When it comes to telling the story of Finland — its people, culture, and way of life — few voices resonate as powerfully around the world as Varpu Rusila. As the founder and creator of Her Finland, Varpu has built a global community that inspires curiosity, understanding, and love for Finnish culture — sauna culture included.
From Local Roots to a Global Community
Varpu’s journey began in the small Lakeland village of Kuhmoinen, Finland, where her curiosity about cultural differences and human connection took root early. With a Master of Science in Industrial Management and years of international experience managing teams in Finland, Switzerland, the UK, the Baltics, and Russia, she built a foundation in people, business, and communication — all of which would become central to her work as a culture coach and storyteller.
In January 2018, noticing a gap in the available information about Finland from a local’s perspective, Varpu launched Her Finland — a digital platform designed to help people experience Finland in a meaningful and authentic way, no matter where they are in the world. What started as one blog and a few cultural insights has grown into a warm, growing community with more than 500,000 global users every month accessing detailed cultural content, language resources, guides, and online courses.
A Bridge Between Cultures – and People
Varpu’s mission goes beyond simply sharing travel tips — she seeks to create understanding and connection. Through Her Finland, she has helped people feel welcomed into Finnish culture by making the unfamiliar familiar in a gentle and uplifting way. This approach has brought Finnish traditions, language, social norms, and cultural nuances to life for tens of thousands of learners and enthusiasts worldwide.
Her Finland includes:
- Online courses for Finnish language learners
- Detailed cultural guides
- Insightful articles on life in Finland
- A supportive international community
— all designed to help people turn their curiosity about Finland into something personal, practical, and inspiring.
Her expertise and impact have even been recognized by major media outlets, including Forbes, BBC, Cosmopolitan, and Marie Claire.
Why Her Finland Matters — and Why Now
In a world where globalization often flattens nuance, Varpu’s work has helped people understand not just what Finnish culture looks like — but why it feels the way it does. Her voice emphasizes depth over stereotype, context over cliché, and humanity over headlines. This perspective has never been more important: as interest in authentic cultural experiences grows across the globe, so does the need for voices that can guide that interest with respect and insight.
Whether it’s explaining Finnish traditions like löyly (the steam and spirit of the sauna), or helping people learn how to navigate everyday life in Finland, Her Finland invites curiosity, encourages empathy, and builds meaningful connections across borders — one story at a time.
A Natural Host for World Sauna Forum
It’s this blend of cultural insight, personal connection, and global reach that makes Varpu the perfect host for World Sauna Forum. Sauna is not just a habit or a trend — it’s deeply enmeshed in Finnish life and identity, recognized even by UNESCO for its cultural and social significance.
Varpu helps people understand not just how to sauna, but why sauna matters — as a space for restoration, community, reflection, and joy. In a forum built around connection, innovation, and shared cultural exchange, her voice brings warmth, clarity, and humanity to every conversation.
We’re honoured to have her lead and inspire this year’s World Sauna Forum — and to share the Finnish way of life with the world.
