I am Donatella Caggiano, a belonging designer, facilitator, speaker and podcaster. I am dedicated to transforming the uncertainty of transitions into belonging by designing programs, experiences and relational spaces of community in moments of change.
My personal journey began in a small town in southern Italy, as with my family we moved away from our hometown to a different culture in the north. This experience of uprooting taught me the skills of building a sense of home amidst change as an in-betweener, as I was always living between the home I left and the home I longed for.
Me at six years old playing Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz in a dance recital, little did I know my own journey of transition would begin soon..
With time, I developed a passion and expertise for helping people rewrite cultural codes to find belonging during transitions. With a hybrid business degree in contemporary art and fashion, my career lead me across the U.S. and Europe as a Public Relations and brand communications executive for global brands like Luxottica Group.
Over a decade of designing brand communities revealed a gap: during times of change, both individuals and organisations focus on external impact and dialogue but often neglect the same depth in the internal communities.
My work centers on bridging that gap, guiding people and teams to feel at home within their ecosystem, even in the midst of transformation.
The times of transition between what is not there anymore and what we cannot see yet are transformative times to create a sense of home.
A pivotal brainstorming work trip at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena – California introduced me to human-centered design. That’s when I started redefining my path, shifting toward designing and facilitating transformative community processes that nurture true belonging—within and beyond organisations, especially in times of change.
Now, I bring this expertise to leaders, teams and individuals, offering a transformative approach to building spaces where people feel they truly belong—even when everything around them is shifting.
i believe in BUILDING CONVERSATIONS
WHERE THERE WAS disconnecting Silence
– listen to the sound of community here…
After a decade abroad, I returned to Italy to found belonging in between—a global practice dedicated to designing spaces where collective belonging thrives, empowering people to support each other’s growth through every transition at work and in life.
Curious to design new ways of belonging in moments of change — for yourself, your team, your work?
Let’s start a conversation.
Facilitation
I facilitate and MC workshops and events
Design
I design programs to build belonging and community
Speaking Engagements
I speak on belonging design and community building in transition
What collaborators and partners are saying
