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Jay Shetty PodcastJay Shetty Podcast

MADONNA EXCLUSIVE: The Side That NOBODY Knows…

Today, Jay sits down with Madonna for a rare and intimate conversation that goes beyond her iconic career into the spiritual foundation that has carried her through life’s greatest challenges. For nearly 30 years, Madonna has walked a spiritual path that has shaped her resilience, fueled her creativity, and defined her sense of purpose. Madonna opens up about what first drew her to seek deeper meaning, the practices that became her lifeline, and why she believes spirituality has been the true key to her strength, longevity, and fulfillment. Together, Jay and Madonna dive into themes of transformation, the search for meaning in suffering, the freedom that comes with radical acceptance, and the power of forgiveness to heal our deepest wounds. Madonna shares the moments that tested her most, from loss and betrayal to near-death experiences, and how each challenge became an opening for growth when she chose to see it through the lens of purpose rather than punishment. In the second half of the conversation, Jay and Madonna are joined by her longtime Kabbalah teacher, Eitan, for a powerful exploration of spiritual wisdom in action. They discuss why our struggles and inner battles are essential for growth, and how to reframe challenges as opportunities to reveal greater light. Eitan offers practical tools, from pausing and embracing discomfort to practicing “certainty beyond logic,” to help us find strength in life’s most difficult moments. In this interview, you'll learn: How to Build a Spiritual Practice How to Find Meaning in Suffering How to Escape the Victim Mentality How to Practice Radical Acceptance How to Forgive and Let Go How to Manifest with Consciousness How to Teach Kids Spiritual Awareness How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others How to Discover Your Soul’s Purpose Every one of us will face moments of doubt, loss, or uncertainty, but those moments are not the end of our story, they are invitations to grow into something greater. The challenges we experience are not punishments but lessons, guiding us back to our true selves. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty Explore the deep spiritual study of Kabbalah with Madonna’s new course, ‘The Mystical Studies of the Zohar’ together with her teacher Eitan Yardeni at http://www.kabbalah.com Join over 750,000 people to receive my most transformative wisdom directly in your inbox every single week with my free newsletter. Subscribe here. Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 00:44 Beginning a Spiritual Journey 02:41 Choosing Your Spiritual Path 08:26 Breath, Yoga, and Inner Peace 17:40 Do You Need Spirituality to Be Successful? 20:29 Channeling Art Through Spirit 24:56 Transcending Trauma and Pain 27:56 Life Beyond Money and Material Success 30:30 Motherhood as a Spiritual Calling 33:07 The Gift of Being Different 35:54 Teaching Kids Spiritual Awareness 40:37 Showing Up Through the Struggle 42:37 Facing the Enemy Within 48:54 Escaping the Victim Mentality 50:23 How We Abandon Ourselves 54:36 Breaking Free From Self-Pity 56:16 Manifestation with Consciousness 01:01:24 Finding Strength in Community 01:05:53 The Weight of Words and Actions 01:08:57 Letting Go of Hate and Grudges 01:19:44 The Wisdom of Kabbalah 01:21:40 How Madonna Discovered Kabbalah 01:27:25 Unlocking the Secrets of Life Through Spirituality 01:30:55 The Inner Battle With Toxic Thoughts 01:38:02 A Mother’s Deepest Fear 01:40:09 Learning to Accept Help 01:42:02 Freeing Yourself from Harsh Judgment 01:46:31 Four Steps to Inner Strength 01:53:13 Practicing Trust Beyond Logic 01:56:35 Finding Lessons In Life’s Pain 02:02:12 Releasing the Need to Control 02:04:06 Raising Spiritually Grounded Children 02:07:08 Why Overgiving Hurts Kids 02:10:01 The Dangers of Instant Gratification 02:12:06 What Is Your Soul’s Purpose? Episode Resources: https://www.madonna.com/ https://www.instagram.com/madonna https://www.facebook.com/madonna https://www.youtube.com/madonna https://x.com/madonna https://www.flickr.com/photos/madonnaphotos/ https://www.instagram.com/jayshetty https://www.facebook.com/jayshetty/ https://x.com/jayshetty https://www.linkedin.com/in/shettyjay/ https://www.youtube.com/@JayShettyPodcast http://jayshetty.me

Jay ShettyhostEitan Yardeniguest
Sep 29, 20252h 16mWatch on YouTube ↗

CHAPTERS

  1. 0:00 – 6:32

    Why Madonna is speaking now: spirituality as the foundation of sanity and purpose

    Madonna explains she’s not here to promote a project but to share the spiritual path that has helped her survive decades of highs, lows, and public scrutiny. She frames spirituality as the difference between feeling life is random and recognizing every event as a lesson meant to wake us up.

