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

Key Takeaway

When integrating seemingly opposite parts of your life feels impossible, remember: you don't need to wear different masks in different environments. The key is going deeper into your authentic values with each step into the wider world, allowing your true self to emerge rather than compartmentalizing who you are. Start by having one honest conversation about what truly matters to you, even when it feels uncomfortable.

Episode Overview

Jay Shetty interviews his longtime friend Jahnavi Harrison, a Grammy-nominated devotional singer and mantra meditation artist. They explore her journey from growing up in a spiritual community to navigating mainstream education, the challenges of integrating different identities, and how she discovered her path as a musician using sacred sound to help people heal and find peace.

Full Transcript

Transcript of This is How to Use Spirituality To Help You with Confidence and Self-Doubt! from On Purpose. Auto-generated from episode audio; may contain minor errors.

There's so many different ways that people pray. For some people, it's very spontaneous. Some people have a very ritualized way of placing their their body in a certain position or doing certain actions. I think all of those things are designed to bring us into a certain state of mind and of being that allows can allow you to express some of these deepest sentiments that are otherwise quite hard to access. Hey everyone, welcome back to OnPurpose, the place you come to become happier, healthier, and more healed.

Today's guest is one of my dearest friends of the last 20 years, but she's also one of the most talented musicians. She uses music not just to entertain, but to heal. Janvi is a devotional singer, writer and artist whose voice has become a refuge for people searching for peace and spiritual grounding. Through her performances, recordings and global workshops, Charaveie has devoted her life to helping people experience the power of mantra, meditation, and sacred sound. Her work invites us to pause, breathe, and reconnect with our inner life.

and she's also been nominated for her very first Grammy. If you're part of the academy, this is my personal request. Go and vote for her. I'm so excited to welcome to On Purpose my dear friend Janvie Harrison. Janie, it's so wonderful to have you here. I just got a massive confidence boost to that. to that. to that. You I mean, I just want to let people know. So, I've known you now for like 20 years, years, years, and I met you through our temple and spiritual community in London, which is where we first met, and we would have both been at college or something like that.

that. that. And I am so fortunate and so excited about this because sometimes I post these pictures of me on the on social media which are like how it started, how it's going. it's going. it's going. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And all of those how it started, so many of them were with you. So me and Janevie for everyone who doesn't know what we would do is we would do events together where I would speak and Janevie would lead mantra meditation and we would like a that was like our duo tag team.

Yeah, exactly. And we'd travel all over England. We did events in London. We did events in Wemouth. We did events Cambridge. Cambridge. Cambridge. Cambridge. We did events in maybe Oxford. We did we would do events and we've done this for years together. And that's always what we did. It was always our due. And then since I moved to LA, Janvi comes to my house every single year single year single year and we do an event where Radhi will organize this beautiful gathering of all of our friends and Janvi will lead a meditation and people are always so moved and just it's it's pretty amazing like thinking about being friends for 20 years and seeing our our relationship has always been service- based of wanting to give spiritual experiences to others others others but at the same time you lived with us during the pandemic.

I did for a few months. I think that was really fun. really fun. really fun. So, I'm really excited because rarely do I get to sit with someone that I've known for 20 years on the show and uh and I'm so excited you've been nominated for a Grammy. I mean, it's just such a like monumental historical occasion for, you know, our whole tradition. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Uh and to really see that just how far you've taken spiritual mantra music to help people and it's such a How does it feel?

I mean it's it's a huge honor and like you said it's it feels like an honor not you know it's it's part of our training and um I think the the spiritual tradition that I've grown up in that you know you you get an honor and it might have your name attached to it but you think about how many people have brought you to that moment how many hands and hearts and minds have all collaborated to you know whether it's creating something or whatever whatever it is.

Um, it's such a collective endeavor. So, I feel honored personally, but I feel honored on behalf of everybody. And yeah, it's it's incredible. incredible. incredible. It's it's amazing. I mean, you've you know what? It's really interesting because obviously I've seen you grow and you know, you you tour the world, you do retreats, retreats, retreats, uh, you know, you made an album with our dear friend Willow, who you came on the podcast with last time. It's been amazing to watch, but I almost, this is really exciting for me because even when you know someone, when I get to sit in the interview with them, I'm always thinking, I'm actually going to get to know them in a way that I don't before.

So, I want to go back to your childhood and I want to ask you, what is a childhood memory that you have that you feel defines who you are today or embodies who you are today? Wow. Well, I know with these kind of things, you're you should you're supposed to say the very first thing that comes into your head and I'm seeing myself in a field near my house. Um, you know, I grew up outside of London, but it's not that far from the city, but it's an area that there's a lot of protected farmland and stuff, so there's a lot of fields and forest, and it really feels quite rural.

And these fields were um close to my house. So I used to love walking, cycling there and just being in nature. And uh yeah, they they would rotate the the crops and the things that were grown in the field. And certain years there would be these incredible um yellow flowers, rape seed flowers or sometimes called mustard flowers. and you could just kind of walk amongst them and be completely engulfed by these yellow flowers. Yellow as far as I could see. So, I don't know why that came to my head, but yeah, that's I guess that's something that's defined um who I am, connection to nature, and just yeah, finding a lot of inspiration in that.

that. that. Do you still spend a lot of time in nature? nature? nature? I try to. Yeah. Yeah, I do. In where do is it where you are now or when you go back home? Because I know you don't live in London. Yeah. Yeah, I mean for the last um you know almost 3 years we've been living in the Bay Area. So that's that's famous around the world for the incredible nature. So now we've got the redwood trees and you know the incredible um California coast.

So yeah, we try to be out in that environment as much as possible. But I love to like, you know, I I consider myself a bit of a a tree nerd. So wherever I go in the world, I'm always trying to learn about what trees are around. And yeah, it's just something that inspires me a lot. Yeah. I mean, I obviously know your parents. Your your dad actually uh was our wedding priest for me and so he actually did our wedding ceremony and uh I've known your parents for 20 years now as well.

And they've always been just so wonderful and you know they're so loved by our community community community and everyone has such an affinity for them. Like what what do you think each of them gave you growing up that you carry with yourself today? like what what was a quality or a value or a belief or even mindset that you think has really stayed with you for all these years? They're both truth seekers. That's something that I think brought them together. together. together. I mean, they both joined the spiritual community for I think around a decade before they got married.

So, they came from their respective religious traditions that they were brought up with and even countries. You know, my mom's from Canada. Um and both of them went on a personal odyssey of a sort you know searching for truth and meaning purpose in life so I think that um courage to depart from the script that's being given which I know a lot of people had in the you know the ' 60s '7s a lot of young people felt emboldened to to take some unconventional steps um but not only did they sort of try that on but they've committed to that life and um to deepening I think with every year and to have parents that are yeah they're so committed to a life of service and devotion and community and I think both of them in their own way my mom's my mom's the one I mean actually both of them are are very people people you know they they know a lot of people they remember people's names but they really care about people as well.

Um I think in our community if they walk from point A to point B, you know, like a 5 minute walk, they'll be stopping constantly with every person and and care about what's going on in their life at the moment. So um I think that's something that's made a deep impression on me. It's um it's hard to follow in in their footsteps, you know, um in in my life and I guess in the life of all of us who have grown up with the internet and social media, we have the ability to be connected to so many more people than ever before.

