Suleika Jaouad: Harnessing Creativity and Curiosity to Lead Through Uncertainty

For Suleika Jaouad, a best-selling author and 3-time cancer survivor, journaling became a life-changing creative outlet during her battles with leukemia as well as a powerful tool for navigating uncertainty. It also became a surprising way to connect with others leading to singular projects that have stuck a chord with hundreds of thousands such as her book, The Book of Alchemy, and her 300,000 member Substack, The Isolation Journals, projects that merge journal prompts and personal essays from the top creative minds of our time. She breaks down practical ways anyone can carve out time for reflection, curiosity and vulnerability and how such a practice can strengthen resilience and connection while sharpening clarity in an age defined by noise and loneliness. And in an era where we write prompts for AI, but question ourselves less and less, she reminds us of the role deeper thought plays in understanding our world and ourselves better. This is a conversation about choosing meaning over motion—and learning to live each day with intention. About this episode: Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/suleika-jaouad-journaling-prompt-creativity-reflection About this guest: Book: https://www.suleikajaouad.com/the-book-of-alchemy Substack: The Isolation journals: https://theisolationjournals.substack.com/ Watch her session at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Davos: Healing With Sounds and Words https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/sessions/healing-with-sound-and-words/ Related episodes: Burnout: 4 leaders share real-world stories and how to cope Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5een2u52Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/4backy24 Nick Thompson, The Atlantic: Why this CEO sets 'non-goals' - and what ultramarathons taught him about focus and mental toughness Watch here - YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xh9PLsyptgARead here - Transcript: :https://tinyurl.com/mtdhe37wListen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/bdbrspj7

Burnout and work-related depression costs the world an estimated $1 trillion dollars a year in lost working days – and chances are you've felt that stress yourself. In this special compilation episode, highlighting interviews recorded over the past year, leaders share their personal experiences with burnout and exhaustion. They also offer practical, tactical steps for recognizing burnout early, setting boundaries, fostering psychological safety and building teams that are resilient — not just productive. Leaders featured include: -David Ko, CEO of Calm, who reveals the blind spots that leave employees unsupported — and why sharing your own mental health journey may be the most powerful tool leaders have for more resilient teams -Kearney's Paula Bellostas Muguerza, who shares the frightening health crisis that forced her to face burnout head on and the questions that helped her reset her priorities -Li Li Leung, former CEO of USA Gymnastics, on why it's key to normalize mental health support for teams and how gymnast Simone Biles' famous decision to withdraw at the Tokyo Olympics reshaped conversations around self-advocacy and psychological safety -August CEO and social entrepreneur Nadya Okamoto - on hustle culture, "girl boss" burnout, finding joy, and why rest is now central to her success. About this episode:  Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/burnout-strategies-mental-health-leaders About this week's guests:  Calm CEO David Ko Website - Calm: Calm.com Book - Recharge: Boosting your mental battery one conversation at a time: https://rechargethebook.com/ Kearney's Paula Bellostas Muguerza Website - Kearney: https://www.kearney.com/ Related Meet The Leader episode: Bridging the gap in women's health research, policy and innovation: Kearney Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5p22ebun Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/3jmahwwj Li Li Leung, former CEO of USA Gymnastics Website - USA Gymnastics: https://usagym.org/ Related Meet The Leader episode: Rebuilding trust after turmoil and coaching for results that matter: USA Gymnastics CEO Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yc4dk2a8 Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/mvwxcsaz August CEO and social entrepreneur Nadya Okamoto Website - August: https://www.itsaugust.co/ Related Meet The Leader episode: A Gen Z founder on breaking down big stigmas and surviving hustle-culture Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/nadya-okomoto-august-period-poverty-startup/ Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/mss65msb 

The Atlantic CEO Nicholas Thompson ran all his life but became an ultramarathoner in his 40s. Recommitting to the sport helped him break records and even get faster as he aged. The discipline he built also helped transform his approach to nearly every aspect of his life. His latest book, The Running Ground, focuses on his own personal journey with running, a sport that helped him cope with a cancer diagnosis in his 30s and later process his relationship with his complicated father. In this special conversation, Nick shares what running can teach leaders about the healthy habits that underpin success, pacing for the long game, and breaking through the mental barriers that derail progress. He details some of the strategies that help this father of 3 make time for what matters most including setting 'non-goals' to manage energy and not just time. As the leader driving digital transformation at a 169-year-old publication, he also reflects on navigating historic disruption and what he's learned from The Most Interesting Thing in Tech, the daily videos he posts exploring the most compelling tech trends of our time. About this episode:  Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/nicholas-thompson-focus-running-ground Youtube: https://youtu.be/Xh9PLsyptgA About this guest: https://www.nickthompson.com/ The Most Interesting Thing in Tech: https://www.tiktok.com/@nxthompson Related Annual Meeting 2026 sessions: Next Phase of Intelligence: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/sessions/next-phase-of-intelligence/ Regulating at the speed of code: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/sessions/regulating-at-the-speed-of-code/ Internet up for grabs https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/sessions/internet-up-for-grabs/   Related podcasts:  Meet the Leader - Adam Grant: Future leaders won't succeed without this key trait https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buVVIpttzUA Meet The Leader -  'I'll show you a real leader' - Platon, the photographer of power, on finding humanity in all of us https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIUGFUza2ec&t=117s

