Bringing touch back
into conversation
Touch is one of the most fundamental human needs — yet it has nearly disappeared from professional settings, public life, and everyday interaction. We offer talks, lectures, and workshops that give people a new way to understand it. Grounded in research. Easy to relate to. Immediately useful.
Touch has nearly disappeared from professional and public life.
Despite being one of the most fundamental human needs at every age, physical touch has become taboo in most professional and social settings — leaving people without a basic tool for connection, regulation, and wellbeing.
The result is not just loneliness. It's a physiological gap that affects how we work, care for each other, and live together.
Our programmes don't just talk about touch — they help people understand it, relate to it, and begin to integrate it in ways that feel safe and meaningful.
Talks, lectures, and workshops — for any context.
Whether you're organising a staff day, a community event, or a large conference, there's a format that fits. All content can be adapted to your audience.
Keynote
Best for conferences and large events.
An inspiring, thought-provoking talk for larger audiences. Raises the topic of touch, human connection, and nervous system health in a way that feels personal, timely, and memorable.
Anna Jalava has spoken at national media outlets and summits across Finland, and brings a grounded, human voice to every stage.
Works well for:
- Conferences, summits, and sector events
- Annual staff or member gatherings
- Health, wellbeing, and care events
- Any event where you want a talk people actually remember
Lecture
Best when you want to open a conversation.
A clear, engaging talk that introduces the science and significance of touch — why it matters, what its absence costs, and how we can begin to change that. Accessible to any audience, no prior knowledge needed.
Delivered in-person or online. Suitable for staff days, conferences, community events, or public programmes.
Works well for:
- Public events and open evenings
- Workplace all-hands or wellbeing days
- Community and civic organisations
- Healthcare and care sector teams
Workshop
Best when you want understanding that sticks.
An experiential programme that combines knowledge with guided, low-threshold practice. Participants don't just hear about touch — they begin to feel the difference. Safe, consent-based, and carefully facilitated throughout.
Content is tailored to your group. Two levels available: general wellbeing or professional development (see below).
Works well for:
- Retreat or development days
- Teams wanting to deepen wellbeing work
- Care, therapy, and coaching professionals
- Volunteer networks and carer groups
Two levels for different needs
Awareness & Wellbeing
For anyone who wants a better understanding of why touch matters and what they can do about it. Why we need it, what happens in the body when we receive or are deprived of it, and how to begin — in everyday life, at work, or in care relationships.
Suitable for general audiences, volunteers, family carers, older adults, community groups, workplace teams.
Professional Development
A deeper programme for people whose professional role involves contact with others. Explores your own relationship with touch, ethical frameworks, consent and cultural considerations, trauma-informed practice, and how to integrate touch responsibly into your work.
Suitable for care workers, nurses, therapists, coaches, social workers, educators, HR professionals.
Wherever people gather, this conversation belongs.
These talks and workshops are relevant for organisations, communities, and events of all kinds — not just professional care settings. Some examples:
Staff days, wellbeing events, or team development. A talk on touch and connection lands differently than another productivity workshop.
A lecture on human connection and the nervous system is relevant to almost any field of study — and to being human.
Member events, annual gatherings... A keynote or lecture that sparks real conversation.
People who give care — paid or unpaid — and want to understand more about what they're giving and why it matters.
Coaches, therapists, and care workers who want to deepen their understanding of touch and the body.
For programme organisers who want something genuinely memorable — not just another panel.
What we cover
Our content is grounded in current research on touch, embodiment, and ethics. For professional-level workshops, we work in collaboration with Docent Taina Kinnunen, one of Europe's leading researchers in the field. Topics are always adapted to the audience and format.
Topics are adapted to the audience and format — a lecture for a general audience looks different from a professional workshop.
- The physiology of touch and nervous system regulation
- Touch deprivation — what it costs us physically and socially
- Consent, safety, and ethical frameworks
- Cultural and personal touch histories
- Touch in professional and care contexts
- Practical integration — what you can actually do differently
More than information
Most wellbeing education stays in the head. Our programmes are designed to reach the body — so that what participants learn is something they feel, not just understand.
After a session, people typically leave with:
- A new understanding of why they feel the way they feel
- Language for talking about touch — safely and without awkwardness
- Concrete things they can do differently from that day
- Reduced shame or taboo around a fundamental human need
- For professionals: an ethical framework they can trust
“You presented everything in such a warm and engaging way. Listening to you felt calming, reassuring, and easy.”
– Workshop participant
Anna Jalava
CEO & Master Trainer · Auvo Academy
Anna is the lead educator behind all Auvo Academy workshops and lectures. She brings the science of touch to life in a way that is grounded, warm, and immediately applicable — whether she is speaking to a room of 200 or facilitating an intimate workshop for a care team.
She works at the intersection of embodiment, nervous system regulation, and professional practice — and has guided hundreds of clients and professionals through the topic of touch with clarity and care.
- Long experience in teaching, coaching, and educational facilitation
- Certified wellbeing coach, Business Coach, and sleep coach
- Trained AUVO® Master Trainer and practitioner
Ready to bring this to your organisation?
Tell us a little about your context and what you're looking for — we'll come back to you with a proposal. No obligation, no sales script.
Anna Jalava
CEO & Master Trainer
Auvo Academy Ltd, Finland