And it's difficult to bring that same quality of presence and attention and care to to all of our interactions. But um it's a kind of a gold standard that I have in my mind. Um, yeah. So much. It's hard to hard to measure all the things you've received from your parents. Did you always know that you wanted to create music? Did you always know that? I didn't know that I wanted to create music in a formal way, but I was always I think I was always doing it without consciously realizing that was a thing.

Like I just when I was home recently um my mom had some cassette tapes from that I I used to record myself you know and what age? what age? what age? Um like probably seven 8 n years old and I had a one of those keyboards Casio keyboard and I would just put on a drum beat and I would just play. I didn't know how to play keyboard but I had total lack of um you know inhibition. I just record myself spontaneously and I would sing a bit, tell a story, make up the story as I went along.

And um they were just meant for my sister to hear, like bedtime stories and stuff like that. But when I listened back, I I was like, "Oh, I guess I was kind of making up songs and things like that." But yeah, it wasn't. Were you any good now when you listen back? Like back? Like back? Like No, it was embarrassing. I was really embarrassing. embarrassing. embarrassing. We need to hear them. I need to hear these. I I think I'm going to I'm going to digitize them just so I can listen back and be like, "Wow, I've come a long way." But um I I mean I love to sing.

You know, I grew up surrounded by music. My dad and mom both love singing. Um my dad was really well known for his voice and um yeah, we we sung as a family together. So I think it was just always around me, around me, around me, but I'm you know, quite introverted by nature. So I was never like, I want to be a singer. Yeah. What do what do you think? What's the difference for someone who doesn't know? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What's the difference between devotional mantra music?

mantra music? mantra music? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And popular music or music in general? Like how would you differentiate them? differentiate them? differentiate them? I think there's a few key differences. One is one is the most obvious which is which is the lyrics. um with with mantra music specifically, a mantra is um you know a sacred word or phrase um often containing names that refer to the to the supreme being um and it's repeated. So you know people's first reaction is like often what oh why is that why are you saying the same thing over and over again?

Um, but the idea is that it's a type of um purifying. Like I always think of a washing machine. You know, if you had clothes that were really dirty, you you put them in the washing machine a few times or something like that. Um, so it's it's sound vibration that is intended to to clarify, purify the heart and mind. Um, but I think the other key difference is the intention of the music. So the intention is often prayer is to connect like you were saying at the beginning to that sacred space within whereas I think you know music can have all kinds of intentions.

There can be the intention of the artist just to express something to just to connect with the listener or just to entertain. I don't mean just in a you know to minimize what that is but um yeah the quality of it is different. You can you can encounter that. You can feel it. Yeah. No, it's uh I remember when I first got exposed to it, it was addictive and intoxicating in in a way that was something I hadn't experienced before. I remember my my friends and I would love going out to parties and clubs and things like that.

And then And then And then when I heard devotional music for the first time, I was I was like, wait, why do I like this? you know, but it felt familiar and it felt felt felt it felt like it I don't know connected with a part of me that had been buried for some time or or not, you know, not awakened. And yeah, it has a really special quality and now obviously years later. It's it's one of my favorite things to experience, especially when when you're chanting.

But But But did you feel that straight away? Do you remember if you did it take a while to appreciate it or immediately you felt it on my on one of the first retreats I went on? Like I felt it immediately. It was was was there was a part of it that was just fun because there's so much, you know, there's dancing, there's ch like it's such a celebration. So it's not always just sitting in meditation. meditation. meditation. Exactly. It's so festive. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I think there's a part of that.

Mhm. But there were there were certain people and um yeah, I'll tell you later of who specifically, but like yeah, there there were just were just were just there were just specific there there were definitely experiences I had very early on that made me very convinced that the practice made sense and it was beautiful and and special. But um but yeah, how so if you were so you were always artistic as in you're always playing around. playing around. playing around. Yeah. Talk to me about the discovery because so much of our community and our audience audience audience is always in the pursuit of their passion.

passion. passion. And obviously you're doing something you love, love, love, you're doing something that's more niche, but you're also doing extremely successfully. This is what you do. It's what you offer to the world. And I think often we live in a world today where we think, oh, if I'm not doing something that's really mainstream and if I'm not doing something that has millions of followers and has then I can't do it and then it can't be successful and it can't take care of me and my family.

And I think there are people like yourself and others I know that have found something you love that serves other people, makes them happy, is able to, you know, get nominated for a Grammy. a Grammy. a Grammy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Uh talk to me about the discovery, the early discovery of this passion or maybe it's not maybe it was always a passion, but the discovery of mastery of it. What did you what did you study at college? What did you think you actually Let's go backwards.

What did you think you were going to be when you were like 11 years old? because I feel we all get asked that question. What did you what did you write? I'm intrigued. What did you write? you write? you write? I remember um so I I went to school at the temple in the temple community till I was about 10 years old and then I went to um you know a a bigger regular school and uh from what was that transition like? That was hard. It was really hard.

Talk to me about the difference. So I didn't go to a school like that. So I only ever went to public schools and grammar schools in England and never went to a spiritual school. So talk to me about what that means and then the transition from transition from transition from Yeah. So the school at the temple so um the place where I went to school is called Bakdanta Manor and uh you know it's in in many ways an idilic environment. There's you know it's kind of 80 acres of beautiful um country land.

There's cows there. There's a beautiful lake. Um it was a very special environment to grow up in. The school was very small so we had very individual attention from the teachers. Um there was a lot of singing, drama, um art, you know, in addition to the usual things we studied and also we we would lead um the chanting in the temple once a week as a whole school. So we were doing you still learning the national curriculum. curriculum. curriculum. Yes, we were doing the national curriculum.

So we're doing all the regular subjects but we would also have time where we would study texts like the Bhagavad Gita. We would learn you know verses and things even from four or five years old. So um it's a very unique way to grow up like I for me it was all I knew. Um but we used to have there would be um schools that would visit the temple as part of their religious education. You know I think some people might not know in the UK religious education is compulsory in school.

So you go out to places of worship and see how you know how other people live. So we would have these kids looking through the window like pressing their nose against the window looking at us and we'd be like we're not we're not zoo animals you know but they were curious and and we also didn't know what their school experience was like. Um but yeah, for me it was normal and I didn't realize when I went out to, you know, a more kind of conventional school that most kids don't um learn, you know, songs in ancient Sanskrit when they're young and talk about death and reincarnation from a young age and the soul and things like that.

You know, it kind of makes you a bit weird to other kids. kids. kids. And I also didn't have that much exposure to to pop culture, you know. So, So, So, but you only realized that when you went to went to high school. You didn't know that until then. I didn't know that, but it was a bit of a rude awakening. Anyways, tell me about it. Like, yeah, I mean, I was I I was confident in my world, but coming out of my world, I felt extremely vulnerable and shy.

Um, you know, sometimes people say, "Oh, when did you give yourself the name Janabe?" And I'm like, "No, I I've I was given this name when I was born, you know, and I chose to keep that as my name when I went to regular school." So then anyone who has an unusual name knows the embarrassment of like the teacher pausing when they get to your name and the kids all laugh or whatever those thing kind of things are. Um, even being vegetarian at that time was quite unusual.

