Mastering Finland

The founders of ‘Pawfect Grooming’ business meet with our podcast host Eva to discuss their discovery of puppy power in Finland! The episode also features some pet peeves they met during their journey to mastering Finland. Husband and wife team, Asha and Mikael Singadia-Kuronen, moved to Finland in 2018.  Mikael was returning to his home country, bringing Asha with him from the UK.  Asha is a British Indian who had a career in banking and finance and is now focused on developing Finland’s first ever mobile dog grooming business. Join us and listen to their pawfect business story!

In this episode Eva meets Kalim Ul Masih — a certified coach, humanitarian worker, and travel enthusiast who’ll open up his insider secrets to Mastering Finland. Kalim is Finnish, but as he was working and traveling abroad in Africa, Middle East, Central Asia for quite a while before returning to Finland with the onset of COVID-19, he had to polish the art of Mastering Finland himself. Also, from his coaching background he brings up a few more tips, like asking open questions and asking purposefully for some small, doable favours. What’s in this episode? 🫶 Kalim’s work in humanitarian missions abroad 🫶 All about coaching — what it is and what it’s not 🫶 Reverse culture shock 🫶 Tips about traveling in Finland

Many of us here have an on-and-off relationship with Finland. But for our new guest, it was love at first sight! Gemma Cros-Baden came to Kuopio for her Erasmus exchange and simply didn’t want to go back to her home country Spain. But she had to. Fast-forward to when our podcast is recorded, Gemma lives happily in Finland, has a job, and is learning Finnish. Listen in to discover her inspiring story and see what worked for Gemma on her way to mastering Finland!

It has finally happened — the whole Mastering Finland team is on the same episode! A Christmas miracle, nothing else. So who’s on the line? Petra, Eva, and Iliana from the best library in the world (Oodi, of course), Matt from Pori, and Matty all the way from the UK. In this episode, we do a lot of Christmas talk: from favorite Christmas songs to the most bizarre Christmas traditions from our home countries. Want to share your stories? Drop a comment, we’re super curious! Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season to our listeners! Let it be peace, and we hope to continue supporting you on your journey to Mastering Finland.  Join us for this cozy chit-chat about Christmas on your favorite podcast platform. Music: https://www.FesliyanStudios.com Background Music

Petra is back to Mastering Finland (I bet you’ve missed her) — but now in the guest seat. She is the founder of the podcast, a person who has been bringing up so many individual stories of Mastering Finland and sharing tips and knowledge with our community. The Mastering Finland team is sure that you’re as excited as we to hear from Petra again! But recently Petra had to take some time off. In this episode, she frankly talks about her experiences of burnout, immense workload, and mental health challenges. And as always, Petra shares with you tips and kind practices that can help you take care of yourself. It goes without saying that if you feel like everything is too much, ask for professional help. Petra describes her experiences with that as well. And please share this episode with your loved ones who might benefit from a bit more awareness about burnout and mental health.

You haven’t heard her voice before, and yet she is essential to the Mastering Finland project. This episode sees the ‘Mastering Finland’ founder return to the microphone and interview one of the key people from behind the scenes of the podcast – Eva Valkovicova. Eva’s energy, spirit, and curiosity are keeping the podcast alive, but there’s more to it. Eva has been living in Finland for 15 years and she definitely holds the keys to mastering this country. Tune in and learn about Eva’s experiences in Finland — working in an international company, falling in love, raising multilingual kids, and finding time for her own projects. And no chance of getting away without some practical advice. Wanna know what’s the dramatic difference for a Finn between ‘Does the bus stop near the train station?’ and  ‘Does the bus stop at the train station?’? And why should you always ask open questions?

Mastering Finland Podcast takes you to the movies for an exclusive interview with the director and screen writer behind the new film “Freeskate” which premieres on 21 October 2022. Getting to know the faces behind this new Finnish film, Matt speaks with director Roope Olenius and screen writer Veera W. Vilo who are partners both on and off the movie set. Freeskate was inspired by both Veera and Roope’s experiences of sport.  Each in their own way mastering Finland with their different disciplines and using this to create this original story in the world of figure skating. ⛸️ Freeskate is a truly international film, featuring three different languages, current international athletes and filmed across many different ice halls and locations across Finland 🇫🇮. ☺If you get chance, do watch the film and let us know what you think.

Meet Karoliina Kauhanen with whom we discuss why people need help and why it is often so difficult to ask for it. As internationals, we don’t have a network we can rely on, even in some simple tasks such as moving the furniture. Some people wouldn't mind giving a hand but they don’t know where to start. Karoliina has a solution to this problem. Commu is a free app that makes asking for help and giving help as easy as possible! Download it and join the crowd of 15000 people helping each other. Listen to the episode to learn more why giving help is stigmatised (and why it’s ruining our lives). You’ll also learn more about the story behind the Commu app and what their team has achieved by now. And why Haloo Helsinki! is in the game as well.

In Part 2 of Matt’s interview with an American ambassador in Finland the conversation grows in its cultural dialogue and reflections on Finland as experienced by an international. What is the secret of Finnish happiness and where it comes from? Find out in this episode!

Ever dreamt of working in foreign service and being stationed abroad? Listen to our new episode and see if this lifestyle suits you! Bill Couch, Foreign Affairs Officer, shares with Mastering Finland his experiences of working at the US Embassy in Helsinki — from perks and daily routines to the challenges (and new engagement avenues) that the pandemic has brought. The Russia-Ukraine war and Putin’s leadership style are also on the discussion table. What’s more, Bill discusses his fantastic career change from education into Public Affairs. It’s quite an inspiring story about “taking that chance”. And don’t say goodbye to Bill just yet! He will be in our next episode, so stay tuned.