On Purpose with Jay Shetty - Priyanka Chopra Jonas ON: How To Forge Your Own Path To Success & Release From External Expectations

Episode Date: February 8, 2021

You can order my new book 8 RULES OF LOVE at 8rulesoflove.com or at a retail store near you. You can also get the chance to see me live on my first ever world tour. This is a 90 minute interactive show where I will take you on a journey of finding, keeping and even letting go of love. Head to jayshettytour.com and find out if I'll be in a city near you. Thank you so much for all your support - I hope to see you soon.You love On Purpose because it inspires your life. Have you tried Jay’s Genius workshops and meditations to access even deeper well-being? Learn more at https://shetty.cc/OnPurposeGeniusWhen Priyanka was young she thought she had four options for what to be when she grew up: a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, or a failure. She chose none of them. Instead, she made her own path.On this episode of On Purpose with Jay Shetty, Jay Shetty speaks with actor, producer, and author Priyanka Chopra Jonas about creating unique career paths, both for yourself and others, and her new memoir, Unfinished.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Regardless of the progress you've made in life, I believe we could all benefit from wisdom on handling common problems. Making life seem more manageable, now more than ever. I'm Eric Zimmer, host of the One You Feed Podcast, where I interview thought-provoking guests who offer practical wisdom that you can use to create the life you want. 25 years ago, I was homeless and addicted to heroin. I've made my way through addiction recovery, learned to navigate my clinical depression, and figured out how to build a fulfilling life. The one you feed has over 30 million downloads and was named one of the best podcasts by Apple Podcast.

Oprah Magazine named this is one of 22 podcasts to help you live your best life. You always have the chance to begin again and feed the best of yourself. The trap is the person often thinks they'll act once they feel better. It's actually the other way around. I have had over 500 conversations with world-renowned experts and yet I'm still striving to be better.

Join me on this journey. Listen to the one you feed on the I Heart Radio app Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Debbie Brown, host of the Deeply Well podcast, where we hold conscious conversations with leaders and radical healers and wellness around topics that are meant to expand and support you on your well-being journey. Deeply well is your soft place to land,

to work on yourself without judgment, to heal, to learn, to grow, to become who you deserve to be. Deeply well with Debbie Brown is available now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Namaste. I'm Eva Longoria. And I'm Maite Gomesrajoin.

We're so excited to introduce you to our new podcast, Hungry for History. On every episode, we're exploring some of our favorite dishes, ingredients, beverages from our Mexican culture. We'll share personal memories and family stories, decode culinary customs, and even provide a recipe or two for you to try at home. Listen to Hungry for History on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. You don't have to be on one solitary journey. We put too much pressure on ourselves to function. We create boxes and glass ceilings for ourselves because we're like,

oh, this is the only way I can be and that's how you're successful. There's no black or white in the world. Everyone lives in graves. Hey everyone, welcome back to On Purpose, the number one health podcast in the world. Thanks to each and every single one of you that come back every week to listen, learn, and grow. And I am so excited to be talking to you today. I can't believe it. My new book, Eight Rules of Love, is out.

And I cannot wait to share it with you. I am so, so excited for you to read this book, for you to listen to this book. I read the audiobook. If you haven't got it already, make sure you go to 8rulesoflove.com. It's dedicated to anyone who's trying to find, keep, or let go of love.

So if you've got friends that are dating, broken up, or struggling with love, make sure you grab this book. And I'd love to invite you to come and see me for my global tour. that are dating, broken up, or struggling with love, make sure you grab this book. And I'd love to invite you to come and see me for my global tour. Love rules. Go to jsheddytour.com to learn more information about tickets, VIP experiences, and more. I can't wait to see you this year.

Today's guest is someone that I've been looking forward to interviewing for a very long time. I believe that she was actually one of the first names on my list when I launched the podcast two years ago of someone that I was really excited to sit down with. So to me, this is a super special moment and I think you're in for a real treat. Today's guest is the one and only Priyanka Chopra and today we're talking about her new memoir, Unfinished.

For the two people who are listening who don't know who Prank is, Prank is an actor, singer, and film producer. She's been in the entertainment industry for over 20 years that spans both the East and West. Her body would super start and began when she won Miss World 2000 and she hasn't slowed down since. From starting her own production company and now having so many successful hit movies

and TV shows in the US, and of course most recently, marrying her beloved Nick Jonas, Priyanka's story is remarkable to say the least, and you can pick up her book, Unfinished on February 9th. Please welcome to the show on purpose, Priyanka Chopra. Jonas. Thank you.

It's all right. Everyone forgets that. Sorry, Nate. Sorry, Nate. You know, it's a, it's a new addition and, um, it's, you know, I've had 35 years of my life as just Priyanka Chopra. And most people know me as just that. So, you know, it's going to take a second. It's fine. I, I have been watching you for so many years since I was a kid.

And obviously you're a kid too. When you started in the industry, and so I've been hearing your name and saying your name for so long. But no offense, Nick, my wife is all to the same. She has her. She has my name last on her name too. So people forget me all the time.