I think it's much more common now. Um, I just wanted to disappear. I didn't want to be comment worthy in any way. And um yeah, that was really hard because I was trying to erase myself in a way so that no one would have anything to say or make fun of. Um because you were coming with a different name, a different culture. Yeah. Why do you have white skin but you say you're you're Hindu. Your name is weird. Can we just call you something else? Why do you eat that?

You know, all it's they're pretty innocuous questions in one sense, but kids can everyone knows kids can be really mean as well. Um I didn't even grow up, you know, with that. Like I didn't grow up around that many kids. So suddenly being in a class of 30 kids, it can be quite a sensory overload also if you're sensitive. Um, and it's just I think it's about also having the confidence as a young person to speak about why why did you grow up in this way?

What are the things that you believe in? You know, sometimes you don't kind of have that experience till you're a bit older. And um, yeah, I just didn't have the words to describe it. So, I'd rather become silent. Um, so that was really difficult. I felt like I'd been kicked out of the nest, you know, the bird, the baby bird kicked out of the nest, and I couldn't get back to the nest the nest the nest cuz you change through those difficult experiences. You're no longer I remember, um, I did wear a school uniform at the temple school.

Um, but it was a different kind of school uniform when I went to the other schools. schools. schools. And my I remember my parents were saying, "Oh, why don't you come? you know that there's a worship service at the temple every morning. And they were saying, "Why don't why don't we go before school? You can go in the temple." And I was like, "Well, I'll have to wear my uniform." And they were like, "That's okay. You can just come in your uniform and come for, you know, 10 minutes, then we'll go to school." And I was like, "I can't." And they said, "Why can't you?" And I I was trying to describe it, but I was trying to say that when I put that uniform on, I have to become someone else.

I can't if it's almost like I felt like I would implode or something if I tried to be that person at the temple. It was just like two different masks I had to wear or characters roles that I was playing. was playing. was playing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, learning how to integrate and just be yourself in all environments. That was a real journey. Going back into the world of work was a culture shock. culture shock. culture shock. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And it was very very different.

And it was almost easier to go into the monastery than it was to get out because getting out felt like, wait a minute, I've been practicing all these things for 3 years and now I have to go to a wine and pizza tasting networking event and I don't drink and there's certain things I don't eat anymore and things like that and just having to having to having to adjust adjust adjust and so it's it's embarrassing. it's embarrassing. it's embarrassing. It's it was it's hard and and I did that as an adult.

So to me it was hard but it was so much easier. It was somewhat easier. Yeah. But to do that as a teenager is like, you know, is is super hard. What did it what actually helped to integrate? What how did you integrate these two seemingly opposite lives that seemed to contradict themselves? What did you do to integrate? What did that look like? Yeah, I think in my school the school school years like you know till 18 or so I just really struggled. It kind of felt like a a dark tunnel those years cuz not not that every day was dark, but it just I just didn't feel like I could find that confidence and that self asssurance to feel yeah grounded in who I am.

And I kind of um went back and forth in and out of, you know, I'd go to a regular school for a year and then I would actually I mean several times I kind of made myself sick actually with anxiety. Um I started developing stomach issues and I get headaches every single day. I wouldn't eat at school. I wouldn't, you know, I'd just save my lunch and eat it on the bus on the way home. just like all these behaviors that were not I don't know why I was doing those things.

Um so then I'd tell my parents, okay, I I want to do like homeschooling for a while and I do that. But then, you know, I I could tell myself that I have um it's not like I'm like super academic, but I I need to be stretched a bit. Like when when you're in that comfort zone of home or you're just with friends or your parents telling you to do things, you don't you don't always push yourself. So, I would kind of yearn for that environment again and go back into it and then feel like I don't think I can do this.

Um, and I think it I think things really changed when I started to feel like I could take agency for myself and start to take a have a bit more confidence in choosing the the the direction of my education, which I think maybe for many people comes around university and you're kind of starting to hone in on, you know, what you want to do. But I was going to say you were you were saying, you know, when you were 11, what did you want to do with your life?

And I remember sitting on the school bus and writing. I remember like three long lists on the page and they were just all these different artistic things. And I would keep going back to the lists and every time I would learn something more about each of those creative careers, I might cross one off and it was like florist and special effects makeup artist. And my my dad would sometimes take me to like do, you know, work shadowing with different people just to just to try and see what it was all about.

But yeah, it was what it was all about. But yeah, I had no idea, you know, where my journey would. journey would. journey would. Did you ever narrow down to one or no? No, I never. No. That's so funny. I'm still working on that. Was it hard to go from secondary school or high school to college like to university? Was that hard that transition or was university not that hard? hard? hard? That was easier. That was easier cuz by that time I think I' I'd developed some confidence.

I did my A levels very unconventionally through evening classes which I was with older people that I found easier to be around cuz I don't know I just think I'd also grown up around a lot of older people and um I found I did really well doing studying independently a lot and so I think that gave me a lot of confidence like choosing how I was going to study you know then I finished the A levels in a year instead of two years. It's like a different way of approaching it.

And then I I started to feel like okay, you know, I just yeah, felt different in myself. I mean, you grow up. Um, so I think university, college also people are a lot more open-minded. I found um you start realizing that it can be cool to be different rather than just something to be made fun of. We all want to feel better, to have more energy and more focus throughout the day. That's why I co-founded Juni, a sparkling adaptogenic drink made with powerful ingredients like ashwagandha and lion's mane.

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And I'm translating dharma as purpose in that regard. The originally is when you protect your dharma, your dharma protects you. protects you. protects you. And when I heard that verse, that was just profound to me. And I started to want to protect what I believed my dharma was rather than neglect it and reject it to move toward what the world was trying to get me to focus on. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And that acted as a real compass for me when I was feeling unsure. Was there anything for you?

I'm just intrigued. Or was it so like you were like this is so alien I have to keep it separate that you were just trying to avoid it? That's such a great question. I don't think I've thought about it in that way before. I I don't remember actually taking strength from the spiritual tradition like independently. I think my parents would try to help me with that. And I I know for sure I think on an emotional level my mom was trying to care for me in every way possible.

I mean I really gave my parents a hard time. I'm also the eldest, so I was the first of the children to go out to school. And school. And school. And what do you mean you gave them a hard time? time? time? I would cry every day. I would beg not to go to school. Um, I think they were just, you know, parents are just trying to do the best for you. They wanted me to have opportunity. They wanted me to to grow intellectually to, you know, to do well in studies and everything.

And I think they were really confused about like how can we make her be happy and just embrace this with confidence and not just be kind of yeah stressed and anxious all the time. So yeah, I feel I feel really sorry for what you know putting them through that. Um but they were definitely really trying to help also from a spiritual perspective always and you know in in simple and digestible ways but I think yeah it was it was difficult for me to really integrate that at the time.

Did you so many kids who grew up in religious and spiritual communities end up leaving? up leaving? up leaving? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Did you ever consider it? Not at the time. And Not at the time. And people would always ask me that and I would it was like a very common question especially from people outside of the tradition. They'd always be like so did you ever want to just rebel and just leave? And I would always very confidently say no no I never really had that inclination.

One of the reasons I think with that is that my parents have been always very broad-minded, very open to talking about anything. And I would have a lot of conversations especially with my dad about any you know any theological questions philosophical things doubts that would come to my mind we would always talk about it and he's um very well read very extensively in many different traditions so he'll always have some great insight to offer so I didn't feel that pull but I think what I didn't know was that you know doubt and crisis of faith or looking at your tradition your tradition your tradition from a different lens.

