Maitreyi Ramakrishnan ON: Imposter Syndrome & How to Navigate Self-Doubt In Any Stage of Your Journey

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan chats with Jay Shetty about her acting journey. Breaking through the film industry requires a lot of hard work and a lot of people don’t actually take into consideration the amount of work she has put in to continuously play the title role. Add in a good amount of luck and her will to stand for herself and never shy away from asking questions. Maitreyi is best known for portraying Devi Vishwakumar, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, in Netflix's hit series, Never Have I Ever. She created her audition tape at a local library, using her mother's camera, eventually being asked to send four more videos, before having a screen test in Los Angeles and being offered the role. Maitreyi is very vocal about diversity and standing up for yourself. Get your copy of Think Like a Monk today by clicking this link!https://thinklikeamonkbook.com/ What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 02:45 Breaking through Hollywood with a South Asian heritage 07:07 Raised to speak up your mind 10:00 “I didn’t like myself.” 14:51 Generational talk divides us 16:53 Having a grandma as your best friend 18:54 When you have family and friends that listen 22:30 The strong passion for acting 25:44 The day she filmed the audition tape 29:48 Always give it your best shot 30:43 The first day and the first scene shoot 34:25 Dealing with impostor syndrome 37:38 Everything happened in different ways for people 41:05 “Respect existence, expect resistance.” 43:42 Not enough representation of true diversity 50:02 The story she stood up for someone 53:14 Maitreyi on Final Five Like this show? Please leave us a review here - even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally! Episode Resources: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan | Instagram Maitreyi Ramakrishnan | Twitter Maitreyi Ramakrishnan | TikTok Maitreyi Ramakrishnan | Facebook Achieve success in every area of your life with Jay Shetty’s Genius Community. Join over 10,000 members taking their holistic well-being to the next level today, at https://shetty.cc/OnPurposeGenius See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Jay Shetty?

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• 1:28Jay Shetty?

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• 2:12Jay Shetty?

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• 2:20Speaker 01

  It's like self-love, like you got the confidence one day of like, yeah. I deserve this. I am very proud of myself. But then the next day, it's, oh, God, oh, no. People think I'm a joke. That could be sparked because you see one comment. And I used to do this. I'm gonna be honest. I would scroll through comments until I found a negative one. Scroll through thousands of positives until I found a negative one. And that would be when I would turn off my phone, which is so unhealthy.

• 2:53Jay Shetty?

  Hey, everyone. Welcome back to On Purpose, the number one health podcast in the world. Thanks to each and every single one of you who come back every week to listen, learn, and grow. Now, you know that I'm always on the lookout to speak to people that I find interesting, fascinating, and often people that we don't know so much about them as a human, as an individual. We see them on the big screen. We watch them at home. We see them on our phones, but we don't know too much about them. And today's guest is someone who I've been watching, binge-watching religiously on Netflix, on her show, Never Have I Ever. I'm talking about none other than Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who's an actress known for her leading role as Devi Vishwa Kumar in the Netflix teen comedy series, Never Have I Ever.

• 3:38Jay Shetty?

  In 2019, she was chosen by Mindy Kaling out of 15,000 candidates that applied for an open casting call for the show. She created her audition tape at a local library using her mother's camera, eventually being asked to send four more videos before having a screen test in L.A. and being offered the role in 2019. Today, she's been named as one of the 18 groundbreakers, a list of girls who were breaking down barriers and changing the world in 2021. And she was named a breakout actor in Time 100's Most Influential People. She was back for a second season in Never Have I Ever, and it was also announced that she will star in the Netflix romantic comedy, The Netherfield Girls.

• 4:22Jay Shetty?

  Welcome to the show, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan. Maitreyi, thank you so much for doing this.

• 4:27Speaker 01

  Thank you for having me. It's such an honor.

• 4:30Jay Shetty?

  I've really been looking forward to this because I remember when season one came out and me and my wife literally watched the whole season in one night. And, and we were both just like, oh my gosh, this show is so addictive. And, you know, for us, it was interesting watching it because my wife and I, both from South Asian backgrounds, were born and raised in London. And so to see the somewhat South Asian experience portrayed through the show in the United States was a learning curve for us. It was, you know, it was, it was unique for us. It, it wasn't the same at all. I wanted to ask you, show aside, tell us about what it was like growing up as a South Asian young woman in the United States, in, well, sorry, in Canada for you.

• 5:13Speaker 01

  Canada. Um, for me, it was a little different to Davy because I was, you know, blessed to have people from all sorts of backgrounds, you know, in class with me, which was really awesome because I got to learn about everyone's, you know, backgrounds and cultures and identities and just life stories in general, which exposed me to a lot. But then also like really pushed me to figure out, okay, how do you identify as a Tamil Canadian? Like, what does that actually really mean to you? And I'm really thankful for my upbringing and I have to give a shout out to my parents. I wouldn't have said this like however many years ago, but I realize now very quickly with everything that's happened, I'm only like half of what I am, or like even a quarter of what I am, like,

• 5:57Speaker 01

  without them, you know what I'm saying? Like, I need them to be who I am, so, yeah.

• 6:03Jay Shetty?

  I love that. Tell us about something, growing up, like you said, that you would have felt like, oh, my parents are weird, or I don't really connect with them, or I don't agree with them, and now you're like, oh, you were so right. Like, tell me about something that changed.

• 6:16Speaker 01

  I'm actually glad you asked that because usually like I get asked the question like, oh, were your parents like supportive of you going into acting, which is super valid as a question, as, you know, reality is a lot of South Asian parents aren't, right? It's a very, you know, tricky field to go into entertainment. But my parents are very supportive. Um, my dad, growing up, was always like, yeah, whatever you need, like, we'll figure it out. We'll get you there. We'll do whatever you got. Do whatever you want, be whoever you want, but just be the best you can be at it. But despite all of that, now looking back, I realize how supportive and like, how much they were there for me, growing up as like a kid. I always felt like the outsider, you know, like in my family, like sort of like the black sheep. Because my brother, he's two years older than me, I'm the younger one.

• 7:01Speaker 01

  So I'm like the stereotypical, you know, younger rebellious sibling. And my brother was the good, studious one and who loved reading books while I'd rather just go to like an amusement park. You know, I'm not gonna read a book, whatever. So I always felt like I couldn't connect with my family for the longest time until I realized like, wait. My home's like really cool to talk to. And I, it's like, you know, I don't know if like you've experienced this, I'm sure you have. I feel like a lot of kids have. It's that moment where you stop necessarily idolizing your parents, thinking like, oh my God, they're everything and they're amazing. They can do nothing wrong.