So we have something in common. But it's not really forgetting you, Jay. It's forgetting your last name. That's a difference. True, thank you for the clarification. That makes my ego feel a bit better. But honestly, it's such a joy to have you here. I meant what I said when we first launched the podcast,

you were one of the first names that I wrote down as someone that I was excited to speak with. And I saw a few days ago on Instagram, you posted a picture of yourself at age 17. And it was, it was a great throwback. And, and I was wondering two things. The first thing is, what is a piece of advice that you wish you had at 17 and the other way around? Is there a piece of advice or wisdom that your 17-year-old self would potentially share with you now where you are today? Yeah, I have actually answers for both. What I would tell that 17-year-old, you know, I was bright-eyed,

bushy-tailed, I'd just been selected into the Miss India pageant, I'd just turned 17 and I was like, oh my gosh, I'm gonna be a model and I'd never thought about that. My teenage vanity was peaked and what I would have told that girl is, you know, just breathe and just chill a little. I was very hard on myself because everything that I've made so far with the encouragement of my family has kind of been self-made. I had to learn on the job. Nobody, I didn't know anything. I came from in high school and an engineering background

or I wanted to be an engineer. And life just kind of had other plans and you know you kind of, are you going to swim? Are you going to sink? And I will always swim. So I've just kind of, it's, I think that what I would tell, I used to really take it very seriously. I berated myself a lot and I was a heart on myself and I would tell my younger self, chill out, time heals everything. It'll all be fine. And what she would probably tell me is to not get caught up in my schedule and in the multiple things that I juggle and not forget the excitement of doing what I'm doing.

Sometimes it's hard, you know, after you do it for such a long time, you have to remind yourself to be excited and be inspired and, you know, feel sort of alive instead of it being a job. And yeah, I think that's what she would tell me. I love that. That's a beautiful, both of those are beautiful answers. And I wanted to ask that to you because I think often we think like, oh, we have the wisdom now and we can advise younger selves, but in the way you shared your answer,

there's so much wisdom coming back. And I think that's a great reminder for everyone. Now, I saw a video again on your Instagram where you just received the book a couple of days ago. I had the digital version up until this morning when I finally got the physical version. So I've been flicking through on the digital version. It's nice to have it physically here.

I'm intrigued that, you know, what chapter of your life, you spoke about excitement there, what chapter of your life was the most exciting to reflect and write upon? Because it's such a fascinating thing to write a memoir, but which one, which part of it was your favorite of going through? My childhood, because I hadn't thought about it

for a really long time. I was, in fact, just writing the memoir was so healing and weirdly sort of inspiring and healing. And I just remember, never remembering. I sat down to write it, and I had never thought about what had happened in my life. I never looked back. I was only running.

As you know, the entertainment business, our jobs are very transitory. It's not consistent. It's not stable. You are as much as your next job. You don't know where your next check's coming from. You don't know where you're going to be moving. So, you know, there's a constant like hustle and you're running all the time. And I just never looked. And when I started writing the book, I was forced to look. And I was very excited to write about my childhood because I could taste it. I could smell it. I remember those mogra flowers, the ratki rani,

that used to be in all the army barracks. I remember the feeling of the cold walls, there used to always be white, the garden, my bike, moving to a new city every two years. It was such a time of adventure for me and a time of unlimited possibilities. And I was raised with that, my parents always made me feel like the world is my oyster. I can go anywhere I want. And that was such a time of wonder.

Yeah, well, it's beautiful that you have such strong vivid memories. And it sounds like, and I'm thinking about our audience that's listening and watching, or we'll listen and watch this afterwards, it sounds like everyone needs to revisit their childhood. Or remember and write a memoir. Even if it's not a memoir that gets published and goes out to the world, it almost feels like reflecting is really important. What helped you? Were you speaking to friends from back then or were you speaking to your, who were you connecting with to reignite some of those memories?

Oh, everyone in the memories. I called my mom, my brother, my cousins who I grew up with, friends from time I corroborated the stories because memories are weird thing, you know, I remember it a certain way somebody else remembers it a certain way. And there was this one story I remember that day being wonderful because we went to the Statue of Liberty after, and we got hot dogs, and we were walking around New York City, and I remember it being like, oh, I touched a painting that's so cool that I think it was a Starry Night. And my cousins who were with me, remember the day completely differently.

They were tortured, embarrassed. My cousin who's an art student, she was like, you got me kicked out of moment. And like, I was like, wow, I didn't remember that at all. Well, that's brilliant. Was that your rebellious side or was that a mistake? Or was it curiosity? I was just curious.

I just, I feel like rules sometimes, and trust me, I mean, I'm in a public profession, I have to follow them. But you know, sometimes we conform to rules that just sort of stop our ability to grow. And unless it's like hurting someone or something, which by touching star in night, I probably was hurting the painting. But at that time, I didn't know. Well, the value of the painting just went up. It just went up. But you know, like, otherwise, I think,

you've got to sometimes, you have to push the envelope. There's been too many generations that have been defined by what people think, you know, we can achieve or, you know, limitations that have been imposed because of people not being able to think or dream big enough. And I think it's every generation's responsibility to show the endless possibilities to the next. Yeah, you've definitely done that. I mean, you're constantly breaking rules in your career and your journey starting from touching that paint to get MoMA all the way through today.

But was that an energy and a mindset that you believe you had at that young age, or is that something you think you gradually developed? Where did that confidence come from? Because when I hear you say it today, it comes with confidence, obviously it comes with having done it. And I think there are a lot of people out there who may feel that way, but they then also feel insecure that, are they the right person to do that? Do they have permission to do that? There's something that then still holds them back. What was it for you that allowed you to go all the way? Well, two things.

My parents, for sure. I grew up in an environment where I was not shamed for my ideas. At 12 years old, I told my parents, I wanted to live in America with my aunt and my parents were like, by peace, it was fine. We had a logical pro and con conversation. I was raised sort of to have opinions, even if the room was hostile. So I think that really gave me a sense of self

and I think it's really important in parenting for us to treat our children like they're developing their own minds because that's so important for them to have a sense of self and feel like they're not robots, but they're actually thinking and they have a say in their decisions. It really lends for adults being able to have a sense of confidence. And second, to really understand and accept that confidence is not something you always need. You don't. and accept that confidence is not something you always need. You don't.

