Stay Human Festival

Reclaiming and preserving our humanity—embracing adaptability, wonder, empathy, and belonging—is a critical challenge of our times.

Stay Human is the first festival in Italy to promote a paradigm shift through embodiment: the profound experience of fully inhabiting one's own body.

In a two-day programme, it offers inspirational talks and practical workshops to awaken awareness and build a community capable of transforming personal growth into a positive impact on the world.

With Italian and international speakers, the festival addresses themes that combine individual awareness and collective action, emphasising the urgency of social and environmental change, starting in Milan.

Participants expected

Over 1,500 people coming together, driven by a shared spirit of community and a desire for change

International speakers

Talks and workshops led by more than 10 inspiring voices from Italy and around the world

Concert evening

Three incredible music groups will make us sing, dance, and celebrate our shared humanity

The Founders

Valentina Ragno

Valentina Ragno is certified practitioner of the Grinberg Method®. With over 15 years of experience, she started her career in France and then founded the Body Learning Studio in Milan, where she helps people improve their well-being through verbal and physical techniques that strengthen the mind-body connection. Specialising under the guidance of Avi Grinberg, founder of the method, Valentina is qualified to teach Stopping Movement, a technique that promotes body awareness, pain management and the release of physical and emotional tension. Valentina is the founder of the Body Learning School where she trains bodywork practitioners. In 2024 she co-founded D.em.a., Discipline of embodied attention, a cultural association that aims to spread the knowledge and practice of embodiment.

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Specialising under the guidance of Avi Grinberg, founder of the method, Valentina is qualified to teach Stopping Movement, a technique that promotes body awareness, pain management and the release of physical and emotional tension. Valentina is the founder of the Body Learning School where she trains bodywork practitioners. In 2024 she co-founded D.em.a., Discipline of embodied attention, a cultural association that aims to spread the knowledge and practice of embodiment.

Etienne Lavail

Bodywork teacher according to the Grinberg Method®. Born in France and partly raised in Australia, he has been living in Italy since 2013.

Bodywork teacher according to the Grinberg Method®. Born in France and partly raised in Australia, he has been living in Italy since 2013. He graduated in Statistics and Economics from ENSAE Paristech and had a corporate career in France, USA, Germany, and Italy. Since childhood, he has practiced martial arts and then became interested in dance and dance therapy and Zen meditation. Since 2019, he collaborates in the organization and training for international courses at the Body Learning School. He co-founded in 2024 D.em.a., Disciplines of Embodied Attention, a cultural association aiming to spread embodiment knowledge and practice.

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He graduated in Statistics and Economics from ENSAE Paristech and had a corporate career in France, USA, Germany, and Italy. Since childhood, he has practiced martial arts and then became interested in dance and dance therapy and Zen meditation. Since 2019, he collaborates in the organization and training for international courses at the Body Learning School. He co-founded in 2024 D.em.a., Disciplines of Embodied Attention, a cultural association aiming to spread embodiment knowledge and practice.

Massimiliano Bulgheroni

Massimiliano Bulgheroni is an international producer and director who has created critically acclaimed documentary series for leading UK and US broadcasters, including the BBC, Channel 4, and VICE. He’s also a trained bodywork professional and passionate embodiment advocate. In 2024, he founded Mariwaze, an embodied technologies company focused on bringing cutting-edge wellness solutions to the collective. That same year, he also launched Just Films, a production company dedicated to creating films and events that inspire connection and promote a more humane and connected world.

Massimiliano Bulgheroni is an international producer and director who has created critically acclaimed documentary series for leading UK and US broadcasters, including the BBC, Channel 4, and VICE.

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He’s also a trained bodywork professional and passionate embodiment advocate. In 2024, he founded Mariwaze, an embodied technologies company focused on bringing cutting-edge wellness solutions to the collective. That same year, he also launched Just Films, a production company dedicated to creating films and events that inspire connection and promote a more humane and connected world.