• 7:44Speaker 01

  And then maybe you see them cry once and you're like, what? That's a little, little gross. Or like they do something and you're like, oh, I actually like disagree with you on that. And I think when those moments started happening, I started humanizing them and I'm like, yeah.

• 7:59Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, I think that's.

• 8:00Speaker 01

  That's my little tangent.

• 8:02Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, no, I love that. That's a great answer. I, I really appreciate you opening up and letting us in because, you know, I, I love the character you play on the show, but on, on this show and on purpose, my whole focus is on you as a human and an individual. So I'm excited to get to know, you know, my three, like that's the person that I'm really interested in and, and fascinated by and in your journey. So thank you for being so open already and, and sharing stories. And, and now, now that we all know that your brother's this super intelligent.

• 8:33Speaker 01

  Oh my God, he's such a nerd. He's also like, like he's the book smart one, but I'm the street smart one and he knows it.

• 8:40Jay Shetty?

  Got it, got it. Well, it's funny because I have a younger sister. What's your age difference? Two years, you said?

• 8:44Speaker 01

  Two years, two years.

• 8:45Jay Shetty?

  So my younger sister's four years younger than me.

• 8:48Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 8:48Jay Shetty?

  And it's the other way around. I'm the rebel. I'm the kid who got into trouble. I experimented and she's like, just the sweetest soul. So we, we, we traded places. But uh, no, I, I love what you're saying and, you know, I, I think it's so important to recognize that. Like you said, it's always easy to look back and point fingers at our parents and be like, oh, they didn't let me do that. Or they, they were, they were wrong about this, but to be able to say, and I feel the same way as you. You know, I look back at the things my parents forced me to do and now I look back. And I'm just like, wow, I'm so glad you forced me to do that. And, and you know, I think, I think it's a good, good reflection.

• 9:28Jay Shetty?

  I, I wanted to talk about, you know, what were you like growing up as a child? Have you, have you always been outgoing? And you said rebellious, I want to hear a bit about that rebellious side. Like, what, what was your rebellion leading you to?

• 9:44Speaker 01

  Yeah, I mean, I've always been like an extroverted, you know, person. I always would talk to everyone. Um, growing up, my mom's rule was if she didn't know their parents, I wasn't going over to their house. Not happening. So quickly, my GameCube, my Nintendo GameCube became my best friend. And so I'm like pretty good at all those video games. But that's why I also picked up a bunch of different like hobbies, like drawing and painting and singing and playing piano. And, you know, just doing these things by myself. And which I'm, you know, one of those things I'm very thankful for, because I have all those skills now. But in terms of like the rebellious side, that's actually from my parents too. In the sense it's like the sense of justice.

• 10:29Speaker 01

  My parents have always raised me to speak about what I believe in. If I see an injustice, speak up for it. If I see someone, you know, in trouble or like getting bullied or just picked on wrongfully. Doesn't matter if you don't know them, go stand up for them, like speak your mind. And like, uh, you know, like the whole term of like code switching that many, you know, people of color do. I never did that. And that's truly because my mom especially raised me to believe you don't have to. You just do you, be who you are. Don't be a brat, but be who you are. You don't need to hide yourself or not speak your mind in a family party. Or in this professional setting, if you see something wrong, you speak up.

• 11:14Speaker 01

  My mom literally raised me as a kid and said, if someone ever punches you, you have one punch back. Make it count. That's what my mom would say to me, so.

• 11:25Jay Shetty?

  Did you ever exercise that advice? Did you ever use that advice?

• 11:29Speaker 01

  No, I don't think I ever like did. Unless it was probably with a fight against my brother or something, or maybe like with my cousins. But definitely that energy was very much so there where my friends knew like, okay. My tree like stands up for what she believes in. I was very well acquainted in high school with the principal's office. Not for like bad things, the principal and I got along very well, actually. But if I saw something go down with like a teacher and a student, like I'm there. And I'm like, this is what's happening. You need to figure this out. This is wrong, you know?

• 12:02Jay Shetty?

  I love that. I love that. Yeah, we need, we need more people who speak up and. Stand up and, and don't just let things happen by the sides. I'm intrigued. You said that, that. You developed a lot of skills because your parents were like, if I don't know their parents, you're not allowed to go out. I, I wonder, did you get quite comfortable, even though you're an extrovert? I'm interested. Did you get comfortable spending time alone? And do you think that has stayed the same? Or are you kind of like, no, no, no, I, I don't like being alone?

• 12:27Speaker 01

  Okay, so that, that's, thank you for asking that too, because this is something I've always wanted to talk about as well, like. I, up until probably my last year of high school, hated being alone. Like I hated it. I had sitting with my own thoughts. I hated just sitting with myself. Having to talk to myself, have to entertain myself, because I didn't like myself for the longest time. I would rather be anyone else, you know? And throughout like, you know, school, I would always surround myself like a bunch of different people. Just to like, you know, hang out with and the more people I had meant, the more opportunities to go out. The more stories and like conversations I could have that weren't with myself.

• 13:09Speaker 01

  Until, you know, in grade 12, I was forced to have those conversations with myself and realize. Oh, I really don't like being alone. This is not fun. The whole reason I did after school theater. Was because I wanted something to do after school that would keep me at school and not send me home. That was the reason I started it. And then I'm obviously so thankful, but. That's how I got into acting.

• 13:34Jay Shetty?

  Wow, that's amazing. I love hearing that. That's, that's, that's awesome that you were able to find something through actually being like, oh, I'm just using this as an escapism, but it actually became your life.

• 13:46Speaker 01

  It caught up to me. It caught up to me. I had to learn how to like sit in my own silence, which now I'm better at. I'm not perfect at it and I don't think anyone really is. It's a growing journey because you're changing yourself. But I'm less harsh on myself as an individual in that way. Still in general, very hard on myself, but yeah.

• 14:08Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, I wanted to know, you said that earlier, you were like, you know, up until you finished high school, you were like, oh, I really didn't enjoy being by myself. You're like, I didn't like myself. Tell us a bit about that because I think that's a very common experience, but it's not commonly talked about because we don't hear people say that. Like for you to have the courage to just say right now, like, I didn't like myself, like, and, and now that you're, that's transitioning. And I loved how you said it's not perfect. It's not like you figured it out, but you've been transitioning. Tell us why you didn't like yourself. Like what made you feel that way? What, what put you in that position?

• 14:42Speaker 01

  I feel like being able to talk about it, first of all, actually comes from the show. Like, one of the things that when people like talk about Davy, just really quickly, like when they say, oh, she's so confident, yet she's a nerd. She is very confident still, like 100% she's loud, she's outspoken. But confident about herself? No. She's confident when it comes to grades and being book smart, but confident about her own thoughts, her own worth, her self-worth? No way. And it was like this like weird experience of playing this character that I deeply care about, like a younger sister. Seeing her go through this, but also just knowing that a bunch of people, a whole writer's room wrote this.

