Workshop led by Certified Trainers, Tuulia Syvänen and Pete Jordan.
Transform Your Life by Telling the Truth and Living Out Loud:
Radical Honesty 8-Day Intensive Retreat in beautiful La Palma, Canary Islands
Join Radical Certified Radical Honesty Trainers Tuulia Syvänen and Pete Jordan for this fun, intense, and truly transformational immersive experience on the sunny Canary Island of La Palma in Spain!
Authentic Connection
The key to intimacy is honesty. Learn the core honesty skills as a way to transform yourself and your relationships.
Transformational Communication
Clear and direct communication is a game-changer. Learn the tools to resolve conflict both within yourself and with others.
Self-expression & Self-compassion
Discover what wants to be expressed moment-to-moment while cultivating the tools for self-compassion.
A Supportive Environment
There are so few places where you can be your FULL self. Use this supportive environment to discover who you really are in the moment and emerge a changed person.
The Immersive Experience
There’s nothing like the full-time, communal experience of a Radical Honesty immersive workshop. To really see yourself anew, notice how you’ve held yourself back, and relearn how to connect authentically with others, you need time, community, and great facilitators.
Throughout your 9 days at the workshop, Tuulia and Pete will lead the group through a series of learnings in Radical Honesty, including honesty skills training, lectures, paired and group exercises, hot seat work, couple’s work, meditation and movement, naked work, and life stories.
Watch this video to hear us (and others) talking about the RH 8-day intensive workshop:
At a beautiful secluded hillside villa on the lush island of La Palma overlooking the Atlantic Ocean you can:
Enjoy the sunshine and warmth of the Canary Islands.
Connect in a deep way with others.
Talk about the things that are shameful or embarrassing or difficult for you to talk about.
Experience compassion.
Learn to express whatever arises in you in the moment: excitement, fear, anger, attraction, appreciation, embarrassment, happiness.
Experience the sensations in your body as they arise.
Learn and practice being present in the here and now.
ARE YOU READY TO TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE?
Learn to:
Let go of shame, fear and attachment to approval
Be completely and compassionately honest
Get out of your comfort zone
Share with others - laugh out loud, cry and yell, smile and dance
Ask for everything you want; expand your ability to give & receive
Heal relationships with full-body forgiveness
9 days and 8 nights
The retreat will take place at uniquely-designed villa with several floors and terraces and it has cozy bedrooms, a lawn-covered garden, (covered) terraces, an outdoor swimming pool and a small sauna. Our villa is located at the end of the road on a lovely hillside.
With lots of room to spread out and lots of privacy, we’ll have plenty enough space to dance, laugh, yell and cry to our heart’s content!
In other words, we’ll have everything you need in terms of comfort for a successful transform-your-life-for-the-better workshop! During the afternoon breaks, you can dip into the pool, lounge on a terrace, stroll through the groves or meander along the rural lanes.
The leaders of the workshop will be Radical Honesty trainers Tuulia Syvänen and Pete Jordan. We will also have a cook preparing our meals and another staff member helping the cook.
Watch this video of our retreat location and villa in La Palma:
Brad Blanton—Radical Honesty founder—says this about the 8-day intensive workshop:
“The 8-Day workshop is an experiential course in living out loud, increasing your capacity for intimacy and creativity, and living your life on purpose, instead of residing in the jail of your mind and reacting to life’s circumstances while believing you’re in control.
“In our workshops, we get together to make some agreements about what we will do together for the next nine days. One of the most important agreements is that we will tell the truth to each other completely for the next nine days. If that was all that occurred, and there were no other agenda whatsoever, the course would be powerful because the power of that agreement alone is incredible.”
What is the program?
We will begin each day with about 20 minutes of conscious movement and 20 minutes of meditation, followed by breakfast and a morning session of teaching, group conversations and paired exercises. We will then have a healthy lunch and an afternoon siesta. After the break, we will continue working with “hot seat” work, teaching, meditation, movement or dancing, and more paired and small group exercises. At around 20:00, we’ll eat dinner.
After dinner, one by one, each person will spend about 45 minutes telling the whole story of his or her life, and this will be video recorded. By the time the workshop has ended, each participant will have told their own life story and will have heard the telling of everyone else’s. Each person will also receive a copy of the recording of them telling their story. They can later watch their video with their parents, (ex-)spouses, siblings, lovers and friends with whom they have unfinished business in life and use the video-watching as a way to start honest conversations.
On about the fifth day, we’ll all get naked. This work will be video recorded. One at a time we’ll stand in front of the group and talk about what we like and don’t like about our body. We will also tell our sexual histories: when we first discovered we were a sexual being, when we first masturbated, how and with whom we like to have sex, how many sexual partners we’ve had, our favorite and least favorite sexual experiences, and so on. Though we’ll probably get embarrassed, with good coaching and complete sharing of the truth and support from the group we will face our shame/fears/taboos—and get over them.
People often presume this will be some sort of “sexy” experience. Usually, the experience is anything but sexy. Mostly the naked work is about embarrassment and shame and suffering—and about how our avoidance of those aspects of ourselves often controls our lives. Quite often, the participants who, beforehand, scare themselves the most about doing this exercise are the very ones who benefit the most from it!
