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Jay Shetty PodcastJay Shetty Podcast

This is How to Use Spirituality To Help You with Confidence and Self-Doubt!

Today, Jay sits down with longtime friend and Grammy-nominated devotional artist Jahnavi Harrison for a deeply personal conversation about faith, creativity, and living a life of service. Together, they reflect on spiritual grounding as a daily practice, not rooted in perfection but in the ability to remain steady through uncertainty and change. Jay and Jahnavi explore the often unseen journey behind purpose-driven work, how passion gradually becomes discipline, and discipline shapes a life of devotion. They unpack the courage it takes to walk a less conventional path, especially in a world that often values conformity and external validation. Through stories of growing up between two worlds, wrestling with self-expression, and finding healing through music and mantra, they invite us to reconsider success not as achievement, but as alignment. As the conversation unfolds, their focus turns to prayer, service, and staying connected when you feel lost. Jay and Jahnavi share why speaking to God, serving others, and creating space for vulnerability can become powerful anchors during difficult seasons. Ultimately, this conversation reminds us that spirituality isn’t about having everything figured out, it’s about showing up with sincerity, listening deeply, and choosing to give, even when the path ahead is unclear. In this interview, you'll learn: How to Find Peace Through Sacred Sound How to Stay Grounded When Life Feels Overwhelming How to Turn Doubt Into a Deeper Faith How to Express Yourself When You Feel Invisible How to Trust Your Intuition Over External Pressure How to Integrate Spirituality Into Everyday Life How to Reconnect With Purpose Through Service How to Talk to God in Your Own Way You are allowed to take your time, to find your voice in your own way, and to choose a path that feels meaningful rather than impressive. Healing and purpose don’t come from perfection, but from showing up sincerely and trusting that what you offer with love will return in its own time. Check out Jahnavi’s Grammy nominated album Into the Forest here. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty 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 04:06 What Truly Defines Who You Are 06:06 Are You Actively Seeking Truth? 08:54 Where a Love for Music First Began 10:31 Understanding Devotional Mantra Music 13:31 Growing Up With an Unconventional Education 21:35 Navigating Identity and Belonging 24:27 Learning to Trust Your Inner Confidence 25:27 When Parents Are Doing Their Best 27:49 Questioning Life Within a Spiritual Community 31:02 From Curiosity to Creative Mastery 34:51 Experiencing the Divine Through Sound 36:43 Creating Space for Others to Feel Free 39:39 When Music Becomes Healing 41:35 Turning Personal Prayer Into Shared Experience 45:23 The Biggest Misconceptions About Spiritual People 49:17 Growing Up Surrounded by Spiritual Validation 51:05 Holding a Safe Space for Spiritual Exploration 54:22 Navigating a Crisis of Faith 56:45 What It Feels Like to Lose Faith 59:35 Using Meditation to Access Stillness 01:03:09 Asking Yourself, “Am I Being of Service?” 01:09:20 Jahnavi on Final Five Episode Resources: 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

Jahnavi HarrisonguestJay Shettyhost
Dec 25, 20251h 21mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Mantra music, prayer, and service as paths to confidence growth

  1. Jahnavi explains devotional mantra music as repeated sacred sound meant to purify the heart and mind, differing from other music primarily through intention as prayer and inner connection.
  2. She shares how an unconventional childhood in a temple school—and a difficult transition into mainstream schooling—triggered anxiety, identity-splitting, and a long process of integrating who she was across environments.
  3. Her creative path became “professional” through organic steps: using violin in kirtan, touring with a mantra group, and choosing intuition over a stable magazine job despite persistent financial doubt.
  4. The conversation reframes spirituality as human and non-performative: spiritual people still experience doubt, material desires, mistakes, and even crises of faith, which can deepen authenticity rather than invalidate belief.
  5. Both emphasize practical spirituality—talking to God, experimenting with prayer styles, and asking “Am I being of service?”—as reliable anchors when feeling lost or insecure.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Repetition in mantra is a tool, not a flaw.

Jahnavi describes mantra like a “washing machine” for the mind—repeated sacred words are meant to clarify and purify attention, making it easier to access emotions and truths that are otherwise hard to reach.

Confidence collapses when you feel forced to live as two different people.

Her move from a temple school to a conventional school created a sense of having to “become someone else” (even down to a uniform), and integration came slowly through agency, maturity, and self-acceptance.

Purpose-led careers often grow through small, faithful decisions—not one grand leap.

Her path emerged from practical steps (playing violin in kirtan, joining a group, touring) and one pivotal intuitive choice—abandoning a predictable job path—despite ongoing doubt about stability.

You don’t need to sing loudly to benefit from sacred sound.

She normalizes discomfort around singing and offers a spectrum of participation—from quiet singing to internal chanting—where the shared experience and intention matter more than vocal “performance.”

Spirituality is not the absence of doubt; it’s the willingness to keep learning.

A core misconception she challenges is that spiritual people are perfect or have all the answers; in reality, faith can be messy and paradoxical, and certainty can be replaced by nuance without losing integrity.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

I was trying to erase, I was trying to erase myself in a way so that no one would have anything to say or make fun of.

— Jahnavi Harrison

When I put that uniform on, I have to become someone else.

— Jahnavi Harrison

I think a misconception is that spiritual people don't have doubts, don't have material desires, don't make mistakes.

— Jahnavi Harrison

I think I have experienced crisis of faith, which required faith to come out of.

— Jahnavi Harrison

Am I connected with service in this moment?

— Jahnavi Harrison

Devotional mantra music vs. popular music (lyrics and intention)Identity, belonging, and the “two masks” problemAnxiety, sensitivity, and adolescence in mainstream schoolTurning passion into proficiency through community and touringExperiencing the divine through sound (kirtan)Crisis of faith and rediscovering prayerService as a compass for confidence and direction

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