• 15:24Speaker 01

  And that made me realize this isn't such an individual rare experience. So many people go through it. And we should talk about it more. I feel like, you know, loving yourself is so hard because one day you could be like, there, you're on your shit. You're like, yeah. Hmm. Had a great day. Next day, terrible, gone. And that could be because of something as small as like, you know, getting a pimple right in the middle of your face. Or getting into like a fight with someone and you feel just like a terrible human being.

• 15:57Jay Shetty?

  So true. It's so true. Yeah. And I think, you know, I think you're spot on. I mean, I look back to being, and I love how you said that Davy's like a younger sister to you in the way that you see the, see the role. I think that's such an interesting way to put it. And when I look back at my own self at sixteen, and if I honestly, I think a lot of people around me would have said I was pretty confident, but I think you're right. Like, if I really look inward.

• 16:20Speaker 01

  Were you really?

• 16:21Jay Shetty?

  No, I wasn't. I don't think I was at sixteen. I mean, sixteen's a really tough age to be actually confident. I mean, you barely know who you are. And, you know, I find that a lot of people, obviously, I mean, you're nineteen now, I believe. So I feel a lot of people also, what I love about what the show has done is that it's opened up this like, multi-generational conversation. Like, it's not, even though it's called a teen comedy series, it's like, I'm not a teen and I watch it. My wife's not a teen and she watches it. And then I also know, like, full-on parents, adults, and uncles and aunties that are watching it. When you look at things generationally and you look at yourself growing up too,

• 17:02Jay Shetty?

  do you think that, I feel like we always feel that the next generation doesn't get it, but we were that same generation when we were at that age. Do you ever feel like that when you're looking at, Davy's your little sister, you're now nineteen, you're working with an aunt. Do you ever feel that way? Does that make sense?

• 17:19Speaker 01

  For me, like, it's so interesting whenever people, like, whenever people talk about like, Gen Z versus Gen X versus millennials versus boomers. And sometimes, like, I just have to, like, close my ears about it and just, like, just say, shut up. Because at the end of the day, it's just the year you were born and how the world was when it, when you were born, when you were a kid, when you were at your coming-of-age Netflix YA moment. And that is totally valid and fair. It's one hundred percent a different experience. Like, my parents don't get what it means to grow up with technology in your school, right? But they went through things that. We wouldn't get, but there's a lot that we can all universally understand, like

• 18:01Speaker 01

  this idea of loving yourself, like this idea of self-confidence, just in general, mental health. That is really universal and it sucks because now what I'm finding is that like the generation conversation is starting to divide people of like, oh, that's such a millennial mentality. We're like, oh, these like Gen Z'ers think they have it all together. They think they're like the bees knees. And it's like, no, you know what? Like to my fellow Gen Z, we're not the bees knees. We're not better. We're just humans and we all are at the end of the day. So why can't we just all be better despite what year we were born in? Go wear your neon eighties outfit, go wear your fifties hoop skirts. Like I don't care.

• 18:42Speaker 01

  Just be nice and just talk about these things because there's not that many differences. My grandma learned so much from me. I learned so much from her. Like we talked, she's like my best friend. And I talk to her all the time. She learned so much from me and I learned a lot from her and that's like what matters, you know?

• 18:59Jay Shetty?

  Well said. I I love that. That's that's such a great, great way of putting it and great way of sharing it. Tell me, tell me about some of the things. I I love hearing about this because my wife's also extremely close to her grandmother, like re- exactly how you just said, they're like best friends. I wanted to know, what are what are some of the things you've shared with each other or learned from each other? Some of the things you've taught her, some of the things she's taught you. I'd love to hear about some of that.

• 19:21Speaker 01

  Yeah, I mean, so like I said, like before, when I was younger in my house, I felt like there was no one I could really talk to. Because I knew if I was gonna talk to my brother and tell him a secret, that was gonna go right back down to Amma. Amma was gonna find out, I'm gonna be in trouble and I'm gonna get real mad. But my grandma, she's goaded. She was like my best friend, would always like hang out with me. And now it's like, she's like, she's got Twitter, right? She'll see something on Twitter and she'll like, I mean, she mainly just follows me, but like, you know, she'll see something or like something that someone replies and like it'll be a slang term or like whatever kind of term, maybe it's something about like the LGBTQIA community.

• 20:01Speaker 01

  And she'll say like, what is this? So I'm like, yeah, Ma, I'll teach you. And then she like knows about it and she's like, okay, cool. Like things like that. And then I get to learn, of course, about how she grew up, of course. But then also just where she's coming from as someone who takes care of my grandfather and someone who has her own challenges and I'm like, huh.

• 20:24Speaker 01

  We're not so different, like, we're really not, but yeah.

• 20:29Jay Shetty?

  I love that. It's great. You know, those conversations take time and patience because I'm sure that when she's asking you a question, you're having to then see it from her perspective and,

• 20:40Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 20:40Jay Shetty?

  you know, think about it. It's not just like, you know, because like you said, she's come from a different time. She's had different experiences. It's amazing that you've developed that. Where do you think you developed that? That ability to be patient, to be empathetic, the way you're talking, like when I'm hearing you, uh, you know, there's so much maturity in the way you're sharing how you are navigating this, which is beautiful to see. I'm not surprised at all, you know, it's, it's awesome. But I wonder, where do you think that came from? Was there an experience that happened in your life or was it through your parents who you're giving so much love and credit to? Where did that come from? Or where has that developed from is the question?

• 21:18Jay Shetty?

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• 22:01Jay Shetty?

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• 23:27Speaker 01

  I mean, I'm still a nineteen-year-old, like, loser. Like...

• 23:32Jay Shetty?

  Nineteen-year-old video game, you're not a loser, but you're a nineteen-year-old video game player, yes.

• 23:36Speaker 01

  Yeah, still, that's pretty cool, that's my biggest flex, but, like, I'm still just nineteen and, like, you know, whatever. But I think the idea of, like, maybe listening to people... I'm not gonna lie and say, like, "Oh yeah, I listen to everyone, give them, like, everyone my full heart." There's times where it's like, "Hey, yeah, steering clear from you," you know?