Then, together, we’ll review the videos of our naked work. One by one, each person will sit in front of a television screen and observe his/her video while receiving feedback about it. For some people, the process of watching oneself on a television screen, naked, while talking about his/her sex life can be a more confrontational process than the original experience of standing naked before the group. Again, the willingness to face the experience and live through it can provide a decrease in the intensity of the sensations related to shame/embarrassment and a change in perspective on one’s own life in the direction of compassion for oneself as well as compassion for others. And then, most likely, we’ll appreciate ourselves and others for doing this work and live more fulfilling lives with less shame about ourselves and our bodies.
Just as with the life story video, each participant will receive a copy of their naked work video to share with others in his or her life. (And the original files of those recordings will then be deleted.)
As you can imagine, by the sixth or seventh day, people will have gotten to know themselves and each other pretty well. What happens—and it happens again and again with very diverse groups of people—is pretty much the same each time: Everyone falls in love with everyone else. Now, isn’t that a hell of a thing? Imagine all the time and energy we have wasted putting on acts and pretending who we are in hopes that others would love us for our performance, when actually what we needed all along was to drop the act and tell the truth—and be ourselves!
Brad Blanton says this about the lead trainers:
“If you do a workshop with Tuulia, it’ll change your life. […] Pete is a calm, level-headed and compassionate trainer. He’s a good listener and has a great ability to stay present and focused.”
Some past participants have expressed this about our Radical Honesty 8-day workshops:
“I judge this workshop to be one of the best things I’ve done so far in the area of life improvement (and I’ve done some). I feel tempted to say ‘life changing’ as I now navigate through the world with a sense of freedom & expansion unknown to me before. I felt very safe & seen during the entire, very intense time. I judge Tuulia & Pete to be highly competent coaches and inspiringly authentic.” --Silke
“After having already done a few Radical Honesty workshops, the 8-day intensive went much deeper and showed me even more than before what stories I tell myself to make myself unhappy. By being in this environment for a longer amount of time and with the closeness created in the group, I took a big step in knowing who I really am and daring to show myself.” --Arjen
“I attended two intensive 8-day retreats with Tuulia and Pete. Both have been very powerful experiences that changed my life profoundly. I cried, laughed, shook, danced, shouted, cuddled, whispered, sang. I told the story of my life and was naked with people I had met only a few days before. And I survived. And I fell in love with these strangers. And I fell in love with myself. Today, I breathe and live more freely. Thank you.” –Participant
La Palma!
La Palma a subtropical volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the greenest, most north-westerly and fifth largest of Spain’s Canary Islands. La Palma’s highest mountain, Roque de los Muchachos (2,426 metres), is the second highest peak of the Canaries. The island, with its variety of environments (from lush rainforest to barren dessert) has abundant plant life, including several endemic species.
Watch this video of our retreat location and villa in La Palma here: https://youtu.be/TkcMskq9-Gc
The villa!
The hillside villa is nestled on a five-acre site on a mountain ridge at an altitude of 700 meters. It is surrounded by pine and almond trees as well as some fruit trees (apple, fig, orange, nispero, avocado, kaki, plum, chestnut, chirimoya, etc.). Various terraces will serve as meeting, dining and lounging areas. The main terrace has an 8m x 4m swimming pool, a wooden outdoor sauna house, a ping pong table and sun-beds.
From everywhere on the property are spectacular views of the ocean, forest, and—at night—the stars. On this site, we will have both privacy from the outside world as well as room to comfortably socialize among ourselves. Many beautiful hiking trails pass in the area around the villa that lead all around the island.
Weather
La Palma has a mild and consistent subtropical semi-arid climate and at the end of February the temperatures are usually between 16 and 22 ℃.
Lodging
The accommodation will be in two-person bedrooms.
When does the workshop begin and end?
The workshop will begin at around 17:00 on Friday 21 February and will finish at around 13:00 on Saturday 1 March.
Can I stay a little longer?
Yes! If you want to arrive a day early (checking in after 18:00 on 26 February) or depart a day later (checking out at 09:30 on 7 March), you can book those additional nights at the villa for an additional €70 per night.
(On those nights, we will provide you with simple meals.)
Who can participate?
No prior experience with Radical Honesty is required, however it is useful. You will, though, have to agree to the workshop’s commitments: to keep confidentiality, to tell the truth, to support others in telling the truth, to be on time and present, to allow the trainers to coach you and to ask for what you want. We also recommend you read Brad Blanton’s books Radical Honesty and/or Practicing Radical Honesty before the workshop.
Commitment
Everyone at the workshop will be expected to commit to participate in every session, including the naked work, body movement, meditation and telling of life stories. If you have any concerns with any of the program, we are happy to discuss those concerns with you.
How does one register?
The group is limited to 15 participants. We expect this workshop to be fully booked (as have the other 8-day workshops we’ve organized and/or led in Germany, Italy and Spain). So, if you want to attend, we suggest that you book your spot sooner rather than later.
To sign up or to receive more information, please write to info@honestyeurope.com, or go here:
How does one get there?
