Journaling Through Life's Plot Twists with Suleika Jaouad

In this episode, our guest is Suleika Jaouad, author of The Book of Alchemy and creator of The Isolation Journals Substack. We delve into how journaling can help you unlock creative potential and navigate life’s challenges.

Suleika shares her personal journey with journaling as a lifeline during her battle with leukemia and a pathway to "creative alchemy" – transforming difficult experiences into meaningful expression. She highlights the benefits of journaling on mental health, and how it has changed her life.

The discussion also explores practical aspects of journaling, from overcoming the fear of a blank page to maintaining consistency through accountability and prompts. Suleika shares her preferred tools—a fountain pen and quality paper—and the rituals that help her stay consistent..

Plus, Wirecutter writer Arriana Vasquez tells us about digital notebooks, an innovative way to modernize the writing experience without sacrificing the tactile pleasure of it.

Listeners will gain actionable insights into starting and sustaining a journaling practice.

Access the full show notes for this episode here () .

Products we recommend:

• The best hardcover notebookLeuchtturm1917 Hardcover Notebook Classic (A5) ()

• The best penUniball Jetstream RT ()

• The best digital notebookSupernote A6 X2 Nomad ()

• Best for replacing your paper notebooksreMarkable 2 ()

• Best for reading and annotating ebooksKobo Elipsa 2E ()

Suleika’s favorites:

• Her current journalLeuchtturm1917 ()

• A fountain penLamy ()

• Le Labo Santal No. 26 Candle ()

• The journals of famous writers she keeps on her deskSusan Sontag () , Virginia Woolf () , Audre Lorde () , Frida Kahlo () and Sylvia Plath ()

More from Suleika Jaouad:

• Instagram/suleikajaouad ()

• Facebook/SuleikaJaouadPage  ()

• Substack newsletter

• The Book of Alchemy ()

More from Wirecutter:

• Instagram()

• Threads/@wirecutter ()

• Twitter: /wirecutter

• Facebook: /thewirecutter

• TikTok: /wirecutter

• LinkedIn: /nyt-wirecutter

• Newsletter

Credits:

The Wirecutter Show is executive produced by Rosie Guerin and produced by Abigail Keel. Editing by Abigail Keel. Engineering support from Maddy Masiello and Nick Pitman. This episode was mixed by Rowan Niemisto. Original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Elisheba Ittoop, and Diane Wong. Wirecutter’s deputy publisher and general manager is Cliff Levy. Ben Frumin is Wirecutter’s editor-in-chief. Hosted by Caira Blackwell and Christine Cyr Clisset.

Timecodes: