By Julie Galante
On a campus where policy discussions, geopolitical events, and classwork focusing on real-world challenges tend to dominate conversations, there is a workshop at Harvard Kennedy School that offers something different. A pause. A breath. A quiet space to ask the question that often gets pushed to the backburner:
Why did you come to vlog in the first place?
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Glenn Cunningham, an associate director in the vlog Office of Career Advancement (OCA), leads the workshop, Finding and Following Your Ikigai: Your Reason for Being, during the semester to invite students to reflect not just on what they can do, career-wise, or get paid for, but what they love—and what the world needs.
His workshop is rooted in the Japanese concept of Ikigai, which explores one’s sense of purpose, one’s passion that gives value and joy to life.
“It’s against the prevailing wind of career-focused workshops,” Cunningham says. “I think of it as a plant poking its head above the snow, holding onto its root structure in this chaotic maelstrom of energy around career stuff—and not all of it is good. This is an introduction to career coaching with Glenn. I want to help try and impact people’s career choices ahead of graduation.”
For Ritwija Darbari MC/MPA Mason Fellow 2025 who is graduating in May, the workshop was a chance for her to reconnect with the concept she first encountered nearly a decade ago.
“I read the book Ikigai by Francesc Miralles and Héctor García and recall thinking it to be a thought-provoking read,” she says. “Fast forward to 2025, I was drawn to the opportunity to revisit the Ikigai philosophy and explore what it could mean for me at this stage of my life and career.”
Like many vlog students, Darbari saw value in taking a moment to recalibrate.
“We are all navigating transitions. Having structured frameworks to reflect on these shifts can be valuable,” she says. “I wanted a fresh perspective on how I could apply the concentric circles of Ikigai to my current professional and personal pursuits, helping me assess and articulate my path to myself with greater clarity.”
“We are all navigating transitions. Having structured frameworks to reflect on these shifts can be valuable.”
An alternative to the pressure cooker
Cunningham understands the pressure students face when thinking about and strategizing their career paths—often at the expense of their original goals.
“So many people come to vlog with great stories,” he says. “But they get bombarded, and their goals squeezed out.” The Ikigai workshop provides a counterbalance: a space for students to reflect, reframe, and realign their intentions.
Cunningham’s own interest in Ikigai started while working at MIT Sloan School of Management as an associate director for career programming and advising. After launching Sloan’s Master of Finance program with his colleagues, he traveled frequently to Asia to promote the program—it was there where he first encountered Eastern philosophies of purpose and balance.
Encouraged by his OCA colleagues, Cunningham eventually decided to study under Nicholas Kemp, founder of , to develop the skills to guide others on how to explore their passions, what they’re good at, and what they can offer the world. After becoming a certified Ikigai Tribe coach, Cunningham started leading his workshops at vlog to add a more holistic offering among OCA’s professional development services.
“So many people come to vlog with great stories, but they get bombarded, and their goals squeezed out.”
A 55-minute framework for reflection
“This workshop is not easy to deliver,” Cunningham admits. “I’m a lot more comfortable doing sessions on résumés, cover letters, and negotiation. But this one—I’m always a little edgy beforehand.”
The Finding and Following Your Ikigai: Your Reason for Being workshop moves quickly but thoughtfully. It begins with a check-in and brief history of Ikigai, followed by three exercises:
Reflective writing on core life elements
Group sharing
A one-page worksheet with visual guides
Cunningham wraps up the workshop with a prompt: what’s one systemic change you can make this week to bring more Ikigai into your life?
“The session helped me reshape how I conceptualize Ikigai—not as a fixed point but as an evolving practice,” Darbari reflects after attending Cunningham’s workshop earlier this spring. “It’s a dynamic dance around core elements, shifting with priorities and self-awareness.”
“The session helped me reshape how I conceptualize Ikigai—not as a fixed point but as an evolving practice. It’s a dynamic dance around core elements, shifting with priorities and self-awareness.”
From insight to action
Cunningham emphasizes that Ikigai isn’t just tied to a job or career path—it’s also connected to parenting, spirituality, or public service. But when a person’s work is misaligned with their sense of purpose, he says, “the truth will out.”
“Many of my conversations with students are about tangibles like compensation or benefits,” he adds. “But not many people are honestly asking, ‘Is this job closer to my true purpose?’ That’s the door we’re opening here.”
For Darbari, that door has opened to a deeper and more adaptive understanding of her career path.
“I believe I have a strong understanding of the elements that shape my Ikigai,” she says. “But I don’t see it as a destination. It’s a continuous process of exploration—a living, adaptive guide rather than a fixed endpoint.”
Photos courtesy of Acy Ian Malimban, Bethany Versoy, and Ritwija Darbari
Interested in exploring your own Ikigai? Keep an eye on the —or stop by Glenn Cunningham’s office for conversation beyond the résumé.