So put it in a backpack. It's okay. Give it a break. Let it be in your purse. Let it be in your wallet. Let it chill for a second. Feel insecure. Feel like scared.

Feel afraid. Feel vulnerable. But when you need the confidence and you walk into that room, you'll have it. Because you didn't keep using it. You didn't need to constantly have a cover of, or sort of like a uniform of confidence, you don't have to always show confidence, you don't have to exude confidence, you never, you don't, you just have to pull it out when you need it. And then when it's in the reserve, it's so much more powerful

because you're allowing yourself to be all the things I feel insecure. I'm terrified that this book is coming out. It's the first time I've ever written and I've never been so personal in my whole life. I've been a public person for 20 years. Never scratched beneath the surface. I've gotten away with sharing whatever I wanted to share about my life and not more, you know. My story is people think they know it, but they really don't. And I've managed that for 20 years. But I think now on the other side of 35 was feeling a sense of confidence and a sense of self

in my capabilities in what I bring to the table. It only took 20 years for me to get there, but I got there. And I think all those insecurities that I address in my book don't scare me that much anymore, as they did at that time, as they worry me. And I was like, I don't want to talk about it. Nobody needs to know about my life. And, you know, but now I'm at a place where I'm just like, well, it's still on my terms. And, you know And I'm hoping that people maybe get to know me a little bit more than a fashion meme or a headline or something like that.

Yeah, I think that's what I love about it from the few pages that I've flicked through. I definitely see you allowing yourself. And that's the power of a book though. And so I relate to that insecurity. My first book came out last September. And I know you're a first book. I was so I have it.

I was so no, that's awesome. I'm so glad you have it. I was I was so nervous. So I can I know what you mean by that. And especially for you at this stage in your career of yours as a memoir mine had part stories. It wasn't a memoir. So I can only imagine, but I see you doing that and books are so powerful for that.

And that's why I really hope everyone who's listening and watching right now, if you're enjoying this conversation, go and pick up the book because I do think that media, the news, the short meme, the clip, it portrays such a limited view of someone like yourself. And it's a superficial view, really. And you, yeah. And it's okay, it's a choice also.

I want to, for people to consume only a part of me, you know, I want to be able to preserve my humanity, my family, my life, my opinions. I may have chosen a public profession, but I'm not an elected official. I don't owe an explanation to anyone for the choices that I make. You know, I'm here to create work.

I'm doing a job just like everybody else. Mine happens to be an entertainment, and it happens to have a lot of cameras on my face. It's fine. You know, I made that deal with the devil. So I've kind of made peace with the fact that I prefer it being from a distance. But at the same time, I think now I've been a public person for more than half my life. It's my normal. And only now have I reached a point where I'm allowing the walls to sort of fall down and

letting whoever wants to know me get to know me as the person that I am before that I was very protective of who I was because maybe I was insecure about who I was or I still didn't have a sense of self, I don't know. But I think in the journey of life I've reached a place where, you know, I'm't know. But I think in the journey of life, I've reached a place where, you know, I'm good with who I am. So. Yeah. What's, that's wonderful to hear by the way,

and I can feel it off your energy. What's the part of yourself in this book that you share that you think most people are going to be surprised by? Where you think that people may just be like, what, and I'm sure there's many, but what's something that stands out? Like what? And I'm sure there's many, but what's something that stands out?

It's there are a few, which I think people may be surprised by that I was vulnerable enough to discuss. And I think my failures, my struggles, rejections, sadness, that I've never really, people have never seen. I always wear a brave front. Most women in tough jobs have to always have a little bit more of a stronger front to be taken seriously. I built that very early at 18 to be thrown into the limelight of this job. I mean, you know, you've been in it for such a long time. You know, it's a crazy

profession, the expectations, the pressure, you know, to deliver under that scrutiny, to be artistic, to yet have a point of view, to be unique, not, you know, have your own trajectory because that's the only way it'll work. You have to always have a sense of evolution. So it was really, really scary in the beginning. And I think everything just changes with time and this was one of the good changes that came out of it for me. Yeah, no, absolutely. And I'm hoping that I want to do you think that's changing now if someone's coming into the entertainment industry today at 18 or do you think it hasn't changed?

Where's your perception on that when you're guiding young artists or seeing people that you follow on social media or whatever it may be? Are you feeling it's changing? Has it improved or no? The pressure, you mean? Not the pressure, more of the... Like you were saying, when you came into the industry,

you had to put on a brave front, you had to wear that face. It was the only way to survive. Do you feel it's the same now for young talent as well? I think... Well, I was talking about definitely as a female. Yes, yes, as a female. As a female business. Oh, as a female. Yes. Okay. I think, well, I was talking about definitely as a female. Yes, yes, as a female. As a female business.

Oh, as a female. OK. I think so. I think it's still hard when you're starting out for women to be taken seriously for your ideas to be given the kind of credence that a man's would as quickly, probably, especially in professions where normally you don't see women because women have never

been pushed in that direction. Or women have never wanted to go in that direction because it was never normalized for them. That their ambitions could go in that direction, business, politics, to be heads of companies, engineering, coding, policy making. Stuff like that, lawyers, women have just about in the last few generations been coming to the fore and are standing neck to neck with guys.

