🎙️ Little IKIGAI Podcast
Welcome to Little IKIGAI Podcast, a quiet space for reflections on midlife, wellbeing, purpose and the experience of being human.
I'm Mayumi Kojima, a naturopath with a deep curiosity about IKIGAI, culture, the mind–body connection and the many ways we find meaning through different seasons of life.
Through personal reflections, ideas I've encountered through my work and learning, and conversations about ageing, menopause, identity and change, Little IKIGAI explores what it might mean to live with greater curiosity and connection to ourselves and the world around us.
There are no perfect answers here, just a little space to pause, wonder, and perhaps discover something meaningful along the way.
Episode 4: When the Old Self Softens — Midlife, Culture & Curiosity
Episode 4: When the Old Self Softens — Midlife, Culture & Curiosity
What does it mean to soften into midlife rather than constantly trying to resist ageing?
In this episode of Little IKIGAI Podcast, I reflect on ageing, menopause, identity and the changing sense of self that can come with midlife.
Inspired by my recent article, When the Old Self Softens: IKIGAI in Midlife, and something unexpected I learned while studying cultural diversity through TAFE, I found myself thinking about the ways our culture and experiences shape what we believe is “normal.”
And I kept returning to one simple idea: curiosity.
Perhaps midlife doesn't require us to have everything figured out. Instead, it may invite us to become a little more curious about who we are now, what matters to us, and the experiences of people whose lives may look very different from our own.
A quiet reflection on ageing, IKIGAI, menopause, culture and learning to meet ourselves — and each other — with a little more openness.
Listen to the full episode →
Episode 3: In the Space Between Seasons: Turning 50, Ikigai, and the Quiet Art of Becoming
In the Space Between Seasons is a short, reflective episode on midlife, Ikigai, and the quiet art of becoming.
Recorded just after turning fifty, this gentle meditation explores what it feels like to stand between who we were and who we are becoming — without rushing, fixing, or forcing clarity.
Inspired by Japanese wisdom such as wabi-sabi, ichigo ichie, and Ikigai, this episode is an invitation to slow down, listen inward, and honour the beauty of change.
A soft companion for walking, resting, or simply being.
👉 [Listen to the full episode →]
Episode 2: IKIGAI is Like Breath
“Ikigai is like breath. Always present, whether or not we notice.”
In this tender reflection, Mayumi explores what it means to live with Ikigai during the season of midlife and menopause. Drawing on the wisdom of Japanese psychiatrist Mieko Kamiya, a simple poem, and her own lived experience, she shares how meaning is not something we chase — but something hidden in the everyday rhythm of life.
From grief and change to rediscovering joy, this story invites you to see menopause not as an ending, but as a quiet beginning. A chance to breathe, to soften, and to notice the small, ordinary moments that remind us life is still full of purpose.
👉 [Listen to the full episode →]
Episode 1: Sachi – A Story of Joy, Grief, and Ikigai
In this opening episode, I share a deeply personal story about a black puppy named Sachi, a memory that still lives in my body, and the quiet thread of meaning that connects joy and grief.
It’s not a story about achievement or doing more, it’s about Ikigai in its purest form: a reason to live, found in something small, tender, and real.
If you’ve ever carried something unspoken… or longed to feel quietly alive again, this story is for you.