It doesn't necessarily always happen in those formative teen times. Sometimes it can come later on or sometimes comes multiple times through your life. So, it's not that I ever felt the strong urge to leave, but I definitely went through some difficult times at a later phase. I think when I really started to Yeah. It's almost like with every step further out into the wider world, it kind of demands of me to go deeper in what I practice and believe because it's being it's being it's being kind of buted up against just these intense currents of everything that's going on in the world.

Yeah. I I often think about that because you know when Radi and I talk about like thinking about having children or whatever it is and like how we want to raise them where they have good spiritual values but at the same time they have choice and and it's always hard because you're kind of like I always think I always believe that people who choose what they follow and someone who's grown up in a tradition also gets that opportunity as they get older older older to keep choosing.

And I always feel like when you choose what you follow it you're more confident about it. it generally has more power generally speaking. generally speaking. generally speaking. Uh but but when yeah when but when you're raised in something you have to choose as you get older because you choose whether this value is still yours. And the interesting thing about that is that also just applies to anyone who grew up in the normal system because you grow up with certain beliefs your parents have and then at one point you pause and you go wait do I even believe this?

So your parents might have believed that you shouldn't work that hard or you should marry a man who works hard or your parents may have had the belief that you uh should always do what you love or you should never do what you love. You should do what is safe and is reliable. And I think we all go through our 20s and 30s and have reflection points. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Where we say, well, yeah, my parents believe that, but I didn't. And so it applies to all of life, but obviously very specifically aligns to someone who's grown up in a specific tradition, in a specific path.

path. path. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. When did music go from being passion, exploration, curiosity to mastery? Because Because Because I think this is such an important part. I think I hear a lot of people who say follow your passion. And I think that's okay, you know, but if you're going to turn it into something you do professionally, yeah, professionally, yeah, professionally, yeah, the passion at one point has to turn in to proficiency and mastery. When did you start to actually master your art and craft? What did that look like?

like? like? I don't identify with the word master in any way. Um, and I don't mean that in a falsely humble way. I just uh yeah I feel like I'm I'm very much scratching the surface. But I think that um I think that it happened very organically. I started to, you know, when I was 18, I started to develop more of an independent interest in in my own tradition and really engage with um with the mantra meditation practice kan and also uh you know I'd been studying the violin since I was about 10 years old and that was always something I did basically in my bedroom and in my room with the teacher.

I never I never really used my instrument in a public place. I did I I did one time one day in an orchestra and I got bullied and then I was like I'm not going back. Um so it was very like I got to a point and I was like why am I even learning this instrument? instrument? instrument? So it was only when I started playing it at the temple in the kan and trying to improvise I realized that you know aside from just participating in this activity musically there's something I can offer something I can develop and refine and initially that was my connection through the violin um that was my voice you know I was too shy to sing but um I think everything actually stemmed from there because through the violin um I ended joining a mantra music group that was forming at the time.

Um, right as I was finishing my undergraduate degree and I did not know what was I was going to do next. You know, I studied English and creative writing, linguistics. It was like very interesting to me, but I I had no idea what to do with it. And this opportunity came like a month before my graduation to try to tour all over America and um all around the world it had ended up being. So I was just it was a no-brainer. I was like, "Yeah, I want to do that." Um and I thought that it would just be I still felt like, well, I'll have to get a a regular job.

I I didn't know what that was. Um, I actually then I did get a job as a magazine editor, but I I I got the job and then right when I was meant to go back and take it, I was doing this touring beforehand and then I just wrote to them and I said, "I'm sorry, I can't I I think I need to keep doing what I'm doing." It was yeah, speaking to my soul, I guess. Um, so it's been very organic. I think I have struggled with a lot of doubt along the way because anyone who does anything creative or artistic knows it's there's no assurance of any kind of ability to maintain yourself have a livelihood with that with that activity and so it's a real act of um I think faith and courage to sort of just keep going with it year upon year and so I was many times constantly questioning myself.

Okay, so is now the point when I should get a quote unquote regular job or something that's more Yeah. predictable and stable? Do do you think you experience divinity when you sing and make music in a way that you don't access through any other practice? I would say yes. Yeah, I do. Um I think it's an incredibly deep idea that you can access divinity through sound. Sound being so subtle, not requiring any instrument, any tool, just your own voice. And it just requires presence and it's it's very esoteric, but I feel like anyone can experience it also.

like we have ears to hear, you know, a voice to use. And um yeah, I remember first starting to become aware of that around I mean I had many incredible moments when I was a child. You know, sometimes people ask me what some of my earliest memories of of kan and there's so many incredible times. Um like there was a festival that would happen every year. Uh we would walk in procession through London to this huge park Battery Park and there would be a festival many tents there till late at night and the kan would be going all afternoon into the evening and I just remember feeling so joyful so exhausted but like so filled by that experience.

Um, I think I started to really notice that, wow, this there's something really special here around 16, 17, 18, and feel like I want to come back to this, you know, how you feel when you I I guess there's so many things you could you could liken that to, but you just Yeah, you want to keep doing it. What have you found when people are because I think singing out loud can feel so nervous for people because it's this call and response where you're chanting and people are responding back especially when you're live.

live. live. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What have you seen like the transformation people have had where they start off because you do retreats etc where they start off really nervous and anxious and they're up and then what have you seen that turn into even for people who think like I can't sing to save my life or you don't like the sound of your voice or whatever it may be my singing voice I'm very confident speaking but speaking but speaking but I've heard you sing I think I think you can sing that's now I know you're lying for sure now I have proof that last night when we were talking about that thing you were lying Uh, but what yeah, what is that for you?

Like what have you seen? I'm intrigued for people, anyone who's listening right now, anyone who's listening right now, I hope you're going to go to Spotify or, you know, Apple and type in Janvie Harrison and, you know, I'm looking, you've got like 134,000 monthly listeners right now. now. now. And if someone was to listen to this music or they were going to come and see you live and you'd say, "Hey, everyone sing along with me," which is very common at these events. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. If someone's nervous in the beginning or doesn't quite get it, how have you seen people transform over time through retreats and events?

Yeah, I think it's really normal to feel nervous. I think many people or or even I would say most people have some level of insecurity about singing out loud. Um I think the beautiful thing about it is that you're singing with other people. So you're not even there's no demand that you even sing really loud. You know, you can sing very quietly, but feeling that togetherness, I mean, we experience, we all can experience that if we go to a concert or, I don't know, football match, everyone's singing the same thing together.

It's empowering and it's connecting in a way that few things are of that nature. So, I I would even say that, you know, some people some people that lead this type of music are more um strident or commanding and like, "Come on, everyone sing." You know, I I think I being a a more shy nature, I really empathize and understand how that feels to feel so nervous. So, I I don't I don't expect people to, you know, push themselves in a way that feels just too uncomfortable.

I always tell people if you want to sing internally, um because you have we have an internal voice as well. You can sing back in in your heart. I do that on the plane. If I'm stressed, I listen to something and then I sing back with my inner voice. But um it's incredibly freeing and I've seen people people people relax and become free in a way that they didn't expect by letting go and letting their voice out. You know, everything that feels uncomfortable initially usually feels you feel a great sense of achievement afterwards as well.

