Suleika Jaouad — ”Focus on cultivating a practice.”

Our perspectives are shaped by the experiences we collect while writing the many chapters of our lives. However, as we go through life, we brace for the plot twists that have the power to rewrite our stories in ways we could have never expected. Suleika Jaouad understands this sentiment—and has created an extraordinary story of her own rooted in strength and transcendence.

When she was just 22 years old, Suleika was thrown off course with a devastating Leukemia diagnosis. With dreams of becoming a foreign correspondent, she instead found herself, as she says, “reporting from the front lines of her hospital bed.” Today, Suleika is a highly-regarded speaker, writer, and creative professional. But when COVID-19 upended the world earlier this year, Suleika found herself revisiting the notion of what it means to be isolated as a result of illness. Enter her latest project, The Isolation Journals, which has given rise to a vibrant community around the world who are looking to “transform life's interruptions into creative grist.”

While there's something to be said for there being strength in numbers, Suleika has made a compelling case for the creativity—and unexpected sense of connection—that can arise even when we find ourselves in solitude. In this interview, Suleika shared more about the inception of The Isolation Journals, how she indulges in slow storytelling, and why cultivating a lifelong creative practice has brought meaning to her life. This episode also opens with a story contributed by Echo Hopkins of Ordinary Habit.