Speaking & Appearances

Recent and upcoming talks on sauna culture, textiles, and the traditions that shape the sauna experience.

If you’re interested in having me join a panel or event, I’d love to connect.

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 FinnFest — Minneapolis, MN (September 17-20, 2026) 

Panel Moderator — “Sauna Wellness Panel: Tradition and Evolution” 

Exploring how Finnish sauna traditions—from community storytelling and natural skin care to cold plunges and the vihta—support wellness today. I moderated a conversation with Karen Rue (Saunamekko), Kathy Matalamaki , Sierra Blake (Saint Lucie) , Gloria Nash (Homestead Sauna) and Nell Rueckl (Watershed Spa).

 

 Workshop instructor — Mark Your Sauna Towel 

In the old days, Finns and other Nordic folks made their own personalized mark or symbol carved or stitched onto items to show ownership. This mark is called a puumerkki or a bomärke (in Swedish). Students used basic hand stitching skills to make an identifying mark on a rustic linen towel for the sauna in red thread. I shared stories and historic examples of old Finnish puumerkit to inspire and guide participants in the creative process. 

FinnFest is a four-day celebration of culture, music, art, design, language, food, lectures, and workshops. 

FinnFest USA® is a national keystone Finnish American organization, the only organization in the USA that creates an annual national festival. For over 40 years, FinnFest has featured various high level guests, expert speakers and performers, including Presidents, Prime Ministers, Ambassadors, symphony orchestras and various popular artists from Finland and the US. 

finnfest.us/

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Sauna Synergy — Jenner Holdings (April 11, 2026) 

Guest Speaker — “Sauna Bathing & Textiles” 

Presented Sauna Bathing & Textiles, exploring the wise ways of the sauna and the ancient, sensual, and often overlooked connection to natural fiber towels and accessories that connect us to a more sustainable future.

Sauna Synergy — A Celebration of Bath Culture & Communal Harmony — is a weekend gathering held near Madison, Wisconsin, bringing together sauna practitioners, makers, and community members for shared learning, ritual, and connection.

The event takes place at Jennings Holler in Eagle, Wisconsin, a rural setting designed to support immersive, nature-based experiences.

homesteadsaunas.com

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Finlandia Foundation National Sauna Week — Virtual Session (February 17, 2026) 

Panel Moderator — “Sauna Threads: Textiles, Tradition, and the Sauna Experience”

Led a conversation featuring Karen Rue of Saunamekko (North America) and Jaana Hjelt of Lapuan Kankurit (Finland), exploring the deep and often overlooked connection between sauna culture and textiles. 

 

 

The session explored the deep and often overlooked connection between sauna culture and textiles, tracing how woven textiles — towels, mats, robes, hats, and sauna wear — have evolved alongside sauna’s ancient rituals to enhance comfort, beauty, and cultural meaning. The session also highlighted the history of sauna textiles as handwork, Finland’s leadership in sustainable textile production, and the distinctive Finnish aesthetic that blends tradition, function, and design. Drawing from traditional practices taught at places like the Finnish American Folk School and from contemporary innovators, the conversation wove together stories of natural fibers, plant dyes, mending, and the fibershed movement, while showcasing how companies such as Lapuan Kankurit and Saunamekko are advancing eco-conscious, low-waste textile solutions that enrich the sauna experience.

nationalsaunaweek.com

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Heikinpäivä & Keweenaw Sauna Week — Hancock, MI (January 25, 2026)

Panelist — “The Magic of Sauna Textiles”

Spoke alongside Karen Rue of Saunamekko (makers of all-wool sauna wear with Nordic elegance) about the magic, history, and importance of textiles used in the sauna. 

Hancock, Michigan is the home of Heikinpäivä! Created in 1999, this festival draws deeply from the culture and folklore that followed Finnish immigrants who came to America to work Keweenaw copper mines. This January celebration (part-festival, part-holiday), is a Copper Country homage to Finnish-American identity and a mid-winter burst of joy and quirkiness to hearten the community through the long Keweenaw winter. 

During Hancock, Michigan’s annual Juhannus (Midsummer) festivities in 2025 the announcement came that Hancock, Michigan was named the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture for 2026 – the first in North America, and the first outside a region indigenous to any of the Finno-Ugric peoples.

visitkeweenaw.com/heikinpaiva

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