Jay Shetty

Jay Shetty is a British author, podcaster, and former monk who has become one of the most-followed voices in modern wellness — a storyteller with a rare gift for translating ancient wisdom into language that fits inside a busy, scrolling, twenty-first-century life. Born in London in 1987 to a British-Indian family, he was studying behavioural science at Cass Business School when, at eighteen, he heard a monk named Gauranga Das speak — an encounter that quietly redirected his life. While his classmates pursued corporate careers, Shetty spent his summers in India, and after graduating he made the leap entirely: he traded his suit for robes and spent three years living as a Vedic monk, meditating for hours each day, studying timeless texts, and serving in ashram life. When his teacher told him his path was to share what he'd learned rather than remain in the ashram, Shetty returned to London — and eventually found his medium. His short films and videos on wisdom for daily life went massively viral, drawing billions of views and catching the attention of Arianna Huffington, who brought him to New York. In 2019 he launched On Purpose, which has grown into one of the world's most popular health and wellness podcasts, where he holds searching, surprisingly vulnerable conversations with everyone from scientists and monks to presidents and pop stars. His #1 New York Times bestseller Think Like a Monk (2020) distilled his ashram years into practical tools for overcoming negativity, finding purpose, and training the mind, while 8 Rules of Love (2023) applied the same blend of Vedic insight and modern psychology to relationships. Today Shetty serves as Chief Purpose Officer at the meditation app Calm, leads the Jay Shetty Certification School for coaches, and fills arenas on world tours — yet his core message has stayed remarkably consistent: that the mind can be trained, that purpose is found in service, and that wisdom belongs everywhere, not just in monasteries. For anyone feeling scattered, stuck, or hungry for meaning in the noise of modern life, Jay Shetty offers an accessible, warm-hearted bridge between ancient practice and everyday living.