But still, and anomaly, it's still not as normal in terms of numbers. It's still not equal. So until that happens, I think it will be hard for young girls to be taken seriously when they come into professions that are predominantly male. But it's okay. Women before us have fought the fight and women after us will fight the fight. It'll just hopefully not be the same fight. Hopefully our generation will not let our kids inherit our problems, you know, as women. We are definitely working in that direction, but I think as the world needs to sit up and take notice that this demand is loud because it's a requirement. This demand is loud because that's what's right.

And that is the reflection of the world, women are 50% of it. And we should be reflected in you know, every area. And basically feminism is that, right? Like, don't decide for me what I should be doing, when I should be doing it, and how I should be doing it. Just like men have had that freedom, give me that as well. So I guess it's that. It's a strong message. Sorry, we deviated. No, no, no, you're not deviating at all.

It's a strong message and I stand by it. So it's a great message. And how's that New Year's resolution coming along? You know, the one you made about paying off your pesky credit card debt and finally starting to save a retirement? Well, you're not alone if you haven't made progress yet, roughly four in five New Year's resolutions fail within the first month or two. But that doesn't have to be the case for you and your goals. Our podcast, How to Money, can help.

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Listen to how to money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Yvonne Gloria. I'm Maite Gomes-Rachon. We're so excited to introduce you to our new podcast, Hungry for History! On every episode, we're exploring some of our favorite dishes, ingredients, beverages from our Mexican culture. We'll share personal memories and family stories, decode culinary customs, and even provide a recipe or two for you to try at home.

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app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Debbie Brown, and my podcast deeply well is a soft place to land on your wellness journey. I hold conscious conversations with leaders and radical healers and wellness and mental health around topics that are meant to expand and support you on your journey. From guided meditations to deep conversations

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Debbie Brown is your soft place to land, to work on yourself without judgment, to heal, to learn, to grow, to become who you deserve to be. Deeply well is available now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Big love. Namaste. And it's really interesting where male privilege is a really interesting thing to reflect

on. I remember when I first started reflecting on it, it started to strike me in a crazy way that I grew up having had said in dreams of becoming something that my sister couldn't have had. And that wasn't because of the way we were parented, it was because of what you saw. And when that really hit me and I stood and looked at that, and I often encourage a lot of my friends in that direction too, I'm like, if you really think about, if they have a son and a daughter,

I'm like, if you really think about some of the options that don't seem available to your daughter, that she may never consider a career. And I really think that that consideration is where the equality is, like the opportunity of even having that idea of I could do that, alright. Exactly. The opportunity of having choice, I think, of even having that idea of I could do that, or I could do that.

Exactly. The opportunity of having choice, I think, a lot of women we are, so I am extremely privileged that I was raised by a feminist, I'm married to a feminist, I'm extremely privileged that my parents, which is why I brought up parenting earlier, a big reason I have a sense of confidence, and I'm on this side of the fight because it's not as hard as it is on so many women around the world. I still had to fight. Of course, I had to break down the doors, and I had to, you know,

prove a point to be taken seriously. I was kicked out of movies and replaced and, you know, all the things. But I still had it so much easier. There are women around the world that don't have a say in their life that are married off when you know other people decide that people choose who they are married to, whether they can work or not, when they should have children. What kind of children they should have? I mean, it's that basic, that basic freedom that such a large part of the world because of how norms of society were archaically, you know, noxious norms which need to change. And that doesn't mean giving up culture, that doesn't mean giving up tradition, you know, it's just means creating opportunity.

My father told me when I was very, very young, my mom's since I was nine years old, you will have financial independence before anything you do. It doesn't matter whose daughter you are, it doesn't matter who you're married to. You'll stand on your own feet and there's such a power to that.

To having, you know, to be raised by parents who put that in my head. So I was ambitious from 12 years old. I decided every year what I wanted to be, and it changed every year. I love hearing that, and it reminded me of something you've said before when you were speaking about your father there about how Nick for you shares this same admiration of your power and your ambition and feels supportive and excited and enthusiastic about the way you carry yourself. Tell us a bit about how I feel like that's such an important thing for both and anyone in a relationship to feel like their partner is inspired by their values, their beliefs, and their dreams. What does it felt like in the past where you feel like

you haven't had that? And if someone who's listening or watching is feeling like, maybe I don't have that. How do you think someone can navigate that or to ultimately attract the partner that does have that? What's that journey like? Because I think a lot of people feel like they're with someone who may not understand

or get their dreams, especially when they're starting out. Then it's the wrong person for you. And if you have the, especially if you're starting out and you're testing the waters and I think it's so crucial if you have a choice in your life to end up with someone who even if is not enthused by your dreams, is at least interested in them? Is at least excited about them or, you know, is at least encouraging? Like, that's exciting. Because, you know, everyone's busy and everyone has a thing in their lives, but to take, to make the effort,

to make the effort, to make you feel like your dreams are as important as the other one is such a gift and I have been very blessed to have that You know, I find even even whatever wherever you are in your relationship. Obviously you and Nick lead extremely busy relives You know my wife and I lead busy lives and I feel even if someone's not in the entertainment industry or the media industry my wife and I lead busy lives. And I feel even if someone's not in the entertainment industry or the media industry, everyone feels like they live busy lives.

What does support look like when two people are busy, driven and ambitious? Because you obviously have it. You're speaking about it right now and it's beautiful. What does that actually look like in a real practical sense? Obviously the last six months or the last 12 months have been different.

