Living My Ikigai — People First, Always
Finding Purpose Beyond Employment: How Service Becomes Your Life's Work
The work continues—even in unemployment.
This week, I received a call from a customer from my former employer. I still don’t know how she found my personal cell number, other than someone caring enough to help her reach me. She called to tell me that her husband had passed away after a long battle with cancer.
I remembered him immediately.
The first time we spoke, he was the classic New Jersey skeptic—sarcastic, guarded, and not easily impressed. But by the end of that call, something shifted. Trust was built. The following year, he reached out again—not just to review his coverage, but because he had been diagnosed with cancer and wanted to ensure he had access to the very best care. I helped him find top specialists in New York City, believing wholeheartedly that they would guide him back to health and happiness.
Sadly, that wasn’t the outcome.
Now, his widow is navigating life alone while caring for their son with special needs.
Her voice was soft, fragile, and filled with grief as she shared her husband’s journey from beginning to end. I listened. I held space. And I felt it deeply—especially having lost my own brother to cancer years ago, and with a close friend currently in his final days.
Though I am not currently employed as a licensed healthcare agent, I knew exactly why she called.
Purpose doesn’t disappear with a job title.
I explained my situation and why she hadn’t been able to reach me sooner, and I thanked her for being persistent enough to find me. I told her the truth—that I had thought about her and her husband throughout the year, and that I would always be here for her and her son, no matter what chapter I’m in professionally.
This work is rooted in a philosophy I was raised around through Japanese culture—Ikigai. Ikigai represents the balance between doing work you love, using your natural skills, serving a real need in the world, and being supported in return. It is often described as the art of happiness.
That philosophy has guided my entire career. Sometimes we go the extra mile even when it isn’t recognized.
Sometimes quality matters more than quantity. And sometimes service extends far beyond a paycheck.
My investment has never been in my bank account. My investment is in people.
One call at a time, relationships are built—not just retention, but trust, dignity, and value. Especially during life’s most difficult moments, people need to be seen, heard, and understood.
That foundation creates relationships strong enough to withstand any crisis.
No matter my job status, I will continue to show up for the people I’ve served—because they are more than customers.
They are human beings who trusted me during vulnerable moments in their lives.
Our seniors, veterans, and individuals with disabilities deserve to know they are not alone—and that healthcare professionals like myself are deeply invested in their well-being. For me, this work is not just what I do.
It is my Ikigai.
