Suleika Jaouad is Learning to Live (With Cancer) | Rich Roll Podcast

Rich Roll

Jan 15, 2024

Episode description

Rich sits down with Emmy-award-winning, NYT bestselling writer Suleika Jaouad to talk about navigating cancer, living a creative life, and her Netflix documentary, American Symphony. To read more about Suleika and peruse the full show notes, go here👉🏾https://bit.ly/richroll807

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FILMED AND EDITED BY BLAKE CURTIS, DAN DRAKE & MORGAN MCRAE
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FOOTAGE PROVIDED BY NETFLIX

00:00:00 Intro
00:03:05 Navigating life during treatment
00:05:55 The shock of a leukemia diagnosis at 22
00:08:32 Struggling with identity and ambition during illness
00:12:35 Finding purpose through creativity and writing
00:18:30 Challenging traditional narratives of illness
00:22:48 Embracing the in-between spaces of life
00:24:02 Struggling with moving on after treatment
00:25:13 Finding Rituals
00:26:12 Sponsor Break
00:27:18 PTSD Diagnosis
00:28:23 Lack of Support
00:28:52 Creating Support
00:29:34 Blogging Journey
00:32:04 Challenges of Writing
00:34:18 Visiting Strangers
00:38:40 Struggle with Vulnerability
00:41:17 Impact of Book and TED Talk
00:46:03 Facing Relapse
00:48:37 Fear of Relapse
00:49:41 Misdiagnosis
00:50:56 The biopsy
00:52:41 Diagnosis and relief
00:54:38 American Symphony
00:56:17 Making the film
00:59:36 Vulnerability and creativity
01:01:10 Ad Break
01:02:41 John's commitment
01:13:25 Suleika's creative process
01:18:25 Finding peace
01:18:39 The allowing and surrender
01:19:18 The inevitability of creativity
01:20:31 The surprise and manifestation in writing
01:22:32 The power of manifestation
01:24:50 Embracing limitations and finding meaning
01:27:54 Navigating uncertainty and living in the present
01:34:44 Living in the in-between
01:37:09 Transforming darkness into light
01:41:26 Facing fear and embracing creativity
01:42:24 Embracing ambiguity and improvisation
01:43:19 Reimagining survival as a creative act
01:46:36 Surrendering to the Power Outage
01:47:47 Navigating Change
01:48:27 Finding Agency in Response
01:49:25 Embracing the Journey of Response
01:51:38 Expressing Gratitude and Love
01:52:04 Podcast Closing and Support

* * * * *

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Hi I'm Rich Roll. I'm a vegan ultra-endurance athlete, author, podcaster, public speaker & wellness evangelist. But mainly I'm a dad of four. If you want to know more, visit my website or check out these two the NY Times articles:
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Mindsip insights from this episode:

Choose your response to reclaim your freedom

Citing Viktor Frankl, true power lies not in what happens to you, but in the space between that stimulus and your response, where you have the freedom to choose.

#autonomy

#resilience

Live each day with curiosity and seek tiny joys

Instead of living each day as if it's your last, which creates panic, try living it as if it's your first by waking up with curiosity, wonder, and seeking out tiny joys.

#curiosity

#happiness

Transform limitations into creative accomplishments

The speaker believes her greatest accomplishments would not have been possible without being sick, as her limitations foreclosed conventional paths and forced her to be more creative.

#creativity

#resilience

Commit to one small creative act daily for 100 days

To build a creative habit during a difficult time, commit to one small creative act a day for 100 days, keeping the bar low enough that you can always do it.

#creativity

#habits

Create personal rituals to navigate life after illness

Since there are no established rites of passage for navigating the aftermath of illness, you may need to create your own rituals to find your way back to life.

#recovery

#ritual

Recognize PTSD risk after cancer treatment

It may be surprising to learn that PTSD is not just for war veterans; it can be diagnosed after the trauma of cancer treatment, which is often overlooked.

#cancer

#PTSD

Reject hero's journey narrative to confront trauma authentically

The pressure for someone who is sick to be stoic, brave, and wise is exhausting and dangerous because it glosses over the real challenges of enduring trauma.