“What’s your excuse?”
A live and deeper version of Dario’s inspiring TEDx talk.
What’s your excuse not to change your life?
We are very good at finding excuses not to do things, even those that would make us happier. Dario did the opposite. Excuse after excuse, he embraced radical change by following his heart, and life brought him from Italy to Dubai, New York City, the forests of West Virginia, Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico. From a courageous life-changing performance, to meeting the most foolish of the masters, to humanitarian work with vulnerable communities, and finally back to Europe with a new realization: all we need to change is… an excuse.
A Different Kind of Keynote Speaking
Inspiring stories emerge from the heart’s warmth, walk the path of vulnerability, and embrace the playful essence of curiosity.
A few comments from those present at TEDxLinz 2024:
“Dario’s heart was one big love declaration! His message pure wisdom, wit and kindness. It was such a present to be in his presence!” — Dr. Claudia Novak
“I enjoyed every heartbeat during the talk.” — Michael Artner
“I’m grateful for this amazing talk! It really was the highlight of my day. It touched my soul! I got goosebumps, and my heart took over for 18 minutes, at least.” — Manuel Grassler
Let your keynote speech come from the genuine voice of someone who trusts in life and in people, and who will reach the hearts of your audience by embodying the truth that each of us carries everything we need to live joyfully.
Additionally: Dario can lead interactive activities and a Q&A session to further inspire both hearts and minds on the topic of ‘excuses.’
Dario’s talk at TEDxLinz – “What’s your excuse not to chance your life?”
“Keep the main thing
the main thing.”
A Playfulness, Caring and Storytelling workshop.
What’s your team’s ‘main thing’?
What’s the strength and vulnerability of your team?
Play unlocks creative problem-solving and innovative thinking that inspire fresh solutions.
Care builds trust, empathy, and stronger connections, creating a resilient, unified team.
Storytelling elevates communication, ensuring ideas are conveyed effectively and engagingly.
Featuring activities that explore fun, connection, and reflection, along with storytelling techniques and improvisation, this workshop boosts motivation, making work more meaningful and enjoyable while fostering a supportive, adaptable environment. It encourages authenticity, allowing each team member to be heard and contributing to a shared vision that aligns individual strengths with collective goals.
“What’s in the box?”
A fun and deep clowning workshop + optional action in location.
How many masks do we wear every day?
Invisible on our faces, yet quite visible in our behavior. These are the masks we wear to fit in.
The red nose of a clown is the smallest mask in the world, yet the most powerful, because it does the opposite of what a mask typically does: it reveals your true self.
This workshop isn’t about becoming a clown but about using the clown’s art to reveal each person’s uniqueness – what’s in their box! – spark creativity, and foster an environment of care for each other’s vulnerabilities.
The result?
A team of stronger individuals, ready to contribute their ideas, with a deepened sense of community and mutual support.
Of course, the workshop is full of fun too, featuring character play, improvisation, costumes, interactions, and culminating in an entertaining final performance for the enjoyment of the whole team and the rest of the organization.
Optionally: if the team is interested in social impact, the skills and insights gained can be applied in care settings such as healthcare facilities or public spaces.
“Say it TO a clown”
A 45′ one-to-one online conversation.
A simple service full of Love.
You know a person who feels lonely, who has lost hope in other people or who simply could use a conversation with a caring stranger.
You put that person in contact with me and we have a 45 minute caring video conversation in which the focus is Listening. Because when we are listened to we open up, share and feel part of the world that surrounds us.
And that person, of course, can also be you.
I’ll contact the email address you provide confirming the date and sending a link to a secure password protected online meeting room.
The conversation lasts 45 minutes. Then we say goodbye. =)
Important: if you are reserving a conversation for a third person, please make sure to notify the person and that they agree.
Also important:
When clicking on CONTACT DARIO, please write:
1. a brief description of yourself (or the person)
2. share what you expect from the conversation
This is essential for me to prepare to our conversation and so that our time together is entirely focused on that which you wish to talk about.
Recommended by:
[click to watch]
“Say it WITH a clown”
Let me reach out to somebody special to you.
You write a message or a letter to a person you love and put it into the hands of a caring stranger: me.
I deliver those words to the beloved person during a video conversation and, with their permission, records their reactions and deliver them back to you.
Why?…
“Daily words of Love”
Maybe there is a person you love and whom you love to say loving words to every single day, and maybe you wish to find a new sweet way to do it today: through the voice of a caring stranger.
