Suleika Jaouad

Suleika Jaouad is an Emmy Award-winning writer, speaker, and cancer survivor, who has made a significant impact through her advocacy for those living with illness and chronic pain. Born in New York City on July 5, 1988, to a Tunisian father and a Swiss mother, Jaouad was raised in a diverse and multicultural environment. As a young adult, she attended The Juilliard School’s pre-college program for the double bass, with aspirations of becoming a foreign correspondent.

Jaouad’s career trajectory took an unexpected turn when, at the age of 22, she was diagnosed with leukemia. While undergoing treatment, she began writing the acclaimed New York Times column and video series “Life, Interrupted” from her hospital bed. This column would go on to win an Emmy Award and establish Jaouad as a powerful voice for those living with illness.

Beyond her writing and advocacy work, Jaouad is also the creator of The Isolation Journals, a global project cultivating community and creativity during challenging times. She served on Barack Obama’s Presidential Cancer Panel, and her advocacy and speaking engagements have taken her to diverse settings, from the main stage of TED and the United Nations to a maximum security prison and a two-room schoolhouse in rural Montana. When she’s not on the road with her 1972 Volkswagen camper van and rescue dog Oscar, she calls Brooklyn her home. Her first book, “Between Two Kingdoms,” was published in 2021.