BTB: Jane Wilkens Michael: Beating the Odds

BTB: Jane Wilkens Michael: Beating the Odds

From Jane Wilkens Michael Better Than Before by Jane & Laurie

September 11, 2025 · 18 min

About this episode

Suleika Jaouad shares her journey of surviving leukemia and offers insights on resilience and community building.

Suleika Jaouad on surviving and thriving - Jane’s very special guest is author, advocate and motivational speaker, Suleika Jaouad. Diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia at age 22, Suleika was given a 35% chance of survival. Rather than simply giving up, she went on to chronicle her journey, writing the New York Times column, Life, Interrupted which was made into a video series that won an Emmy Award! And her memoir, Between Two Kingdoms, was also a New York Times best seller. Her fight against cancer is also featured in a 2023 Netflix documentary, American Symphony, about a year in her life with her husband, the Grammy, Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning musician, Jon Batiste. Now she is writing new chapters of her story through her latest work, The Book of Alchemy. Suleika is also partnering with Blood Cancer United, formerly known as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, on their expanded mission to provide information and guidance for patients and caregivers for all 100+ blood cancers. On this segment, Jane and Suleika talk about what gets her through her good days, bad days, and very bad days. She also provides advice for building community and fostering connections…

People in this episode

Host: Jane Wilkens Michael

Guest: Suleika Jaouad

Topics covered

  • cancer survival
  • motivation
  • community building
  • journaling
  • personal growth

Keywords

  • cancer
  • survival
  • motivation
  • journaling
  • community
  • Suleika Jaouad
  • personal growth

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Blood Cancer United, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Books & works: Life, Interrupted, Between Two Kingdoms, American Symphony, The Book of Alchemy

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