Who is Jay Shetty, the ‘life coach’ accused of lying about his past?

He also officiated Jennifer Lopez’s wedding to Ben Affleck in 2022, having met the former on the YouTube show, Coach Conversations. Having amassed a global support base, he has 15.3 million followers on Instagram and 4.73 million subscribers on YouTube. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Radhi Devlukia-Shetty, who is also part of his entrepreneurial journey, having garnered 3 million followers across social media platforms. The couple in 2020 raised over $5 million in just 24 hours for Give India, assisting over 800 students in obtaining educational programming for a year through Pencils of Promise, which led to him being awarded Philanthropist of the Year by Pencils of Promise.

Early life and education

Jay Shetty was born and raised in London by his Indian parents, with his website jayshetty.me revealing that his connection to monks and monkhood goes far back to his childhood. “During his school years, Jay Shetty spent vacations living with monks in India, immersing himself in their wisdom and teachings,” the website says.

Shetty graduated from Cass Business School in 2010 with a 1st Class Honors Degree in Management Science. Post receiving his degree, Shetty deciding to embark on a three-year journey as a Hindu monk in India and the UK. “He traded his suits for robes, shaved his head, and embraced a minimalist lifestyle. Waking up at 4am, taking cold showers, and simplifying his diet became his new normal,” the website further says.

Transition to monkhood

According to his website, the three-year journey was a transformative phase in his life, wherein he practiced eight hours of daily meditation and “delved into the ancient practices of breath and mindfulness”, while dabbling with philosophies and sciences of the east. However, in 2013, Shetty left the monastery to return to London. He was also invited by various college classmates to speak at the companies they were working for, where he shared his insights as well as “practical applications of his monk learnings in the workplace”. The article in The Guardian also points out his association with the Hare Krishna movement and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), while also establishing that Shetty almost never discloses the same.

Journey to ‘On Purpose’

After joining Accenture as a consultant in 2013, Jay Shetty realised the potential in relaying his monastic experiences to the world, harnessing the expansion of the digital landscape. As per his website, Shetty began creating short videos and posting them on YouTube, leading to Arianna Huffington – founder of Huffington Post – inviting him to host Huffpost Rise in New York, an offer he accepted in 2016.

Three years on, Shetty had garnered enough views and supporters to launch his own podcast, “On Purpose with Jay Shetty”, in 2019. With over 35 million monthly downloads, it has become one of the leading Health and Wellness podcasts, with several celebrity guests  – Oprah Winfrey, US President Joe Biden, Selena Gomez, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant, Tom Holland, Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian and more – joining him for a conversation. The podcast has bagged spots in Spotify’s Top 5 Podcasts globally and Apple’s Top 20 Podcasts of the Year.

Bestselling author

Shetty released his first book – ‘Think Like A Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Everyday’ – in 2020, commencing his journey as an author. The book made it to the New York Times and UK Sunday Times bestsellers lists, while being ranked as the Best Audio Book of the Year by Apple Books. Shetty published his second book – ‘8 Rules of Love: How to Find It, Keep It, and Let It Go ‘- last year, which also became a New York Times and global bestseller.

Certification school and meditation startup

He is also the founder of the Jay Shetty Certification School, which offers life coaching certificates to individuals and organisations. As per his website, the courses have been “attended by over 2 million students” and his “Genius Community” provides weekly programming on the principles and practices for health and wellness to thousands of members in over 100 countries”. Shetty also founded Calm, the meditation startup worth a reported $2 billion, wherein he is the “Chief Inspiration Officer”.