Jay Shetty

British-American former monk and media personality whose Think Like a Monk translates Vedic philosophy into accessible life advice for a mass self-help audience.

Jay Shetty spent three years living as a monk in India and the UK after graduating from university, studying under Vedic teacher Radhanath Swami, before returning to civilian life and building a substantial career as a social media personality and podcast host. Think Like a Monk, published in 2020, draws on his monastic experience and translates Vedic concepts — purpose, ego, gratitude, the nature of the mind — into practical exercises and reframings aimed at the general self-help reader.

The book’s appeal lies in its combination of spiritual depth with approachability. Shetty has an instinct for making ancient frameworks feel relevant to contemporary anxieties about purpose, identity, and distraction, and many readers have found it genuinely useful as a daily practice companion. His writing is accessible without being shallow, and the monastic grounding gives Think Like a Monk a texture that distinguishes it from generic positivity literature.

Critics — including some within the podcast and media world — have raised questions about the accuracy of how Shetty represents his monastic background and the sourcing of some of his most-shared content. There have been specific allegations of uncredited quotation and story embellishment. These are legitimate concerns about credibility that prospective readers should be aware of. The philosophical content of the book draws on genuine traditions, but readers who want to engage those traditions seriously may find it better to go directly to the original sources Shetty draws from.