    • She rarely interviews now; her intention is to share what “saved” her life
    • Spirituality as an internal life vs. chasing approval, money, and status
    • Nothing is random: events contain lessons if you’re awake enough to see them
    • Without reflection, it’s easy to live in victimhood and comparison
  2. 6:32 – 8:45

    Reclaiming the ‘third space’: ritual, reflection, and escaping the phone-prison

    Jay and Madonna discuss the loss of community reflection spaces (temples, churches, centers) and how modern life collapses into work/home/phone. Madonna argues the virtual world isn’t inherently bad, but without consciousness it becomes disorienting and empty.

    • ‘Third space theory’ and the decline of reflection-oriented communities
    • Home → phone as a further removal from presence and meaning
    • Ritualistic behavior is necessary to create inner quiet
    • Consciousness as the key ingredient that makes modern tools worthwhile
  3. 8:45 – 12:17

    Early seeking: Buddhist chanting, Ashtanga yoga, breath, and ‘desire with detachment’

    Madonna traces her pre-Kabbalah exploration—observing a Buddhist roommate’s steadiness and later immersing in Ashtanga yoga. She learns that yoga is ultimately breath and nervous-system regulation, and that desire is natural but attachment is what creates suffering.

    • Curiosity sparked by a Buddhist roommate’s calm and confidence
    • Yoga as breath and centering—not just poses and performance
    • ‘Desire and detachment’ as a guiding principle
    • Sanskrit/vibration as a tool for grounding and calming
  4. 12:17 – 17:40

    Motherhood as the catalyst: pregnancy, fear, and discovering Kabbalah

    Pregnancy forces Madonna to confront purpose and responsibility beyond ambition. A dinner-party invitation leads her to a Kabbalah class, where she quietly studies for years until the teachings reshape how she thinks about intention, identity, and why she’s here.

    • Having fame and wealth didn’t equal happiness; she still sought answers
    • Pregnancy triggered the question: “What will I teach my daughter?”
    • First Kabbalah class: sense-making, courage, intention, and purpose
    • Long-term commitment: same teacher, consistent weekly study
  5. 17:40 – 20:35

    Spirituality and success are not opposites: ‘feet in both worlds’

    Madonna rejects the idea that spirituality conflicts with ambition or achievement, arguing true success requires spiritual grounding. She discusses prayer and study as non-negotiables—even on tour—along with radical acceptance as a way to face inevitable suffering.

    • Success without spirituality becomes fragile and ego-driven
    • She maintained practice on tour; prayed before shows; protected study time
    • Radical acceptance: what happens is meant to teach and will repeat until learned
    • Spiritual growth increases tests; ‘life is a test’
  6. 20:35 – 24:59

    Channeling art as light: being the manager, not the owner, of talent

    Madonna describes creativity as channeled “magic,” not personal property, and says over-ownership shuts inspiration down. She links this shift to the ‘Ray of Light’ era and reflects on peers who were overwhelmed by fame’s intensity without the inner structure to hold it.

    • Art as channeling light; the creator/artist as vessel
    • Talent as stewardship: ‘I’m the manager, not the owner’
    • Overthinking and ego interrupt creative flow
    • Fame without grounding can burn artists out; drugs as ‘light without restriction’
  7. 24:59 – 40:34

    Trauma, guardianship, and survival: turning pain into a reason to keep going

    Madonna recounts severe early trauma (including violence and assault) and describes an enduring sense of protection that later made more sense in hindsight. She explains how hardship and an unhappy childhood fueled her refusal to return to a life of powerlessness.

    • Early New York trauma and the belief she had a ‘guardian angel’
    • Childhood pain created forward momentum: ‘anything was better than going back’
    • Public demonization and career trials as ongoing tests
    • Awareness arrived later; spiritual framing came into focus over time
  8. 40:34 – 41:42

    Leaving victimhood: karma, repeating lessons, and abandoning the inner self

    Madonna defines karma as soul-chosen circumstances designed for evolution, not punishment. She identifies abandonment/betrayal as recurring patterns and explains the shift from blaming others to asking how she abandoned others—and herself—through ignoring inner truth.

    • Karma as cause/effect and soul curriculum; challenges repeat until integrated
    • Key recurring lesson: betrayal/abandonment and its emotional legacy
    • Victim mentality vs. accountability: learn the lesson rather than seek blame
    • ‘We all say goodbye to our inner selves’—and must return
  9. 41:42 – 56:13

    The breaking point: custody battle, suicidal thoughts, and radical acceptance in practice

    Madonna reveals a period of profound despair during a custody battle that reactivated childhood abandonment. She explains how ongoing study helped her move from ‘end of the world’ thinking to acceptance, and she shares a later ICU/sepsis crisis that reinforced the same lesson.

    • Custody battle as an existential threat and emotional collapse
    • Radical acceptance took years; it’s not instant or performative
    • Sepsis/ICU recovery: accepting uncertainty speeds healing
    • Self-reflection without guilt: accountability differs from shame
  10. 56:13 – 1:05:51

    Manifestation with consciousness: partnership, not control, and creating to share

    Madonna critiques modern ‘manifestation’ as ego-driven goal hacking and reframes it as co-creating with the universe. She emphasizes gratitude, service, and recognizing inspiration as a gift—illustrated by how her first songwriting felt like something arriving through her, not from her.

