MEET DENIZ KAYADELEN
WHO IS DENIZ KAYADELEN?
Keynote Speaker • Business Psychologist (M.Sc.) • ICF-Accredited Coach • Former Talent Management Consulting Leader at EY Switzerland • 15+ Years of Big Four Consulting Experience • 6-Time Ice Swimming World Champion • Guinness World Record Holder • Bestselling Author • Founder of Out of Comfort Zone • Creator of the Peak Flow Method®
HIGHLIGHTED ACHIEVEMENTS
First Turkish to Swim at the North Pole (Arctic Ocean) (2026)
Gibraltar Strait Solo Swim (2026)
Ice Swimming World Champion, Italy (2025, while 1 month pregnant)
Named among MSN's Top 10 Self-Made Women to Watch (2025)
Power Feminine Speaker Award, Paris (2025)
Guinness World Record for the Highest Altitude Ice Swim in the World (2024)
Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming completed (2024)
Turkish & German Record Holder – Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (2024)
Catalina Channel Solo Swimmer (2024)
Highest Swim on Earth World Record (2024)
Nominated as a Top 10 Influential Woman (2023)
TEDx Youth Bodrum College Speaker (2023)
English Channel Solo Swimmer (2023)
6-time Ice Swimming World Champion (2023)
Bestselling Author of Out of Comfort Zone: From Chaos to Courage (published in English, German & Turkish)
Deniz Kayadelen is a keynote speaker on resilience, courage and transformation. She works with leaders and organisations that need to stay decisive under pressure.
Her foundation is twofold. Over 15 years of consulting experience in change management, talent management and the future of work — including seven years at EY Switzerland, most recently as Senior Manager leading Talent Management Consulting within People Advisory Services. In that time she advised more than 20 companies and led over 30 projects, spanning international rollouts, executive assessments and intercultural training.
Alongside that, one of Europe's most remarkable extreme sport careers: 6-time Ice Swimming World Champion and 2-time European Champion, solo English Channel crossing in 2023, holder of the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, and Guinness World Record holder for the highest swim on Earth at 6,405 metres on Putha Hiunchuli in the Himalayas. In July 2026, she swam 1,200 metres in 4 °C water in the Svalbard archipelago.
Her starting point was fear. Ice-cold water was among her greatest fears. That is precisely where her work began: how people turn their greatest fear into their greatest strength.
That became her life's theme: Out of Comfort Zone. It is the name of her signature keynote and her company; her bestseller appeared as "Out of Comfort Zone" (EN), "Raus aus der Komfortzone" (DE) and "Limitlerin Ötesinde" (TR). From it she developed the Peak Flow Method®, a structured transformation roadmap — an applicable framework for decision-making under pressure, readiness for change, and mental resilience.
Her work takes three forms: keynotes for leaders and organisations, executive and personal coaching one to one, and the Out of Comfort Zone Resilience Bootcamps — immersive experiences in Switzerland where cold, water and nature become the training ground for mental resilience.
Deniz Kayadelen is a business psychologist (M.Sc.), ICF-certified coach, certified change manager, TEDx speaker, bestselling author in three languages, and Chair of IISA Turkey. She speaks German, English and Turkish, is based in Switzerland, and works across the DACH region and worldwide.
Keynotes, coaching and bootcamps: outofourcomfortzone.com
SWIMMER
ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE LAST 5 YEARS
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First Turkish Woman to Swim at the North Pole (Arctic Ocean) (2026)
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Gibraltar Strait Solo Swimmer (2026)
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World Champion in Ice Swimming – 500m Freestyle, Italy (while one month pregnant) (2025)
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Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming completed (2024)
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Manhattan Island Marathon Swim – Turkish & German Record Holder (2024)
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Catalina Channel Solo Swimmer (2024)
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Guinness World Record – Highest Altitude Ice Swim in the World (6,405m, Putha Hiunchuli, Himalayas) (2024)
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3rd Place, Ice Swimming World Championships – 200m & 450m Freestyle (Age Group), Tallinn, Estonia (0.2°C water) (2024)
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English Channel Solo Swimmer – England to France (2023)
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World Champion in Ice Swimming – 50m & 100m Butterfly (Age Group), Samoëns, France (4.2°C water) (2023)
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World Champion in Ice Swimming – 500m & 250m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly (Age Group), Głogów, Poland (3.2°C water) (2022)
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Runner-up, Ice Swimming World Championships (Age Group), Głogów, Poland (2022)
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World Record Attempt Relay – 320 km Swim from Russia to Turkey across the Black Sea
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Robben Island to Cape Town Solo Swim, South Africa (2020)
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English Channel Relay Swimmer – England to France (2019)
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North Channel Relay Swimmer – Ireland to Scotland (2019)
PSYCHOLOGIST
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
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Double Major Degree in Psychology (Istanbul University & Ruhr University Bochum)
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M.Sc. in Business and Organizational Psychology (Ruhr University Bochum)
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Author of the German book Successful Management in the International Context: German Expats in Turkey
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Prosci Certified Change Manager & People Transformation Expert
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EY Certified Innovation Trainer, Coach, and Facilitator in Design Thinking and Agile Working
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More than 15 years of management consulting and HR experience, specializing in the Future of Work, Talent Management, Change Management, Executive Assessments, and Agile Working
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Delivered projects across more than 5 industries and 20 companies
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Keynote speaker at universities and international companies
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Certified Intercultural Trainer and Training Design Expert
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Certified Diagnostic Expert in Assessment and Coaching
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ICF-Accredited ACC Transformative Coach
INSPIRING OTHERS
IN THREE LANGUAGES: ENGLISH, GERMAN AND TURKISH
Deniz also can be booked to give inspirational speeches about motivation, breaking limits, and going out of the comfort zone. With more than 10 years of experience in the executive environment and more than 20 years breaking limits with sports, she has a lot of great experiences and knowledge to share.
