Making the Most of a Life, Interrupted

At 22, Suleika Jaouad was diagnosed with leukemia and given a 35% chance of survival. From her hospital bed, over the following 3.5 years of intense treatment, she transformed her limitation into an opportunity and wrote an award-winning New York Times column called "Life, Interrupted." When the doctors deemed her “cured”, she hit the road on an ambitious 15,000-mile road trip around the US, interviewing dozens of strangers from all walks of life about how to overcome hardship. Now, she shares their wisdom, and hers, with you. In this fierce, funny, and moving talk, Jaouad tells her story of how a harrowing illness became a springboard for extraordinary personal and professional transformation. Audiences will leave with tools to thrive in the wake of life's unexpected interruptions.

The Road to Wellness: What Almost Dying Taught Me About Living

Humans are living longer than ever before. Many people now survive illnesses and injuries that would’ve killed our grandparents and parents. Throughout our lives, we travel between the two kingdoms of the sick and the well, spending much of our lives somewhere between the two. In this provocative talk, Emmy award-winning New York Times journalist Suleika Jaouad challenges us to stop seeing our health as binary — sick and healthy, well and unwell, whole and broken. Jaouad shares a firsthand account of navigating the healthcare system as a young cancer survivor, and the inspiring and entirely unexpected lessons learned in recovery. Her unique perspective will change the way you think about what it means to live and to be well in the 21st century.