In Part 2 of Dubside’s conversation with Danish kayaker Mikkel Larsen, recorded in Copenhagen, the discussion turns from kayaking to the deeper personal experiences that shaped Mikkel’s life after leaving Greenland.
Mikkel reflects on the complicated realities of living in a small Arctic community, where close social ties can also expose difficult moral and social tensions. These experiences ultimately led him to return to Denmark in 2016, where an unexpected opportunity at the legendary Arctic Circle Race set him on a completely new path.
What followed is a remarkable story of improvisation and persistence. Starting with little money and only a brief massage course, Mikkel built a pain-reduction practice called Sportsværksted, developing his own hands-on methods through experimentation and experience. Today he works with athletes and people suffering from chronic pain, guided by a simple rule: if he can’t reduce a client’s pain by at least 50 percent, they don’t pay.
The conversation then shifts to geopolitics, as Mikkel shares a Danish perspective on the evolving relationship between Greenland, Denmark, and the United States, and how recent political tensions have reshaped attitudes in both Denmark and Greenland.
This episode offers a thoughtful mix of personal story, unconventional healing, and international perspective from someone who has lived deeply in both Greenlandic and Danish worlds.
Guide to Greenlandic culture: Introduction to how Greenlanders think and act. By Mikkel Larsen
