Write about a goodbye you wished you'd said or need to say.

That's one of the many striking journal prompts from best-selling authors Sulika Joad's

latest project, The Book of Alchemy, a creative practice for an inspired life.

The book is a beautiful guide to the art of journaling, something Suleka knows well.

From the time she was young, Suleka has practiced journaling as a way to mark all the moments

that define her life, from the joyful highs to the heartbreaking lows.

Journaling, she says, has buoyed her through uncertainty and illness.

But journaling doesn't always come easily, and as an avid journaler myself,

even I sit down and stare at a blank page.

So Suleka gathered wisdom from writers, artists, and thinkers,

and combined them into essays and writing prompts.

I cannot get enough of this book, and I cannot stop thinking about this conversation.

I hope it has the same impact on you.

I'm Hoda Kotb. Welcome to my podcast, Making Space.

Music I am so happy to be sitting with you today.

Number one, I've loved you for such a long time.

I remember, I don't know if you remember, because you've done so many interviews, but we sat together so long ago and just talked about your life. So let's start with that. Today on this random, rainy day in New York, how are you feeling like where are you in your life? i adore you i'm so happy to be here of course

i remember that day it was peak pandemic yes yes you know i am i am i am how am i doing it's you know

the most commonly asked question and the hardest one to answer honestly. So I'm doing really well today, health-wise, less well. But that has been this sort of ongoing work that I've been doing,

which is trying to figure out how to hold the beautiful aspects of life

with the harder ones and the same palm,

without things needing to be either good or bad.

...