• 23:57Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 23:57Speaker 01

  But when it comes to, like, sitting down with the people I care about to hear them out, answer all their questions, hear where they're coming from, their perspective, I guess it's just me thinking, like, "Hey, when the tables turn, please hear me out." Because there's been times, like, I've gone through moments in, like, school when I was growing up where I wasn't heard out, you know? And it's like, "Damn, that really sucks." And now with the industry, like, being thrown into this industry, having no friends, family who are in this industry at all, whether they're an actor, writer, director, producer, like, no one has done this in my family or in my circle. And it's such a unique experience that, like, I have, when I talk to them about it, when I have, like, you know, my

• 24:42Speaker 01

  own issues about it and I'm, you know, ranting about something, I want them to listen to me, you know? I want them to, like, try their best to put themselves in my shoes, try their best to empathize and understand, because that's all they can do. They're never gonna know what it's like, exactly, but they can empathize. And, like, a little bit of a tangent here, but when it comes to acting, um, I always get asked, like, "What's your method?" Have a method. I genuinely don't have a method. Like, I've never done an acting class in my life. But my process is that here's a character. You're gonna play this character. In order to play this character, you have to believe in every single one of their decisions.

• 25:25Speaker 01

  You're basically their lawyer, and you're gonna have to defend them. So when Davy's doing crazy, crazy things, and she's making terrible choices at times, I have to empathize and understand, okay, kid, why are we making this choice? Like, we're gonna do it, but why? Where are you coming from? So it's empathy on another level of like, okay, because now I'm gonna have to live this. Now I'm gonna have to make it believable. Because it's one thing to pick Paxton over Eleanor and Fabiola, but there's another thing to pick Paxton believably and make the audience still actually believe that Davy feels she's making a right choice and have the audience understand that, yeah, this kid genuinely thinks this is the right choice.

• 26:08Speaker 01

  It's a bad choice, but we're gonna all empathize with her together, you know?

• 26:13Jay Shetty?

  I think what you're saying there about knowing why the character would do something and applying that in real life, like if we, instead of, you've just said something beautiful there. Instead of looking at what people do around us, if we listen to understand why they're doing it, then that's gonna help us a lot more because what people do doesn't always equate with why we think they're doing it. And even as an actor, as you're saying right now, like, understanding why your character wants to do something is what makes it believable. And it's spot on, like, you know, that's exactly what makes a difference. I want to ask you a bit more about that. When you talked about acting there, obviously it started as this escape, and so you didn't have to go home, and so that you could be there at after-school.

• 26:57Jay Shetty?

  Did you have a, and you said, no one in your family's ever done this before. Did you have a plan B from acting, or was acting, you were like, I'm all in, I'm gonna make this happen. This is gonna be my thing?

• 27:08Speaker 01

  So when I was ten, I decided I wanted to be like a Disney animator for Pixar. That was the dream. That was the dream for the longest time, up until my last year in high school. And then I realized drawing on other people's time made me miserable, like I could not do it. And I was like, oh my god, like what am I gonna do now? I felt like such a disappointment with myself because I ran around school saying like, yeah, I'm gonna be a Pixar animator, I'm gonna, like, everyone knew, oh, Mitrice's dream job is to be an animator. And then I like didn't do it because I was like, I can't, I can't, I'm gonna be miserable. I still like went through with my portfolio because I'm stubborn.

• 27:48Speaker 01

  But I was not happy and then suddenly I was like, oh my god, what am I doing with my life? I basically just let down ten-year-old me that went to Disney World and got all the inspiration that a ten-year-old could ask for.

• 28:02Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 28:02Speaker 01

  But while I was applying to universities, my mom, she was the one that said, hey, like, Mitrice, like, why don't you toss in like a application for theater? Put her in there, put her in the mix. And I was like, eh, alright, like, fine, it's extra work, but maybe I'll regret it if I don't, could be fun, whatever. My mom recognized my passion for theater before I did. In high school, it was truly just a fun thing. And it was a fun thing that I also went into for like writing my own plays and directing my own plays and being in a musical, multiple musicals, multiple plays. But I was like, yeah, it's just fun times, like, I'm not gonna be a big actor.

• 28:44Speaker 01

  But then eventually after I realized, you know, it was one of the first times in my life I was ever proud of myself. I finished my grade twelve drama exam and I was really proud of myself. And I was like, you know what? I do have skills, like, I am not a failure and that's great. So I accepted theater and that was the plan, but the plan wasn't to become a big actor, go work at Netflix. The plan was. We'll see what happens. Maybe community theater is cool, which is awesome. Or just in Toronto, like the local theater scene there, that would be great. That would be the ideal.

• 29:22Jay Shetty?

  That's beautiful. I love hearing how real that is. That's, that's awesome to hear and, and also to recognize just how beautiful that would have been if that, if that's what was meant for you and you were, you know, you were prepared for that. I think so many, so many times we hear now, it's almost like, well, if I can't do that, then I don't want to do it. Right? It's like, well, if I can't do that epitome, peak moment, then I don't want to do it at all because it's not good enough. And it's almost like, I love hearing from you. You're at the opposite where it's like, hey, if this is all it is, then that's, yeah, that's fine. Yeah, yeah.

• 29:55Speaker 01

  My logic was if I do just theater in Toronto, that is fine because I would have fun and I would meet cool people. And then I would also have, like, the priority in my life might be different where I'm just meeting new people and that's where I get joy in my life. It might not be from my career. It might be from friends or, you know, family, whatever it may be. Right?

• 30:14Jay Shetty?

  Yeah. How did you pluck up the courage to send that first audition tape in? Because I feel the reason why I'm honing in on that moment is I think doing something like, like that for the first time with your mom's camera without any like prep or plan. It's not like you had your acting coach in the room and, you know, like, I think that all of us struggle with firsts and all of us struggle with starting. Like, I'm sure you speak to tons of people who say to you like, oh, mate, I'm not sure. I'm not good enough. I'm not this enough. I'm not smart enough. I'm not beautiful enough. How did you pluck up the courage? Tell me that process. Like, take us into your mind on that day.

• 30:53Speaker 01

  So let me start off by saying I was depressed. I was very depressed in my last year of high school, which took a long while for me to come to terms with. Like, I didn't think I was. Was definitely um and I almost took a nap that day instead. My best friend texted me and they said, hey, I saw this tweet from Mindy Kaling. Like, let's do this. I didn't even know how to use Twitter. Like, I didn't understand the differences between a retweet and a like. They're basically the same thing. And basically, um, you know, my best friend Shahara texted me and I almost said, no. I almost said, hey, man, I'm really tired. I think I'm just gonna take a nap. And then something in me just said, you know what?

• 31:39Speaker 01

  I haven't like I haven't hung out with my best friend in a long bit. I'll just, I'll go hang out with Shahara. Shahara is the best. So I said, okay, cool. We'll figure out a time and we'll go to the community center. Because my house is way too loud. There's no way we're gonna film a video. That's like even decent in here. So we went to the community center. We figured out after an hour how to work my mom's camera. It kept shutting off. So annoying. And then we Googled up what a slate is. I didn't know what that was. But then we were flying. We were making our tapes. And the logic was, to me, honestly, was, okay. We're gonna send it through this portal. Like, it's not even going out in public on like the internet or whatever, but like we're sending this through this portal.

