What does it mean to relate?
Life itself is a living system of relationships. Everything is connected: the way we relate to ourselves, to other people, to our work, and to life as it unfolds.
To relate is more than to live together, to work together, to talk, or to stay connected online. It is to be truly present: listening, seeing the other person, speaking honestly, and to remain in touch with ourselves while meeting the other. Yet, in a time of constant messages, social media, AI, busy schedules, and competing demands on our attention, it is easy to be connected without feeling genuinely close.
The ability to relate is something we can learn, practice, and deepen. As we do, our relationships can become a source of greater warmth and fulfilment.
How Can I Find Fulfillment in my Relationships?
Life revolves around relationships, yet it is surprisingly easy to leave ourselves out of them. We may try to fit in, stay silent when something matters, or become so busy and distracted that we offer only part of our attention. At other times, we withdraw when a relationship becomes difficult or speak from frustration before understanding what we are truly feeling.
Fulfilment begins with returning to ourselves and, from there, returning to the relationship. It means staying connected with our values and deepest aspirations while remaining open to another person's experience. A meaningful relationship has room for difference. Even when we see things differently, we can remain true to ourselves while staying open to the relationship and what it may teach us.
Discovering the True Way to Relate
The people in our lives often show us aspects of ourselves that are difficult to see on our own. A reaction, misunderstanding, conflict, or moment of distance can become a mirror. If we pause and look honestly, we may begin to recognise the fear, expectations, habit, or old story shaping our response.
By recognising the part that belongs to us, we also begin to see where change is possible. As we adjust the way we participate in a relationship, something new can emerge. Step by step, our relationships can grow with us and become a source of greater honesty, understanding, and warmth.
This is the Journey of Adjustment.
The Journey of Adjustment Course
The Journey of Adjustment is an experiential course, brought to life through dialogue, practical exercises, reflection, and the shared work of the group. Each participant brings a different perspective, and this becomes part of the learning.
The course helps us recognise the patterns shaping our relationships and understand more clearly what happens within us when we listen, react, withdraw, or speak. Other people can become mirrors, revealing aspects of ourselves that may otherwise remain unseen.
We will also explore the relationship between male and female as a living polarity, expressed both between people and within our inner life. This interplay reveals different ways of perceiving, acting, giving, receiving, and meeting life. By learning to work with these differences through intelligent cooperation, the natural tension between the two can open the way towards greater balance and growth.
The course introduces impeccability as a way of approaching ourselves, life, and our relationships with care: acting to the best of our ability with the knowledge available to us in each moment. It asks for honesty without harshness and the willingness to adjust our actions as our understanding deepens.
At the heart of the course is the relationship with ourselves. As this deepens, new ways of relating to others become possible, with greater awareness, responsibility, and heart. From insight to action.
Inspired Life Coaching
Key Concepts in this Course
In this course, we will explore the general principles that can help any kind of relationship work and grow:
- • What we truly seek from a relationship and what we bring to it.
- • Recognising and valuing our own inner being.
- • Turning fear and uncertainty into opportunities for greater awareness.
- • Working with emotions without allowing them to take control.
- • Understanding how expectations and assumptions shape the way we see another person.
- • Relating through feeling, opening the way to a deeper and more heartfelt way of being with one another.
- • Communicating honestly, listening openly, and speaking without abandoning ourselves.
- • Exploring the living polarity between male and female, and how difference can be brought into intelligent cooperation.
- • Growing through disagreement and conflict without becoming caught in blame.
- • Bringing greater meaning, responsibility, and heart into the way we relate.
Course Prerequisites
The course requires no previous knowledge or particular level of education. We begin with the basic principles and build from there.
The course includes reflection, dialogue, practical exercises, and group interaction. Participants are always free to choose how much they wish to share, and personal boundaries are respected throughout. What matters most is a willingness to take part, to listen, and to remain open to your own experience. Working alongside a group of like-hearted people can bring warmth, fresh perspectives, and a meaningful sense of shared journey.
Meet the facilitator, Irina Marsh
I am a philosopher by training and a teacher by vocation, with an ICM accreditation in transformative coaching. I hold a PhD in Philosophy, shaped by Aristotle's understanding of the good life as something we grow through the way we live, the choices we make, and the character we develop. As an Associate Professor teaching communication and leadership, I bring to the course many years of experience working with people and exploring the questions that arise as we seek to understand ourselves and relate more deeply.
In facilitating The Journey of Adjustment, I work within the Toltec tradition of the Institute for the Study of Man, where the course was developed through the vision and work of Théun Mares and Elizabeth Schnugh. I am creating a space in which participants can reflect at their own pace, look more closely at the way they relate, and begin to notice where a different response may become possible.
