Writer Suleika Jaouad is changing the conversation about what it means to thrive in the wake of illness and life's unexpected interruptions.

Why you should listen

Suleika Jaouad is the author of the instant New York Times bestselling memoir, Between Two Kingdoms and the subject of the award-winning Netflix documentary American Symphony. She is also the creator of The Isolation Journals, a free weekly newsletter founded during the COVID-19 pandemic to help others transform isolation and life’s interruptions into creative grist and community; more than 155,000 people from around the world have joined.

Jaouad wrote the Emmy Award-winning New York Times column “Life, Interrupted,” from the front lines of her hospital bed and has since become a fierce advocate for those living with illness and other forms of adversity. Jaouad served on Barack Obama's Presidential Cancer Panel and her advocacy work, public speaking and reporting have brought her everywhere from the United Nations and Capitol Hill to a maximum security prison and a two-room schoolhouse in rural Montana, with reporting and essays featured in the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The Guardian and Vogue, among others.

Suleika Jaouad’s TED talks

More news and ideas from Suleika Jaouad

We humans

How you can support a friend through cancer

July 18, 2019

A friend’s diagnosis can feel overwhelming and confusing, but you don’t need to let fear and uncertainty keep you from being there for them. Journalist Suleika Jaouad offers some practical advice for how you can help.

Continue reading
Live from TED2019

Meaning: Notes from Session 12 of TED2019

April 19, 2019

The final session of TED2019 was a spectacle. From powerful calls to civic engagement and ancestorship to stories of self and perseverance, the session wrapped an incredible week and soared through the end with an unforgettable, totally improvised wrap-up. The event: Talks and performances from TED2019, Session 12: Meaning, hosted by TED’s Chris Anderson, Helen […]

Continue reading