• 32:24Speaker 01

  They might not ever even look at it. Generally, I was like, there's a good chance, like, they'd never check it out. There'd probably be like people all around the world auditioning for this. I have no experience. I made my acting resume on Canva. Like, the free, like, here, Canva plus, I guess. I made my acting resume on Canva. My headshot was a photo that my best friend took. Like, outside of my high school wall. And my eyes are squinty because of the sun. It's so messed up. So I didn't think people would look at it. And With all that in mind, the fact that people all around the world are auditioning for this, I was like, okay, I'm probably not gonna get this.

• 33:05Speaker 01

  I have literally no job experience at all. I can't even say I've like, you know, done retail. So, who cares? I'm gonna just do the best possible job I can, because why not? And it's funny, I have the text from that day with my best friend, where we literally say, hey man, like that was really fun, thanks for hanging out with me. And they were like, you know what, we can say we were a part of something bigger when this show takes off. We can technically say we contributed to it. And then I said, yeah, you know what? Maybe we'll get royalties for that, like as a joke. And then I said, but it would be pretty sweet if you went to Hollywood, right? And then we were like, haha, who knows, one day, man, maybe one day. And then that was it.

• 33:51Jay Shetty?

  That's amazing. I love that story. Thank you for sharing that with us. I know you've shared it before, but I

• 33:56Speaker 01

  I love it.

• 33:56Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, it's such a great story and I had to have you share with our audience and community because it's, it just, you know, I, I just love how happy you were with what you were doing. And, and how if it didn't go anywhere, it wasn't a thing. It was just like, well, we tried, we put it out there into the world, like we'll get

• 34:16Speaker 01

  We did like the best shot like we did, you know, like I wasn't gonna put out something like I didn't believe in. Cause then in my mind, I'd be like, uh, I didn't give it my best shot. I'm not an athletic person, but if I'm gonna play a basketball game with someone, you best know I'm gonna try my best.

• 34:32Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 34:32Speaker 01

  Will there be a lot of sweating? Very much so. Probably a lot of falling, knees being scared, maybe a bit of blood. But I will try, you know?

• 34:42Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 34:43Speaker 01

  So, yeah, and my mom says, like, I'm now just living my life purpose and she can see it. She saw it honestly in high school when I was doing all my performances because she came to every single one. She saw the joy that it gave me. And I'd have to agree. I feel like acting, being in this creative industry of film and TV, it is my life purpose.

• 35:01Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, I love that energy. That's awesome. And it shines off of your face. Like even though we're not even sitting in front of each other right now, I can, I can totally see it. It's, it's so real and your passion is so true and it's, it's so authentic. I love it. All right, tell me about, tell me about how that translated to then being on your first day on set? Because that's a whole nother like, that's a whole different ballgame now. Because it's like you've gone from being with your best friend to making a video to now being on set. Where, where was the first set? Where was it shot? And tell me about that experience from your perspective, not Davi's perspective, but yours.

• 35:36Speaker 01

  Yeah, we always shoot on the Universal lot in LA. So season two actually entirely was shot on lot. We did no locations anywhere else because of COVID. So we got very crafty with our, you know, bots and different sets. But the first day, um, I remember the scene exactly. It was the scene where Davi is telling Fabiola and Eleanor that she has chosen attainable yet status enhancing boyfriends for each of us to date. And um, that was the first scene we ever shot of the entire show. Uh, and I remember being so excited that we did one take and Lang Fisher says, okay, so you just, you gotta slow down a little. You just, you gotta slow down a little.

• 36:20Speaker 01

  And she's like, maybe you're a little nervous. And I was like, honestly, I'm not nervous at all. I'm just really excited to be here. I was introducing myself to everyone, saying like, hi, I'm Maytray Ramakrishnan. Like, what's your name? Trying to like, get to know everyone. And I was, my mentality was, the two first things I learned like really quick was number one. Trust everyone to do their job and then you stick and focus on yours. When you trust and then respect everyone for their job, you'll be swimming because then they will respect you to do yours and they'll be your biggest champions. Don't worry about what the sound guy is doing. Don't get in the business of the lighting guy. Let them do their thing because they're respectfully the craft, the masters of their own craft.

• 37:05Speaker 01

  So when you respect them and you take interest in a genuine, authentic way of actually caring about what they do, they'll recognize that and then they're gonna light you and mic you up and get the best angle of you that they possibly can because now they're on your team, right? And then the second thing that I like, you know, kept in mind at all times was stay alert and learn everything you possibly can. Not many get this opportunity. You have the best co-op in the world. Learn everything. Don't be afraid to ask questions. And now this is credit to Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher because they make such a great atmosphere where I never felt stupid. I was the only like cast member, number one, the youngest cast member,

• 37:48Speaker 01

  but also the one that has never in their life been on a set. And despite that, I never felt stupid for it. Were there times where I was like, oh, God, I have to cry now. I've never cried on command before and Sendle is here and he's on like the flash or something and I have to cry and this is a lot. Yeah, that happened, but I never felt dumb. And I never felt dumb for asking questions. I never felt dumb for asking for help. And yeah, that's how we got through the days.

• 38:20Jay Shetty?

  That's beautiful. I, I, that's, it's so hard, isn't it? Because like imposter syndrome is so real and, and you can often just feel completely out of your depths. But those lessons, actually, I was gonna ask you, how would you deal with imposter syndrome if you felt it? But those two pieces of advice you gave us, uh, two lessons that you take away actually make a lot of sense. Uh, and, and actually come as great pieces of insight for anyone who's struggling with imposter syndrome. Because, and, and I'm guessing that's not changed. I mean, now you're on, you know, front covers of magazines, like you're invited to all these beautiful events as you should be rightly. Have, I love that you're bringing your excitement everywhere. Has imposter syndrome ever crept in? Or have you been really like, yeah, tell us about that process.

• 39:02Speaker 01

  One hundred percent, it creeps in like every so often, sometimes like it's like self-love, like you got the confidence one day of like, yeah. I deserve this, I'm very proud of myself, amazing, but then the next day it's, oh god, oh no, I messed up. I'm terrible, like, people think I'm a joke, and it could, that could be sparked because you see one comment. And I used to do this, I'm gonna be honest, I would scroll through comments until I found a negative one. Scroll through thousands of positive until I found a negative one, and that would be when I would turn off my phone, which is so unhealthy. But maybe imposter syndrome is sparked because you heard someone say, oh, I wish she like would enunciate more, like she speaks weird.

