The Signal in the Noise: How Ikigai Unlocks Your Purpose with David Marlow

You optimize systems for a living. You reduce waste, remove friction, and build processes that work. And yet — most people in knowledge work are running on a system that hasn't been optimized where it matters most: inside.

In this session, author and speaker David Marlow (The Ikigai Way, Wiley) introduces the ancient Japanese concept of Ikigai — not the Venn diagram you've seen online, and not a career framework. The real Ikigai. The one that answers the three questions every person eventually has to face: Who am I? Why am I here? What should I do?

You'll learn:

• Why burnout isn't a productivity problem — it's a purpose problem

• How noise (yes, the same kind you manage at work) is burying the thing you were meant to do

• The one counterintuitive step that creates clarity when everything else just adds more complexity

• A practical first move you can make today — no retreat, no certification, no overhaul required

David spent decades inside Fortune 500 organizations and the Marine Corps before uncovering the question that changed everything: How alive am I willing to be? This session is part story, part framework, and entirely practical.