compass and my soul.

Journaling has also always played an important role in my life, allowing me to process intense and painful emotions more gracefully, as well as to translate into written form the countless intuitions, inspirations, and deep understandings that Life keeps gifting me. My trust in Life has continued to grow, along with my ability to adapt to a variety of social environments and to cut back on what is not needed, bringing greater simplicity, joy, and practical accomplishment.

My ultimate aim remains that of growing into a well-rounded human being, guided by deep understanding, wisdom, humility, and an unwavering determination to become an agent of peace and positive change.

I have always tried to live life to the fullest, carving out meaningful time to nourish my passions: traveling with an anthropological and sociological curiosity; immersing myself in the arts by visiting cultural sites and exhibitions; and embracing an active lifestyle through a variety of sports, including multi-day adventure bike trips.

I also make it a priority to cultivate close friendships and honor the relationships that matter most—especially those with my wife, Jennifer, and our two children, Leonardo and Elena. I often reflect on the many relational dynamics that unfold daily, and I have come to deeply appreciate how home and family offer a powerful training ground for developing qualities such as patience, presence, and tolerance. I could not agree more with Mother Teresa, who believed that children—through the authenticity of their love—are among our greatest teachers

Readings
These are the readings that proved most formative for me, and which I highly recommend.

 

Novels

  • Ishmael (Daniel Quinn)
  • A Fortune-Teller Told Me: Earthbound Travels in the Far East (Tiziano Terzani)
  • The City of Joy (Dominique Lapierre)
  • The Valkyries (Paulo Coelho)
  • Snow (Orhan Pamuk)
  • Sozaboy (Ken Saro-Wiwa)
  • Journey to Portugal (José Saramago)
  • The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
  • The Shadow of the Sun (Ryszard Kapuściński)
  • Children of Dust (Ali Eteraz)

 

Economics

  • The Future of the Responsible Company (Stanley & Chouinard)
  • The Econocracy (Earle et al.)
  • Economy Studies: A Guide to Rethinking Economics and Economics Education (De Muijnck, Tieleman)
  • The Soul of Money (Lynne Twist)
  • Conscious Capitalism (Mackey & Sisodia)
  • Doughnut Economics (Kate Raworth)
  • Regenerative Capitalism (John Fullerton)
  • Frugal Value (Millstone)
  • Come On! A Report to the Club of Rome
  • Reinventing Organizations (Frederic Laloux)
  • The Shareholder Value Myth (Lynn Stout)
  • The Ecology of Commerce (Paul Hawken)
  • Saving Capitalism (Robert Reich)
  • From Values to Actions: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership (Harry Kraemer)
  • Six Simple Rules: How to Manage Complexity Without Getting Complicated (Morieux & Tollman)
  • Small Is Beautiful (E.F. Schumacher)
  • Change Everything (Christian Felber)
  • Sacred Economics (Charles Eisenstein)
  • Per qualche dollaro in più / For a Few Dollars More (Ugo Baranes)
  • The Price of Inequality (Joseph Stiglitz)
  • Making Globalization Work (Joseph Stiglitz)
  • The Return of Depression Economics (Paul Krugman)
  • The End of Poverty (Jeffrey Sachs)
  • The Conscience of a Liberal (Paul Krugman)
  • Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy (Joseph Stiglitz)
  • Globalization and Its Discontents (Joseph Stiglitz)
  • Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (John Perkins)
  • A Colossal Failure of Common Sense (Lawrence McDonald & Patrick Robinson)
  • Factor Four (von Weizsäcker et al.)
  • The World Is Curved (David Smick)
  • Connected: 24 Hours in the Global Economy (Altman)
  • The End of Work (Jeremy Rifkin)

 

Psychology & Pedagogy

  • The process of presence (Michael Brown)
  • Self-Compassion (Kristin Neff)
  • Wheels of Life (Anodea Judith)
  • Sustainability, Human Wellbeing and the Future of Education (Cook)
  • The Five Love Languages (Gary Chapman)
  • Nonviolent Communication (Marshall Rosenberg)
  • The Mountain Is You (Brianna Wiest)
  • What’s the Point of School? (Guy Claxton & Bill Lucas / Ay – as originally cited)
  • Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities (Martha Nussbaum)
  • La guarigione del cuore / The Healing of the Heart (Amirante)
  • An Emotional Education (Alain de Botton)
  • The Deep Heart (John Prendergast)
  • The Seven Secrets to Healthy, Happy Relationships (Don Miguel Ruiz & HeatherAsh Amara)
  • Educare esploratori coraggiosi / Educating Courageous Explorers (Rossi)
  • The Danish Way of Parenting (Alexander & Sandahl)
  • Parenting from the Heart (Pransky)
  • Transforming Stress (Childre & Rozman)
  • Making Peace with Yourself (Thich Nhat Hanh)
  • Thrive (Arianna Huffington)
  • A General Theory of Love (Lewis et al.)
  • Daring Greatly (Brené Brown)
  • Happier (Tal Ben-Shahar)
  • The Pursuit of Perfect (Tal Ben-Shahar)
  • Getting to Yes (Fisher et al.)
  • Difficult Conversations (Stone et al.)
  • The Paradox of Choice (Barry Schwartz)
  • Le emozioni dei bambini / The Emotions of Children (Isabelle Filliozat)
  • On Leadership (Harvard Business School Press)
  • The Danger of a Single Story (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
  • The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work (John Gottman)

 

Political & International Affairs

  • The Tech Coup (Marietje Schaake)
  • The Spirit at the End of History (Ravi Joseph)
  • The Slow Fix (Carl Honoré)
  • Summer Meditations (Václav Havel)
  • Collapse (Jared Diamond)
  • The Geography of Thought (Richard Nisbett)
  • Gomorrah (Roberto Saviano)
  • The Dark Heart of Italy (Tobias Jones)
  • The Art of Non-Government / L’arte del non governo (Ricolfi)
  • The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers (Citrin & Smith)
  • Good Italy, Bad Italy (Bill Emmott)
  • Plutocrats (Chrystia Freeland)
  • The Post-American World (Fareed Zakaria)
  • The Future of Freedom (Fareed Zakaria)
  • The Clash of Civilizations (Samuel Huntington)
  • Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet (Michael Klare)
  • The J Curve (Ian Bremmer)

 

Science

  • War of the Worldviews (Chopra & Mlodinow)
  • Spiritual Science (Steve Taylor)
  • On Dialogue (David Bohm)
  • Il crepuscolo dello scientismo / The Dusk of Scientism (Sermonti)
  • Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself (Joe Dispenza)
  • Thinking in Systems (Donella Meadows)
  • The Galileo Commission Report (Science & Medical Network)
  • The Science Delusion (Rupert Sheldrake)
  • Climate: A New Story (Charles Eisenstein)
  • Undisciplining Knowledge (Graff)
  • Reinventing the Sacred (Stuart Kauffman)
  • The Unnatural Nature of Science (Lewis Wolpert)
  • Reality Is Not What It Seems (Carlo Rovelli)
  • God and Modern Science / Dio e la scienza moderna (Timossi)
  • Hypothesis on God / Ipotesi su Dio (Timossi)
  • Ideas and Opinions (Albert Einstein)
  • Education for Life (Walters)
  • Designing Regenerative Cultures (Daniel Wahl)
  • Journey of the Universe (Swimme & Tucker)

 

Spirituality (and Science)

  • The Gentle Art of Blessing (Pierre Pradervand)
  • Anam Cara (John O’Donohue)
  • Facets of Unity (A.H. Almaas)
  • Emergence (Derek Rydall)
  • The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
  • The Untethered Soul (Michael A. Singer)
  • The Seat of the Soul (Gary Zukav)
  • Oneness with All Life (Eckhart Tolle)
  • The Map of Consciousness Explained (David R. Hawkins)
  • Arriving at Your Own Door (Jon Kabat-Zinn)
  • The Universe Has Your Back (Gabrielle Bernstein)
  • The Dream of the Cosmos (Anne Baring)

(…and many others, including Jean Houston, Thomas Hübl, Lynne McTaggart, Debra Poneman, Barnet Bain, Joan D’Argo, Jennifer McLean, Mary Morrissey)

 

Other

  • Impossible City (Simon Kuper)
  • Abundant Love (Satish Kumar)
  • Ecodharma (David Loy)
  • The Age of Wellbeing (Green)
  • The Hidden Life of Trees (Peter Wohlleben)
  • Biomimicry (Janine Benyus)
  • Why Leaders Eat Last (Simon Sinek)
  • The Courage to Teach (Parker Palmer)
  • The Geography of Bliss (Eric Weiner)
  • Presence (Senge et al.)

 

TV Shows & Documentary Series

  • Deutsche Welle – documentaries
  • PBS – Frontline
  • ARTE TV
  • RAI – Caterpillar
  • BBC – The Toughest Place to Be