Yeah. Yeah. What what do you think what do you think people turn to your music for? Like when you're finding people discovering your music Yeah. who are not from the tradition who who don't aren't familiar with it. What do they I mean like you you were Radi's I think number one artist on Spotify rap this year as she's banging in the house all the time. Like what do you think people are Yeah. What what are people seeking? What have you found? I can say what people tell me which is I think pe people say that they find a sense of peace um a sense of shelter and comfort.

A lot of people tell me that they listen to their music to my music um in difficult times. You know, so many people say um yeah, you know, I was I was studying for exams. Um my parent was unwell, someone in my family was dying. Um or you know, I was getting ready to get married and then I played your music on my on my wedding day as I was coming in. These kind of um transitional and very meaningful moments in life. Um, a lot of people talk about playing my music first thing in the morning or last thing at night when they want to connect to a place of deep uh prayer or um a sacred space.

Yeah, I think that's what people find. And um I'm always blown away by people's stories, you know, cuz ultimately you as a person or or I speak for myself like we're we're so aware of our humanness and our flaws and everything that we bring to, you know, we bring all of it to every endeavor. So, it's really incredible for me that I can do something that allows someone to enter into that space um where they feel so deeply connected because I know that that's not it.

It it it's me because I'm allowing myself to be used in that way, but I know that there's something a lot deeper that's happening. Yeah. Every time I mean every time I'm in one of your sessions, I'm like just in the back trying to hold back my tears trying I've seen that. I've seen trying not to cry. Like it's it's it's strange though because you can't really explain it. it. it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's it's it's so hard to put into words where you just got to be in one.

I've had like my team has come to sessions. Obviously we have friends here who've come to events at our home and and it's amazing how you don't need to know the language. You don't really you don't even need to know to some degree. I know you always explain what it means but even if someone doesn't know what it means it's it's it's so interesting how and sound has that potential. I think, you know, if you look at even music right now, like Latin music is, you know, so global now and, you know, you've got Bad Bunny who's Puerto Rican and that that style of music has taken over and you've got and that's what's so beautiful about music in general is that it's so beyond language and so beyond where you grew up.

up. up. Yeah. It transmits meaning. You really feel it. Yeah. Which is which is so special and and I definitely feel that in, you know, in in mantra music in in an unexpected way. unexpected way. unexpected way. Yeah. Although I I would say, you know, I've started to also experiment with or not experiment, but part of my creative journey in the last few years has been to to write original songs also and incorporate that into especially when I do concerts. Um, you know, I I kind of distinguish certain settings for certain um offerings.

I think you know there's a lot of times I'll I'll lead meditation sessions with kan in a very traditional sense um and it has a very it can have a very intimate feeling especially if people are they know what to do you know they're ready but in a in a more um maybe I don't know if theatrical setting is the right word to use but in in an auditorium where there may be people who have never done this before I've started to weave together um these traditional chants with sometimes original songs in English because it's not only just a tool for for making a connection point for someone else with a language of prayer um but for me also I found it to be something that brings a certain vulnerability and personalism um too which I think in some ways growing up I would have thought that that was taboo because the practice of kan is very much not about you putting herself there.

It's really being a vessel, being a channel to just give this pure sound. Um, but I think that there's some value as well in sharing um yeah, personal a personal prayer, a personal reflection on on just being someone trying to go through life and be connected to to to truth and and faith and beauty. and beauty. and beauty. Yeah. If if someone was to start with one of your albums, where would you like them to start? Like if someone was like, I want to check this out.

I don't really know much about it. What would you recommend? recommend? recommend? I think if someone's curious in in um the um the um the just mostly the traditional songs and mantras, my first album, Like a River to the Sea, is a great one. Um but I I think a lot of people connect with the album that I did with Willow called Rise. And then my recent album, Into the Forest, I think Rise and Into the Forest are similar in that they incorporate both mantras and and uh some original lyrics.

original lyrics. original lyrics. Yeah, that's great. Yeah. For anyone who's starting out their their journey of wanting to, you know, move into devotional music and have have never had the experience of it or they should check out Rady's playlist. playlist. playlist. Rady's playlist. Yeah. So many people tell me, "Oh, I found your music through Rady's playlist." She's got a great collection there of also many other wonderful artists. Yeah, I love that. What's Yeah, I love that. What's What's a misconception you think people have about spiritual people?

I think people tend to project a lot onto spiritual people that they're like, "You're so divine and like you must float around your house all day, you know, spouting like wisdom quotes." And um um um that's exactly what I do. I've seen you in your robes. Um, yeah. I think a misconception is that spiritual people don't have doubts, don't have material desires, don't make mistakes. Well, all all of those things obviously are true. Um, or that spiritual people have all the answers. I think to to try to pursue a life connected to a spiritual core is courageous because there is a level of faith that's required where there's not always a hard hard answer.

There's very good answers but you also still have to be very openhearted and constantly open to to learning and surrender which is very very difficult. Yeah, such a great answer. Not what I expected but yeah, such a great answer. It's uh yeah, everyone's human and everyone's trying and everyone's failing and everyone's making mistakes and and I think the problem is when you think that a spiritual person is perfect, perfect, perfect, then you don't feel spiritual internally. internally. internally. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because you don't feel like you've reached what other people have reached or what you should have reached.

And that can actually deter you from the path path path because you think, oh well, I'm not like that that that and they have it all together and therefore I must not be spiritual. Not realizing that we all already are inherently inherently inherently and perfection may be the goal and the aspiration but the journey towards it is far more incremental and step by step than it is incremental incremental incremental this enlightened day. I think you know I I think that's a misconception I always think is people always like what was the day you've realized like I have not had that like came down from the cloud again it's how media's portrayed it where it feels like you have this day of enlightenment of enlightenment of enlightenment it's like yeah I've had really special meditations I've had really special experiences experiences experiences but it's three steps forward one step back two steps pause three steps forward you know you know you know sometimes 10 steps back and you're like what what am I doing wrong or and that's what it's meant to Yeah.

Yeah. I do find that you know I I I encountered that the more that I became publicly known for doing um mantra meditation and devotion sacred music um I would start to encounter more and more people coming to me like with you know shining eyes shining eyes shining eyes um I could feel and sometimes it's very obvious by the words they say that they they are they are they are for one of a better phrase putting me on a pedestal or thinking that there's some kind of perfection, you know, happening, which I know is not true.

Um, and I think part of that is, you know, anyone that's kind of facilitating us to go into a a spiritual practice or experience, um, we may, you know, associate that person with the feeling and the and the the real the very real experience that we get. Um, but I think, yeah, I I think as you get older, especially just accepting both your own being patient with your own flaws. Um, I've definitely had to learn to be very patient with myself. Um, Um, Um, because yeah, I mean, we're blessed to have as well, you know, we're blessed to know so many people who truly are exemplary in their life and their actions.

And yeah, I mean, I identify with that looking at someone thinking, God, you know, I'm never going to be I'm never going to be spiritual. Yeah. What what's something that you used to believe to be true spiritually and now you don't agree with it? it? it? I think I think growing up in a particular spiritual tradition um you can have you're surrounded by constant affirmation constant affirmation constant affirmation and validation of that tradition. Um you you know if you're immersed in a community you're surrounded by people who believe in that path in those practices.

