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1 week ago | 
hitha.substack.com | Hitha Palepu |Elizabeth Holmes |Suleika Jaouad
#5SmartReads is a Webby-honored weekly news digest that amplifies underreported news and underrepresented perspectives. My goal is to help you stay informed without being overwhelmed, and to embrace nuance and reflection over picking a side. What Trump’s Tariffs Mean for One Small Business ()Politics doesn’t usually come up in the parties I attend. But last week, as we gathered to celebrate Mom Curious’ fourth season, tariffs were the main subject of conversation.
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1 month ago | 
theisolationjournals.substack.com | Suleika Jaouad |Carmen Radley
Hi friend,It’s almost time for our next meeting of the Hatch! We’re gathering tomorrow—that’s Sunday, March 16, from 1-2pm ET. will be hosting this time, sharing a powerful letter and some letter-poems and reflecting on how epistles can turn isolation into creative solitude and connection—even if we never send them.
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Jan 12, 2025 | 
theisolationjournals.substack.com | Suleika Jaouad
Hi friend,Last fall I went to Skidmore College to give the keynote for their incoming class, and it was a homecoming in so many ways. My dad was a professor at Skidmore, and I went to preschool there. Starting when I was barely a teen, I attended a music camp on Skidmore’s campus (where I met my husband Jon) and took dance classes too, and later some college classes.
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Jan 7, 2025 | 
theisolationjournals.substack.com | Suleika Jaouad
Hi friend,It’s Day Seven—the final day of our New Year’s Journaling Challenge, where we’ve been celebrating and cultivating the magic around us, the magic within us, and the magic we have yet to uncover. Today you’ll hear from Carmen Radley, reflecting on how our words can conjure new worlds.
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Jan 5, 2025 | 
theisolationjournals.substack.com | Suleika Jaouad
Hi friend,I recently had a long phone call with a friend—a nourishing, grounding conversation in which she told me about her New Year’s Day ritual. Each January 1, she wakes up and goes into nature—depending on where she is, maybe it’s a city park, maybe it’s an old-growth forest—and she makes note of the first wild animal she comes across. She does a little research about that animal, its habits and distinctive characteristics, and it becomes her guide for the year.
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Jan 3, 2025 | 
theisolationjournals.substack.com | Suleika Jaouad
Hi friend,We’re back with with Day Three of our New Year’s Journaling Challenge. Today you’ll hear from my dear friend Carmen Radley, reflecting on hope as a creative force. Sending love,SuleikaP.S. If you’re just joining us and want to start at the beginning, you can find all previous prompts here. Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to The Isolation Journals with Suleika Jaouad to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
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Jan 2, 2025 | 
theisolationjournals.substack.com | Suleika Jaouad
Hi friend,We’re back with with Day Two of our New Year’s Journaling Challenge—which is a celebration and cultivation of the magic around us, the magic within us, and the magic we have yet to uncover. Today you’ll hear from our beloved , who will help you conjure a sanctuary for your inner life.
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Jan 1, 2025 | 
theisolationjournals.substack.com | Suleika Jaouad
Hi friend,Happy New Year! I’m writing to you from the Caribbean, where my husband Jon and I took our family for the holidays. Months ago, we decided our Christmas gift would be to treat everyone to a special trip—though to be honest, scheduling something that far out filled me with anxiety. Healthwise I’m mired in uncertainty; I don’t know how I’m going to feel in an hour, much less a month, so it’s hard to block out those days on my calendar and book the tickets—to really commit.
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Dec 29, 2024 | 
theisolationjournals.substack.com | Suleika Jaouad
Hi friend,I have a confession to make: I have barely journaled since I learned my leukemia was back this summer and that I was restarting chemo. The reason is twofold, I think. One is the sense of overwhelm at the contrasts of the past year—2024 held some of the wildest, most beautiful moments of my life that I know will live on as core memories, as well as some major milestones. But it’s also one of the hardest years I’ve ever had, where I’ve felt my absolute lowest and most defeated.
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Dec 22, 2024 | 
theisolationjournals.substack.com | Suleika Jaouad
Hi friend,Over the last week, I’ve had more than a few moments of feeling overwhelmed, depleted, and defeated—thanks to chemo, norovirus, a bladder infection, and all three of my dogs getting sick. More than once, I went to bed thinking, “How am I possibly going to face tomorrow? How am I going to get through?”A great source of comfort has been my dad, who last week made his bimonthly pilgrimage to accompany me to chemo. He’s a very in-the-moment kind of guy, which lends an ease to everything.
