A Journey Across The Ocean...
First, let's set the record straight. I'm Italian, as my accent would quickly reveal :)
I grew up in Genova, a lovely city in the Northwest of Italy, on the Ligurian coast (the one in the photo!). I moved to New York City in 2006.
Back then, there were at least two different Claras in me:
- on the outside, a freshly graduated bioengineer, starting a doctorate in Neuroscience. Successful smart student, archetypal 'good girl'. Ready to conquer the science world;
- on the inside, I was a young fragmented woman, who had made most of her previous choices on autopilot, doing her best to comply with cultural and societal expectations. Longing to take some distance from my country and family of origin, with the hope of getting in touch with my heart, which felt somehow buried somewhere, very deep and far from my head.
Let's see what happened then...
I worked for almost a decade at the City College of New York (that's what you see in the picture!), as a researcher in the fascinating field of Neuroscience. I applied my bioengineering training to recording and analyzing brain waves and developing software for measuring cognitive and motor function, as well as brain plasticity. If you are curious about my scientific publications, you can find them here.
I have always loved science, and neuroscience is still a passion of mine. I am a very curious being, I love to study and I dive into learning full on. Working in academia, however, presented some challenges I wasn't fully prepared to face. The work environment I found in NY was quite competitive and aggressive and, as a young and foreign postdoctoral fellow, I had a hard time to have my voice be heard and stand my ground. The frustration I was experiencing there somehow catalyzed the search for tools to improve my communication and interpersonal skills.
Little did I know, this ended up shifting my career completely...
In the summer of 2010, maybe at the peak of the inner struggle I was experiencing both in my professional and personal life, I made a clear commitment to take care of myself in a new way, embracing my challenges as doorways learn and grow, and seeking tools and support to navigate them.
I soon became quite passionate about understanding the challenges I was facing, and learning to make sense of this extraordinary experience we live on this Earth with more joy, purpose and authenticity. I felt committed to learn how to feel whole-heartedly alive, and to walk this journey with trust and openness. And once that intention was set in place, magic started to happen.
Since then, I met countless amazing teachers, and my own unique healing journey started to take shape. It contains many colors, influences, modalities, but underneath it all there is a common thread: reconnecting to life, expressing my gifts and potential as human being, and inspiring people around me to join me on this adventure.
So... Shall we play?
My goal here is to create spaces for exploration of two topics that I'm deeply passionate about:
COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION - How we can communicate effectively and authentically in our relationships, be they intimate, professional or casual, transcending roadblocks, fostering empathy and connection, ultimately learning to transform the energy of 'conflict' into creativity, service and growth;
COMPASSIONATE SELF-CARE - How we can transform our relationship to our body, particularly for what concerns issues of weight, body image and food, moving away from judgments, restrictions and self-hate, and embracing peace, self-compassion and joyful self-care;
Both of these arenas are super close to my heart, because of the struggles I experienced on my own skin, and I'm thrilled to share with you the tools that helped me completely transform my life. Just pick where to start... and I'll meet you there :)