    • Manifestation fails when it’s ego-owned; it’s finite without consciousness
    • You ‘do your part’ but you’re not doing it alone—creation is partnership
    • Desire becomes spiritual when it’s for sharing, not self-image or status
    • Recognizing gifts prevents chasing formulas and recreating old magic
  11. 1:05:51 – 1:08:56

    Words carry weight: intention, humility, and bringing light to dark places

    Madonna reflects on how her motivation evolved from wanting to “be somebody” to speaking and acting with gravity. She describes spiritual wisdom as most useful during darkness and emphasizes gratitude in both ease and struggle as a practice of humility and awareness.

    • Shift from ego-driven ambition to intention-driven impact
    • Language and actions as energy with consequences
    • Darkness as an opportunity to reveal more light
    • Gratitude during tests as advanced practice; humility in good times
  12. 1:08:56 – 1:18:58

    Forgiveness as liberation: grudges as poison, reconciling with her brother, and forgiving yourself

    Madonna describes forgiveness as essential to freedom, calling hatred and grudges a prison that poisons the self. She shares a powerful reconciliation with her brother during his illness, a near-death hospitalization vision of her mother, and how these experiences pushed her to release resentments and write new music about forgiveness.

    • Vengeance feels like power but becomes ‘poison’ and ‘cancer’ in the soul
    • Reconciliation: helping an ‘enemy’ brought relief and emotional release
    • Near-death moment: the message was unfinished forgiveness
    • Forgiving others and yourself changes karmic destiny; personal and global accountability
  13. 1:18:58 – 1:30:54

    Meet the teacher: Eitan’s origin story and Kabbalah’s promise to answer the ‘whys’

    Eitan Yardeni joins and explains his early spiritual questioning, his introduction to Kabbalah in Israel, and lifelong dedication to teaching. He outlines Kabbalah’s core aim—understanding purpose, suffering, and the universe—while Madonna adds how the tradition’s depth and compatibility with science made it feel coherent and practical.

    • Eitan’s awakening at 17 and commitment by 21; decades of study/teaching
    • Kabbalah as inquiry into the ‘whys’: purpose, struggle, soul journey
    • Madonna valued anonymity as a student and the permission to ask questions
    • Teachings framed as compatible with science/quantum ideas and non-literal reading
  14. 1:30:54 – 1:41:12

    The opponent within: why negativity exists and how overcoming makes you a co-creator

    Eitan explains that the internal negative voice is not an accident but a gift designed to create growth and fulfillment—like a worthy opponent in sport. Jay connects it to Arjuna’s doubt in the Gita, and the conversation reframes anxiety and uncertainty as the seed of awakening.

    • Negativity/‘opponent’ is part of the design to develop creative power
    • Like-attracts-like: to experience light, become like the light (sharing)
    • Doubt/anxiety can initiate meaning-seeking rather than signal failure
    • Each person has a unique ‘Tikun’ (karmic correction) revealed through life’s challenges
  15. 1:41:12 – 2:02:10

    Four-step method for inner strength: pause, embrace, trust beyond logic, and act from light

    Eitan offers a practical framework for handling moments of lack, insecurity, and reactive behavior. Madonna underscores how comparison, self-judgment, and distraction are daily battles that require vigilance, while Jay highlights the challenge of trusting beyond immediate logic and timelines.

    • Step 1: ‘Pause—what an opportunity’ to reveal light
    • Step 2: Embrace/allow discomfort instead of instantly fixing it
    • Certainty/trust beyond logic: light is within even when feelings disagree
    • Shift through giving/adding value; detach from external validation as the ‘fix’
  16. 2:02:10 – 2:12:05

    Parenting, control, overgiving, and instant gratification: raising spiritually grounded kids

    Madonna shares that her current work is releasing control over her children’s paths and outcomes. Eitan warns that overgiving creates ‘bread of shame’ and that instant gratification culture fuels long-term emptiness—requiring parents to tolerate being unpopular for the child’s future strength.

    • Letting go of expectations; children as the ultimate lesson in surrender
    • Overgiving undermines desire and resilience; the ‘bread of shame’ concept
    • Short-term popularity vs. long-term love and boundaries
    • Instant gratification reduces tolerance for process and discomfort; links to depression
  17. 2:12:05 – 2:16:07

    Soul’s purpose: receiving for the sake of sharing and elevating consciousness

    In closing, Madonna defines her purpose as revealing light through artistry, parenting, leadership, and service, pursuing abundance but for giving rather than hoarding. Eitan frames his purpose as deep personal connection with the Creator through ongoing transformation and teaching—never settling for less than the next level of soul evolution.

    • Madonna: reveal light through all roles; desire guided by sharing
    • ‘Receive for the sake of sharing’ as a central spiritual principle
    • Eitan: continual transformation; certainty beyond logic becoming second nature
    • Purpose expressed through teaching, service, and refusing to settle spiritually

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