But in reality, what does that look like? Because I feel that maybe sometimes we have false expectations. Sometimes you want, you know, it's not natural that you can be at every show Nick does. It's not natural for him to be at every set you're doing. Same with me and my wife. Like, my wife can't be at every event I'm speaking at.

I can't be at every interview or something she's doing. What does support look like? What does love look like in a very real practical sense? I think when it comes to support specifically, I think giving the other person this space to do what they're doing is very important without them feeling like, oh my, like, for example,

I'm here in London for a year right now, and Nick is filming in LA. And I can't travel. But before the holidays, he made sure he was here for two months to settle me in, you know, to make sure that the house was all set up and everything was sorted and we were together for the holidays. That's because he was free at the end of the month. And that support, you know, it doesn't have to be large, it doesn't have to be, you know, a big expression of, I don't know, love and or big gifts. It's not, it's about giving space, it's about giving freedom, it's about appreciation. And I find this one thing really helpful. I always think about when he's busy or he's having

a crazy day, which he does for me as well, which is amazing. And everyone can follow this and super easy, is to think about how can I make that person's day easier? Just like, and that's such a lovely loving thing. Just sometimes I'm, you know, back to back, especially when I was doing promo, I was doing like 20 interviews and suddenly there'd be like a really nice cocktail that would come in in the evening or suddenly there'd be a really nice like cup of coffee or, you know, something to eat for me that would come in and it's just like so sweet to think about that or if I'm sitting outside you know you'll bring a blanket and put it. It's just being thoughtful and aware about your person and you know that's the greatest form

of love is showing it without really asking for it. That's such a great piece of advice. I love that. To be, you said to be thoughtfully aware, and I think that's, that's so true. And, and the beautiful thing about everything you just said is that it's, it's free, it's cheap, it's small, it's simple as it's, it's accessible to everyone. And it's the best. It's the best. It's the best. Yeah. When, when you feel like someone's in tune with you and, and your emotions and how you feel, how you might be tired or how you might be sleepy or how you might be cold. Like those small things when you feel someone's aware and I love that piece of advice. I think it's something that everyone's definitely learned

more about in the pandemic, where we're exposed to each other. Tell me a bit about the title unfinished because I obviously it leads to your determined, ambitious voice. But what other parts of your growth, maybe internally, personally, do you feel your unfinished honor working on? I mean, so much. I've just about, you know, in my 30s in this decade has been amazing because I've just, you know, found my strengths, I think, as a woman. And what I'm looking forward to going forward is I'm very nascent in my career in America right now. It's just been five years since

I've started working here. I just about have done my first, you know, leading feature film. I've just about done my first dramatic part here. I want to be able to build, you know, the kind of career that I had the good fortune of building in another amazing industry. In India, I've done such a variety of roles there, worked with the best filmmakers, best actors. I want to be able to have that experience here. So my artistic side now that I've started on this journey and this part of the world is peaked to be able to do that as well. As a producer, I want to be able to create a lot more South Asian content in Hollywood.

I didn't see enough parts for myself. I didn't see enough of it on TV and considering how large the South Asian population is around the world and how English speaking we are, you know, English language entertainment should be reflecting that. So, I want to be able to tell stories in India as well. And as here, I want to build as an entrepreneur. It's something I didn't do up until now because I was building my acting career so much.

So founding my own brand, investing in tech, I find that really fascinating. My philanthropy, I want to be able to set up my foundation really well, my work with UNICEF. I've just about moved into our new house after almost 10 to 15 years of living in rentals or hotel rooms, you know, because I always just kept moving I was so nomadic. I'm looking forward to, you know, watching the trees grow in my garden. I love that. Watching trees grow is great. I love that.

You're, that's brilliant. Hearing you say that, I love hearing you talk about the South Asian storytelling. Like obviously that relates where he's strongly to me and my roots growing up in London as well, where I think we have an incredibly strong South Asian community, where you are right now, where I was born and raised. And I definitely felt this, yeah, lack of representation,

lack of the ability to dream in a certain way. My career has been totally random, but I'm doing something today that I would never have imagined even knowing it existing. But see, even that, you and I, two South Asians sitting in these boxes and talking about the fact that the careers that we are thriving in, that we have worked so hard to make, was never in our minds, was never a possibility. I would have never dreamed about it because it wasn't in my realm of dreaming, but that's not how it should be.

Considering the, we're one fifth of the world's popular. We're huge, we're everywhere, okay? And I think, and it shouldn't be so hard for me to, you know, come into an industry and say, I want an opportunity and for people to be like, oh, well, we're gonna have to create that now, won't we? How long?

We've existed for a really long time, you know? it's the irony of it. It's so amusing, but sad at the same time. Yeah, no, that resonates very strongly with me because I didn't even know any careers existed. And when I say this, I don't say it lightly. I genuinely didn't believe Korea's existed outside of medicine, engineering and business. Like, I didn't really know. Me neither. I didn't know that you could have a successful career in anything else. Me neither. At 17 when I was, it was a fluke why I got into the Miss India pageant and that kind of kick

started everything for me. But I wanted to be an engineer because those were the options, Dr. Engineer lawyer. And if you come from an academic family, or if you come from an academic family, or you know, our parents are immigrants and my parents, even in India, were building their businesses for the first time, it wasn't inherited from them. So they also were surviving and I think it's that survival instinct that sort of pushed them to put the aspirations that they knew best on their kids. This is the best job you'll always make money, you will be stable. always make money, you will be stable. Yes.

