Brave Conversation Dojo: Italy 2027

Not a retreat you visit. A life you share for a while.

For a few weeks, we live together in a big old house with green shutters, a wide garden and tall trees. We cook together, eat together, rest, hike, and practise how to meet each other honestly and kindly.

At the heart of the Dojo is Nonviolent Communication (NVC), a practical way of speaking and listening that helps you say what's true for you, and hear others, without blame. Around it, we weave in other lenses.

The yellow Montino house with green shutters, a garden and picnic tables, with a Montino mug held up in front

Cultural differences

How where we grew up shapes the way we listen, speak and stay silent, and how to bridge the unspoken expectations between us.

Attachment styles

Why some of us pull closer under stress and others pull away, and how to stay connected either way.

Body and movement

Gentle practices that help our nervous systems settle and connect with each other, because the body often feels safe, or unsafe, before the words come.

What you bring

Every participant is a teacher too. Share a skill, a practice or a passion with the group.

Two halves, one journey

Weeks 1–2: Intro

May 15–28

The foundations: feelings, needs, empathy, observation and asking for what you want. Perfect if NVC is new to you. Ends with a graduation ceremony on May 28.

Weeks 3–4: Intermediate

May 29 to June 13

Going deeper: vulnerable honesty, being torn between choices, guilt, saying No with care, and moving beyond opinions. For those continuing, or joining with some experience.

Full month: the whole journey, with a discount for staying.

Knowing isn't the hard part. Living it is.

Most of us already know we should listen more and judge less. The hard part is doing it when we're tired, triggered, or sharing a kitchen with someone who does things differently.

That's why the Dojo lasts weeks, not a weekend. We practise in the sessions, then practise again at dinner, in the cooking rota, and in the small frictions of living together. Slowly, what we learn stops being an idea and becomes a habit: a muscle we build together, one real conversation at a time.

What you might take home

WarmthFeeling truly heard, and knowing how to offer that to others.
CourageBeing yourself, even when it's uncomfortable.
ClarityKnowing what you feel and need, and saying it simply.
EaseConversations that flow instead of freeze.
CompassionFor others, and for yourself.

A day at Montino

The coworking room with desks, monitors and warm pendant lights

Slow mornings

Work from the coworking space, do yoga in the studio, swim in the lake, or walk in the hills.

The living room with green sofas, a piano and a long dining table by the windows

Deep afternoons

Weekday sessions run 16:00–19:00. Weekend sessions run 10:00–13:00 and 15:00–18:00.

People sitting together under large trees and string lights in the garden at dusk

Warm evenings

Movie nights and game nights in the living room, skill shares, long dinners in the garden, and a sauna after a deep day.

Each week also has rest days and room for co-created adventures: hikes, a nearby Buddhist temple with a library and meditation room, Italian cooking, lake days.

The large garden with trees, a volleyball net, hammocks and outdoor seating — The garden

A covered stone pavilion with exercise equipment and hanging fabric — The stone pavilion

A bright private bedroom with a double bed, wooden floor and en-suite bathroom — A private room

Chairs and a hammock under a big tree in the garden — Under the trees

Friends walking along a lakeside promenade with palm trees and green hills — Down by the lake

The house

Sauna, yoga studio, coworking space, cosy living room, big garden and shared kitchen.

Included

Your room, shared meals, all sessions, welcome and farewell dinners, station pickup and drop-off.

Rooms

Private en-suite, private with shared bathroom, or a bed in a shared dorm.

Your guides

Yeji CheonFounder of Seoul Nooks and the Dojo. Brings the cultural lens, from years of living with strangers across Korea and Japan.
Martina PesceNVC trainer with a neuroscience background. Embodied, playful and deeply compassionate.
Matthias FluryNVC trainer and former environmental scientist. A steady, grounded presence for honest conversations.
Cihan BozCommunity builder who brings attachment styles and NVC together, with grounded warmth.
Oren ChazanCo-owner of Montino and your host. A relaxed presence with a knack for empathetic listening.

The five guides making heart shapes with their hands in a sunny pine forest — Your team for Italy.

Questions

Can I work during the Dojo?

Yes. Mornings are free, and weekday sessions start at 16:00. There's a coworking space in the house. Weekends have more sessions, so plan lighter work then.

I've never heard of NVC. Can I join?

Yes. The first two weeks start from the basics. No experience needed.

Can I join only the last two weeks?

Yes, if you have some NVC experience or have done an intro course before.

What does "what you bring" mean?

Anything you'd love to share: yoga, cooking, a language, music, a workshop idea. Skill shares are one of the ways we get to know each other.

How much does it cost?

Prices will be announced soon. People on the interest list get super early bird access before anyone else.

My English is not perfect. Can I still join?

Yes. We are an international group, and many of us are non-native speakers. NVC is about the language of the heart, not perfect grammar.

Come practise with us in Italy

We keep the group small, so we can really know each other.

Get early access

No payment, no commitment.

Three members of the team with arms open wide in front of the Montino house — See you at Montino.