The one thing I wish I’d known when I was younger.

The one thing I wish I’d known when I was younger is that life becomes very different when you learn to stay open to it.

Not through certainty.

Not through having the perfect plan.

But through curiosity, presence, and a sense of wonder…

Many people have asked me why I chose the name Meraviglia.

It’s an Italian word that means wonder, marvel, amazement.

When I first heard it, I smiled.

Because it described the feeling that appears when I stop rushing through life and actually experience it.

I marvel at life.

Not so much at the big achievements or milestones.

Mostly at the small things.

The morning light falling differently on the hills.

Birds chirping in the early morning.

The sound of tractors working the fields.

The cherries from my own tree.

A good conversation.

A new idea.

A moment of unexpected clarity.

When I am present, life feels full of these moments.

Wonder opens something in me.

It makes me curious.

It makes me pay attention.

It reminds me that life is always larger than the story in my head.

And perhaps that is why I chose this name.

When the word Meraviglia appeared, it felt as if the final puzzle piece dropped into place.

For years, I had been exploring change, self-awareness, meaningful work, presence, and what helps people move towards a life that feels more like their own. Yet something was missing. I could feel it, but I couldn't quite name it.

Meraviglia gave language to something I had been experiencing for years.

Not a method. Not a role.

A way of meeting life.

Suddenly everything fit together. The place. The programme. The conversations I wanted to have. The reason I felt called to create this space in Italy.

It all became much clearer.

Because I see the same thing happen when people talk about the changes they long for.

For a moment their eyes light up.

They speak about a dream, a possibility, a different future.

Then comes the familiar "but..."

The reasons why it can't happen.

Not now.

Not yet.

Maybe never.

And that is the moment I wish for them to stay a little longer in wonder.

Because somewhere along the way, many of us lose it.

We become efficient, responsible, productive and realistic.

Yet wonder is often what allows us to see possibilities that our plans, fears and assumptions cannot.

It is the beginning of every meaningful change I have ever made.

Not because wonder magically solves problems.

But because wonder keeps us open.

Open to possibilities we cannot yet see.

Open to paths that don't appear because we are busy proving why something won't work.

This is how I ended up in Italy.

Not through a master plan.

Not through certainty.

By following what felt alive.

One small step at a time.

Curious.

Present.

Open.

Still marveling at life.

Meraviglia.