IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson Surrender to the Process with Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad
Jan 28, 2026
Suleika Jaouad, writer who chronicles illness and recovery, and Jon Batiste, Grammy and Oscar–winning musician and bandleader, share how they met and shaped their creative lives. They talk about meeting at band camp, reconnecting at Juilliard, journaling and the Book of Alchemy, and navigating illness, care, and daily practices that sustain creativity.
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From Band Camp To Lifelong Partnership
- Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad first met at a college band camp when they were about 12–13 and barely spoke then.
- They reconnected later at Juilliard and Suleika impulsively thought, "that's the man I'm going to marry someday."
Inevitability Signals Authentic Music
- Jon Batiste describes music as "inevitable" when it flows from a pure creative source.
- He says inevitability signals honesty: music that couldn't have happened any other way resonates as life itself.
Illness Became A Reporting Beat
- Suleika recounts being diagnosed with leukemia after college and spending months as an inpatient.
- She turned hospital journaling into a public project that launched her writing career.