Um, and I think the more that I've grown and encountered people from all different walks of life who've had all different kinds of experiences, um, I don't know if it's so much something that I don't believe anymore, but it it challenges a lot of um, things that I've heard, things that I've just accepted because everyone around me was saying, "Yes, yes." Um, and I really value that. I I feel that's necessary. M um but it's not always easy because sometimes there's not an easy resolution or answer um to yeah conflicting world views and and opinions about things.

So that's something that I've encountered a lot on on my journey. Sometimes it's even people that are within the same broad category of a of a religion or a faith tradition, but you know, different strands of of specific beliefs. Um there's so much nuance and yeah, I think I've found it harder to to be like this is the answer, you know? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's a I I agree. I think it's a healthy thing and it's also it the brain just doesn't like it for simplicity's sake.

It's just easier for the brain to have it set of beliefs and move with them even if they're not healthy. healthy. healthy. Definitely. Definitely. Definitely. And so when you allow yourself to be in a a a paradox paradox paradox Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. it's it's challenging. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And that's why we avoid it. That's why we prefer left or right or black or white or binary thinking. And so I I find that in my own self. I try and live it like that. I try and live in the middle of the ven diagram always like trying not to be binary.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But it's hard because you're it's so much easier to to pick a place to live and say, "Yeah, I'm going to go all in and believe this is the truth or I'm going to refute it." And and it's like, well, no, there's things that make sense and there's things that don't make sense. And I was just saying to someone this morning, I was like, it's funny how we've always talked about how whether the glass is half full or half empty. And I'm like, it's both.

Yeah. Like it's always both. Like that's such a stupid question because could you see it? Could you see it through like could one eye have one lens and the other have the other things at the same? the same? the same? Yeah. And both things are true. If if a glass is half full, it is therefore half empty. Yeah. And so therefore the right answer is I see both. And if you see both it means I can fill the glass up and it also means I have more to drink.

And so this idea of do you see the glasses half full or half empty? half empty? half empty? The answer is both. But it's the brain doesn't want that answer. the brain just wants to choose one or the other. So we either become positive or you know evangelists of our beliefs or we become negative and pessimists of that belief and we don't recognize that most things have lots of good in them and lots of things that they could improve and and grow. But it's the brain for simplicity's sake prefers one or the other.

Yeah. other. Yeah. other. Yeah. And sometimes it's hard to feel, you know, it's difficult cuz you also don't want to be sometimes you have to choose a specific uh direction or you know there is specificity to the choices we make and and the sometimes you know for integrity you need to kind of define things you know is it this or is it that but anyway it's yeah it's very context based as well I find but I don't know I I don't I know if it's because of me also trying to um connect with that space but I know a lot of people have told me that you know there's so many people who have grown up in religious environments who have experienced a lot of heavy judgment or trauma even um it seems more common than not sometimes or at least maybe I just encountered people who speak about that and I've felt encouraged that people have said when they've come to my events or gatherings that they feel it's a safe space to space to space to to to to to be in a spiritual space but not have something imposed upon them.

And I I'm I feel happy about that, you know. Um I want to try to to hold that tension tension. I don't know if it's tension, but it's like, you know, walking a path of integrity and specificity oneself, but being able to to create space that feels very inclusive and and welcoming for everyone. We all want to feel better, to have more energy and more focus throughout the day. That's why I co-ounded Juni, a sparkling adaptogenic drink made with powerful ingredients like ashwagandha and lion's mane.

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Cheers to your daily mood boost. Has there ever been anything that's really difficult that you've gone through in life that you feel your faith has been integral to moving through? moving through? moving through? I don't think there's been a a life event like, you know, some of the huge things that happen or, you know, losing a loved one, things like that that are that are that are often the the cause of a, you know, a deep um deep um deep um grief and sorrow that, you know, sometimes leads to a spiritual search.

Um but I think I have experienced crisis of faith which required faith to come out of out of out of that's good. Yeah. Yeah. Um, which yeah, took me by surprise. You know, I think the experience, especially if you're used to being someone who who that's something that you do feel sure of and then when it's suddenly not there, it can feel like rug is pulled out from under your feet. And feet. And feet. And I I felt like I'm I'm not quite sure who I am.

You know, you're like like uh like in a coloring book, you know, you got the lines and that's like the defined color within the lines. But imagine if the lines just disappeared and you just color like who am I without that? Um I have experienced that a couple of times. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's Yeah. It's it's an interesting answer because Yeah. It's like how I hosted the variety faith in spirituality honors last week. Yeah. And Yeah. And Yeah. And I was talking about how the people who are being awarded and honored, they've showed different types of faith.

And I was saying it showed having faith, messy faith, losing faith. And that's what makes it so real where I think faith-based content or people sometimes have always been shown as one note. We're like, "This is who you are." Or like, "This is the kind of person you should be." should be." should be." Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Got to believe. Yeah. Yeah. And now I think we're showing these varated depictions of what faith can look like and spirituality can look like and it's just so much more real.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because relatable. Because relatable. Because relatable. Yeah. Relatable and grounded and accessible and and yeah just truly transparent because that's what it can look like. And I think if anyone is a person of how did faith help you refine faith when there was a crisis of faith? I think there was a period of time and it wasn't that long but because of the disorientation that I felt it felt a lot longer than it was I think um of of feeling like the faith had just totally evaporated.

evaporated. evaporated. Um, Um, Um, and you know, it feels like a type of it feels like a type of darkness because something that had previously given you a lot of light and internal support and nourishment just seems to disappear or no, it seems like vapor that is was that actually real? Um, and I think I think faith almost it felt like it seeped in almost like a you know through a pinhole where you get light that just comes through a tiny crack and it gradually grows.

But um, initially um, initially um, initially the there had to be a speck of faith for me to think that faith could even return. return. return. Mhm. in a way I had to o be open to that and I found through that experience um I connected more to to prayer um spontaneously and personally um versus more ritual type of worship or a set set set you know practice or routine more spontaneously more expressively um in in English. And it's funny cuz I I grew up, you know, completely steeped in prayer like throughout the day cuz that's just the environment I was in.

I was thinking about the soundsscape of my of my life growing up. There was always bells ringing and you know in in my tradition we blow this con shell. there's these kind of spiritual sounds around around around and and and um ancient mantras, Sanskrit was a very familiar language for me. But what I didn't have confidence and ease with was praying in the language that I speak um and actually being that personal to just be alone and speak those words um whatever was coming up. And I think that was a really transformative experience and time for me and actually led to some of the songs that I've recorded because eventually I thought, you know, you don't always think like that I should record this because it's so personal and specific, specific, specific, but I did feel that I bet there are others who go through these times or who feel these feel these feel these these emotions who may it may enable them to express words that they they can't find the words to say, "Do you think we all need to talk to God more?" more?" more?" 100%.

100%. 100%. 100%. Yeah. I was thinking about this um ahead of our chat because I was thinking about how much you know in the last I don't know if it's the last decade but of course mindfulness is a word that we've heard so much meditation has become something that is so in in many ways integrated into you know it's not that everyone does it but if you say it no one's going to probably look at you funny you might see people doing it in an ad or you know I always remember walking into I think it was Gap or something, you know, on a high street and there were these mannequins sitting like this in a lotus position and I was like, "Oh, interesting.

