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Words by Masha Eretnova | Edited by Tania from Slower Travels

Maricla Pannocchia grew up in a small Tuscan village asking questions nobody around her wanted to answer. Why do we follow paths that don't feel true? Why does conformity get to win? She never stopped asking — and eventually, those questions led her halfway across the world to Siem Reap, Cambodia, where she now lives as a freelance writer, building a life guided by inner truth rather than outside expectations. This is her story.

Growing Up in a World That Didn’t Fit

From as early as she can remember, Maricla felt like she didn’t belong.

“I was born and raised in a small village in Tuscany, Italy,” she says. “From a very young age, I questioned the adults around me. Why did I have to do certain things if I didn’t want to, if they didn’t feel right to me?”

Their response was always the same: Because everybody else does. What would people think if you didn’t?

She never bought it. But in a world that doesn’t tolerate difference, that kind of inner truth comes at a cost.

School was isolating. Teachers told her she was the problem. Other kids called her “weird” and “different”—labels that stuck because she didn’t play by the rules. She didn’t celebrate her birthday. She didn’t enjoy pretending. She couldn’t bear the surface-level answers everyone else seemed to accept.

“There was a time when I subconsciously tried to fit in,” she admits. “I guess at a certain point, they won. The so-called family, teachers, and society at large. You start believing what they say. You end up following a road that isn’t your own. But luckily, I remembered what I already knew as a little girl.”

That remembering wasn’t just metaphorical. As a child, Maricla had vivid memories of a past life—memories that faded around age seven. “I spoke easily about past lives and death,” she says. “But the people around me didn’t acknowledge or accept any of those things.”

Eventually, those memories returned. And with them came a decision: to step off the path of expectation and walk toward something freer, even if she didn’t yet know what that would look like.

Cambodia and the Energy of Becoming

Today, Maricla is based in Siem Reap, Cambodia—a place she describes not just as a home, but as a spiritual catalyst.

“I believe Cambodia has helped me tremendously in my process of becoming,” she says. “Its energy is unique and incredibly powerful.”

She’s not the only one who feels it. Among fellow expats and solo travellers, she often hears stories of unexpected healing, growth, and transformation—experiences shaped by the temples' sacredness, the warmth of the people, and the slow, steady pulse of life here.

But this life wasn’t handed to her. It was chosen.

Maricla works as a freelance copywriter and ghostwriter, building a career that allows her to live independently and travel with intention. “When I was seven years old, I already knew I wanted to leave Italy—and the West in general—travel the world, and make a living through my writing. Everyone discouraged me. I didn’t listen.”

She runs her own blog focused on Asia, including Cambodia, and has published her own books. But as any solo creative knows, the writing is only part of the job.

Her days are full of pitching, networking, relationship-building, and promotional work. And yet, she makes time every afternoon to step outside, reconnect with nature, and remember why she chose this life in the first place.

“Writing, for me, is like breathing,” she says. “When I write—no matter what I’m writing—I enter a state that feels very close to Zen.”

Freedom means being who you truly are—or having the time and space to discover who you are beneath the masks, names, and definitions that shaped you.

Choosing Presence Over Performance

Maricla’s travels are not for show.

“In the past, I visited a few countries simply because I found cheap flights or convenient opportunities,” she says. “But I realised I don’t care about travelling just for the sake of it. For me, travel has nothing to do with Instagram or all the noise we see on social media. It’s an intimate process.”

That commitment to inner alignment now guides her future plans. As she looks ahead, she’s only interested in places that truly call her—not places that feel obligatory, popular, or convenient.

Redefining Freedom

When asked what she loves most about the life she’s created, Maricla doesn’t hesitate.

“Freedom,” she says. “I live by myself, and I genuinely enjoy it.”

Her definition of freedom is not consumerist. It’s not about owning less or moving more. It’s about using her time consciously—something she knows most of us take for granted.

“Freedom isn’t choosing between three pairs of shoes. It’s choosing what to do with every minute of your day.”

That clarity has been hard-won. In a society that prioritises conformity and consumption, Maricla has had to reject more than just career paths—she’s had to reject entire ways of seeing.

The ultimate freedom is learning to detach from the mind and begin living guided by the heart.

The Challenge of Doing It All Alone

That freedom also comes with responsibility. “There have been practical aspects I’ve had to learn on my own,” she says. “Organising my travels, creating content, growing my career—it’s a lot to manage.”

Still, she wouldn’t trade it. “I’ve never truly felt pressure to live a more ‘normal’ life. But I have felt pressure to adjust. To fit in.”

People often assume that choosing a different path is a form of rebellion. But for Maricla, it’s always been about truth.

“We see clearly how the dynamics of family, school, work, and society function. More often than not, they’re toxic. They keep us disconnected from our inner selves and from the divine—which has nothing to do with religion.”

Real Change Starts Within

Maricla has strong words for those chasing change without doing the inner work.

“Moving abroad because you’re dissatisfied with your life isn’t real change,” she says. “That’s just a change of location.”

Real change, she believes, begins with deep inner excavation. “It means examining your past, your fears, your story—and taking full responsibility for it.”

She’s wary of the shallow spirituality that dominates Instagram and online wellness spaces. “We already have everything we need to grow within us,” she says. “We don’t need to seek it outside. But we do need to peel away the layers of hypocrisy and performative ‘enlightenment’ that keep us stuck.”

What She’s Still Figuring Out

At this stage of life and work, Maricla is focused on giving herself permission to simply exist.

“We often turn against ourselves,” she reflects. “We self-sabotage. We stop just short of our full potential.”

For years, she knew she had talent as a writer—but self-doubt and societal conditioning held her back. Now, as she begins to shed those final layers, she’s determined to expand into her full potential.

“I’ve started reaching milestones I once only dreamed of,” she says. “But there’s more. I can feel it.”

Someone once said that what scares us most isn’t our ability to fail—but our ability to succeed. To be beautiful, strong, and limitless. And I agree.

Follow Maricla

You can follow Maricla’s story at
🌏 Blog: mariclapannocchiascrive.it (with English auto-translate)
💬 Facebook (English): Maricla’s page
💬 Facebook (Italian): Rebecca Domino