keynotes by helen russell

Helen offers bespoke keynote talks on resilience, perseverance and reasons to remain hopeful in challenging times, based on ten years of research and personal experiences. Tackling important questions for our current landscape with warmth and wisdom gleaned from cultures around the world.

What we can learn from the Nordic countries about raising happier, healthier children. Based on Helen’s new book How to Raise a Viking, this talk takes a deep dive into the parenting culture of the Nordic nations, from parental leave policies to school structure, screen time and the surprising customs that lead to well-adjusted humans.

For fellow internationals, it’s a peek behind the cultural curtain at a world where babies sleep outside in their prams and pre-schoolers wield axes. In this talk, Helen shares the secrets of Nordic parenting and how we could all use a little more Viking spirit in our own lives – wherever we are. For Danes and other Nordic audiences, it’s a humorous reminder of the way Viking parenting may come across as surprising to the rest of the world and a celebration of Nordic culture at its best.

To cover Viking babies, trust, samfundssind, respect, how ‘terrible twos’ are reframed as ‘the boundary age’, food, school, how 4 and 7pm is sacred family time, play, public speaking, plus why there’s no such thing as bad weather…

This talk is based on Helen’s bestseller The Year of Living Danishly and touches upon the key areas that psychologists and experts agree are important in order to live a more content life. Covering trust, security, a sense of belonging, equality, addressing the aesthetics (& ‘getting hygge with it’), Helen offers an insightful and useful guide to becoming happier – wherever we are. This keynote is suitable for group events, human resources professionals as well as CSR agendas.

As someone who has worked across Europe, America and Asia, Helen keeps discovering more about what it means to be British. In this eye-opening keynote, Helen shares the most notable differences between Denmark and the UK – including how Danes have no word for ‘please’, don’t hold doors for each other and talk salaries like it’s everyone’s business. An amusing look at why Brits behave as they do -  perfect for international companies with employees working in Denmark or Danish organisations employing Brits.

Helen spent years researching the science of change for her book, Leap Year – how small steps can make a giant difference. Now, she shares the best tools and strategies for embracing change, including how to feel more confident with decision- making, the power of incremental steps and why making leaps into the unknown is always worth it. Helen draws on the knowledge of neuroscientists, psychologists, business leaders, nutritionists and even FBI hostage negotiators for this insightful talk.

In this engaging keynote, speaker Helen gives an overview of the challenges internationals face when moving to Denmark. Combining almost a decade of research with personal experiences and anecdotes, Helen shares practical and useful tips and tricks to make Denmark feel like a home. She covers important areas like culture shock, making friends, and keeping your identity. She also shares her top things not to do when moving to Denmark – cultural faux pas that Helen learned the hard way! This keynote presentation is ideal for international organisations as well as companies looking to hire internationals.

In this insightful keynote, Helen shares the secrets of happiness from 30 countries – uncovering the unique cultural concepts, habits and attitudes keeping people afloat, worldwide. Based on research from her book The Atlas of Happiness. Helen talks about how the book came about after a series of conversations with strangers - and why we need to look to other countries for inspiration in the face of negative bias. Helen inspires her audience as she shares examples of ways we can all live a better life, as well as what she learned during her research.