On Purpose with Jay Shetty

Jay sits down with Sylvester Stallone to trace the extraordinary journey from a painful, unwanted childhood to the creation of Rocky, and the $360,000 offer he turned down rather than compromise his self-respect. Stallone reflects on the decades of rejection, health struggles, and career setbacks that shaped the man behind the legend. He opens up about his mother’s emotional distance, his father’s advice on his deathbed, and the life philosophy he discovered only after letting go of the need to constantly fight.

With Love and Gratitude,

Jay Shetty

Mazda crafts cars for people who do more than simply move. Visit Mazdausa.com to learn more. Consumer reports does not endorse products or services.

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What We Discuss:

00:00 Introduction

01:09 The Steps

01:48 The Fortune Teller Who Predicted His Future

03:39 The Power of Writing Your Thoughts Down

05:10 The Regret of Not Meeting Elvis Presley

05:55 Overcoming His Fear of Public Speaking

08:30 Birth Complications & Childhood Hardships

10:00 Queens Boarding House

11:40 Cinema As Sanctuary

13:23 The Words That Left Internal Scars

14:54 Making Peace With Rejection & "Mirror Therapy"

19:15 Writing About Edgar Allan Poe & Creating Rocky

20:27 Using Cruel Labels As Motivation

24:25 The Hells Angels Story

27:59 Turning Down $360,000 To Sell Rocky

31:35 Imposter Syndrome & Stepping Into Rocky's Shoes

33:29 Channeling Real-Life Pain In Acting

38:00 Rocky As A Love Story

41:26 The Painful Relationship With His Mother

49:45 Parents' Final Days

53:47 Learning To Let Go of Anger

56:12 An 8-Year Career Slump & The Return Of Rocky

59:06 Health Battles, Borrowed Time & Aging Gracefully

01:02:20 What Makes A Good Friend?

01:03:25 The Key To 29 Years of Marriage

01:07:30 Life Before Vs. After 40

01:13:20 The Power Of Dreams & Concrete Vision

01:16:38 Finally Getting His Father's Apology

01:19:35 Sylvester Stallone On Final 5

Episode Resources:

The Steps | https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-steps-sylvester-stallone

Website | https://sylvesterstallone.com/

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/officialslystallone

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/share/1FMjtjkWJA/?mibextid=wwXIfr
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Drawing on seven years of conversations with leading health experts, Jay explores “complexity bias,” our tendency to believe complicated solutions must be more effective than simple ones. He breaks better health down to three fundamentals: moving your body, protecting your attention, and investing in your relationships. Backed by decades of research, Jay shows why getting the basics right can have a bigger impact than any elaborate routine, and shares a simple 7-day movement challenge to help you put it into practice.

With Love and Gratitude,

Jay Shetty

Mazda crafts cars for people who do more than simply move. Visit Mazdausa.com to learn more. Consumer reports does not endorse products or services.

Your future is waiting, and Walden is here to help you achieve it. https://WaldenU.edu

JAY'S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe here: https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe

Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast

What I Discuss:

00:00 Introduction

00:25 The Health and Wellness Trap

01:39 Complexity Bias

02:51 3 Fundamental Habits To Achieve Wellness

04:17 Habit 1: Moving Your Body

09:36 The Psychology Of Action & Effort

13:26 Habit 2: Protecting Your Attention

14:52 The Attention Crisis

21:55 Habit 3: Investing in Relationships

28:39 Returning To Timeless Fundamentals

Episode Resources:

This episode is for general educational and informational purposes only and is not medical or mental-health advice or a substitute for professional care.
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Jay answers three listener calls about rebuilding when life doesn’t go according to plan. He explores how to separate your authentic voice from old survival patterns, pursue a creative passion without putting your financial stability at risk, and manage overwhelm when everything feels equally important. Jay shares practical ways to recognize real growth, balance stability with passion, and prioritize what matters most instead of trying to do everything at once.