• 39:45Speaker 01

  And I'm like, you know what, maybe, maybe you're right, maybe I should just, I should get a dialect coached. For my own voice and my own, you know, sound, maybe I should do that, but. You realize that a lot of people go through it, a lot of people go through imposter syndrome, and then you're like, huh. I mean, we can't all be imposters, right, like that doesn't make sense. Some of us have to be genuine, and some of the most genuine people I know go through that, but. I remind myself that I have worked hard, and what I used to piss me off in season one. Was when people would say, oh my god, you're so lucky that you got picked, you're so lucky, and I'm like.

• 40:27Speaker 01

  Yeah, one hundred percent, a good bit of fame is a lot, a lot about being at the right place at the right time, for sure. But I also worked really hard, luck, sure, was getting my audition tape sent in at the right day, at the right time. And somehow that got landed on their screens, and you know, I did all that, but I did work really hard during the audition process. But you know what, even if you wanna call the whole audition luck, you can't call the season luck. Netflix comes out with so many shows a day, but we're one of the biggest shows, that's hard work, you know? And when I remind myself of that, I'm like, you know what? I'm not that big of an imposter. I think I can relax today.

• 41:08Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, I don't, I don't think so at all. I think, so first of all, when I first watched the season, I would never have been able to tell whether you'd acted before or not. Like, I would never have been able to tell. Like, no, no, I couldn't say, I couldn't have watched them and been like, oh, she doesn't look like a real. Like, you would never have said that. You were, you're great from episode one. Like, you always appear completely comfortable. And I believe you, as in, I have to really talk, I had to prepare today by going, I am not interviewing Davy. I'm interviewing Maitreyi. Like, I had to literally be like, do not think of her as Davy. Like, you have, I've got to, as an interviewer, I have to stop thinking you're this character.

• 41:48Jay Shetty?

  Because I believe you're this character. Like, I, I don't have any doubt that you are Davy when you're playing Davy. And I think that is a, you know, that to me is credit to your skills. And I always say to people, like, the people that have success, they should see it as fortune and, and joy. But everyone else should see it as hard work. Because when you see someone else's success as luck, you then think you're unlucky. And, and then it stops you from working hard. When actually, when you see someone's success as hard work, you go, okay, I know what I need to do now. And it sets you up. Does that make sense? This episode is brought to you by Whole Foods Market. If you're talking about quality food, you can't forget Whole Foods Market,

• 42:32Jay Shetty?

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• 43:15Jay Shetty?

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• 43:33Jay Shetty?

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• 44:37Speaker 01

  Yeah, 100%, like get inspired by it, don't let it defeat your own goals, your own worth, your own journey in life, right? I feel like whenever people ask me like, "How do I get into acting? Like, how do I do this?" In my head, my response is always, I mean, be on the lookout for the next tweet, I guess. Like, that's how I did it. But reality is, everything happened in different ways for people, especially in the creative industries, like music, acting, whatever. It is so unique for everyone. So you can't get yourself discouraged when you see someone else succeed at this age, you know? You can't compare yourself. You should appreciate and respect them for their hard work that they did,

• 45:22Speaker 01

  and then be, maybe even be inspired by it, you know? But don't let it take down your own self-worth. But I was gonna say, I hope talking to me, I don't seem like Davey.

• 45:32Jay Shetty?

  No, not at all, not at all.

• 45:35Speaker 01

  It was really funny, um, when season one came out, um, it was very funny, because some people would look at my success, like you said, as luck, and then they would take it as themselves as they're unlucky. And then that could turn to the other way and then become jealousy. And that was rough, but... Then people just, you know, would either come out of the woodwork to be like, oh my god, my chair, I'm so proud of you. I'm like, we have not talked in ages. What? But then some people would just start being passive aggressive, like, oh, you're too big time for us. Or just say some jokes that would just be like, hey dude, I'm not like a changed person. I'm still me. Literally, the show even came out in quarantine. I've been stuck in the same house that you guys come over for like my birthday parties, man. Like, what?

• 46:20Speaker 01

  But, yeah, the best way I know of finding out like who actually know me is when they say like, oh my god, I watched season one and I was asking myself, were you even acting? You're so much like the character. And I'm like, okay, thank you.

• 46:35Speaker 01

  So, there's that.

• 46:37Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, yeah, that's not what I was saying. I was saying that because we've never met before, my, my only perspective of you is this character which you play so believably. And, and I wanted to make sure today that I'm talking to you and asking questions about you and not about Davy. And so, for me, it was more about the saying how believably you play this character, hence your skills, uh, as opposed to thinking you're lucky. Because if you were lucky, I wouldn't believe that you were Davy in the show. I would just be like, oh, this is, this is weird. Like, who's the, you know, like, that, that would be the, whereas I don't feel that way. So, and, and getting to know you today, yeah, I mean, saying you're like Davy is like really stereotyping and just, I mean, there's no, there's no like, there, there, everyone has

• 47:21Jay Shetty?

  so much more depth and layers. And, and even today, I've discovered so much more about you that I would never have known. And that's, that's what I'm hoping my community will too. Uh, but tell us about, you know, I, I love everything you've been sharing. I love the messages that you're sharing with people, especially because it's so hard. Uh, and, and in our South Asian community, it's harder because when we've been less exposed to this happening to people around us and these opportunities being given. So people find it harder to react. You had in your Instagram bio, respect existence or expect resistance. I wanted to understand what inspired that statement and what you connected to deeply in your life.

• 48:01Speaker 01

  Yeah, um, I think I saw that like statement somewhere on the internet back when I was in high school, somewhere. And I thought, oh my god, wordplay. That is so smart. That was my first thing. But then I was like, yeah, you know what? That's really awesome. And for my grade twelve um art exam, we had to make a mural. And like if you scroll back far enough on my Instagram feed now, there's a picture of it. It's this gigantic mural I painted. Uh by myself of this brown girl. And you know, she's got these like rainbow hearts all around her. Gold background and at the top it says respect existence or expect resistance.

• 48:42Speaker 01

  And the whole idea was like, you know, here's this brown girl, rainbow hearts, you know, symbolizing like the LGBTQI community. And just the idea of respect people, you know, and it's this woman, you know, and. I just like it as my Instagram bio because it's, it makes so much sense to me, you know? Respect people's existence. And if you don't, get ready for people to be upset and get ready for that backlash because. You need to respect other people for who they are. You need to respect the fact that. When I say there isn't enough South Asian representation in film, get ready and respect it. Because if you're gonna resist it, you're gonna be behind the curve.

• 49:25Speaker 01

  And suddenly, if you're a writer that isn't willing to add true diversity, not token diversity to your scripts. No one's gonna wanna work with you, cuz the world's changing. And honestly, it's getting with the. Ride of getting the car of respecting people for who they are, treating people with respect, like the golden rule. Or just get out.

• 49:46Jay Shetty?

  Yeah.

