Living and Leading with Purpose: How Ikigai Shapes My Coaching Practice
Over the years, I’ve worked with incredible people — leaders, educators, small business owners and professionals — all doing their best to juggle careers, families, and the quiet longing for something more.
That “more” often isn’t about climbing the next rung on the ladder. It’s about reconnecting with meaning. Direction. Purpose.
That’s why Ikigai has become a central part of my coaching practice — whether I’m working one-to-one, facilitating group sessions, or holding space at retreats.
What is Ikigai?
Ikigai is a Japanese word that loosely means your reason for being. It’s the place where four things intersect:
What you love
What you’re good at
What the world needs
What you can be paid for
It’s not a quick fix or a one-size-fits-all answer. Ikigai is personal, evolving, and beautifully unique to each individual.
For many of us, the demands of modern life pull us in different directions. We get caught in doing — achieving, performing, responding — and we slowly drift from that quiet sense of why we started in the first place.
How I Use Ikigai in Coaching and Retreats
As a certified Ikigai coach, I now weave this approach into my work with individuals and groups. Sometimes it's the foundation of a coaching series — helping someone navigate a career crossroad, a new life stage, or a desire to realign. Other times, it’s introduced as part of a team development session, helping colleagues connect with their shared values and deeper motivations.
And then there are the Ikigai Retreats — gentle, powerful one-day or multi-day gatherings that bring people together in beautiful spaces to pause, reflect and reset. These retreats offer a rare moment away from the noise to ask:
What truly matters to me? What’s next? And how do I want to show up in the world?
Through guided reflection, creative exercises, connection with others, and a touch of luxury and stillness, people often leave feeling re-energised and more grounded in their direction.
A Framework for Wellbeing and Clarity
Ikigai isn’t just about career or productivity — it’s a way to explore well-being, legacy, leadership, and joy. It invites you to step out of autopilot and live with more intention.
In my coaching practice, I see over and over again the power of stopping long enough to ask these bigger questions. And I’m grateful to now have a framework — and a philosophy — to support people in finding those answers.
If you’re curious about how Ikigai could shape your own journey — whether through coaching, a team workshop, or retreat — I’d love to have a conversation.