Week 1 · Tuesday · Session 1
Welcome & ikigai
What ikigai is, and isn’t. A guided reflection, your small joys, and a first sentence of your ikigai direction.
The course · Live on Zoom
Six weeks to your ikigai
Twelve live, life-affirming sessions in a small group, with small, unhurried steps in between. A gentle, practical way to notice what already makes your life worth living, and to live a little closer to it each day.
- Winter 2027
- Feb 2 – Mar 11, 2027
- When
- Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:00–7:30 pm PT
- Group
- 12 people, on Zoom
- Introductory price
- $395 (regular $695)
生き甲斐 · A reason for being
What this course is
A six-week journey into the Japanese practice of ikigai: the quiet, everyday sense that life is worth living.
Through reflection, conversation and small practical steps, you’ll gain clarity on what matters most to you, understand the patterns that hold you back, and leave with a simple plan for the months ahead.
Along the way you’ll draw on ideas and words from Japanese life and thought: the Godai, an old Buddhist picture of five elements; Wa, harmony with the people around you, valued in Japan for more than a thousand years; and everyday words we use as lenses, like Kaizen, small steps of improvement, and Senzai Ishiki, the part of the mind that works below our awareness.
It may be for you if
- you’re in a time of change: a new stage of life, a career that no longer fits, or a sense that something is missing;
- you want clarity without pressure, and small steps you can actually keep;
- you’d value doing this work alongside a small, kind group.
How it works
Each session, gently paced
- A short teaching, so you understand the idea behind the practice.
- A quiet exercise, done on your own, in your own words.
- A conversation in a small group, sharing only what you choose.
- One small step to take before the next session.
Between sessions you’ll spend about an hour on short, unhurried assignments: a few lines in your journal, a small experiment, and noticing what happens. Each one is marked essential or optional. In all, plan for about four hours a week.
The journey
Twelve sessions, one small step at a time
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Week 1 · Thursday · Session 2
The Godai
Explore your Godai result together, meet others who share your element, and choose one small balance experiment.
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Week 2 · Tuesday · Session 3
Kaizen
Small steps that last. A two-minute morning intention and a three-line daily practice.
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Week 2 · Thursday · Session 4
Your Kaizen Ladder
Build a ladder of 15-minute steps toward something that matters to you.
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Week 3 · Tuesday · Session 5
Patterns
Notice the patterns that repeat in your life and the needs beneath them, starting with a simple grounding practice.
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Week 3 · Thursday · Session 6
Triggers
Map one trigger gently, sharing only what you choose.
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Week 4 · Tuesday · Session 7
Akujunkan
Recognise the vicious cycle and practise a calm way out of it.
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Week 4 · Thursday · Session 8
Forgiveness
Resentment and release. Optional, private writing on paper; forgiveness never requires reconciliation.
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Week 5 · Tuesday · Session 9
Your Ikigai Map
Passions, Strengths and Contributions, and where they overlap for you.
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Week 5 · Thursday · Session 10
Testing the map
Design three small experiments and try one in real life.
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Week 6 · Tuesday · Session 11
Wa
Harmony with the people around you, and one 72-hour action.
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Week 6 · Thursday · Session 12
Habits & vision
Your habit plan and a 30–90 day plan for living closer to your ikigai.
What you’ll create
Twelve small creations
Each session leaves you with something simple and personal. By the end, together they form your own plan for living closer to your ikigai.
- 01A list of your small joys
- 02Your Godai notes and a balance experiment
- 03A three-line Kaizen daily log
- 04Your Kaizen Ladder
- 05A pattern statement
- 06A trigger map
- 07A plan for stepping out of the cycle
- 08A release statement (optional)
- 09Your Ikigai Map
- 10A Wa action
- 11A habit plan
- 12Your 30–90 day alignment plan
Pause
There is nothing to fix and no one to become.
Care and safety
A safe space to look inward
Some sessions touch on patterns, triggers and forgiveness. We take that seriously.
- You can always pass, or share only the shape of an experience, never the details.
- The most personal writing is done privately, on paper. It never goes online.
- A co-host joins every session in weeks 3 and 4, so anyone who needs a moment can step aside with support.
- This is a personal-growth course, not therapy. If you’re struggling, please reach out to a licensed professional. In the US, you can call or text 988 at any time.
Your guides
Mimi Iwata Genki
Founder
Mimi founded Ikigai Today to share the ikigai she grew up with in Japan, in a form that fits busy lives everywhere.
Edward McNair
Curriculum Development & Facilitator
Edward designed the course and leads every session, drawing on a background in education, design and entrepreneurship.
Estella Banks
Co-host
Estella co-hosts the live sessions and looks after the group, so everyone feels welcome and supported.
Winter 2027 · Feb 2 – Mar 11, 2027
Join us for Winter 2027
- 12 live sessions on Zoom, Tuesdays & Thursdays
- The free Godai assessment and a group session on your result
- Short assignments and printable worksheets between sessions
- A certificate of completion
$395
Introductory price $695 · Pay-over-time options at checkout, where available
Reserve your placeOnline enrolment opens soon. Until then, send us a note and we will hold a seat for you. Full refund up to 48 hours before the second session.
Questions
Still wondering? Write to us.
No. It’s a guided personal-growth course. You share as much or as little as you like, and the most personal exercises are done privately on paper. If you are going through something difficult, please also reach out to a licensed professional. In the US, you can call or text 988 at any time.
Not at all. Everything is explained from the beginning, in plain language. Japanese terms are introduced gently, with their meaning.
Two live 90-minute sessions on Zoom, plus about 1 to 1½ hours of small assignments between sessions. That’s roughly four hours a week. Each assignment is marked essential or optional, so you can go deeper when you have time.
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:00–7:30 pm PT. That’s 9:00–10:30 pm ET.
A computer or tablet with Zoom, a quiet space, and something to write with. A camera is welcome but never required.
Yes, please. It’s free and takes about ten minutes. We ask you to complete it at least a day before the second session, so you arrive with your result.
Only the short teaching segment is recorded, for anyone who misses a session. Group sharing and breakout conversations are never recorded. Recordings are visible only to your cohort and expire 30 days after the course.
Each session has a short catch-up lesson, plus the teaching recording, so you can rejoin the group ready for the next one.
Yes. You receive a certificate of completion when you attend at least 10 of the 12 sessions (catch-ups count) and submit your final plan.
A full refund up to 48 hours before the second session. After that, you can transfer your seat to a future cohort. If we ever need to cancel a cohort, you receive a full refund.
Yes. At checkout you can choose to pay over time through our payment provider’s pay-later options, where available. We receive the full fee and your seat is confirmed straight away.