The Fundamentals of Authentic Relating
Learn the communication skills that will transform all your relationships in this 8 week course
Next Cohort Starts May 20th 2026
About the course
Your Path to more Authentic Relationships
Imagine having so much confidence in your relating skills that all of your relationships become nourishing, whole & empowered.
The true potential of relationships is that they can be sanctuaries of connection, healing, growth and evolution… all without the pain, frustration, loneliness and endless cycles of conflict.
This is possible.
Your journey to best relationships of your life starts here.
Benefits
Authentic Relating empowers all of your relationships
The skills you learn with Authentic Relating are the foundational building blocks of communication, and apply any kind of relationship.
Romantic
Move from pain, conflict and disconnection… into playful, intimate and secure love.
Family
Create family connections where you all feel seen, heard and loved… parents and children alike.
Friendships
Have more fun, deep, mutually supportive and nourishing friendships in your life
Work
Discover the communication tools to create more flow, more team-playing and better boundaries in your work life.
Authentic Relating will transform your relationships
All relationships are created through the way we relate.
What the Connection course teaches...
Life is composed of relationships.
No matter where we turn, we will find that the quality of our life is fundamentally tethered to the quality of our relationships.
Take a moment right now to reflect on some of your most memorable life experiences.
You will probably find that at least some of them, if not all of them, include other people.
Love, family, friendships, community, prosperity, and sex… all come back to the quality of our relationships with other people.
“Humans are not solitary creatures. We are in relationship, always. Do you ever stop and ask yourself, “What is the quality of these relationships in my life?”
— Damien Bohler, course creator
We grow high-quality relationships through high-quality relating....
Relating that is vulnerable, mindful, joyful, in integrity to our authentic selves, and capable of listening deeply to others.
Yet relating is not something we are taught.
We grew up watching the adults around us and many of us didn’t have the best role models. So we’ve all inherited less-than-elegant ways of relating.
These ways of relating have been harming our relationships. Creating conflict and misunderstanding where it doesn’t need to exist.
The great thing is that relating is a skill that really can be developed.
Course modules
What you’ll learn in each module
The Connection course contains eight modules that build from each other to transform you into an elegant communicator
1
Embodied Relating
We will explore a powerful synergy between deep listening and vulnerability through embodying the principles of presence, acceptance and non-judgment.
2
Reflective Listening
Developing this listening skill leads to a magical ability to really have others feel seen, heard and validated in your presence and offers a state of deep safety and relaxation.
3
Curiosity
Curiosity is a relational tool that leads others to comfortably reveal their depths, creating the possibility of beautiful and novel bonding experiences.
4
Transformative Listening
Expanding on the reflective listening module, here we develop the skill to offer profoundly transformative reflections and deep experiences of feeling seen.
5
Needs & Desires
Having the ability to vulnerably express your needs and desires leads to the depth and quality of relational experiences that you most want.
6
Boundaries
Elegant boundaries are the ability to maintain differentiation from others while also feeling close to them. This capacity is absolutely crucial in healthy relating.
7
Attunement
This module teaches how to step into the “we” space. Stepping into this field with another, even for a moment, is deeply nourishing and expansive, beyond words.
8
Appreciation
All things come to a close. This module allows us the time and space to reflect on the experience, integrate and appreciate the beautiful journey we’ve undertaken together.
Master Your Relating.
Master Your Relationships
With the tools and practices we give you in Fundamentals of Authentic Relating, you will naturally start to relate in a whole new way. And when you do, your relationships will begin to grow and evolve effortlessly.
Show up and be seen in all of you
Develop deep empathy & presence
Navigate difficult
conversations with grace
Create stimulating and trust
based connections
Heal relationship wounds
through vulnerability
Confidently express your
boundaries and desires
Course instructors
Your facilitators for this live cohort...
Damien Bohler
Founder & Facilitator
Damien is the founder of Evolve Relating. He has been facilitating, teaching and coaching for 10+ years. His gift is in the synthesising of complex concepts into practical ways to grow. He weaves together authentic relating, attachment theory, developmental psychology, polarity and awakening techniques into a holistic system of relational transformation.
Anna Jaaniste
Facilitator
With two and a half decades of experience as a facilitator leading groups into play, discussion and creativity together, Anna has a passion for supporting people into delightful and fruitful interaction with themselves and others. Anna has been practicing Authentic Relating for 10 years and facilitating AR for 5 years. She is a counsellor and a practicing artist.
LIVE Workshop Times & Dates
The full calendar of our experiential practice based sessions, carefully scheduled to serve the global community.
Cohort A: Thursdays (Europe + Australasia)
Dates
21st May⭐28th May⭐4th June⭐11th June⭐18th June⭐25th June⭐2nd July⭐9th July⭐
Times
11am - 1 pm BST⭐12 - 2 pm CEST⭐5 - 7 pm Thailand⭐6 - 8 pm Bali⭐8 - 10 pm AEST
Cohort B: Wednesdays (North America) + Thursday (Australasia)
Dates
20th US / 21st May AU⭐27th US / 28th AU May⭐3rd US / 4th AU June⭐10th US / 11th AU June⭐17th US / 18th AU June
24th US / 25th AU June⭐1st US / 2nd AU July⭐8th US / 9th AU July
Times
5 - 7 pm PDT⭐7 - 9 pm CDT⭐8 - 10 pm EDT⭐10am - 12 pm AEST (Thursday)⭐12 - 2 pm NZST (Thursday)
Notes:
* These sessions are not recorded - this course is meant to be attended live.