While prospects for women in tech and AI have improved over the years, women still comprise just a fraction of the tech workforce. Ayumi Moore Aoki is the founder of Women in Tech Global, an organization with a presence in over 60 countries around the world, one designed to empower women in the sector. She shares how a leaky talent pipeline makes opportunity harder to seize, what's needed at each stage of women's careers to bridge gaps and what leaders can do to ensure they make the most of their team's talents. She'll also explain what skills will be more important than ever for leaders in an AI-powered workforce, the question she asks herself now more than at any time in her career, and the one topic that will define AI in the months ahead. Lastly, this advocate and founder also details how her background has prepared her to run WTG, from her time in South Africa during apartheid to her lessons learned as an entrepreneur.  Related links: Women in Tech Global: https://women-in-tech.org/Ayumi Moore Aoki: https://ayumimooreaoki.com/ Related reports:  Global Gender Gap Report: https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2025/ Global Gender Gap Report Global Parity in the Intelligene Age: https://www.weforum.org/publications/gender-parity-in-the-intelligent-age-2025/ Related episodes:  Be your own role model - a female rocket scientist, pioneer and science influencer explains Listen here: https://tinyurl.com/y4n9cmec 7 women leaders on the books that shaped their lives Listen: https://tinyurl.com/vuketc78  

Women comprise just a fraction of the aerospace sector - a field research says is poised for trillion-dollar growth in the years to come. Mishaal Ashemimry is the head of the Centre for Space Futures where she works to improve space policies and unlock the next phase of the space economy. She shares her experience as a woman not just in a male-dominated sector but in a region that for much of her life didn't have a formal space agency. She explains what slows the growth of women in aerospace and what's changing for the better in this sector. She also shares the mindsets and strategies she used to get her ideas heard and to create opportunity for herself, tactics that helped her become the first female aerospace engineer in the Gulf Cooperation Council and to found her own rocket startup.  About this episode:  Mishaal Ashemimry: https://www.mishaalashemimry.com/home https://www.youtube.com/@MishaalAshemimry/videos Related World Economic Forum Initiatives: Centre for Space Futures https://www.spacefutures-sa.com/home Report - Space: $1.8 Trillion Opportunity for Global Economic Growth https://www.weforum.org/publications/space-the-1-8-trillion-opportunity-for-global-economic-growth/ Transcript:  https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/mishaal-ashemimry-role-model-space-gender-gap Related Episodes:  He's building 'gas stations' in space. How it can drive the space economy - Orbit Fab Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/daniel-faber-orbit-fab-space-economy Episode: https://tinyurl.com/2s3tscms Meet the startup building the first commercial space station - Axiom  Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/tejpaul-bhatia-space-economy-axiom/ Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3FjNtzxmBucpgnZ4xhagxe An energy company is building the world's largest airplane. Here's why - Axiom  Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/mark-lundstrom-radia-climate-change/ Episode: https://tinyurl.com/3n3edcyc