You know, but also the internet sort of changed our, for sure. I think our generation, the fact that the internet made the world such a small place, which is another big reason why we should see so much more representation is because we're catering to the whole world now. Our 20s are saying is this golden decade. Our time to be carefree, full in love, make mistakes,

and decide what we want from our life. But what can psychology really teach us about this decade? I'm Gemma Speg, the host of the psychology of your 20s. Each week we take a deep dive into a unique aspect of our 20s from career anxiety, mental health, heartbreak, money, friendships, and much more to explore the science and the psychology behind our experiences, incredible guests, fascinating topics, important science, and a bit of my own personal experience. Audrey, I honestly have no idea what's going on with my life. Or, Drea, honestly, I have no idea what's going on with my life. Join me as we explore what our 20s are really all about. From the good, the bad, and the ugly, and listen along as we uncover how everything is psychology,

including our 20s. The psychology of your 20s hosted by me, Gemis Bag. Now streaming on the iHotRadio app, my podcast, Navigating Narcissism. Narcissists are everywhere and their toxic behavior in words can cause serious harm to your mental health. In our first season, we heard from Eileen Charlotte, who was loved by the Tinder swindler. The worst part is that he can only be guilty for stealing the money from me,

but he cannot be guilty for the mental part he did. And that's even way worse than the money he took. But I am here to help. As a licensed psychologist and survivor of narcissistic abuse myself, I know how to identify the narcissists in your life. Each week, you will hear stories from survivors who have navigated through toxic relationships, gaslighting, love bombing, and the process of their healing from these relationships.

Listen to navigating narcissism on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A good way to learn about a place is to talk to the people that live there. There's just this sexy vibe and Montreal, this pulse, this energy. But what has been seen is a very snotty city. People call it Bosedangeless. New Orleans is a town that never forgets its pay. A great way to get to know a place is to get invited to a dinner party. Hi, I'm Brendan Francis Newton,

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I don't spend as much time thinking about how I'm going to die alone when I'm traveling. But I get to travel with someone I love. Oh, see, I love you too. And also, we get to eat as much... I love you too. Mike's a lot of therapy goes behind that. You're so white. I love it. Listen to not lost on the IHART radio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Definitely, definitely. I you're reminding me of a few years ago. I before I actually started doing what I do today, I went to a, a presenter training day run by the BBC in London at Pinewood Studios. I'm sure you know it or have seen it. We went to this studio and it was an ethnic minority TV training day. So it was only for ethnic minorities. I went into this room and there were just five brown and black people in there.

That was it. It was a free training session on presenting and seeing if you had the skills to be in media. And then I remember at the end of it saying like, oh, you know, like, is there any opportunity, where do we? And they were like, no, no, no, there are no opportunities. And I said, why you call this goal here to train us, to tell us there are no opportunities. And they were like, oh, but you can start a YouTube channel. And that's, you know, what you're saying about social media is so true that it was

so hard to find an entry point without being able to create your own community. And I think I love the way the world's gone, because now it's allowed each and every single one of us to create a community around what we care about. And that's what I wanted to ask you that today you're an entrepreneur, you're an actor, you're a producer, you have your own production company. How do you define Brionk and your progenesis purpose that kind of cascades into all those areas? Like, what do you see as your purpose and the work that you're doing? Because to me, it seems it's always been driven by purpose.

It definitely has. It's always to evolve. I feel like my purpose is to find the next thing that I can do, the next new thing, the next thing that I can push the envelope on, or the next thing where I can push the goal post. I want to do something different. I've always been driven to, you know, and that doesn't mean every choice is that, but that's the eventual big picture purpose, you know, to be able to sort of, I've been given such an incredible opportunity from the beginning of my career. You know, I was, I don't take that lightly to be, there are so many people around the world that are probably more talented than me, probably more deserving

than me. But, you know, the sum of the opportunities I chose is the reason why I'm here today. And I don't take that for granted at all. And that's my purpose, is to make sure that, you know, every single day is spent with a pursuit of excellence in every single choice that I make. What are three truths that you live by? If you had to define three things that you always live by that you don't negotiate with, that guide you, that guide your decisions and guide your life when you're looking at those projects. As you said, you always want to find that next thing that you're going to break through and that you don't want to be scared of trying new

things. What are some of those? If it resonates with me, like if I read something and I moved by like the white tiger, for example, I'd read the book and it really like there, you know, some books you just remember always because they were such a vivid journey and the white tiger was one of those for me. It was such a vivid journey and when I read that it was being adapted, I chased it. I went after it. And I was like, I need to be, I need to do this. I need to be a part of it because it moved me. It was a story that I feel like needs to be told, is topical, it's entertaining. It's based on a universal theme of the haves

and the have-nots that exist everywhere. So I think that I feel is my purpose to be able to be moved by the things that I choose to align with. And I think also for it to be a growth for me, you know, for it to be for it to be taking me to the next step. I don't like to stay in the same place for a very long time. Do the same kind of thing for a very long time. I want to go to the next thing. What is what is better and my job sort of lends

me to be able to do that because it's very transitory. There's no, you know, you don't know where your next job is or where your next check comes from or anything, right? So it allows me to pick and choose what I think is the next step. But those two things are very important, I think. But those two things are very important, I think. Those are great truths. Those are great truths. And I think they come across in your book when you kind of see, like, how is this person had, like, 10 careers, you know, in a good way, in a strong sense of being able to find that? And I wonder, obviously, you've played so many roles

and studied so many characters in your life, was writing this book almost like studying your own self as a character in terms of like the role you played? So the reflection of this book is sort of me now, you know, talking to my younger me growing up. So I comment on myself and stuff and like, come on, you know, don't, don't do, note to self. I have a lot of notes to self in the book. So it's sort of a commentary on that. But I think I wasn't examining myself as a character because I think I, I was sort of going along with my journey all over again. I was experiencing my journey all over again.