• 49:47Speaker 01

  I don't have time for people with that ad- that attitude.

• 49:49Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, well said. The, I love the distinction between true and token diversity. I think that's such an important. That's so huge because we hear statements that are token diversity statements all the time. I I was literally just talking to someone last week and they were told by an agency that. They wouldn't be signing them because they already have someone who's a brown person in that niche that they're in. And they were like, we already have one of you. And I was just like, and I literally, that conversation happened last week. And, and they were asking me what I thought about that and how to navigate it. And I wanted to ask you, how is your view on that, on diversity changed?

• 50:30Jay Shetty?

  Having been someone, obviously, developing their career to now being on the other side, where you have a successful show, you're in the industry, people know you, you know people. Has getting closer to the industry made you feel more excited about what's happening? Or are you actually seeing more and you're like, okay, wow, like, you know, this team, Mindy and this team's got it right, but actually, there's a lot of work that needs to be done. I want to know how your views changed from before and after.

• 50:58Speaker 01

  Definitely the latter. Like, I actually realized how used to and just, you know, conditioned I became to not seeing people like myself, South Asian women, on screen, until after, never have I ever, season one came out. Up until that point, I was just okay, I guess, with the fact that people like me were background characters, quirky best friends that were sexually deprived, because that's a lovely stereotype, or that they're just comedic relief. They're shy, they're awkward, they can't talk to women unless they're drunk. You know, you get used to that. And then the show came out, I met people in the, in the industry. And it made me, yeah, hopeful that things are changing.

• 51:42Speaker 01

  But honestly, I had this like anger in me of like, this sucks. If I didn't make it into the industry, I would have maybe just been okay with it all this time. Like, this is not okay. And we run around saying like diversity, like diversity, diversity. We say it so much, but we have to. It's like, what other choice do we have? Like, it's become this fluff word, but it's such a mandatory fluff word. You know, like, it is very important because it's not happening fast enough, in my opinion. Yeah, the needle is moving inch by inch, not even inch, millimeter by millimeter. Let me go with my lovely Canadian system, but.

• 52:23Speaker 01

  You know, it's moving like a little bit by a little bit, but I I get so angry sometimes where I just wanna push it. You know, because it's not fair to expect a whole community of people to look at Davy and feel represented. I used to think, oh, no, like you don't feel represented by the show, but we worked really hard on it. It's a really good show. We do so much. But then I was like, no, that's selfish of me. I'm falling into the trap that reality is the white dominant, you know, industry of Hollywood film TV wants me to to make these people just deal with it. But they shouldn't. And I shouldn't. I shouldn't have to settle with Davy being my one, you know,

• 53:04Speaker 01

  main character role that was truly birthed by a leader in the industry, Mindy Kaling. I shouldn't have to settle for that. I should be able to get all the roles, you know, and keep going with my career. Audiences audiences shouldn't have to settle for just Davy or Nalini or Kamala or even Anissa in season two. They should be able to get all the different kind of characters. If you are so proud in your identity, if you're so proud of it and that is how you identify, it means it's a story worth telling and nobody can say otherwise. It is definitely worth screen time in some way or another, you know?

• 53:40Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, that's so powerful. Thank you for sa- sharing that, my thriller. It's such a powerful statement and really, you know, it's emphatic in the way you said it. It's it's it's strong, it's powerful, it's bold, and that's it's the way it needs to be said. I I remember when I first moved to L A and I'm obviously born and raised in London, hence the British accent and all the rest of it. Uh, but when I moved to L A, I remember going to get my haircut and I remember my hairdresser saying to me, they were just like, where are you from? And and that's normal. I always get asked that because of how I look in my accent. And they were like, they didn't know that Indian people sounded any different or looked any different to Apu in The Simpsons. Like, that was their like, like their their take on, you know, what Indian people are. And so they were just like, are you Indian? Are you sure? And I was like, yeah, yeah, I'm Indian. My parents are both Indian.

• 54:23Speaker 01

  Yeah, I'm sure. Let me go back check. I'll be right back and then you can cut my hair. Okay.

• 54:31Jay Shetty?

  And it was so funny because I was just like, I couldn't believe, I was like, and that's and I sat back to think about it. I moved to L A three years ago. And I sat back to think about it. I was like, Yeah, wow, like for for a certain generation, I grew up on The Simpsons too. And I was like, yeah, anyone who watched The Simpsons, like that was the only character that they saw being Indian, right? And so

• 54:51Speaker 01

  Yeah, it is. Film and TV influence what we see in the world. It is a reflection of what our world is like, right? So, yeah, it makes sense that they're coming in thinking like that's the reality. It, I mean, if they ever just checked out any article or like, you know, just maybe common sense or just understood colonialism, you know, maybe. But if they only ever watched cartoons, then that would be what they think.

• 55:16Jay Shetty?

  Yeah. Exactly, exactly. But what's beautiful is that you've not only, you know, you're not only doing things on screen, I love how you're speaking about these things off screen and interviews and and using your platform for a higher purpose. I know that you also did the amazing table read recently for the fundraiser for India, you know, supporting

• 55:37Speaker 01

  We had your amazing fundraiser. That was so awesome.

• 55:39Jay Shetty?

  Well, it was, it was, I mean, now I wish I asked you to be a part of it. I could have interviewed you then, but it's, you know, I just thought it was so amazing to just see just so many people using their platform, especially, you know, what you and the whole team did, I I think was amazing because, you know, I think for so many people you are representing and and I love your, I love what you're saying, like what you just said was so humble and so beautiful about how you don't want to get caught up in the the way people want you to think that it's enough and there should be, I love that, but at the same time, you are also through the show doing an amazing service and effort as well, like, you know, it's important for me to say that and I I love the way you're saying it, but I want to acknowledge that.

• 56:21Jay Shetty?

  But then for you and the team to do that for India, I thought that was such a beautiful offering and I wanted to get an understanding from you, like you seem to constantly want to use your platform and your ever growing platform. For higher purpose, for, you know, fighting for the right for education, for, for standing up. Like you said, your mom told you to always stand up. Uh, I wanted you to tell me about something that, what was one of the first things you tried to stand up for back in the day? Or something, someone that you tried to stand up for and it maybe didn't go how you wanted, or maybe you learned something interesting from it.

• 56:55Speaker 01

  I mean, like, yeah, with all the activism, that does stem from how my parents raised me. Like, that has always been who I am. Before the show came out, I actually had a picture of like a walkout that I did for public, cuts to public education on my Instagram. Like, there were some photos and I had some people ask me, are you gonna take that down? And I'm like, no, no way. That's still my stance. Don't cut public education. Education is the cornerstone to any thriving society. But, yeah, I mean, I'm still just a nineteen year old kid that's learning every day and is very much so capable of mistakes. Whenever I talk about this, I realize it contributes to the pedestal that I feel like I start putting myself on.