How can leaders navigate a world roiled by a host of uncertainties, from the impact of AI to jobs and economies, to an ever-warming world and increasing geopolitical conflicts? They can start by asking the right questions. In this special episode, with interviews recorded in Davos, leaders share what's top of mind for 2026. They give their thoughts on how leaders can navigate the unknown, their strategies to focus on what matters most and the key questions they're looking to answer at the start the year.   Featured in this episode: Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, the question to help navigate uncertainty Anne Walsh, Chief Investment Officer, Guggenheim Investment Management; Managing Partner, Guggenheim Partners on separating the signal from the noise Sunny Mann, Global Chair, Baker McKenzie, on tapping experts and building for resilience Nicholas Thompson, CEO, The Atlantic, on if we'll see the democratization of AI Jeremy Allaire, Founder and CEO, Circle, on how autonomous work will take shape Nikki Clifton, UPS Foundation, focusing on the right challenge Jonathan Haidt, author The Anxious Generation, on investing on habits for flourishing Suleika Jaouad, author and artist, on valuing meaning over momentum Adam Grant, Wharton Organizational Psychologist, on following the right leaders Jon Batiste, Grammy-winning musician, on making the future we imagine a reality About this epsiode:  Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/questions-davos-leaders-are-asking-2026 Related story: Davos 2026: 10 questions on leaders' minds https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/02/davos-2026-10-questions-on-leaders-minds/ Related sessions: Davos 2026: Special address by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/01/davos-2026-special-address-ursula-von-der-leyen/ Davos 2026: Special address by Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/01/davos-2026-special-address-by-mark-carney-prime-minister-of-canada/ Related epsiodes:  Meet The Leader: IMF's Kristalina Georgieva on what's next for AI, skills and the global economy https://tinyurl.com/4ptf5ewp Radio Davos: What just happened at Davos 2026 https://open.spotify.com/episode/3vB8W0ljH3VQeHAaf2sCuV

Upskilling for an AI era will be critical. While it requires a strong grasp of individuals' skills and potential, data shows leaders wildly overestimate their own capabilities and can misjudge what their teams can offer. CEO Kian Katanforoosh of skills measurement platform Workera shares what's needed to bridge these gaps and what could be ahead to keep pace with changing needs. He offers a sneak peek at what the future could look like, tackling questions on how AI can reshape mentorship and why it might one day be unethical for a human (rather than a machine) to judge another human's capabilities. He also digs into: how prompting AI can help any leader refine their asks when managing humans; How his own assessments have helped him hone key leadership skills, and what war games have taught him about strategic thinking. About this episode:  https://www.workera.ai/ Transcript:  https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/kian-katanforoosh-upskill-ai-age-workera Related episode:  Do you need an AI mentor? This tech entrepreneur thinks so https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/ai-skills-workera-kian-katanforoosh/

JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, the CEO of one of the largest banks in the world, has a frank and lively one-on-one conversation in Davos with Economist editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes on a host of topics, including: what's needed to unlock growth; how rapid technological shifts could spur economic growth; how AI is integrated AI into the typical JPMorgan workday and how policy moves can impact economies and affordability. He also shares what's driven his successes, what his failures have in common and why not every question will have a simple answer. About this episode:  Watch this conversation here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/sessions/conversation-with-jamie-dimon-chairman-and-ceo-of-jpmorgan-chase/ About the Annual Meeting https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/ Radio Davos Daily Meet The Leader's sister podcast Radio Davos will be publishing live from the Annual Meeting in Davos. To listen to these episodes, follow Radio Davos here: https://open.spotify.com/show/36D1oLAmsRimw70XV19Cdf  

How will AI's hotly anticipated growth take shape? And what makes this moment different than past technology cycles? Could it really spark labor shortages, not labor surpluses? These questions and others are answered In a special one-on-one session at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Davos where NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang digs into these themes with Larry Fink, the World Economic Forum's own Interim Co-Chair and BlackRock's President and CEO. Recorded at the Annual Meeting in Davos Switzerland 2026.  Read a transcript of this episode here: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/sessions/conversation-with-jensen-huang-president-and-ceo-of-nvidia/ About the Annual Meeting https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/ Radio Davos Daily Meet The Leader's sister podcast Radio Davos will be publishing live from the Annual Meeting in Davos. To listen to these episodes, follow Radio Davos here: https://open.spotify.com/show/36D1oLAmsRimw70XV19Cdf

How can tech maximize the future of civilization? In a chat with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO discusses the role of robotics in tackling stubborn issues such as global poverty as well as how it could drive an expansion in the global economy. He also explores how reusable rockets will drop the cost of access to space, how he sees AI developing in the years ahead and his take on optimism. Speakers: Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla; Chief Engineer, SpaceX; CTO, xAI; and Laurence D. Fink, Chair and CEO, BlackRock; Interim Co-Chair, World Economic Forum. This session was recorded at the Annual Meeting in Davos Switzerland, 22 January, 2026. Read a transcript of this episode here: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/conversation-with-elon-musk-davos-2026 About the 2026 Annual Meeting in Davos:  https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/ Radio Davos Daily Meet The Leader's sister podcast Radio Davos will be publishing live from the Annual Meeting in Davos. To listen to these episodes, follow Radio Davos here: https://open.spotify.com/show/36D1oLAmsRimw70XV19Cdf