With Love and Gratitude,

Jay Shetty

Mazda crafts cars for people who do more than simply move. Visit Mazdausa.com to learn more. Consumer reports does not endorse products or services.

Your future is waiting, and Walden is here to help you achieve it. https://WaldenU.edu

JAY'S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe here: https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe

Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast

What I Discuss:

00:00 Introduction

00:24 Purpose as Direction, Not a Destination

01:22 Rebuilding After A Crisis

02:24 Survival Patterns Vs. Authentic Inner Voice

07:13 Balancing Financial Stability With Creative Passion

08:29 Rejecting The Either/Or Trap

15:15 How to Prioritize When Everything Feels Like a Priority

16:41 You Don’t Have to Do Everything at Once
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Jay sits down with actress Lucy Hale, who at 37 says she feels more comfortable with herself than ever before. Lucy opens up about letting go of society’s timelines, navigating media scrutiny and body insecurity while growing up in the early days of social media, and her relationship with alcohol and path to sobriety. Lucy also shares her decision to freeze her eggs on her own terms, and how solitude, self-forgiveness, and personal growth have changed the way she approaches love, relationships, and herself.

With Love and Gratitude,

Jay Shetty

Mazda crafts cars for people who do more than simply move. Visit Mazdausa.com to learn more. Consumer reports does not endorse products or services.

Your future is waiting, and Walden is here to help you achieve it. https://WaldenU.edu

JAY’S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe here: https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe

Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast

What We Discuss:

00:00 Introduction

01:00 Reaching Her Grounded Era at 37

04:00 Releasing Societal Timelines & Comparison

06:40 Letting Go of The Pressure to Be Who Others Expected

13:56 Facing Oneself & Reframing Envy

16:28 The Need for Solitude From a Young Age

17:50 Reconnecting With Feminine Energy

20:40 Early Fame, Media Scrutiny & Perfectionism

24:20 Insecurities On Pretty Little Liars

27:35 Unpacking Past Coping Mechanisms & Learning to Forgive Yourself

32:14 The Ongoing Journey Of Sobriety

35:00 The Moment She Decided to go to Rehab

43:48 Advice For Anyone Seeking Sobriety

45:45 Dating Differently After Doing the Work

53:00 Waymo Cars & Delivery Robots

54:12 Rapid-Fire Game

56:44 Will There be a Pretty Little Liars Reunion?

58:46 Perspectives On Motherhood & Freezing Her Eggs

01:05:40 A Blind Date and The First Healthy Relationship

01:11:32 Looking for Signs in Everyday Life

01:16:58 Lucy On Final Five

Episode Resources:

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/lucyhale

YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTMIfFn9BoAHSCaKkcZm-VA

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/LucyHale

X | https://x.com/lucyhale
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Jay breaks down why our minds are so quick to jump to the worst-case scenario, from the evolutionary roots of anxiety to why uncertainty can send us into a spiral. He shares three practical ways to interrupt anxious thinking, including separating fear from actual evidence and bringing yourself back to what’s true right now. Jay also introduces a simple “then what?” exercise to help you stop fearing what could go wrong and trust yourself to handle whatever comes next.

With Love and Gratitude,

Jay Shetty

Mazda crafts cars for people who do more than simply move. Visit Mazdausa.com to learn more. Consumer reports does not endorse products or services.

PURPOSE10 for 10% at altrarunning.com/onpurpose. Free Shipping and Free 30-Day Trial.

JAY’S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe here: https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe

Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro

00:24 Your Brain Is A Terrible Fortune Teller

02:42 Where Does Anxiety Come From?

06:14 How Your Brain Predicts What Could Go Wrong

09:32 Why Bad News Sticks in Your Mind

11:10 The Uncertainty Spiral

15:03 Stop Assuming the Worst, Look at the Evidence

18:11 Come Back to What’s Actually True

22:58 Getting Comfortable With The Unknown

26:35 The “Then What?” Exercise for Worst-Case Thinking

31:11 The Two Backpacks Analog

Episode Resources:

This episode is for general educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health care.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices