noun
account of hardships; tale of one's struggles
A story or account focusing on the difficulties and efforts one has experienced, often in a personal or professional context.
彼の苦心談を聞いて、みんな感動した。
Everyone was moved by his account of the hardships he had endured.
社長が創業当時の苦心談を語ってくれた。
The company president told us about the struggles during the founding days.
Compound of 苦心 (hardship, toil) and 談 (talk, story). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word is formed from standard Sino-Japanese elements.