What Makes Us Human? From Inner Life to the Universe

Relationships as life’s most important project

Relationships with others belong to those areas of life that cannot be completely planned. We can try to communicate better, work on our emotions, or learn how to resolve conflicts, but every relationship always leaves space for another person, their needs, and their way of seeing the world.

During the Holistic Talk ideas conference, Piotr Mosak will speak about how to build such relationships and how to deal with crises. A psychologist, couples therapist, business trainer, and communication expert, he has nearly 30 years of experience working with people. He helps couples going through difficult moments, works on communication and assertiveness, and supports teams and organizations. On October 14, his first book, Bez ściemy. Jak przestać udawać i zacząć żyć po swojemu, will be published.

A live podcast about relationships

His meeting will take an unusual form. “Relationships: Life’s Most Important Project” will be recorded as a live podcast on the main stage of Cavatina Hall. It will begin at 7:20 p.m. This means the audience will be able to watch a conversation being created in real time, which will later also become podcast material.

It is also a way of combining 2 elements of contemporary communication: the popular podcast format and a direct meeting with an audience. In the case of a conversation about relationships, this has particular importance because the subject concerns experiences most people know from their own lives. Mosak will speak about building understanding, moving through crises, and communication that helps people function better both in relationships and other areas of life.

Piotr Mosak also in the Authors’ Zone

The stage conversation will not be the only opportunity to meet the psychologist. Piotr Mosak will also be present in the Authors’ Zone, where participants will be able to speak with him directly.

The zone will operate in the foyer of Cavatina Hall from 3:30 p.m. Visitors will be able to meet writers, reporters, analysts, and other creators, talk about their books, get autographs, and take part in conversations on the smaller stage. The Authors’ Zone program includes literature, reportage, music, social psychology, astronomy, and geopolitics.

What we do not have to carry forward

Psychology will also be present at Holistic Talk through Dr. Ewa Woydyłło-Osiatyńska. On the Cavatina Hall stage, she will explore the past and the way experiences from our lives continue to influence the present. Her talk, Not Everything Has to Be Carried Forward: On the Art of Living Well, will focus on self-development, relationships, and ways of dealing with things that are not always easy to leave behind.

Woydyłło-Osiatyńska is a psychologist and psychotherapist, as well as the author of books on psychological resilience, relationships, forgiveness, and personal growth. During her talk, she will discuss how to cope with experiences from the past and how not to allow earlier events to constantly shape our current lives.

From personal experience to war

The conference program gradually moves beyond the individual perspective. Another important theme will be war and its consequences for human beings.

At 6:10 p.m., Przemysław Wójtowicz will take the stage. A former professional soldier, commander, instructor, and coordinator of sniper training in the Polish Land Forces, he was seriously wounded during a mission in Afghanistan. Today, he works, among other things, on the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers through sport. He is also the author of the books Snajper wchodzi pierwszy and Zanim naciśniesz spust.

The title of his talk — War Never Ends Inside a Human Being — points to a perspective that goes beyond the description of conflict itself. At its center will be the experience of a soldier and the psychological consequences of war, even after the direct danger has passed.

The subject of war will also appear in the Authors’ Zone. Among the guests will be Wojciech Kozioł and Bartłomiej Wypartowicz, who focus on security and geopolitics. This will allow participants to look at the same issue from 2 perspectives: through the experience of a person who has been directly exposed to war, and through an analysis of political and military processes.

What makes us want to be good?

The question of humanity will also appear through the perspective of goodness and helping others. Joanna Sadzik will speak about why people want to do good and what allows this impulse to emerge. Her talk, Why Do People Want to Be Good, and How Can We Unlock This Mechanism in Them?, is scheduled for 6:45 p.m.

Joanna Sadzik is the president of the WIOSNA Association, where she co-creates and develops the substantive work of Szlachetna Paczka and the Academy of the Future. For years, she has worked on issues connected with helping others, social exclusion, and building communities. During Holistic Talk, she will explore where the willingness to support others comes from and what makes people act for the benefit of another person.

This will be another perspective on human experience — following psychology and the realities of war. This time, attention will turn to our ability to cooperate, show empathy, and take actions that go beyond personal interest.

There is also a place for the cosmos

The program also reaches beyond issues directly connected with human beings. Radosław Ambroży will take participants into the world of astronomy. An astronomer and science communicator, he will speak about the universe and offer a chance to look at humanity from a completely different perspective.

Ambroży will also be available in the Authors’ Zone. His presence complements a program that combines questions about relationships, the human mind, contemporary conflicts, science, and astronomy.

A concert, conversations, and the Authors’ Zone

This year’s edition of Holistic Talk will take place on October 24 at Cavatina Hall in Bielsko-Biała. The program will begin with a talk by Jaśmina Nowak, followed by a performance of film music by the string quartet of Cavatina Philharmonic Orchestra. Further guests will then appear on the main stage.

At the same time, the event will include a second space. The Authors’ Zone in the foyer will open at 3:30 p.m. In addition to meetings with authors, it will feature conversations on a smaller stage, the opportunity to buy books, and the chance to receive autographs.

The invited authors include Jacek Piekara, Dariusz Jaroń, Szymon Pękala, Radosław Ambroży, Wojciech Kozioł, Bartłomiej Wypartowicz, and Przemysław Wójtowicz. The diversity of their interests means that the Authors’ Zone will complement the main stage rather than function only as a place to purchase books.

A conference about human experience, from relationships to the biggest questions

This year’s program brings together several different levels of conversation. On one side are topics close to everyday life: relationships, communication, the human psyche, and ways of dealing with the past. On the other are war, security, geopolitics, and questions about humanity’s place in the universe.

Holistic Talk 2026 brings together different perspectives on human experience: the human being as a partner and family member, a participant in historical events and a citizen, but also an inhabitant of a planet that forms part of something much larger.

The event’s patrons are Resi Capital, Cavatina, and AON.

Tickets for Holistic Talk 2026 are available here.

Read this article in Polish: Od człowieka do Wszechświata. Zbliża się Holistic Talk 2026