“The words you’ve not been saying”
Maybe there is a person, to whom you have wanted to say some special words for quite a time now, but you just don’t feel like doing it directly nor do you feel like asking a common friend to do it. A caring stranger can carry those words which come from your heart and they don’t need to know more than that.
“The meaning beyond the words”
Maybe that person is your mother, your father, them both, your sister, your brother, your daughter, your son, or another family member. You noticed how a life spent together made meaningful thoughts you have about one another into repetitive words, sentences, formulas. You still mean all that those words don’t say, but for some reason saying it would feel awkward, out of place, out of habit. I have learned that sometimes it needs to get even more awkward to get ‘normal’ again. And a caring stranger saying those words for you might be just awkward enough.
“Your words from another voice”
Maybe there is a person you know they feel very lonely. You have been supporting them as much as you can, and you wish others would join you.
You wish that person to feel that the world is full of loving people, and maybe a caring stranger joining your efforts would make that person feel it.
Important:
When clicking on CONTACT DARIO, please write:
1. Who is the person you wish to reach out to.
2. Why do you want to reach out to them through me.
“I and I”
Ideas and Ideals
Workshop for teams of caring clowns.
Society needs more and more caring clowns.
When someone is recognized as a “clown”, they are given the tremendous power to say unexpected things and do unexpected things. The question is: What will clowns choose to do with that power?
A workshop designed especially for aspiring and already active caring clowns – who work in healthcare institutions and other care contexts, such as prisons, day centers, community centers, etc.
It will reconnect them with their motivations for clowning and expand those motivations toward a broader and deeper level of activism.
Bringing the Marvel of the Clown into the world
Caring clowns are uniquely connected to their passion for the wellbeing of others—and themselves—paired with their ever-bubbling imagination, the Marvel of the Clown.
By integrating Play, Care, and the social change theories from the School for Designing a Society, this workshop equips participants with tools to channel their passion and creativity beyond their daily contexts and into the world—a patient that, more than ever, needs healing.
Why a clown?
A humanitarian clown is different from the traditional circus clown.
A humanitarian clown doesn’t do shows, they might perform a character, or more characters, but not necessarily. For the humanitarian clown the costume and the props are a means to bring love and care closer to the person (or persons) they are interacting with.
A humanitarian clown notices what the person loves and emphasizes it. They listen, ask questions through language or play, they consider every person a friend, and as a friend would do, they honestly care about you, and also need to be cared for by you.
And finally, they don’t judge. They are aware of human vulnerability, they know their own imperfections and have learned to love them, thus they love people’s imperfections and welcome them with curiosity and care.
They live in the now, and what is shared with the clown, no matter how intimate, remains in the now and with the clown.
Who am I?
My name is Dario and I am a humanitarian clown.
I’ve been working with Patch Adams, MD and his organization Gesundheit! Institute as an organizer, teacher, performer and humanitarian clown since 2008.
I’ve been performing as a caring clown for many thousands of people in a number of countries, including USA, Italy, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, UK, Argentina, Brazil, Denmark…
In locations like general hospitals, children’s hospitals, mental healthcare facilities, nursing homes, addiction centers, minimum to maximum security prisons, endangered communities, shelters for people with mental and physical disabilities, foster homes for women and young people whom were victims of violence, schools for people with special needs, public schools, and in public spaces like the streets, markets, university campuses, and more.
I love people and I love to care. And I’ve learned that connecting with others with respect, no matter the circumstances, age, cultural background or deeds, is what I’m best at doing in this life.
And that’s what I want to contribute to the world.
You can read about my experience and training by clicking on this button:
And if you wish to learn more about some pieces of my story, here is a short documentary I had the honor to be portrayed in.
“Change”, directed by Carlo Crapanzano and Alessio Salvato
Donate
Depending on what you can afford, this is how you can make a difference:
€1 to €75: “Thank you, Dario!”
€80 to €140: “I’d like to donate one or more conversations with Dario to people who can’t afford donating.”
€150 and more: “I wish to contribute so that you can continue doing the work you are doing and create new projects!”
By clicking on the Donate button below, you’ll be able to donate via PayPal or credit/debit card, and also to make a recurring donation.
You decide the amount, I say thank you.
Thank you…
My deepest gratitude goes to my ingenious, patient and loving brother, Mario, without whom this webpage wouldn’t have been possible, and to all the precious friends who helped with feedback and support. Finally to Patch Adams, M.D., Carl Hammerschlag, M.D., for their support and constant inspiration.
Photos courtesy of Alessio Salvato, Carlo Crapanzano, Vincenzo Cammarata and Markus Schneeberger.