This is like filtering into just everyday, you know, culture and fashion." But I I was thinking about how meditation can bring us into this space of stillness and internal connection. But what am I meditating on? And the the difference between just coming to a place of groundedness, stillness, calming the mind and prayer to me is quite distinct. Um that's my personal take on it. you know, someone may use those terms differently and and describe it differently, but I I feel like um yeah, if prayer is not something that you've ever done, or even if it is something that's familiar that you did grow up with, I I feel like, you know, sometimes they say, "Oh, just try doing something with your left hand or your non-dominant hand because it will reveal something to you or you'll feel a different way of looking at something and doing something." I think I think yeah it might be something that listeners would like to try you know to to either approach it for the first time or approach it through a different pathway.

Yeah. I like that you've been used to like a new neural pathway almost. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Why not try? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes it sometimes it involves you know there's so many different ways that people pray. For some people it's very spontaneous. Some people have a very ritualized way of placing their their body in a certain position or doing certain actions. And um I think all of those things are designed to bring us into a certain state of mind and of being that allows can allow you to express some of these deepest um these deepest sentiments that are otherwise quite hard to access in a natural way.

Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, for me, like I find I love talking to God when I'm driving. I do that. That's my favorite I do that. That's my favorite time. time. time. Yeah. In one of the hardest times I experienced, that was the time you just reminded me of that. I I would just talk. Yeah. Driving by myself, cry. myself, cry. myself, cry. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Speak, sing. Speak, sing. Speak, sing. I I find driving to be so therapeutic and a place to share streams of thoughts.

thoughts. thoughts. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I always love it. I think it also reminds me of that Bruce Almighty scene where he's like asking God for a sign. God keeps sending him loads of signs and he keeps ignoring them and then his car goes off goes off goes off the bridge or whatever it is. And I'm like, yeah, I'm always looking around for signs when I'm driving and connecting billboards to to God's message to me. And it's just like this fun idea that that there's some, you know, there's some power in what I'm reading and seeing.

So, I love that. Last question before the final five. What's a question you ask yourself when you feel lost? H am I connected with my am I am I being of service? Am I actually connected with service in this moment this moment this moment because you believe that if you're connected to service then you'll have found where you belong. Yeah. I feel like it's a state of being which is is protective because it's protective of the experience of being totally lost because you're you're focusing on giving.

Um it's it's hard being a embodied human. You know, it's so easy to feel lost for so many different reasons, but when you're thinking about how you can serve someone else, whatever that may look like, I find that that really helps me. It's such a great answer and I I couldn't agree more. And I think it's one of the biggest losses of modern education. modern education. modern education. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And modern space where everything to solve you is all about you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And not about anyone else.

And and there's been studies on this too. Like if you have depression and you help people who have depression, your depression goes down. And so even in a really difficult state, the act of service can still be helpful to yourself. What to speak of when things are not that bad? Yeah. And yeah, it's fascinating to me how we always think, oh, if I have more, then I'll be able to give more. But yeah, yeah, yeah, actually, wherever you are just now, you already may have a little more than someone else, and if you can help and support in whatever way, time, energy, money, if that is your way of helping.

Yeah, I love that answer. It's such a good answer. good answer. good answer. It's something I've been I've been trying to to say this this prayer every day, and it's it's it's a traditional Sanskrit prayer. I won't say all the the words but it ends with the phrase das anodas and that means you know servant of the servant and uh it's funny when when I when I was growing up and you know these this is one of those things that in a in a religious community a certain thing becomes a way that people do things which from the outside can seem a bit weird and so everybody would sign a letter or a message your servant and I can't remember when it happened but maybe we were visiting some relatives or something.

But I just saw that through a different lens and I thought that must sound so funny because the idea of being a servant is not something that we would regard very highly, you know, in in a sort of like regular world. Um, but it's a really profound spiritual idea that to identify as a servant as like an essential identity keeps you always looking for ways to contribute and give. So yeah, I I find that really helps me a lot. lot. lot. Yeah, it's Yeah, I think if you It's really interesting because I think the misconception of that is when we think, oh, that means I have to stay small.

Yeah. Or that means I'm going to be exploited by someone. Correct. And and it's almost like there's the been the servant leadership movement. movement. movement. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And even the idea of oh, you could be the CEO of a company and see yourself in service of others. Yeah. Like it's it's not based on your position in society. It's based on the mood and intention that you do that act with. So someone could be the coach of the biggest soccer team in the world and see themselves as serving their team.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And someone could be the best player in the world and see themselves as serving their team. their team. their team. Or you could be all those things and think you're the best thing in the world and no one else is important. And so it's got nothing to do with your external position. external position. Yeah, I've got to be small and play it. Yeah, I'd like to understand I'd like to to to understand and grasp that more deeply cuz I I I think I still struggle with that.

like you've always, you know, in our friendship, you've always encouraged me to to embrace what I'm doing and be, you know, unafraid to to, I guess, grow and broadcast out what I'm doing, you know, bigger and bigger as as a service. But it's so difficult when you're you're you're vi more visible or more in a position of leadership to continue to kind of yeah harmonize that that idea that I'm I'm serving but also have to kind of have the things that go along with being more in a in a leadership position.

I don't know. For me, I find it challenging. me, I find it challenging. Yeah. No, I I don't disagree. I I think that the more closer you get to your unique service, the less you see it as big and small and the more you see it as just yours. just yours. just yours. And so there is no it kind of fades away because it's so clearly what you were meant to do. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That then you don't see it as big or expansive or small or not.

It just is. Yeah. And therefore I find that people who know their purpose and their dharma are less envious and less comparative and less less less all of those things because they just found their thing. Yeah. You can't you know you can't be or do what someone else is doing cuz you you know yourself so well and correct and you feel aligned in what you're doing. I guess I guess I'm coming to that. I'm coming to that now. I think I've finally accepted myself as doing what I'm doing and this is this is who I am.

It's taken a long time. Yeah. Well, God in the universe had to nominate you for a Grammy to to get you to understand that. I mean, he knows that I I need a big uh a big push, you know. Yeah. I love it. J, it's been so nice getting to know you this way. Like I know we've we've had so many conversation. I mean, whenever you're over at the house and you come over, we'll like, we'll like, we'll like, you know, stay up and talk for hours and hours and hours.

We you know, I love having these conversations, but I feel I'm so glad I get to share you with the community. And I know you've been on before few years back now. That was 2020. 20. Was it 2020? Yeah, it was in your old place, old studio. studio. studio. So amazing to have you back on. Thank you. And I'm a fan of the podcast. So, this is like very cool for me. No, it's awesome to have you here. And uh we end every episode, as you know, as a fan of the podcast with a final five.

These questions have to be answered in one word to one sentence maximum. Wow. Wow. Wow. Everyone does one sentence. No one does. Okay. Okay. Okay. Uh so, Janvie Harrison, these are your final five. Thank you. Question one, uh what is the best advice you've ever heard or received? Don't be afraid. Who told you that? Do you remember? I've heard it from many different people, but I think my parents, mentors. Yeah. And it's there in the Bhagavad Gita. Don't be afraid. Have trust and courage and keep keep walking forward.

Yes. Purpose. Yes. Purpose. Yes. Purpose. Yes. Uh question number two. What is the worst advice you've ever heard or received? received? received? anything related to to what are what will other people think. Definitely. Definitely. It's when you say you want to do something and go, "What will they say? What will Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's a good answer." Uh, question number three. number three. number three. Uh, is there a decision you made that didn't make any logical sense but was the right one for you? the decision I made to on purpose miss a plane home to get to take up this job as a magazine editor.