• 57:37Speaker 01

  And then the farther the fall becomes, but I have to always remind myself, you're just nineteen, you can make mistakes. And when you're older, you can still make mistakes. We all can still make mistakes. But, back to your original question, um, okay, so one of my close friends, uh, I don't actually remember this, but they vividly do and they love to bring it up every single time we meet new people. And apparently, so my friend, fellow Tamil, uh, girl, she would always dress up in her traditional clothing, have a bhuta, like, she was, you know, braided up. That's how she came to school every day in elementary school.

• 58:18Speaker 01

  And her mom was like always taking her home for lunch and, you know, she's the best. Shout out to Varsha. But, um, some people would make fun of her for that. I saw her and was like, oh, okay, cool. Like, I would wear my brother's hand-me-downs. That was like how my family rolled. We weren't gonna buy new clothes for me. You just get a baggy, you know, monster car shirt. That's cool. I don't care. But, I'd see her and I'd be like, okay, cool. You basically like, look like one of my cousins, so that's nifty. But then these girls were picking on her. I saw one day they were picking on her and they were like bullying her and like just making fun of her and like getting really up in her space. And I saw that she was getting anxious, apparently. I keep saying apparently because I don't remember this. But apparently I went up to them.

• 59:03Speaker 01

  And it's important to mention, um, shout out to my cousins. They all taught me lovely colorful language at like the age of seven. So I went up to them, cursed them out and said, just, you know, leave her alone. And um, yeah, then they got like, you know, they were like, alright, fine, whatever, like. My tree is like, whatever, getting all mad. And then they walked off. And then I just apparently said, you good? She was like, yeah. And then I'm like, okay. And then I walked away. I wasn't like friends with her at the time. We became friends in like high school, but I was like, okay. Cool. Thanks. And then I just left. She vividly remembers this. So there you go. There's my time I.

• 59:46Jay Shetty?

  I love that. I love that. I love that. My three, it's been so much fun talking to you. I know you've got an extremely busy schedule and so many interviews you're doing. So we're so grateful you spent time uh, with the on purpose community, but I want to end with our fast five. So we end every interview with the fast five rounds that has to be answered in one word to one sentence maximum. So uh, no longer.

• 1:00:09Speaker 01

  Do you not notice how much I talk?

• 1:00:11Jay Shetty?

  I, I loved it. I love that you talk. It was great. I love that you talk. Alright, so my three Ramakrishna, and these are your fast five. Uh, the first question is, what is the best advice you've ever received?

• 1:00:24Speaker 01

  Stick to your morals. Don't take no for an answer. Yeah, that's two sentences. Crap.

• 1:00:31Jay Shetty?

  That's fine. What, what is the worst advice you've ever received?

• 1:00:34Speaker 01

  I don't know. Bad advice. I, I feel like I would probably want to get rid of that out of my brain as quickly as possible. You know what? Bad advice? Don't make a fuss about it. Not like, that's not even like advice. Like, it's not like I even took it. Yeah. Don't make a fuss about it.

• 1:00:50Jay Shetty?

  Great. Yeah, that's a good answer. Alright, question number three. Uh, what's the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?

• 1:00:56Speaker 01

  Uh, really unhealthy. Go on my phone.

• 1:00:59Jay Shetty?

  What do, what do you do on your phone?

• 1:01:01Speaker 01

  Um, it's either A, watching cartoons or TikTok, social media. But mainly cartoons.

• 1:01:08Jay Shetty?

  Amazing. I love it. Alright, question number four. Uh, what's the biggest lesson you've learned in the last 12 months?

• 1:01:15Speaker 01

  It's okay to make mistakes. You're a work in progress. And that's because my mom always calls me that. She always says, whenever anyone praises me to my mom and says, your daughter is so lovely. Oh my gosh, I love her. My mom just says, huh, she's a work in progress. He is unfazed. It could be a compliment from Mindy herself. And my mom just says, eh, work in progress.

• 1:01:37Jay Shetty?

  Next time I see your mom, I'm gonna try the opposite. I'm gonna say, well, first time I see your mom. I maybe not the first time I see your mom. I think I'll be good the first time I see your mom. I think if I ever get to be a mother again, if I get the wonderful fortune, I'll say, I think Maitreyi is a work in progress. I wanna see how she reacts.

• 1:01:51Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah, just spinning on her.

• 1:01:53Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, no, I love that. That's beautiful. And I, one of the things I really appreciated in this conversation is how much you kept repeating, hey, I can make mistakes. I'm 19, I'll make mistakes. Hey, even if you're older, you can make mistakes. And I love that because I completely agree with you. Like, we're all doing things that we were never trained to do. We were never sure we were going to do, and we don't know how to do.

• 1:02:17Speaker 01

  Humans weren't meant to be watched by millions.

• 1:02:19Jay Shetty?

  Totally.

• 1:02:19Speaker 01

  Like, we can all unequivocally agree on the fact that in the evolution, you know, timeline, humans were never conditioned or trained or, you know, evolved to see and be viewed by millions of people. It's just the facts.

• 1:02:34Jay Shetty?

  Yeah, yeah, I love that. All right, fifth and final question. It is, if you could create one law that everyone in the world had to follow, what would it be?

• 1:02:42Speaker 01

  Um, if you buy ice cream, you should buy one for your friend.

• 1:02:46Jay Shetty?

  Everyone, Maitreyi Rava Krishna, make sure you go and watch. Never have I ever. I'd also love for you to tag me and Maitreyi on Instagram to let us know, and on Twitter, of course. Let us know, what were your favorite parts? What were the things that she said that stood out, that resonated and connected with you? I love seeing what truly stays with you when you listen to these episodes, and I'd love for her to see it as well. Uh, Maitreyi, you've been amazing. I really do look forward to meeting you. Uh, you have an open invite to my wife and I's home whenever you're in LA. So, please come over and hang out. And you can, we are older than you, so you can treat us as your older, whatever you wanna call us. Uh, but we truly mean that and look forward to meeting you. And thank you for taking the time.

• 1:03:29Speaker 01

  Thank you so much. This was actually really fun. I'm so glad I got to talk about all these things that I haven't been able to before.

• 1:03:35Jay Shetty?

  Oh, that means a lot to me. I laughed a lot today, so I'm glad. I had a lot of fun too. I was laughing the whole time and I meant it. I really wanted to get to know you today and I'm grateful that you let us do that. So, thank you so much. If you want even more videos just like this one, make sure you subscribe and click on the boxes over here. I'm also excited to let you know that you can now get my book, Think Like a Monk, from ThinkLikeAMonkBook.com. Check below in the description to make sure you order today.

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