Couples Retreat
Transform Your Relationship by Telling the Truth
SyVilla, Parkano, Finland | 12-18 August 2025
Led by Certified Trainers, Tuulia Syvänen and Pete Jordan
Honesty is kind of scary fun that turns out better than you thought it would. Lying is work and a pain in the ass and makes you lonesome as hell and eventually kills the connection, love and intimacy with your partner. During the retreat in Honesty Europe’s SyVilla Center in Finland, you will transform your relationship living in cabins surrounded by lush forests and with a private access to the lake. Our most popular offer, this week-long retreat is designed to help you access more direct communication, building intimacy and connection by cutting through the bullshit.
- Do you want deeper love, connection & intimacy in your relationship?
- Do you yearn to let go of shame, fear and attachment to approval in your relationship?
- Do you feel ready to get over anger, use conflict creatively and go beyond blame?
…but so far you and your partner have been circling around in conflicts, not feeling like you actually hear each other, building up frustration. Or you’ve been holding yourself back, feeling like you can never fully express. You’ve been limited by your fears, shame and other emotions, which you can’t always identify.
Yet if you’re ready to change all that, join us for
Week-long Couples Retreat in our beautiful retreat center SyVilla in Parkano, Finland!
Here’s what you will experience:
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 your partner, and yourself, you need time, community, and great facilitators.
Who is this for?
Anyone! You don’t need to have any previous experience with Honesty Europe.
We claim that lying is the major source of all human stress and makes relationships superficial and many of us lonely in our relationships. It wears us out and eventually kills us. When people engage honestly, energy that was wasted maintaining a performance to make an impression is suddenly available for real creativity in playing together. When we admit our pretenses, we can refresh our relationships and powerfully create new ways of living and being together.
However, if you:
- desire deeper love, connection & intimacy in your relationship
- want to experience more freedom and happiness – together and individually
- want to let go of shame, fear and attachment to approval in your relationship
- notice that anger and blame are not constructive in your conflicts
- desire to learn the art of asking for what you want
- want to heal your relationship and find forgiveness
The Couples Retreat may be especially beneficial for you and your partner.
How do we work?
Watch this video to hear us talking about creating connection through Honesty:
About your trainers:
Pete: I am the only certified Radical Honesty trainer in the Benelux countries. Working alongside my (romantic and business) partner Tuulia, I organize and co-lead RH workshops around Europe. Workshop participants have told me I have great listening and observing skills. I enjoy continually improving these skills as I support others to live happier, freer lives. A major breakthrough for me was having honest talks with my ex-partners and family members. I have broken the traditions of my childhood family and began to talk about things I was too afraid and embarrassed to talk about.
Tuulia: I am a certified Radical Honesty trainer from Finland and have led the most Radical Honesty workshops in Europe, by now around 100. For two decades, I held leadership positions at international, non-profit organizations that are concerned with social and environmental justice issues. I grew up in a dysfunctional family where expressing feelings of any kind (both negative and positive) was frowned upon. I became passionate about self-expression and self-awareness, and learned the importance of me setting my boundaries and of me speaking up. I’ve changed my life for the better by practicing Radical Honesty. I have more loving, honest and evolving relationships in my life (especially those with my son, my parents and my partner).
What Brad Blanton, the Radical Honesty Founder, says about our 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.”
In the beautiful SyVilla you will:
connect in a deeper way with yourself and your partner. Talk about the things that are 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. All by enjoying Finnish saunas and the nature of Perkano!
ARE YOU READY TO TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE?
Transformation is often uncomfortable – which is why you will spend this week…
…in the villa! SyVilla, our beloved retreat center beside the crystal-clear Lake Kovesjärvi, offers a unique blend of history and natural beauty. Step into the carefully renovated, historical main building, or find lodging in a charmingly converted barn. Enter gatherings in the spacious kitchen and event area, then relax on the rain-covered terrace. Experience traditional Finnish saunas – a cozy smoke sauna, a lakeside wood-fired sauna, and even a smoke sauna by the water. Indulge in the warmth of a wood-burning hot tub or jacuzzi, or wander down to the sandy beach, lakeside hangouts and our own little private island.
Leisure time is yours to define. Fish from the shore, take a refreshing swim, or simply soak up the sun. Cozy fire pits await for starlit evenings, and bikes are ready for exploring the surroundings. Test your skills with SUP boarding, frisbee golf, croquet, or basketball, or unwind with a friendly board game challenge. For the adventurous, horseback riding is available nearby.
Our expansive property in Parkano has 170 meters of lakefront and is 11 kilometers from the city center. We’re located 80 kilometers north of Tampere and 260 kilometers north of Helsinki, and we can arrange transport for you from the railway station (17 kilometers away).
