Colive Fukuoka · Japan · 2026
From volunteer to Ikigai Co-Creator at Colive Fukuoka.
Last year I was a volunteer at Colive Fukuoka. This year I'm joining as an Ikigai Co-Creator — helping architect Asia's premier digital nomad ecosystem rather than simply attending it — and hosting an interactive keynote.
What is Ikigai?
Ikigai (生き甲斐) is a Japanese concept meaning “your reason for being”— the sweet spot where what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs and what you can be paid for overlap. It's less a career hack than a daily practice: doing work that makes getting up in the morning worth it.
Join me in Fukuoka 2026
Come with me — use my personal code and join Colive Fukuoka.
This is my personal invite link for friends, founders and anyone curious about co-living, co-working and co-creating in Japan. Apply through the link below and add my code when you sign up.
FUKUOKA26Mirela
The most radical thing a brand can do today is put the human being before the profit. That is not idealism. That is the future.
One-pager: the keynote, my areas of co-creation and how to reach me.
Interactive keynote · Co-Creators Week
Building Brands That Center Human Dignity Over Profit.
An interactive keynote by Mirela Curiman, hosted during Co-Creators Week at Colive Fukuoka.
Your leadership archetype — and a strategy built around it.
Human-centred tools that outperform any algorithm.
The confidence to build something that outlasts you.
It is a deep honour to share this space with you at Colive Fukuoka.
Queer. First-generation migrant. Built from the margins. I've spent a decade helping some of the most purposeful brands, NGOs and leaders on earth become impossible to ignore — without selling their soul to do it. Work across 90 markets, a life lived between cultures, and visibility built for people the world tried to make invisible.
This session isn't a lecture. Through real stories, live reflection and zero corporate bullshit, we create space to reconnect with what you stand for, who you're building for, and what kind of legacy brands that give a damn actually leave behind.
We'll work on finding your voice, aligning your goals with how you naturally lead, and putting human dignity before profit — every single time.
Come ready to lead like you actually mean it.
Date and location within the Colive Fukuoka programme to be announced.
What the Colive Fukuoka experience actually is.
A meticulously curated 10-day workation programme in Asia's fastest-growing startup hub. Not a conference you attend — an authentic local coworking experience that deliberately builds deep connections between location-independent founders and Japanese talent.
You don't arrive as an attendee, you arrive as a co-creator: contributing to growth aligned with a shared Ikigai. Through genuine cross-cultural exchange you find what no algorithm can emulate — authentic growth.
1,420
Community members
57
Countries represented
496
Participants in 2025
37%
Japanese participants
Ikigai Academy · 1–2 Oct
Learning Japanese culture and a global mastermind.
Synapse Festival · 3–4 Oct
Real connection with Japanese locals.
RAMEN TECH · 7–11 Oct
Finding concrete opportunities for your business.
Co-Creator's week · 5–10 Oct
Where I'll be co-creating the programme with the team.
Gallery · Fukuoka 2025
What Colive Fukuoka actually feels like.
Moments from last year's edition. Click any photo to open the viewer — use the arrow keys to move between images and Escape to close.
The journey
Two years, two very different roles.
- 2025
Volunteer
I joined Colive Fukuoka as a volunteer, supporting the community on the ground and speaking at the Fukuoka Digital Nomad Summit — bridging European and Japanese creative communities.
- 2026
Ikigai Co-Creator
This year I return as an Ikigai Co-Creator: moving from attendee to architect, co-designing the ecosystem with a focus on marketing, media, creative art and social impact.
From attendee to architect
What an Ikigai Co-Creator actually does.
Colive Fukuoka is more than an event — it's a collective experiment in well-being and growth. Co-Creators are partners who bring their expertise to co-design a life-enriching environment, rather than consuming a programme someone else built.
The premise is that true wealth isn't measured by productivity alone, but by Ikigai. My role is to actively architect the ecosystem alongside the team — contributing the same senior marketing, media and community craft I bring to client work, in service of a community I care about.
