I've always been fascinated by how societies organize themselves — how people with different interests manage, or fail, to decide together. That curiosity led me toward economics, political science, and public administration, and eventually toward a career I couldn't have named at the start, but that has revealed itself over time.
At university, I got involved in politics. And I understood something that has stayed with me ever since: the big decisions that affect everyone are often made without most people having had a real say.
Not because nobody wanted to hear them. But because the processes weren't designed for that. People were consulted — but not truly listened to. I made it my mission to change that, one mandate at a time.
Over the years, I developed expertise in social research, participatory process design, and facilitation. I learned to read weak signals — the subtle cues that reveal what people don't always say directly. And I discovered that I have a particular talent for creating spaces where people feel safe enough to speak honestly.
A turning point changed the way I work. In trying to reach more diverse audiences, I realized that my tools mostly spoke to people who learn the way I do — through reading and analysis. But many of the people I wanted to reach learn differently: through images, movement, conversation. I had to rethink my methods from the ground up. That detour made me far more effective — and far more attuned to the barriers that keep people from participating.
For over 25 years, I've been accompanying municipalities and public organizations that want their engagement process to truly mean something. Not just tick a box. Not just avoid conflict. But build something — a better-grounded decision, a better-understood project, a community a little more united.
That's what Canari Prospective does.