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I'm a striver and a zen student. I have a relentless desire to constantly improve and I know that perfection is already right here, in this very moment. This paradox fires me up.

Throughout my life, I tackled challenges complex and diverse, such as running brain scanning science experiments and playing the violin. I have first-hand experience of the joys and sorrows of being a high achiever in everything I have done. Through real-life trials and errors, I have learned how to channel my drive in sustainable and regenerative ways, without ending up feeling drained and obsessed (I occasionally still do).

 

My personality is Type 1 of the Enneagram and INFJ of the Myers-Briggs, which combined make me a natural coach and a personal development nerd. I take icy showers every day,  I devour books, I savor the thrill of being onstage performing without script, and I love to challenge myself in many other ways. My morning routine: get up at 5am, workout my body and mind for 2 hours, shower my family with wake-up-love and then get to work.

My credentials

My lived experience as a human being is what empowers me to work with you. As far as titles go, I have a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience, five years of post-doc at McGill doing research on the neural mechanisms of learning, I have two masters, in psychology and organizational development, I'm a certified music therapist, a certified Yoga teacher,  I trained in Jon Kabat-Zinn's mindfulness-based stress reducion, Marsha Linehan's DBT Skills, Brainspotting, theory U, Kaospilot, authentic relating, liberating structures and I hold a professional coaching certification with the International Coaching Federation (ACC level, ID #009475259I).

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Introducing Nicolò

About Me: About Me

Published Research

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DIFFERENT COACHING FOR DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURES

In this study with with Prof. James Gavin at Concordia University we documented for the first time how the effectiveness of different forms of coaching (performance coaching, life coaching, leadership coaching, 3rd generation coaching) is seen differently depending on the culture of the organization (market, clan, hierarchy, adhocracy).

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MEDITATION IMPROVES 
CARDIORESPIRATORY FUNCTION

In this study with Prof. Luciano Bernardi at the University of Pavia we show that long term practice of meditation results in higher arterial and cerebral oxygen saturation, lower blood pressure, and slower baseline respiration. 

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DANCE ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE OF FLOW

In this study with Prof. Isabelle Peretz at the University of Montreal we show that spontaneously moving with music creates powerful experiences of being in flow, more than what happens when we just listen to music without engaging the body. 

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ENHANCEMENT OF PLEASURE DURING SPONTANEOUS DANCE

In this study with Prof. Isabelle Peretz at the University of Montreal we show that dancing enhances the experience of pleasure from listening to music, compared to what happens when we listen to music without engaging the body. 

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MUSIC INCREASES THE SYNCHRONIZATION OF HEART AND BREATHING BETWEEN LISTENERS

In this live-concert experiment with Prof. Luciano Bernardi at the University of Pavia we show that listening to simple rhythms and melodies, which largely dominate the choice of music during rituals and mass events, brings individuals together in terms of their physiological rhythms.

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TONING OPTIMIZES CARDIORESPIRATORY FUNCTION 

In this study with Dr. Shelley Snow and Prof. Alexandre Lehmann at Concordia University and BRAMS we show that toning, a form of chanting with roots in mindfulness and sound healing, brings participants to spontaneously adopt a pattern of slow and deep breathing that optimizes respiratory function and increases heart rate variability.

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MUSIC ENTRAINS BIOLOGICAL RHYTHMS

In this experiment with Prof. Luciano  Bernardi at the University of Pavia we show that music attracts and modulates physiological rhythms such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and the diameter of the microvessels in the finger. These bodily changes are likely the biological substrate of the emotional response the music.

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MINDFULNESS INCREASES PHYSICIANS' WELL BEING AND QUALITY OF CARE

In this experiment with Prof. Patricia Dobkin at McGill University we show that doctors who undergo an 8-week training in mindfulness experience a reduction in stress, a reduction in burnout and are their patients perceive them as being more caring.

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THE SENSE OF TIME IS EMBODIED

In this experiment with Dr. Luca Rinaldi at the University of Milano-Bicocca we show that words related to the future are strongly associated with forward movements of the body, and words related to the past are associated with backward movements.

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BODY SENSATIONS PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THE EARLY STAGES OF MOTOR LEARNING

In this experiment with Prof. David Ostry at McGill University we show that the felt sense of the body drives the acquisition of a novel motor pattern, over and beyond the active production of the movements themselves.

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MUSIC KEYBOARDS HELP SPACE EXPLORATION IN STROKE PATIENTS 

In this experiment with Dr. Giuseppe Vallar at the University of Milano-Bicocca we show that music keyboards help patients with stroke regain awareness of portions of the space around them. The combination of keys and associated music scale sounds prompts patients to push, key after key, the boundary of the space they are able to perceive.

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PRACTICING IN THE MIND IMPROVES PERFORMANCE

In this experiment with Prof. Emanuela Bricolo at the University of Milano-Bicocca we show that pianists who mentally rehearse complex music motor sequences show detectable improvements in movement velocity and timing during actual performance.

Curiosity corner

  • I have appeared as a guest musician in about a dozen published music records in the Kirtan and New Age genre. My favorite are with these amazing artists and friends: Satsanga, Floris Van Vugt and Le Noble Chemin.

  • As much as healthy food choices are one of my pillars, I disproportionally enjoy an occasional poutine. Oh, and chocolate chips in my otherwise super-green smoothie.

  • Sometimes I love to be silly and lose control of my laughter

  • I am grateful to have a wonderful wife and two children whose presence has taken everything in my life to the next level.

  • I make a spectacular Italian pasta all'arrabbiata

  • I am mediocre at DIY house improvement, which I avoid as much as I can because I can't stand the feeling.

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