I didn't have to create anything. I just had to remember it as vividly as I could. And I don't know, I hope I got everything right. I've tried to, but memory is a funny thing. I just, I experienced it. It was almost like, you know, when you're in a train and you're looking outside and, you know, I just, I experienced it. It was almost like, you know, when you're in a train and you're looking outside and, you know, the world is sort of moving by or in a car.

Looking outside and the world is moving by. That's how I felt when I was writing the book. Yeah, you share this beautiful quote in chapter eight that really stuck with me. I've never, I've never read this one before and I absolutely love discovering writers and thoughts. So thank you for introducing me to this. It says, it's, it's from letters to a young poet.

And it says, be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart. And try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms, and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. And I thought the selection of that quote, it really spoke to me, how do you balance your drive

and what's next with that passion, sorry, with that patience and with that approach? Because often it can feel like, it's like you're trying to find that next thing, trying to grow and evolve, but you're also beautifully speaking about patients. Well, I bifurcated, I'm not patient in my job,

but I'm patient as a person. And my job doesn't make me. It's not, my job is not my whole, you know? And this is again, something I didn't know earlier, I've grown into understanding this. My younger self probably wouldn't, my 20s, I didn't know this, but I've bifur this. My younger self probably wouldn't, my 20s, I didn't know this.

But I've bifurcated very clearly. My professional life is my professional life. My personal life is my personal life. They meet in the middle sometimes because I'm a public person. But I still have an immense part of me that's not for public consumption. And it's not for anyone else but me. So that side of me is patient. That side of me has become calmer,

a little bit more, having stable, maybe having my feet on the ground a little bit. But my professional self is still a little dizzy, I'm impatient, I want the next thing right now. I wake up in the morning thinking about my entire day and how I'm going to achieve every single thing at 0 to 60. And that works for that girl. It doesn't work for this girl.

And it took a lot of introspection for me to get here, actually. In that chapter, I actually talk about that journey of getting to that place, because I wasn't there. And a lot of my professional attitude, which was, you know, I am going to do everything I can to make this the best. I took a lot of the onus of life upon myself as well, and it hurt me. And it, and I didn't need to take the responsibility of life, life happens. And we've kind of got to navigate it every single day and live it for being on the right side of the truth and being a good person and having joy in the day because life is a gift and you know, it needs to be celebrated. And so my personal side of that pre is real chill and

loves life and but the other girl, she's crazy. That's a fantastic distinction and I love that. I'm so glad that you shared that with us. That's such a great way of Helping people understand how to seemingly opposite ideas can coexist and I think we often feel like we have to choose like you're either Driven or you're calm. You're either ambitious or you're you know conscious and aware and I'm so happy you said that Because I couldn't agree more. I think it's fun letting two ideas collide and live within the same space in person.

And I think it's natural as well. It is natural. Dicotomy is the most consistent things you'll see around. Nobody's one thing. No emotion is a singular emotion. You are at any given moment and that's an actor thing, I guess. When you're playing a character, you have to think about everything that character is playing. You can't just be like, oh, this is an angry scene. I'm going to just be angry and yell my eyes out. You know, yell my, whatever, throw it out. You're not, that's not a good actor. You're not even scratching beneath the surface. The actor who thinks about, oh my gosh, I'm getting late or I have to have this conversation. It's also cold and I'm like

mad about whatever last week, my job, I got fired. You've got to think about all of those elements. So in the same way, in life, we never have to choose one thing. So we need to take that pressure off of our backs. That you don't have to be on one solitary journey. You can choose to be on any journey at any time. You can choose to feel. As long as you take the pressure, we put too much pressure on ourselves to function. We create boxes and glass ceilings for ourselves because we're like, oh, this is the only way I can be. And that's how you're successful. There's no black or white in the world. Everyone lives in grays. Thank you so much for sharing that passionately. I could feel your passion just like flying through the screen. You're like, everyone who's listening and watching. This is just, you know, straight,

it's beautiful. It's fantastic. Branka, you've been so kind with your and generous with your time. We end every podcast with two segments. These segments are called Fill in the blank and the fast five. The fill in the blank is a fill in the blank round, very aware. And then I'll introduce the fast five later. So if you're ready, this is your fill in the blank. Okay.

So the hardest part about my job is the hours 2020 gave me a new perspective on creativity Yeah, I just feel because I gave me a sense of Balance I became a lot more creative. I think yeah, that makes sense that stillness that clarity that slow down for once the luxury of time which I never have. Yeah. And I've never chosen the force. This force time was very helpful. Yeah, I love that. My power comes from. My family. Working hard makes me feel fulfilled. Story. Story telling is. A joy.

And my dogs are. My world. Oh. Oh. I love it. OK, this is your final five. So questions can be one word to one sentence maximum. You did extremely well on the fill in the blank.

So these are one word to one sentence maximum. Okay. Who do you go to for their opinion about your work? Great. Great answer. I love it. I love it. I let the people decide. You know, one of my favorite things about you over the years is just how straight talking you are and obviously my intention has only been positive towards you, but I've loved watching your interviews where someone asks, tries to ask just an awkward irrelevant question and you always just give them the best answer. Yeah, it's it's just it's so fun to watch. It's so fun. And I haven't I haven't been able to be on the other end of it, thankfully, but

but it's it's great. It's great. Okay. What's the best piece of advice you ever received? To have courage of conviction, my mom said that to me when I was very young. She said, if you're going to tell the truth or if you're going to tell a lie, just know that whatever you do, you have to stand by it, the good, the bad, and ugly. It's all yours. What's the worst advice you've ever received? I don't retain bad advice. Great answer. That's a great answer.