Um I I've never I'm always like a real rule rule follower and the fact that I had a flight booked is and that I intentionally missed it and just said I'm going to drop that. That didn't make any sense at the time and the ne the next morning when I woke up I was like what did I do? But I think I was trying to follow a deeper intuition and it turned out to to lead me to this this and many other moments but that it took a long time for me to realize.

realize. realize. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Had to have confidence in that decision along the way. Yeah. I'm so glad you did that. Uh question number four. What's something that you used to value that you don't value anymore? value anymore? value anymore? I think I used to put a lot more value on other people's opinions and that doesn't mean that I don't now. But it's something I've actively worked on because I've realized how how um how damaging it can be to place that much um weight and concern on on what other people are thinking and saying.

Um but I don't know if I could have have have come to that point any earlier. Yeah. It's part of growing up. For sure. For sure. For sure. So yeah. So yeah. So yeah. Yeah. It's the biggest one. It's it's a weird one. You want to it's almost like you want to choose which opinions you listen to from which people because we all have to listen to some like in you know as we talk about in spirituality there has to be some sense of authority. of authority.

of authority. The challenge is when you give everyone an authority over you and all of a sudden now you listen to everyone with equal equal equal you listen to everyone with equal attention despite their lack of authority or competence or character give weight give weight give weight when it doesn't have any value. That's what I think is the issue. We all have to listen to someone. But we give too much weight and value to people who don't know anything about that or us. Yeah. I think I used to do that to the extreme probably because of also growing up in an environment where you're expected to, you know, respectfully hear from anyone who's older than you or, you know, knows more than you.

Um, but yeah, it's a work in I'm a work in progress for sure. Sure. No, I came up with a system when I wrote Think Like a Monk to make it easier because I struggled with that so much in spiritual circles for sure, but in general. And I came up with something that I call um the four Cs, which is character, care, consistency, and competence. competence. competence. And so I think about the problem that I have and then I figure out who I'm speaking to based on one of those four.

So if it's a morality question, I have to ask the person of high character because if I just ask the person who cares about me, they may bend morality in my favor. Or if I am worried about my health, I've got to talk to the person who cares about me but is also competent. Whereas the person who might have who might consistently be around me, they may not have the best insight and advice. Or like for example, if I talk to my mom, she just cares if I've eaten well.

Uh but she won't give me the best work advice because she'd prefer I take care of myself then right do something good for work and so so do they all four have to be there or it's different things for different I believe no one has all four oh oh oh and there are different things for different decisions and they just care about you about you about you so there's advice is skewed but their opinion is also one of my favorite quotes says don't take directions from someone who's never been to where you're And we all do that.

We all take someone's opinion and they've not even been there. They've never they've never reached that or achieved that and we're sitting here taking their word as gospel. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so yeah, those those four C's have kind of really helped me make that is really helpful. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Tough. It's tough one to to learn cuz you may have people that are very close to you and you assume that by intimacy, by the fact that they know you so deeply that they will have all or at least most of those.

But yeah, it's not necessarily the case. Yeah. Like even even my mom, like my mom has very good character. She cares about me. me. me. She's consistent, but she's not competent in every area. She's competent in some areas. There's some things my mom has great insight on, but she's not competent in every area of my life. And therefore, it's not, you know, but anyway. All right. Fifth and final question. We ask this to every guest who's ever been on the show. If you could create one law that everyone in the world had to follow, what would it be?

I would love everyone to to talk to God more. I feel like a lot of, you I feel like a lot of, you know, like a domino effect, a lot of things would would shift. Um, and and I know it sounds like a cliche, but to truly have um this mood of being in service to to others, to each other. Imagine if that was like a compulsory thing just to be a citizen of of the world. world. world. Um, I think it would be a beautiful world.

It's a great answer. How do you know if you're talking to God or talking to yourself? to yourself? to yourself? You know, it's intention. It's intention. You might, it might look like you're talking to yourself. Um, but I think you it's Yeah, it's purely about your intention. If you address God, I mean, if you are familiar with any spiritual tradition, most most will agree that God is everywhere in everything. um everything is coming from him, her and uh so there's so many different ways to do that and yeah, you can do it in your own way or you can get guidance on how to do it.

But I think if you've if you've not experienced it before, it's just it's it's so worth it. And um it's not worth missing out on what worth it's not worth missing out on what you may find through that experience to you know to kind of leave it aside. Everyone, the album is called Into the Forest. Janie Harrison just got nominated for a Grammy. I'm so excited. I'll be at the Grammys next year. So fingers crossed. Hoping see you in two months. Hoping for the win. For any of you don't already, please follow Janvy Harrison on Instagram.

You can subscribe to her music on Spotify and listen along to the album she's mentioned today. And John, thank you so much for being such a dear friend for uh doing this interview and so proud of you. So excited for this really big moment in your amazing career and and and thank you thank you thank you just you doing something based on service and devotion and it being recognized at this level. It's so exciting. exciting. exciting. Thank you. I want to say thank you to you because you've been such a um an encouraging friend, but also I think so many of these very meaningful moments in my journey have been somehow connected to you through through serving together.

Um I've learned so much and I recognize that a lot of significant growth that I've had has been through your encouragement. encouragement. encouragement. I really feel that. So I share the Grammy nomination with you. Well, I'll add that to my bio. Yeah. No, it's really a privilege. I'm so grateful to be here. No, you're so kind and and uh honestly, it's been such a joy. Like, it's fun looking back at those pictures of the last 20 years. Did you mention Weimoth at the beginning? beginning? beginning?

I did. I did. Yeah, I did. Yeah. Do you know the funny thing about that picture is I'm actually sitting behind a pillar, so you can't even see me in it, but it's like Yeah. We drove to Weimoth, which I can't remember how far that is from London. London. London. I think it was about 3 hours. 3 hours. We stayed the night. We did an event. It was like 10 people came. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And like I mean it was a beautiful event. It was a beautiful event.

But that's the kind of you know it's it's fun talking about these things because it's easy to sit here now and you know you nominated for a Grammy and all the rest of it but it's like no it's like we used to drive three hours and I would do a talk and you would chant and lead meditations meditations meditations and we would do that for free. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. Uh just wanting to do it out of service and we do it all the time. We did it at universities.

We did it and it was just for free all the time and we did it together and it's fun looking back and and you know we we both still do so many things for the community and here and there but there but there but it's just so yeah it's fun it's fun looking back. Yeah. And how to ch channel and hold on to that same spirit. Even though the the form, you know, the vessel of it may change, it may have more kind of image of material success, but the intention that yes, I want to be there and I want to show up and I want to show up with everything that I can give how to kind of Yeah.

hold on to that. Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. I know. I remember there was a magic about those times. Yeah. Yeah. I remember doing these meditation sessions at SOASS University. Remember running from the tube station across Russell Square and it would be like three students would be there and we do that for an hour. Um but yeah, this precious times anytime you get those kind of opportunities I think so. think so. think so. Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you so much. much. much. If you love this episode, you'll enjoy my interview with Dr.

Daniel Aemon on how to change your life by changing your brain. brain. brain. If we want a healthy mind, it actually starts with a healthy brain. You know, I've had the blessing or the curse to scan over a thousand convicted felons and over a hundred murderers and their brains are very damaged.