What Riccardo Baldini Made This Year

In 2019, at the age of 25, Riccardo Baldini's life changed overnight. While he was sleeping, a blood vessel in his spinal cord burst, causing injury and paralysis.

Unable to walk anymore, Riccardo suddenly had to rethink everything, including what career path he wanted to follow. As he worked to adapt to his new reality, Riccardo found that his two passions—music and plants—were becoming anchors to help him cope with deep personal change.

Prior to the injury, Riccardo had earned a bachelor of science and a master's in piano in Italy, his home country, then moved to Edmonton, where he taught music and studied forestry at the University of Alberta. Young and healthy, he felt invincible—until his injury made him a T6 paraplegic. He thought he'd never be able to play the piano again, nor pursue a career in forest management.

Struggling to come to terms with the life he thought he'd lost, Riccardo found himself growing apart from the people he loved as circumstances changed around him. “People were giving me so much love and care and attention, and I was giving back a lot of pain,” he recalls.

Feeling alone and at “rock bottom,” Riccardo began looking for something to fulfill him—a way to reinvent himself. He learned about microgreens and indoor farming, which appealed to his love of plants, and decided to start experimenting.

What started with a single rack of microgreens in his spare bedroom has grown into a full-fledged business. More than three years in, Riccardo's company, Strathcona Microgreens, operates out of a 2,000-square-foot commercial facility, with more than 500 trays of plants and 50 different crops.

“When I started the business, I had to figure out so many details,” says Riccardo. His curiosity and his determination to create and contribute enabled him to cultivate a successful company and rebuild his identity in the process.

Riccardo has also been able to bring music back into his life. With the help of a mechanical design engineer, he invented a mouth-operated device that activates a piano's foot pedals. “All of a sudden, you know, I was able to play again the piano,” says Riccardo. “And it's like one day I can stand up and walk again. It's the same level of impact in my life.”

As you can see in the video below, Riccardo is thriving. His life shifted in a dramatic way he never would have imagined, but he adapted, finding joy on his own terms.

“You need to find a way to deal with pain and keep moving forward in uncertainty,” he says. “That's the only way you can be resilient.”

For Riccardo, that meant navigating a different career path and creating a new way to play the instrument he's passionate about. “My life is so full,” he says. “I'm very happy with my life.”

What did you make this year?

This story is part of a series celebrating the meaningful lives people build beyond their finances, focusing on creating a life you're proud of.

Explore the full collection by clicking here.

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