* You receive a complete library of theory and practices to continue the work after the course ends (in place of recordings)
* If you miss a session or two that's ok - yet it's not recommended to sign up unless you anticipate being able to join at least 75% of the course.
Pricing Options
Check the above dates/times to make sure you choose the correct Cohort
Each cohort is limited in available spots.
Cohort A
Individual Participation
$500USD/pay in full
Cohort A (Europe + Australasia)
8 live Authentic Relating workshops
Lifetime Authentic Relating course access
Complete library of relational practices
Community connection space
*Payment Plans available at checkout
Cohort A
Couples Participation
$750USD/pay in full
Cohort A (Europe + Australasia)
Couples access to 8 live workshops
Dual access to complete course
Library of relational practices
Community connection space
*Payment Plans available at checkout
Cohort B
Individual Participation
$500USD/pay in full
Cohort B (North America + Australasia)
8 live Authentic Relating workshops
Lifetime Authentic Relating course access
Complete library of relational practices
Community connection space
*Payment Plans available at checkout
Cohort B
Couples Participation
$750USD/pay in full
Cohort B (North America + Australasia)
Couples access to 8 live workshops
Dual access to complete course
Library of relational practices
Community connection space
*Payment Plans available at checkout
Testimonials
Here are some of the things prior participants have shared about this work.
"Damien’s work is an incredible study on the nature of intimacy & secure relating. He has a remarkable way of opening this field up to to new layers of insight that go far beyond the fairly fixed ideas we see in the mainstream. His work has hugely impacted my personal & professional practice as a devotee of the intimate arts and as a facilitator and coach."
"If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I wouldn’t have the awareness of my patterns and I wouldn’t have had the tools to heal and evolve. I wouldn’t be the woman or the coach I am now. You are one of the best in the industry and have played a significant role in helping me heal my insecure attachment, I am beyond grateful for your work Damien."
"What I love about Damien, is how it feels like everything he teaches comes from what he embodies in himself. This means his programs feel authentic and deeply lived."
"I wish i had known 20 years ago that this work is soooo essential. My lover suddenly feels soft and surrendered in my clarity, safe in how i hold our container with her in mind...Beautiful, expanding, grounding....This is much needed on my life's journey... Highly recommend."
"I'd previously done a lot of somatic and self development work, However there is something about the way Damien explains and demonstrates things that makes it so easy to digest and continually implement. Brilliant for both beginners and those who have been on the path for a while."
"I’m starting to experience levels of intimacy I only dreamed were possible, in all my relationships and with myself. I see so many shifts in how my lover and I relate, the beauty of it makes me cry."
"I wish I did this 10 years ago. The insights, tools and embodiment practices have actually made a change in my life, in my relationships. I feel confident and empowered and I can now experience love and freedom on a deeper level. "
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm a coach/therapist/social worker and I'm interested in whether you think this course could be help in my job?
Yes it will definitely help. We've had psychologists, psychotherapists, coaches and social workers all join this course and all have reported learning something new and having better results with their clients as they use the skills they learn here to improve their practice!
How does the course work? Is it live or online?
The course is run as a live online offering. There are several major components to the course:
• 8 weeks of facilitated practice sessions where all the practices from the course are covered.
• A course library with all the theory content & demonstrations of all practices (with lifetime access).
• A private chat group and opportunity for extra practices each week with course participants.
Can you speak more about the community aspect of this course?
The course itself takes place within a container of up to 26 participants. During the 8 weeks expect to have significant bonding experiences with other participants. Solid and lasting friendships, and even relationships, have formed from this course. We have had participants be able to visit each other while travelling, and many meetups from those in the same cities.
You will be invited to a private Telegram group for the duration of the course where you will be able to easily connect with others.
I'm not in a relationship. Can I do this course?
Absolutely. This course is not focused on romantic relationships, it is focused on developing relational skills… which apply to ALL relationships. These skills are powerful in dating (and I’ve used a lot of the practices you will learn on dates), with friends, with family, and even with your work colleagues! They are also great as preparation for finding a deep romantic relationship.
What is authentic relating exactly?
Big question! The short answer is that it is a framework of communication that allows us to show up more authentically in the world, being able to share ourselves vulnerably, own our desires more fully, and express our boundaries more clearly while at the same time being able to listen in a way that supports others to do the same.
Like NVC (non-violent communication) yet more robust, modern and with wider applications.
I know this course will be good for my relationship, but will it help in other areas of my life too?
Good question! For us, we truly believe that the quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our relationships. The most meaningful experiences many of us have are usually with others, and this course offers you the skills to upgrade all your relationships and, as a result, impact the quality of your life overall. It certainly has for all of us!
I'm in a couple, can we do the course together?
Yep! This course is a beautiful thing to do with a partner, your relating will never be the same again. Over the last two years I have had several couples come through the course, all reporting significant improvements in the depth and intimacy of their connection. If you are attending in a couple, however, we request that you both sign up and attend the calls on your own devices to get the most out of the course by practicing with the other participants (the diversity of the experience adds a lot).
Are you ready to dive in?
The relationship you have been yearning for awaits you, will you be ready?