Trusting the Process, Holding the Discomfort — and Finding Belonging in Florence
Articol scris de Andreea Ciubuc - membră EMCC România
Before I share my personal journey, let me say this: the EMCC Global Mentoring Conference in Florence was not just an event — it was a gathering of practitioners, thinkers, and hearts committed to elevating mentoring as a professional and human practice.
I’ll start with a confession.
I procrastinated writing this. Two days.
Not because I didn’t want to write about the EMCC Global Conference in Florence — honestly, I came back buzzing with energy, gratitude, and warmth.
But because… I felt unworthy.
(Surprised? So was I.)
There I was, staring at a blank page, thinking:
Why am I resisting this? I love writing! This should be easy.
And then the quieter truth surfaced:
I don’t feel enough to put these reflections into words.
So instead of running from it, I sat with it.
Not comfortable. Not elegant. But real.
And in that space, I heard again the voice of my mentor — the one that often shows up when I need grounding the most:
Trust the process.
Baby steps.
Know your audience.
There it was.
The whisper I needed.
Because growth doesn’t always start with clarity.
Sometimes it starts with discomfort. With pausing. With breathing through the “not enoughness” instead of pushing it away.
And funny enough — that was the perfect mindset to bring into this reflection.
Arrival: Not Smooth, Still Beautiful
My direct flight was delayed.
Then confusion in Bologna, trains not working, Uber not arriving.
So bus it was — the only option left.
I was grateful I wasn’t travelling alone. A colleague from EMCC Romania was there too. We navigated the chaos together, choosing patience over panic.
I missed the welcome apericena.
I held a tiny grudge against the airline.
(Still do a little — nobody is perfect.)
By the time I arrived in Florence, tired and hungry, my roommate had stayed awake and even done some grocery shopping so I wouldn’t go to bed without food after a long travel day.
That simple act of kindness mattered. It set the tone.
It wasn’t about the place — it was about the people.
Transformation starts with conversation, yes.
But it is sustained by care.
What Hit Me First: Belonging
From the first moments the next morning, I felt it — that deep exhale of relief when you realize:
I am exactly where I need to be.
The warmth of the EMCC community is unlike anything else.
You don’t “enter” the room — you are welcomed into it.
And for me, the EMCC Romania community is the heartbeat inside that larger family.
A tribe. A home. A space where authenticity isn’t optional — it’s the language we speak.
Sometimes, in the rush of doing, building, proving… we forget how good it feels simply to belong.
“So, what did you do there?”
Someone asked me when I returned.
And my answer surprised even me:
We talked.
We listened.
We connected.
Yes — there were keynotes, frameworks, neuroscience insights, and programmes showcased with rigor and depth. But the magic wasn’t only on the stage. It lived in:
The corridor conversations.
The “I’ve felt that too” moments.
Shared laughter.
Soft silences.
Stories whispered with vulnerability and strength.
Real eyes looking into real eyes.
Not productivity.
Presence.
Not performance.
Humanity.
We don’t always grow by doing more.
Sometimes we grow by being more.
Mentoring: A Way of Being
If someone asked me to summarize the conference in one sentence, it would be this:
Mentoring isn’t something we do — It’s a way we are with others.
It's not technique.
Not a checklist.
Not a skillset we “use.”
It’s how we listen.
How we hold space.
How we stay curious without rushing to fix.
How we trust emergence instead of forcing direction.
Real growth doesn’t happen from advice — it happens from connection.
From ancient apprenticeships to modern mentoring circles, we saw how the core never changed:
Trust
Reciprocity
Growth
Human connection
A living practice.
A co-creation.
An invitation to evolve together.
Neuroscience Meets Humanity
One of my favorite parts?
Seeing mentoring backed by research and real-world results.
Neuroscience confirming what our hearts always knew:
Connection changes brains.
Belonging builds resilience.
Curiosity opens neural pathways.
Being seen activates growth not just emotionally — but biologically.
We heard stories:
of leaders transformed
of teams healing through connection
of young mentors shaping culture
of community programs changing lives
of mentoring woven into business success as culture, not accessory
It wasn’t theory.
It was evidence.
Proof that mentoring isn't “nice to have.”
It is transformational infrastructure.
Small moments that stayed with me
Not the big stage moments —
the small ones.
A thoughtful pause in a breakout when someone realized something true about themselves.
Two strangers leaning in, listening like it mattered (because it did).
Someone saying “I don’t know, but I’m learning.”
A “thank you” whispered quietly but felt deeply.
Shared coffee that turned into shared meaning.
Laughter that dissolved barriers.
That instant recognition when you meet someone from your tribe and think:
“Ah, there you are.”
Mentoring lives in those moments.
And yes — also in laughing & hugging at the end.
Because community is joy too.
A Little Inner Dialogue (Because Growth Is Messy)
You should write something smart.
No.
But you need to sound professional.
Professional doesn’t mean distant.
Then at least sound impressive.
No. Sound true.
This conference didn’t make me feel “accomplished.”
It made me feel human. Connected. Enough.
And sometimes, being enough is the bravest place to stand.
What I Brought Home
Not notes.
(Not only notes.)
I brought back:
a fuller heart
new friends and wiser old ones
renewed trust in slowness, presence and curiosity
courage to stay in discomfort
and a truth I want to hold close:
We don’t mentor to teach — we mentor to hold space for who someone can become.
Looking Forward
As we move toward Zagreb 2026, I hold one intention:
Stay human. Stay curious. Stay connected.
Because the future of mentoring isn’t in frameworks or platforms —
although they help us hold the work with rigor and purpose.
The future is in us.
In how we show up.
In how we listen.
In how we walk beside each other.
The future of mentoring is human — and it starts with us.
Powered by real, honest, heart-centered connection.
See you in the next conversation.
Until then — trust the process, take baby steps… and keep growing through community.
And before I close — a note from the heart.
I am grateful to be part of EMCC Romania. A community that practices growth, not just talks about it. Where courage, kindness, curiosity and integrity show up in everyday gestures. Where we meet each other as humans first, professionals second — and that makes all the difference.