Lodging
The accommodation will be in two-person bedrooms or you can choose to stay in a 3-person bunk bed room, a wood Hammock (Tentsile), yurt, or bring your own tent.
Read more about Syvilla here
What other participants say about the retreat:
“During the Couples Retreat led by Pete and Tuulia, I learned so much about myself in relation to not only my partner but to basically all the people around me. I greatly recommend this course for everyone who wants to express more frustration in order to spend less time feeling it.”
Katrien, The Netherlands
“The Couples Retreat was highly transformative for me (and I imagine my wife as well). I was transfixed on Tuulia and Pete’s ability to put into practice games and exercises that brought Radical Honesty to life. I was equally amazed by how vulnerable everyone was willing to be with one another so quickly after meeting for the first time.
“When all was said and done – and much was said and done – I was deeply moved and impressed with the personal connections I made with everyone involved with the work and the workshop. I left the experience having seen attendees make huge leaps forward in their own personal work – myself included. I believe my wife and I built a toolbox of communication techniques we could use after leaving Finland. I understood that observing and reporting are key foundations to RH. I understood that with subtle and important language changes, I could change the way I communicate (dare I say improve the way I communicate?). The experience was simply profound for me, and I imagine also for my wife and everyone else who was there. I was hooked: I knew I wanted more RH workshops in my life.”
Jesse, United States
Investment
Early Bird
- Double room/2 persons yurt
Valid until: 15 May 2025
Regular Price
- Double room/2 persons yurt
After 15 May 2025
What will you get in this price?
- the workshop: exercises, coaching by certified trainers, transformative group process
- accommodation in a forest villa/private yurt
- daily sauna, jaccuzzi and hot tub access
- healthy vegetarian/vegan meals
- snack available at all time
- use of the bicycles, rowing boats, sup boards and all other activities on site
- ongoing support of the group
The price does not include travel to the location, however we can coordinate a taxi van for the participants to and from Parkano railways station.
Kindly bring your own sheets & towels. Alternatively, you can rent sheet and towels at the location for 20 euros, paid in cash on arrival.
More information: single rooms, financial support, cancellations
- In case you low income or a student you can join with a discounted price if you stay in your own camper, tent or a two person wood hammock (Tentsile – provided by us).
- 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 advice you to have an insurance covering the fee in case of a cancellation due to sickness.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the workshop begin and end?
The retreat will begin on Tuesday 12 August at 17:00 and will conclude on Monday 18 August by 13:00.
Who can participate?
Anyone! No prior experience with Radical Honesty is required.
Honesty Europe’s workshop often have therapeutic impacts, however workshops are not therapy and are not meant to replace personal or couples 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
Team
The workshop leaders will be certified Radical Honesty Trainers—and married couple—Tuulia Syvänen and Pete Jordan.
Language
The training will be conducted in English.You can do paired exercises together in your joint language.
Community
Participants will be asked to assist in the cooking, serving and cleaning up of meals/snacks as a way to help create a community during our five days together. This is commonly done in our longer retreats (and to help get shit done).
Leisure time
We will also have free time for connecting, relaxing, saunaing, jacuzzi, playing games such as frisbee golf and croquette, trying out the sup boards, rowing to our nearby island, chatting, walking in the forest, and appreciating nature in the Finnish nature.
Group size
This group is limited to 16 participants
How and when does one register?
We expect this workshop to be fully booked (all our previous Couples retreats have sold out).
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
How to get there?
Take the train from Helsinki to Parkano. The train departs about every two hours and the trip takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes.
From Helsinki airport, first take the commuter train to the Tikkurila station and then from there take the train to Parkano.
There is also a bus connection from Helsinki to Parkano, which is cheaper though takes about 90 minutes longer than the train connection.
From Parkano, we will organize a large taxi van.
You can also cycle or drive to the retreat site (and if you do drive, we will probably ask you to carpool with others).
Can I arrive early or stay longer?
The retreat center had several building and three kitchens and also hammock tent (Tentsile).
You can arrive a day early or stay a day or two later in this lovely retreat center for €70 per night per person.
The fee includes simple food.
You can relax and enjoy the peaceful nature, sauna, hot tub, jacuzzi and swimming. If you have a car, you can visit the national parks and amazing old forests in the region.
Get in touch with us in case you want to take up this option or let us know closer to the event!
Do you have a support fund?
If paying for this retreat is a financial challenge to you, then please be aware of the existence of the Honesty Europe Support Fund, which offers financial support to those who otherwise could not afford to attend Honesty Europe’s workshops and retreats. Read more about the Support fund here.
Do you provide support for BIPOC?
If you are low income and are black, indigenous or a person of color (BIPOC), you can request a discount from us. Message your request to us at: info@HonestyEurope.com Note: we might take a few days to answer your request.
Ready to live out loud and be happy?
You are warmly welcome to join us on the journey to an honest life!
