E30 - Dutch in the USA

What this episode covers

On Coming to America, the host interviews Kjell van Zoen, a they/he immigrant from Leiden, Netherlands (South Holland) who moved to the U.S. in 2004 and works as an organizational development and change management coach. They discuss Dutch pragmatism, directness, trade culture, and tolerance, plus contrasts with American small talk and U.S. cultural influence abroad. Kjell shares growing up in the 1980s, their pilot father’s death, moving to England at 12, studying Dutch Studies at UCL, and launching a short-lived Dutch publishing venture that led into graphic design. A connection brought Kjell to Portland on an E-2 visa, later gaining a green card through an 18-year marriage, co-founding a business, and transitioning into consulting and energy-efficiency coaching. Kjell also came out as queer non-binary, explored returning to the Netherlands but chose Portland, and highlights music as central to life, studying Sonic Arts at Portland Community College. Kjell closes with advice on finding supportive communities in a divided U.S. and being open to change.

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