My way of working is warm and grounded, with respect for each person's individual experience. My approach is informed by philosophy and positive psychology, together with my appreciation of symbols and stories as ways of illuminating the deeper patterns of human life. This gives the course both depth and practicality, supporting participants in finding meaningful insights that can be carried into everyday life and in developing a clearer sense of how to live and relate with purpose and heart.
Course Details
For whom?
The Journey of Adjustment is open to anyone who wants to understand relationships more deeply and strengthen the way they relate to themselves, to other people, and to life. Men and women of all ages are welcome.
The course may be especially meaningful if you are going through a difficult period in a relationship, feeling drawn towards greater self-awareness, or simply sensing that you would like to live with more honesty and heart. It offers a supportive, practical setting in which to begin that exploration.
Where?
The Journey of Adjustment will be held in Bucharest, Romania, at University House (Casa Universitarilor), in the heart of the city. Dating back to the 1860s, the venue carries a quiet elegance that suits the nature of the course and offers a welcoming setting for reflection and meaningful work with relationships.
When?
The course takes place from Thursday 5th November to Sunday 8th November 2026. It begins on Thursday at 14:00, while the sessions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday begin gently at 09:30. The course concludes on Sunday evening with a dinner together. An optional follow-up meeting will be held on Tuesday 10th of November at 14:00. Although optional, the follow-up is a valuable part of the course: it offers time to revisit the experience and notice what has continued to unfold. This space often helps the insights gained during the course settle more deeply into everyday life.
Meet the Course: Free Online Sessions
For those who feel drawn to The Journey of Adjustment and would like to know more before deciding, Irina will offer two free introductory webinars online.
Each 90-minute session will include a short introduction to the course, time for questions, and a brief experiential exercise in which participants will have the opportunity to work together. This will offer a first sense of the course itself, as well as of how we relate and engage with one another.
The sessions are designed to help you explore whether the course speaks to where you are in your life and whether this may be the right moment to join. We would love to meet you at one of the following online sessions:
Thursday 20th August 2026, 19:00-20:30 EEST
Thursday 17th September 2026, 19:00-20:30 EEST
Important Details
To take part, please complete the registration form below for your preferred session. Registration is required, and places are limited, so we encourage you to register early. The online participation details will be sent to everyone whose registration is confirmed.
Should a session become fully booked before your registration is confirmed, you will receive an email letting you know that registration has closed and that we were unable to secure your place.
If you have registered but you are no longer able to attend, please let us know as soon as possible so that your place can be offered to someone else. You can write to us using the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Costs
The standard course fee is €500 per person and includes tea, coffee, juice, and light refreshments during the breaks. A set-menu lunch will also be arranged each day at a nearby venue, offering participants an enjoyable opportunity to continue their conversations over lunch. The cost will be paid directly by each participant and will be kept at an accessible price.
An early-booking fee of €450 is available to those who register and pay a €150 deposit by 31st August 2026. The remaining balance of €300 is due by 30th September 2026.
After 31st August, the standard course fee of €500 will apply. A €200 deposit will be required at registration, with the remaining balance due by 30th September 2026.
As places are limited, early registration is recommended. Please complete the registration form at the bottom of the page. Once it has been received, the organiser will contact you by email with payment details and the next steps.
If you are no longer able to attend, please let us know as soon as possible so that your place may be offered to another participant. Any course fees already paid will be refunded, less the applicable deposit. Where cancellation is necessary for documented medical reasons, all fees paid will be refunded, less a €50 administrative fee.
In the unlikely event that the course needs to be cancelled, participants will be informed as soon as possible. A new date will be announced, and those already registered will receive priority when registration reopens. All course fees paid will be fully refunded. Travel and accommodation arrangements remain the responsibility of each participant.
Accommodation
is arranged individually by each participant. Bucharest offers a wide variety of options, including hotels, apartments, and Airbnb, at different price levels. For ease and convenience, we recommend staying in the central area. You may wish to explore options on Booking.com, Airbnb, or Hotels.com for accommodation in central Bucharest.
If you would like to get a feel for the city before booking, or are thinking of staying a little longer, Visit Bucharest and the Bucharest guide on Romania Tourism offer a helpful introduction for international visitors, with ideas on neighbourhoods, attractions, parks, cafés, and places for rest and wellbeing, including Therme Bucharest.
A note on language
The course will be conducted in English. An intermediate level is helpful, and participants are encouraged to join with the English they already have. Perfect fluency is not required. What matters most is the willingness to listen, take part, and express what feels meaningful and true.
If you feel drawn to this work and sense that this may be the right time to explore more deeply how you relate to yourself, to others, and to life, you are warmly invited to join us in Bucharest. To take the next step, please complete the registration form below and begin this Journey of Adjustment with us.
Register
If you would like to register for the course then please complete the form below, and we will be in contact with you.