Fly to La Palma Airport (also known as Santa Cruz de La Palma airport). Airport code: SPC.
Several airlines fly directly to La Palma airport and others fly via Tenerife.
We will arrange to get you from the airport to the villa (about an hour’s drive away).
You can also reach La Palma via a ferry from Tenerife.
How much does this cost?
The Early bird price is €2650.
The deadline for the early bird price is 30 November 2024.
The regular price after 30 November is €2900.
In cases of financial hardship, we are willing to create longer payment schedules. Please get in touch with us and we’ll work out a solution together.
The fee covers the 8-day workshop, three daily healthy vegetarian/vegan meals and snacks at all times, shared accommodation, the teaching and follow-up call after the workshop. Travel to the location is not included.
Cancellation terms:
Please note that we do not offer refunds. However, you can transfer your ticket to another person. Let us know via email if someone else will fill your spot. We highly recommend that you take a travel insurance in case you need to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances.
Is this workshop for me?
Honesty Europe’s workshop often have therapeutic impacts, however workshops are not therapy and are not meant to replace personal therapy. This workshop is not for you if you have major untreated traumas.
Our workshops and retreats can be physically and psychologically stressful. If you have an acute mental health challenge, please first discuss with your therapist / doctor and then with us before registering.
You can reach us at: info@HonestyEurope.com.
Workshop Agreements
(required for participation)
In this workshop, we will strive to create an environment and space where everyone feels safe to express their emotions, share their thoughts and experiment with each other. Therefore, we require all workshop participants and workshop leaders to agree to the below agreements.
On the first evening of the workshop, we will devote time to discussing each of the agreements and addressing any questions anyone has about them before we actually agree to them.
1. I agree to tell my truth.
(You decide how much you want to share and we do invite you to explore going a bit outside your comfort zone in sharing.)
2. I agree to support others in telling their truth.
(Being willing to remain present and willing to hear others sharing.)
3. I agree to keep confidentiality.
(No sharing things about workshop participants to people outside the workshop without the participant’s consent.)
4. I agree to be on time and present.
(You’ll be on time for the workshop sessions and stay until the end of them. You’ll be physically present and do your best to also be mentally present (e.g. by leaving your phone outside the workshop space, etc.).)
5. I agree to ask for what I want.
(An invitation for you to voice and ask for everything you want. We do not guarantee, though, that you will get everything you ask for.)
6. I agree to take more than I give.
(Keep the focus on yourself rather than on others. You are allowed to speak, take time, take space and take care of yourself. We invite the others to do so as well.)
7. I agree to only consensual touch.
(No touching others without their permission; no physical violence.)
8. I agree to be led by the workshop leaders.
(Being willing to try out the proposed language in coaching situations and join the exercises during the workshop.)
If you have questions or concerns about any of this, please contact us at: info@HonestyEurope.com.
Ready to live out loud and be happy?
You are warmly welcome to join us on the journey to an honest life!
Tuulia and Pete
Who are the trainers?
Tuulia Syvänen is the certified Radical Honesty trainer who has led the most RH workshops in Europe. She also does 1:1 and couples coaching. For two decades, she held leadership positions at international, non-profit organizations that are concerned with social and environmental justice issues. A native of Finland, she has lived in Germany, The Netherlands, New Zealand and Canada.
Having grown up in a dysfunctional family—where difficulties and negative feelings were often swept under the rug—Tuulia became passionate about self-expression and self-awareness, and learned the importance of setting one’s boundaries. Most important, she learned the power of honesty. Her life’s mission is to help create more love and connection between people through honest sharing.
Tuulia participated in her first Radical Honesty training in 2012 with the founder of Radical Honesty Dr. Brad Blanton and continued her training under the guidance of Dr. Blanton and RH Master Trainer Taber Shadburne. She has led more than 50 RH workshops in various European countries. She has also attained a four-year certification in the Human-to-Human Coaching and Therapy Program in Finland and is a certified leader of Dr. Fischer’s Rebuilding Divorce Seminars. She earned a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Tampere and has an adult son.
Pete Jordan is the only certified Radical Honesty trainer in the Benelux countries. He organizes and co-lead Radical Honesty workshops around Europe with his wife, Tuulia, as well as does 1:1 coaching.
Pete has changed his life for the better by committing to live honestly, expressing his resentments and appreciations in the moment and by asking for what he wants. A major breakthrough for him was to have honest talks with his ex-wife and four siblings. He has broken the traditions of his childhood’s family and began to talk about things he was afraid of and embarrassed about and what he didn't like in his childhood.
Pete has great listening skills and he is keen on developing and learning every day. His vision is to support others to live happier, freer lives. Born and raised in San Francisco, Pete has lived in Amsterdam for almost two decades and still makes himself happy each day he wakes up in that city. A writer by profession, Pete has a passion for cycling and has contributed his writing and photographs to several Dutch cycling publications for more than a decade. He is in the midst of following a three-year training to become a Somatic Experiencing practitioner. When he is not organizing or attending Radical Honesty workshops or spending time with his teenaged son, he can be found meandering around Amsterdam on his bike. (And he feels some tightness in his stomach now as he writes this stuff about himself in the third person.)