Go beyond tourism. Invest in your Ikigai.Read the official Co-Creator call on colivefukuoka.com
Areas of co-creation
Where I'm co-creating.
I support these areas across the 2026 edition. The three highlighted ones are where I go deepest — and I'm open to pitching more.
- 01Primary focus
Marketing & Media
Scaling global reach and optimising the participant experience end to end — my primary contribution.
- 02Primary focus
Creative & Art
Storytelling, social media and artwork — including painting murals with graffiti, bringing the story onto real walls.
- 03Primary focus
Social Impact
Empowering younger generations and building inclusive opportunities for underrepresented groups.
- 04
Tech & Systems
Co-designing matching and AI-driven networking tools so the right people actually find each other.
- 05
Operations & Support
Helping ensure a seamless, welcoming environment for every attendee.
- 06
Open Pitch
I'm open to pitching more — the most interesting ideas rarely fit an existing box.
1:1 time slots
Let's talk — before, during or after Fukuoka.
Pick the moment that suits you. All slots are free, 30 minutes, and booked directly in my calendar.
- Before the event
A 30-minute intro call to align on what you want out of Fukuoka — partnerships, positioning or simply who you should meet.
Book a pre-event call - During the event
On-the-ground 1:1s in Fukuoka: brand feedback, marketing sparring or a walk-and-talk between sessions.
Book a slot in Fukuoka - After the event
A follow-up session to turn the momentum into an actual plan — strategy, visibility and next steps.
Book a follow-up call
See you in Fukuoka
Come say hi — before, during or after the event.
Whoever you are, you're welcome here. I work with the people the marketing world too often overlooks — and I'd genuinely love to hear what you're building. Pick the invitation that sounds like you and let's talk in Fukuoka.
Women-led businesses
Founders building on their own terms
If you're a woman founder or leader coming to Fukuoka — or watching from afar — please reach out. No gatekeeping, no pitch required. I'll happily share what I've learned building visibility for women-led brands across 90+ markets.
How I help: Fractional CMO support, positioning and messaging, LinkedIn and founder storytelling, international SEO.
Connect as a woman-led businessQueer & LGBTQIA+
Queer founders, creators and collectives
I'm queer, a first-generation migrant, and I build from the margins. Whether you're out loud or quietly figuring out how visible you want your brand to be, this is a safe, judgement-free conversation.
How I help: Inclusive brand voice, community-first social strategy, visibility without tokenism, campaign and PR strategy.
Connect as a queer-led brandSustainability & climate
Sustainable businesses done honestly
Doing the real work and struggling to tell the story without greenwashing it? Let's talk about how to communicate impact with proof, nuance and zero hype.
How I help: Sustainability storytelling, claims-safe messaging, content strategy, SEO and paid search that funds the mission.
Connect as a sustainable businessNGOs & non-profits
NGOs and non-profits ready to cooperate
Ten years with organisations like Amnesty International taught me how much impact a small comms budget can carry. If you'd like to cooperate around Colive Fukuoka or beyond, I'm open.
How I help: Campaign strategy, advocacy comms, fundraising narratives, volunteer and community growth, pro-bono-friendly scoping.
Connect as an NGO or non-profitEducation & startups
Educational tech — and non-tech — companies
From publishing houses to edtech startups and learning communities: if your product helps people learn, I'd love to hear about it. Tech or entirely analogue, both welcome.
How I help: Go-to-market and launch strategy, international SEO, lifecycle content, responsible-AI guidance for learning products.
Connect as an education companyCo-Creators & partners
Fellow Co-Creators and Fukuoka locals
Building something in Japan or Asia, or co-creating at Colive alongside me? Let's find the overlap — marketing, media, creative, art, murals, social impact or something we haven't named yet.
How I help: Marketing & media, creative direction, social impact programming, partnerships and community design.
Co-create with me