Living Fully with Illness | April 24 – May 22, 2026

Living Fully with Illness
with Trudy Boyle and Kate Karius

April 24 – May 22, 2026
(with weekly live webinars on April 25, May 2, May 9 and May 16)— 11:30am-1:00pm ET).  In addition, optional 60 minute in-person sessions every Wednesday at noon ET.

Description

Living Fully with Illness: “Even though I am ill I will not live like a sick person.” Dr Jinroh Itami

This program takes a wholehearted approach to living with illnesses.  Newly diagnosed; active treatment; post treatment, chronic illness and caregivers – you are all welcome! It is an opportunity to step back, ask questions, learn new skills, meet new people, and take a fresh look at what it means to co-exist with illness and still flourish.

When we are ill, our energy can be in short supply as well as our attention. Yes, there will be things to read, to learn, and to apply but you will not be bombarded. And restfulness, humour and making space for your life will be encouraged.

The program incorporates poetry, beauty, music, storytelling, humor, creative arts, doodling and anything we can do to improve the quality of our everyday living.

The heart of the program is the weekly live webinars, which will have the lesson recorded but not all the conversations for confidentiality.  The truth is, to get the most out of this work you will want to attend the webinar, whenever possible. It makes a difference to be there in person. The webinars will be supplemented with digital resources, invitations for you to do home practice, weekly communications and other ways to be in touch.

Themes: This Program is a Mindset – a fundamental change of heart

• Play an active role in the management of your illness.
• Explore Ikigai. Consider who and what matters most. What are the tiny and ordinary things of daily life that lift your spirits? What do you love doing? Take daily action on short-term purposes related to your reflections– things you can do now, with things as they are.
• Everyday find a way to do something for someone else.
• Learn life-long skills for co-existing with anxiety, uncertainty, fears, and other feelings we don’t like.
• Consider death as a natural part of living and realistically prepare for it. (Not because you are ill but because you are a human being)
• You will be gently nudged to explore creativity, humor, learn new things, and engage in meaningful activities. And always, to use your attention to take in the wonders of nature, small joys, and the people in your daily life. We take nothing for granted.

Your program leaders:

Trudy Boyle, Author of Ikigai and Illness: A Guide to Living Fully with Purpose, Meaning, and Joyful Moments is a senior teacher and mentor with over 35 years of experience and specialized training in Morita Therapy. She has been studying, writing, and teaching the principles of Living Fully with Illness, for 19 years. This work and her grandchildren are her ikigai – a reason to get up in the morning. Trudy loves people, poetry, photography, learning, exploring, celebrations, and being useful. She lives in Ottawa, Canada.

Kate Karius is an Integrative Functional Nutrition Therapist and Wellbeing Practitioner who has co-facilitated this program for the past three years. A student of Morita Therapy since the early 2000s, Kate’s own health journey profoundly informs her work, with practices that honor the connection between mind, body, and spirit. She served as editor of Power and Care, a book on compassion and human flourishing with the Dalai Lama.  Kate enjoys tending her garden, playing the Celtic harp, and life with her husband and son in Zurich, Switzerland