It's awesome. Yeah. It makes perfect sense. Why would you remember it? It just, I don't have the place in my brain for it. There's too many other things floating around. Question number four, what's something that you know to be true for you, but that other people may disagree on?

So something that your confident is true, but other people may disagree on. So something that your confident is true, but other people may not understand it fully. That I'm actually like you a monk. People won't believe it. Because most people, even my closest family would be like, you know, because I'm always like in a tizzy, but I'm actually inherently Rather close close to monk not really actually. I love it. No, I love it. That's great I that that was the whole reason why I was encouraging people to have a monk mindset that anyone in the world can can have that so I I love hearing that That's that's beautiful. You don't have to you don't have to live like a monk to think like a monk. So I'm glad. That's great.

OK, fifth and final question. If you could make one law in the world that everyone had to follow, what would it be? No one goes hungry. It's my law. It's the worst thing to see. Yeah, if we could change just that, it would really change a lot of things.

That's such a great law. We've never had anyone say that before, so I'm really happy you shared that. And I couldn't agree more. As a monk, we worked on several food distribution programs in India, where I was. And it was so meaningful to see but there's so much work that needs to be done in that space all across the world.

All over the world. Yeah, all over the world. Everywhere. That's like such a basic right and need for a human being to just live. And you know, I've done obviously coming from having grown up in India, but also I've worked with kids around the world with UNICEF. And it's just, it's like that's got a change. A hungry child is, it's just, it's not right, it's not natural.

And yeah, and it's like, you know, we talk about, as we were talking about the dreams and the ambitions, but it all starts with food and water and, you know, it starts with those basic necessities to help that person. So that's a beautiful answer. And we also as privileged society have become very disensitized to it, you know, drive past home the shelter, you're not thinking about it. And I'm not saying that, you know, each person needs to empty their wallets and like make a difference to the world. I think, yes, it is the responsibility of the large earners definitely of, you know, the

billionaires of the world, because in a big way. But I think also the responsibility of each one of us to just do whatever we can, you know, and that doesn't have to be large. It could be just kindness, compassion, change someone's life, just look around you, your neighborhood, just that that itself will be helpful, you know. I was as a kid, my mom told me, no matter how badly off you are, how bad your circumstances are, someone's worse off than you. And that's just the truth of the world. I love how much you remember and quote your parents. It's such a beautiful thing because it shows you the power of good parenting and beautiful

messaging from a young age because it's such a special thing. So I think they also repeated themselves a lot That's brilliant I love that they just kept saying the same thing every birthday Everybody I was like all right again Same thing. I was like, all right, again. Well, the repetition worked. It worked. The repetition worked. Yeah, I wrote a book about them. I love it. Yeah, the repetition worked so much that if you want to be

parented by Pranko Trevor Jonas's parents, that's this is what's in the way. No, please go and grab a copy. We're putting the link everywhere for unfinished a memoir by Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Go and grab the book, go and read it, go and share it. Read it together, start a book club around it. We're going to make this one of our book club picks for the on-purpose community. So I'll be sharing that with all of you and all the notes as I'm reading through it. Recommend that you do the same. Priyanka, I'm so grateful for your time, your generous time for staying up with us. I know you've got lots more of these to do. And I look forward to meeting you very soon.

So thank you so much. Is there anything you want to share last with everyone? No, I just want to say this was so nice, Jay. It was such a lovely conversation. I always knew it was going to be, but you're just insightful. And I can see why you do what you do so well and more power to you. Keep pushing it. Thank you. Thank you so much, Frank. It's such a pleasure.

All the best for the rest of your interviews and the rest of the tour. And look forward to this weekend to you soon. Okay, stay safe chat soon. from me every week that gives you an extra dose of positivity. Weekly wisdom is my newsletter where I jot down whatever's on my mind that I think may uplift your week. Basically little bits of goodness that are going to improve your well-being. The short news letter is all about growth and sending positivity straight to your inbox. Read it with a cup of tea, forward it to a friend and let these words brighten your day. To sign up, just go to jshetty.me and drop your email in the pop-up. If you have trouble finding it, just scroll to the very bottom of the page and you'll

see the sign up. Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy my weekly wisdom newsletter. I am Yomla Van Sant and I'll be your host for The R Spot. Each week listeners will call me live to discuss their relationship issues. Nothing will tear a relationship down faster than two people with no vision. Does your all are just floppin' around like fish out of water? Mommy, daddy, your ex, I'll be talking about those things and so much more. Check out the R-Spot on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you listen to podcasts. The therapy for Black Girls podcast is your space to explore mental health, personal development, and all of the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves. I'm your host, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, and I

can't wait for you to join the conversation every Wednesday. Listen to the therapy for Black Girls podcast on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Take good care. I'm Jay Shetty, and on my podcast on purpose, I've had the honor to sit down with some of the most incredible hearts and minds on the planet. Oprah, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Hart, Louis Hamilton, and many, many more. On this podcast, you get to hear the raw, real-life stories behind their journeys and the tools

they used, the books they read, and the people that made a difference in their lives so that they can make a difference in hours. Listen to on purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Join the journey soon. so that they can make a difference in hours. Listen to on purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Join the journey soon.