Kay Xander Mellish, presentations on Danish working culture

Educational. Entertaining.
Informative. Fun.

Kay Xander Mellish

Coaching and workshops on Danish working culture and cultural differences

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Kay’s books and audiobooks

Kay is the author of five books about life as an international in Denmark, all of which are also available as audiobooks and eBooks. You can buy Kay’s books directly from our webshop, and we also provide direct links to international booksellers such as Amazon and Apple Books. Kay’s approach to the joys and difficulties of life in Denmark as a foreigner are written with gentle humor; she likes Denmark, now speaks fluent Danish, and has become a Danish dual citizen.

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Presentations on Danish working culture

Kay travels throughout Denmark and Europe delivering presentations and workshops that help newcomers better understand Danish culture and Danish working culture, and help Danes examine some of the aspects of their own culture that they sometimes take for granted. She also offers individual cultural coaching for international specialists hired to live and work in Denmark. Kay has also helped several teams of US and Danish colleagues work together better.

Book Kay for an event

Kay on video or hear her podcasts

Kay has been the voice behind the “How to Live in Denmark” podcast since 2013 and also works as a professional voiceover for corporate e-learning programs and advertisements. She also offers a line of self-guided audio tours for visitors exploring Denmark. Kay is a frequent guest on Danish national television and radio and is often quoted in the international media about issues related to Denmark. You can see Kay’s videos or contact her for media appearances below.

Watch Kay’s videos

What customers say

“Your keynote ended the conference on a high level.

We received a lot of compliments on your performance.”

Mie Bilberg Senior advisor of e-commerce & e-export, Dansk Industri

Thank you for a good workshop. A few people came up to me straight after and said they felt the presentation was spot on. It is highly relevant to be mindful of the different cultures we are in Group IT.

Tanja Helene Skovbjerg Lead Business Solution Architect, IT Business Enablement, SimCorp

“We had Kay Xander Mellish at our internal workshop on diversity and inclusion this spring. I have but one comment: she was fabulous! Don’t hesitate to engage her!”

Bo Skaaning JensenSenior Alliance Director, Alliance Management, Novo Nordisk

“Thank you for a very inspiring and engaging workshop! We got very good feedback and I really think these insights will help us grow as an organisation.”

Mihaela PopaPMO & People and Culture Manager, Global Wind Safety Organisation

“The presentation by Kay Xander Mellish was excellent and full of humor. We had a couple of meetings before the presentation, where Kay asked questions, trying to understand our needs. As a result, Kay has helped us to understand cultural differences in the workplace and how we could benefit from each other due to different backgrounds. There was great interaction between the presenter and the audience. We will definitely invite Kay to give another workshop regarding cultural differences.”

Anna KnudsenNNE

”Vi er en stor offentlig organisation, som samarbejder tæt og på daglig basis med vores amerikanske it-leverandør. På en temadag i sektionen (35 pers.) holdt Kay Xander Mellish et foredrag om den amerikanske kultur og sprog, med fokus på som dansk institution at have amerikanske samarbejdspartnere. Det var et yderst underholdende og lærerigt arrangement, hvor vi alle havde aha-oplevelser. Vi gik derfra med en større forståelse af vores amerikanske kollegaer, som vi har samarbejdet med gennem flere år. Ved forskellige øvelser, blev vi udfordret på det amerikanske sprog, og lærte forskellige tips og tricks som vi vil gøre brug af fremover. Vi kan varmt anbefale Kay, som fanger sit publikum med sin humoristiske tilgang til kulturelle og sproglige forskelle mellem Danmark og USA.”

Thomas Dalsgaard ClausenREGION H, CIMT

“Our event was focused on Scandinavian work culture and opportunities. Kay Xander Mellish, our keynote speaker, gave a presentation on the unwritten rules of the Scandinavian workplace – which were highly recognisable, honest, and relatable for many in the audience.”

AXBIT, GDANSK, POLAND

I would like to thank you for enlightening us on the different cultures and giving us some perspective on why we think differently. I had many good conversations afterwards and I only got good feedback on your presentation and energy and also on the relevance.

Simon Holbek Kønigsfeldt, PhDDSI, DMI, Software Products, H6, NOVO NORDISK

“We’re gonna go against our Danishness and give some positive feedback: It was a wonderful presentation – both entertaining and enlightening.

We think it will be one that we remember for a long time. You have our glowing recommendation.”

MAKEEN ENERGY

Kay’s books

Kay’s audiobooks

Sample audiobook:

Kay in the media

A former journalist with ABCNews.com and Dow Jones/the Wall Street Journal, Kay works closely with journalists in both Denmark in the US to deliver a realistic picture of Denmark and how Danes and internationals can work better together. She also occasionally writes articles for the Danish media.

Kay speaks Danish and can generally work to deadline. See Kay’s media appearances.

If you are a journalist who would like to use Kay as a source for a story about Danish culture or Denmark, contact Kay using the button below.

You can also see a selection of Kay on video.

Get in touch

Take the tour

Tour Denmark with Kay

Take a self-guided audio tour designed and voiced by Kay Xander Mellish.

The tours are GPS-based, so you can put your phone away while Kay tells you amusing stories about the sights you are seeing.

A self-guided audio tour of Danish design in Copenhagen

Take the tour

The “How to Live in Denmark” project

When Kay first moved to Copenhagen, she wrote a few blog posts about her experiences – and then forgot about them, as she focused on her corporate work and building a family.

But to her surprise, she would regularly receive notes from newcomers to Denmark who had discovered the blogs online and found them helpful.

Later, Kay turned some of the blog posts into a podcast, originally designed to promote her voiceover business. The How to Live in Denmark podcast took off and has run continuously since 2013, with more than a million downloads.

Meanwhile, the How to Live in Denmark website became the basis for the How to Live in Denmark book, first published in 2014 and updated in 2017. Kay now travels all over the country with her How to Live in Denmark welcome presentation for newcomers.

Visit the website

Who is Kay Xander Mellish?

Kay is a writer, podcaster, and keynote speaker who grew up in the USA and has lived in Denmark for more than 10 years. She has been on staff at large Danish companies including Danske Bank and Carlsberg and now runs KXMGroup, helping Danes and internationals work better together, and How to Live in Denmark, which helps newcomers understand Danish culture.

A native of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, Kay attended New York University in Manhattan, where she graduated cum laude with a degree in journalism and art history.

She worked as a journalist in Berlin, Germany and Hong Kong before returning to Manhattan and working in the media industry at Dow Jones/the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and ABCnews.com before moving to Denmark.

Kay lives with her family in Copenhagen Northwest. In her spare time, she enjoys reading biographies and watching old Hollywood movies.

Get in touch

Contact Kay

Or contact me through LinkedIn

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