In a small town in London, the son of immigrant parents grew up in a world where success meant you were either a doctor or a lawyer. After realizing he was bound to choose the third, nonexistent option, a young Jay Shetty decided to turn away from his parents’ ideals and instead question a society where people were constantly sacrificing their happiness to chase an idea of success that actually depletes one’s levels of productivity and overall well-being. Today, Shetty is an award-winning host, author, and content creator who has made it his life’s mission to share the knowledge he’s obtained through cultivating his interests in health and wellness.
At the age of 18, Shetty realized that in order to build a life that would maintain his mental and physical well-being, he would have to redefine success for himself. By 22, Shetty had graduated with a degree in Behavioral Science, but he had always dreamed of serving others, which is why he decided to become a Vedic monk. He moved to an Indian ashram, meditated for eight hours a day, studied timeless knowledge, and served surrounding communities. However, Shetty had always known he was meant for something more, something bigger than himself, a purpose beyond the monastery. At 26, Shetty had moved back in with his parents, and by 28 he moved to New York with his new wife and a crippling amount of debt. “Turns out, no one wants to hire someone in their late 20s whose only life experience is being a monk for three years” Shetty often proclaims. After being called “unqualified” and “too old” to begin a career in media by the chairmen at his corporate job, Shetty started uploading videos on Facebook that taught viewers about the powers of mindful meditation. In 2016, his videos quickly went viral with over 27 million consistent viewers and received multiple awards as people were able to sit at home and take part in mental exercises that ensure deep healing from an actual retired monk.
At a time where humanity is collectively experiencing a reality consumed by traumatic events, Shetty turns our attention to the importance of mental health. His highly successful and renowned podcast titled On Purpose explores the ways in which we, as humans, can rewire our mindsets to build us up, rather than hold us back, or worse, drag us down. In a recent interview with The Guardian, Shetty explains what he hopes to accomplish and asserts, “I want to help people find stillness, purpose, peace and clarity in their daily life, by adopting the mindset monks have developed over thousands of years.” It is clear that Shetty aims not only to improve others’ mental stability, but to also use that stability as a tool in making success mainstream and attainable for all. He tells Sam Wilson of The Guardian about his commitment to the “beautiful theme of conscious capitalism,” which appears in almost every episode of On Purpose in the form of advice on how to create and maintain a self-fulfilling, winning mindset amongst a modern world where capitalism rests on the thin line between innovation and self-destruction. While CEOs have always written books and given talks on being “business savvy” geared towards young entrepreneurs, Shetty incorporates a fresh perspective emphasizing the “inner work” that is needed to produce flourishing outcomes.
On his show, Shetty welcomes a variety of perspectives from renowned professionals, including scientists, yogis, celebrity entrepreneurs, billionaire investors, and singers. Celebrities including Kobe Bryant, Khloe Kardashian, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, Kelly Rowland, and Sid Malhotra have all made an appearance on Shetty’s show discussing universal matters like love, work, self-healing, and servicing the community. He dives into the struggles that his guests have faced throughout their career, contemplates the scientific connection between what we can see and what we cannot, dissects complicated relationship dynamics, and much more. The best part is that each episode is titled with the exact goal you’ll be focusing on for the next 30-75 minutes, so that you may listen to something more relatable to your specific aspirations. This is not a podcast that teaches you how to navigate the world around you, but how to navigate the world within yourself in order to receive and accomplish all that you want.
