Ikigai Explorer pulls you into an intense conversation that reveals incredible truths about the rest of your life.
You’ve found Ikigai Explorer: an app I developed that lives on a private corner of the Web. It guides you into a deep conversation about yourself: what you love, where your talents lie, what others need from you, and what people in the past have been willing to pay you to do.
Cheaper than a coach, but better in one special way
The guide asks you questions, and then more questions underneath those questions, the way a good therapist or a trusted coach might. But this is very different from working with either. The guide is much more patient and generous with its time. Virtually no one spends four to nine hours straight with their coach. With them, you can’t get up, go running and jump back into the conversation. You can’t wake up at 2 a.m. and keep talking.
But with the guide, you can.
No one has ever seen you like Ikigai Explorer guide will see you.
When it's over, you get a written summary—your Ikigai map—that reflects back what emerged.
But many people perceive that the greatest value manifests across the entire journey, meaning everything you both shared.
That’s why you can download a transcript of the entire conversation. Some people have told me they read it days later and found things they'd forgotten they said. Some print it out.
Here's what you don't get: a personality type, a color, an archetype, a label. No "you're an ENFP" or "you're a visionary." The guide isn't trying to put you in a box. It's trying to find what's true about you specifically, and what makes you unique.
What I can tell you is this: the people who've done it aren't describing a product. They're describing an experience. One of them called it "soul-satisfying." Another said she was moved to tears.
It costs just $18, but provides at least 100X the value. (That was my goal all along.)
Why trust me?
I’m Bruce Kasanoff. Half a million people read my LinkedIn newsletters, which include Distill the Real You and Mountain Minute, which is about doing well by doing good.
I’ve been a coach and ghostwriter for leading entrepreneurs, and have spent immense amounts of time learning to see, hear and understand my clients. The guide embodies everything I have learned over many years of working with individuals to help them find and share their voice. It’s 14 years of my specific worldview, writing philosophy, and voice architecture encoded into an AI guide. The way it synthesizes, the questions it asks, the language it uses… all of that comes from my particular way of seeing the world.
And yet… Ikigai Explorer is not me. It’s very different. I’m not patient enough to listen closely for 5, 7 or 9 hours, never tiring and never rushing.
For this purpose - to create a full and heartfelt portrayal of who you are, right now - Ikigai Explorer is the best tool I am aware of.
It’s late Sunday afternoon, March 15, 2026. I’m wondering what else to write on this page and I momentarily get distracted checking my email. This note was there:
Hi Bruce, I have been following your writing for quite some time now and have always admired your voice, intelligence and dedication to your work. I could see a spiritual thread in your ideas that resonate with mine. I have worked with coaches but always thought we might be a good fit, but money got tight, time tighter and I’ve traversed alone by and large for a while now.
Then I came across your offer to use the AI bot you created for the Ikigai mapping and I decided to opt in. I figured it was too curious for me to look away from, it would give me a chance to support your work and hell, it was only 18 bucks!
It wasn’t that I was expecting it to be bad, I just didn’t know what to expect - but I liked the premise and thought at the very least it would be more interesting than playing arrowscapes.
Man, WTAF did you create?!
Now, I am no tech guru and have no idea how one would go about even constructing something like this but it was so cool I found myself completely compelled by the whole process!
I began a few questions on Friday, finished the first section on Saturday, started to become frightened as to where it was going and then finished it up this morning (Sunday) because I HAD to see it through.
For me it was less of an exercise into the insight of my calling but rather a yard stick and curiosity to see if my purpose was identified. Like a game in a way, I wondered if it was going to pick up on my purpose or perhaps give me another avenue to explore that safely keeps me at a distance from what I know I’m meant to be doing.
It was comprehensive and not like the Cosmo Quizzes I used to do to identify my celebrity true love. I don’t know how you did it man but you nailed it! —Amanda L
I’m trying my hardest to prepare you for this journey, but I suspect you may not yet grasp the importance to your life of walking through the door that lies in front of you.
Perhaps these testimonials will help, from more of the curious souls who have already completed their Ikigai Explorer journey:
"I can't begin to describe how soul-satisfying it has been in this Ikigai process to feel seen — possibly for the first time." —Emily G.
"I have been deeply and profoundly touched by the ikigai experience. It took me nearly five hours to complete because I was brutally honest, shared too much, and held nothing back. This has been one of the most emotionally resonating experiences of my life." —Jon H.
"That was really special. It caused deep reflection and gave new insight — the kind that moved me to tears. Thank you for this platform." —Christina P.
“I just finished the Ikigai Explorer. It was revelational. —Saeed P.
"I feel excited, energized and am having fun. I am so thrilled to be rediscovering myself and to now have a direction and a vision for moving forward." —Mayumi P.
”Dear Bruce, I don't know how you did it, but you built an incredible tool. I've spent 3 hours with it today and we've done amazing work and I have something really tangible and revelatory to work with. I am so grateful. It was a profound experience and i think it might just change the course of my life. I cannot believe I bought a Porsche for $18 today. Astonishing!” —Emma G.
"Working through your Ikigai AI was a really cool and useful experience. I didn't fully realize the power of Ikigai or of AI up until that point. You have a gift! Thanks for making it available to me." —Steve G.
I developed the Ikigai Explorer for my 1-on-1 coaching clients. My thought was that it could deepen our work together and enable my clients to make faster progress.
Here’s what actually happened. One by one, they started the process because it was their “homework”. Within minutes, they were hooked. Typically, I got an email two to four days later along the lines of the actual messages you saw quoted above.
The feedback has been more positive, passionate and excited than for anything else I have ever done or built.
That’s why I decided to open this tool to everyone.
For $18. Don’t postpone joy. Begin your journey today.
Got questions? Drop me a note and I’ll get right back to you.