"This book is a map of one woman’s lived experience of becoming. It has been a privilege to witness her journey. I applaud you as you embark on your own."
—Robert Cusick, Director of Compassion Education, Stanford University
"Reading this book feels like sitting down with a friend and sharing life’s discoveries.”
—Amazon review
"A travel guide, a mirror, and a gift."
—Amazon review
What if success is not about achievements or titles, but about becoming who we truly are?
In this intimate and luminous memoir, a senior European civil servant recounts her journey from Italy to Belgium, navigating professional pressure, ambition, and the relentless pursuit of results, while gradually confronting a deeper longing for meaning and purpose. What emerges is compassion: a transformative force that reshapes her way of being, guiding her from a life driven by performance toward one grounded in inner alignment.
Inside this book, you will also find:
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Simple Tools: Practical ways to pause and reconnect with what matters most.
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Powerful Questions: Prompts designed to help you explore your own path toward authenticity and purpose.
Available on Amazon & in Brussels
Pinuccia Contino
Pinuccia Contino lives with her family in Brussels, Belgium. She has spent more than thirty years serving the European project in fields ranging from education and languages to communication and product safety. Her work has earned her international recognition.
She champions a human-centered approach to leadership shaped by her Applied Compassion Training at Stanford University. A polyglot Italian who volunteers to support women in their professional growth, she is a passionate dancer and has a soft spot for not-so-dark chocolate.
Her work bridges personal transformation, leadership and lived experience.
About the author
Published by Arkadinia Editions
What It Takes to Be Yourself inaugurates the editorial catalogue of Arkadinia Editions.
Conceived as an extension of Arkadinia’s work in cinema, research and public dialogue, the publishing house is dedicated to essays and narratives that explore human experience at a time of profound technological, social and ethical transformation.
Arkadinia Editions privileges singular voices, long-form reflection and lived experience, fostering works that invite readers to slow down, question assumptions and reconnect with what truly matters.
Explore and connect
This book is part of a broader editorial and artistic exploration developed by Arkadinia Editions.
For readers, institutions or partners interested in the book, the author’s work or future publications, feel free to get in touch.
Published by Arkadinia Editions, the book is distributed internationally through selected online and retail book channels.