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Jay Shetty Podcast

President JOE BIDEN Speaks Out For The FIRST Time About His MENTAL HEALTH

In this very special episode, it is my great honor to be invited to the White House for a rare and very personal interview with The President, Joe Biden.

Jay ShettyhostJoe Bidenguest

Jul 31, 202341mWatch on YouTube

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CHAPTERS

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Chapter summaries

Opening Preview and Jay Shetty's Welcome
The episode opens with a clip of Biden describing how grief eventually brings a smile before a tear. Jay Shetty then explains the interview's purpose, putting mental health into the mainstream and getting to know the person behind the title, and welcomes viewers.
- •Biden previews his reflection on grief and the smile before the tear
- •Shetty says the interview was made possible by the podcast's audience
- •He wants to know the human behind the title and the position
- •The goal is to make mental health a mainstream conversation
Childhood Bullying and Biden's Mother's Advice
Asked about his earliest defining memory, Biden recalls a neighborhood bully and his mother telling him to hit back. He also describes his stutter, and Shetty shares his own experience of being bullied.
- •Biden's mother told him to go back out and punch the bully in the nose
- •He stuttered badly and thought it was the worst curse
- •Shetty was bullied over his weight and the color of his skin
- •Biden calls himself the runt of the litter
Stuttering, the Classroom Incident and Helping Young Stutterers
Biden tells of walking out of class after a teacher mocked his stutter and of his mother confronting her. He describes keeping in touch with young stutterers, showing them how he marks up his speeches, and says the impediment may have been the best thing that happened to him.
- •A teacher mocked his stutter over the word 'gentleman' and he walked home
- •His mother confronted the teacher at school
- •He mentors young stutterers and shows them his speech markings
- •Challenges can make people more compassionate
The Power of Showing Up and Reaching Out
Biden and Shetty discuss how much it matters when someone reaches out, with Shetty recalling a protective classmate. Biden notes rising anxiety and loneliness among young people and recalls his son Beau insisting on showing up for others.
- •Shetty remembers a classmate who had his back
- •Biden says there is more anxiety and loneliness today than in a long time
- •His son Beau always showed up for people in need
- •Showing up is a theme in the Biden family
Processing Loss and Grief with Family Support
Shetty asks how Biden processed so much loss. Biden credits his close family, who moved in after the accident that killed his first wife and daughter, and says simply reaching out to the grieving matters.
- •Shetty cites the loss of his first wife and daughter and of his son
- •Biden's sister and brother moved in to help raise his boys
- •As a senator he learned that showing up at wakes brings solace
- •Letting people know you see them matters
Family Rules, Listening and the Smile Before the Tear
Biden explains his family's rule that parents stop everything to listen to their children, and describes calling his grandkids daily. He returns to the idea that grief eventually brings a smile before a tear, and mentions faith and a note from his daughter Ashley.
- •His dad said family is the beginning, middle and end
- •Parents always stopped to listen to their children
- •He texts or calls his grandkids every day
- •A smile before a tear signals you will make it
- •Ashley taped a note about happiness on his mirror
Vulnerability, Strength and Putting Family First
Shetty asks about vulnerability and strength in leadership, citing a CEO who feared looking weak. Biden describes his rule that staff must go home when they have trouble in their personal lives and says relationships matter more than work.
- •Shetty says sharing growth is strength, not weakness
- •Biden told staff members with problems at home to go home
- •Staff never have to explain why they need time
- •There is also a selfish side, since you can't perform well with unresolved problems
Decision-Making Guided by Values and Dignity
Asked whether he follows head, heart or gut, Biden says he can't separate the three and that he is driven by his values. He cites his father's belief that everyone deserves dignity and talks about guiding people through problems like cancer and small acts of help.
- •Heart brings him to the problem, gut guides him and head checks the research
- •His father said everyone is entitled to dignity
- •Cancer is the most feared word, and people need someone to guide them
- •Small gestures can relieve anxiety
- •Helping others who've suffered can force them to relive their experience
Understanding Motivation and Letting Others Save Face
Biden says understanding what motivates someone can help you break through even with the bad guys, and tells the cuff-link story as an example of exposing meanness without conflict. In response to Shetty's question, he explains how he deals with world leaders by finding what leeway they have and letting them save face.
- •Understanding motivation can open a path even with difficult people
- •The cuff-link story shows how to respond to mockery without conflict
- •With leaders, he considers their circumstances and political bandwidth
- •He offers to criticize or thank them to give them cover
- •The aim is to let the other person save face
Final Five: Best and Worst Advice, and Where He Seeks Support
Shetty begins the Final Five. Biden says the best advice he received was to show up and the worst was to hold a grudge. He says he turns for support to his wife, his sister and brother, staff and, privately, faith.
- •Best advice: show up, and his mother's 'get up'
- •Worst advice: holding a grudge
- •His best friend is his wife, and he also relies on his sister and brother
- •He seeks advice from staff he wants to know more than he does
- •Religious guidance is something personal
Final Five: Meeting His Wives, TV Shows and Commuting Years
Biden denies telling his first wife he'd be president and instead tells how he met and knew he'd marry both of his wives. Asked about accurate White House shows, he says Mission Impossible, explains he rarely watches TV, and recounts his years commuting by train to be home with his boys.
- •Biden denies the story about telling his first wife he'd be president
- •He met his first wife in Nassau and knew he would marry her
- •His present wife was a blind date set up by his brother
- •He names Mission Impossible as the most accurate show
- •He commuted by train for decades to be with his sons
Final Five: One Law, Optimism and Closing Reflections
Asked what law he'd create, Biden says no single law can change attitudes but expresses optimism about America and his goals, including cancer treatment. He then walks Shetty through family photos and a cartoon from his father, and the two close with thanks.
- •He says we are at an inflection point and America can do anything
- •He lists restoring the soul of America, building from the middle out and uniting the country
- •His father's cartoon expresses 'Why me?' answered by 'Why not?'
- •He shows photos of his son Beau and his parents
- •He ends on the idea that reaching out makes a difference for lonely people

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