“You don’t need to find your ikigai—you already have it. You just need to notice it.” — Nick Kemp


What if purpose isn’t something you chase—but something you already have? In this episode, Mike sits down with Nick Kemp, founder of Ikigai Tribe and author of A Year of Ikigai, to explore a more grounded, human take on purpose. Nick shares how a guy who once hated writing ended up publishing books, building a global community, and helping others reconnect with meaning—through small, everyday moments. This conversation challenges the Western obsession with “big purpose” and offers a simpler, more sustainable way to live a meaningful life.

Key Takeaways:
1. You already have purpose. Ikigai isn’t a destination—it’s found in everyday experiences, relationships, and roles.
2. Western culture overcomplicates purpose. We chase the “perfect job” or passion, while overlooking meaning in ordinary moments.
3. Curiosity can change your life. Nick’s journey—from podcast to books—started with simply asking better questions.
4. Small moments are the big moments. A cup of coffee, a conversation, or a quiet walk can carry more meaning than major achievements.
5. Writing doesn’t require perfection—just honesty. Nick went from struggling with English to writing from lived experience and the heart.
6. Technology is pulling us away from meaning. The more distracted we become, the harder it is to notice what actually matters.
7. Be present, not perfect. Life satisfaction comes from awareness and gratitude—not chasing an ideal version of success.


Buy A Year of Ikigai: Finding Everyday Purpose Through Japanese Wisdom
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4uP5m3O
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781577155485

Connect with Nicholas
Website: https://ikigaitribe.com/
Podcast: https://ikigaitribe.com/podcasts/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-kemp-author/

Connect with Mike
Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Uncorkingastory
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory
Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/

If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

#Ikigai #WritersOfInstagram #AmWriting #AuthorLife #WritingCommunity #PurposeDrivenLife #MindfulLiving #PodcastLife #UncorkingAStory #CreativeJourney

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“We suffer as humans—and writing gives us a place to put that pain, to understand it, and maybe even transform it.”— Priya Hutner

What happens when the life you’ve built—your beliefs, your community, your identity—suddenly falls apart? In this episode of Uncorking a Story, Priya Hutner shares her extraordinary journey from growing up and leading within a spiritual ashram to rebuilding her life in Lake Tahoe. Her memoir, Chasing Nirvana, is part spiritual adventure, part cautionary tale, and deeply human at its core. We explore identity, reinvention, the healing power of writing, and what it really means to come back to yourself after everything you thought you knew no longer fits.

Key Takeaways:
1. When belief systems break: Priya opens up about leaving a decades-long life inside a spiritual community and the emotional fallout that followed.
2. Rebuilding identity from scratch: After leaving the ashram, she spent years rediscovering who she was outside of that structure.
3. Memoir as catharsis: Writing Chasing Nirvana became both a healing process and a way to make sense of her past.
4. The power of storytelling: Priya discusses how writing helps us process pain, reframe our experiences, and find resilience.
5. Spirituality vs. self-discovery: The conversation explores the fine line between seeking enlightenment and losing oneself in the process.
6. Alternative paths to healing: From therapy to plant medicine, Priya shares the unconventional tools that helped her reconnect with herself.
7. Creativity as a way forward: Whether through writing, cooking, or teaching, Priya continues to channel her experiences into meaningful work and community.

Buy Chasing Nirvana
Amazon: https://amzn.to/40D4P7e
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9798896360889

Connect with Priya
Website: https://www.priyahutner.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/priya.hutner
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/priyahutner/
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@priyahutner?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D

Connect with Mike
Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Uncorkingastory
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory
Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/

#UncorkingAStory #MemoirWriting #WritingCommunity #AuthorInterview #CreativeJourney #HealingThroughWriting #SpiritualJourney #SelfDiscovery #AmWriting #writerslife
If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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“If you want to be a writer for money, you’re in the wrong place. The authors who last are the ones who truly love the craft.” — Christian Toms-Arbel

Christian Toms-Arbel has been telling stories since childhood. Born with a disability that required multiple surgeries, he spent long stretches in hospital wards immersed in books—and eventually began writing his own stories. Years later, after earning a degree and master’s in creative writing, he published his debut psychological thriller The Mannequins.
In this episode of Uncorking a Story, Christian shares the personal experiences that shaped his writing, how trauma can fuel storytelling, and the unconventional path that led him to publish his first novel.


Key Takeaways:
1. Early hardship sparked a love of storytelling. Spending time in hospitals as a child introduced Christian to books and ultimately inspired him to begin writing horror stories at just eight years old.
2. A teacher’s encouragement can change everything. One supportive teacher’s feedback convinced him he had real potential as a writer—helping set him on the path to studying creative writing.
3. Trauma can become creative fuel. Christian believes writing dark fiction is partly a way of processing personal trauma and exploring difficult emotions in a safe creative space.
4. The Mannequins takes a different approach to crime fiction. Rather than focusing only on the investigation, the novel explores how a killer is made, weaving the murderer’s upbringing into the narrative.
5. Indie publishing requires entrepreneurial thinking. Christian built an ARC reader team, generated early reviews, and treated publishing like running a small business.
6. Writing outside your identity can build empathy. His novel features a mixed-heritage female detective—a perspective he carefully developed with help from his wife as editor and advisor.
7. Persistence matters more than perfection. Even after being caught in a publishing scam, Christian continued forward and successfully launched his book independently.

Buy The Mannequins
Amazon: https://amzn.to/46QmsE4
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9781919216201

Connect with Christian
Website: https://www.ctomsarbel.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.tomsarbel/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@c.tomsarbel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580209287042

Connect with Mike
Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Uncorkingastory
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory
Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/

#WritingCommunity #IndieAuthor #CrimeThriller #PsychologicalThriller #AmWriting #AuthorInterview #UncorkingAStory

If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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