Connecting with Jay and Madonna

At a time when the world feels a little dark at times – Jay Shetty the host of the popular health and wellness podcast On Purpose sat down recently for a rare and deeply personal conversation with pop icon Madonna that enabled the singer to share her spiritual journey that quite literally saved her life.

Madonna provides both method and tonic, and shows us that even the ‘queen of pop’ who we think must have it all, can struggle with lack and loss, something that we all face in some form during our lives.

Being one of a few stars who have both stayed the course, and stayed alive, many of us have grown up with her music as she entered our own life’s journey through creativity, fashion or film. She is a star who has reinvented herself and pushed boundaries as she travelled.

As the conversation began, Jay set the scene, highlighting that Madonna has rarely given an interview in the last 10 years. As a regular listener to Jay Shetty and a receiver of his gentle knowledge – I was surprised by this choice of interviewee, but also intrigued as I realised that I too haven’t heard anything from Madonna for some time. I was nervous, I was here for gentle teachings and the arrival of Madonna felt unpredictable and possibly prickly.

But as Madonna defined, the reason for the interview was not to sell or promote anything, but to share the spiritual path that she has been travelling along for an impressive 28 years. It is this spiritual education that has helped Madonna navigate what she softly describes as the “ups and downs in life”.

We learn, as the discussion flows, that these are not small bumps in life’s road, but sharp emotional peaks and troughs in a life that starts with the death of her Mother when Madonna was a young child, and moves to the deep trauma of rape, betrayal and broken hearts.

“You know, there were moments in my life where I wanted to cut my arms off.
I actually contemplated suicide”

Madonna in conversation with Jay Shetty, 29 September 2025

At the beginning of her journey Madonna admits she was determined “like a meteor” on a mission for success. Living in an 80s material driven world, she would do anything to avoid a return to what she saw as her mundane Michigan roots. It was a way of living that left her feeling empty and unhappy, comparing herself to others and feeling not enough.

“I had everything that people would assume would give you happiness. I had successful career. I had fame, fortune, monetary things, physical things, but I wasn’t happy.”

Madonna in conversation with Jay Shetty, 29 September 2025

Madonna as we learn is driven, passionate, creative, likes to learn and doesn’t suffer fools. Her character is punchy and she doesn’t trust easily, something Jay eludes to with the many video meetings required to arrive at this sit down interview. She likes to ask why, and has been on a quest for answers for some time, something her Catholic upbringing did not encourage.

It was only with the impending birth of her first child Lourdes, and being introduced by a friend to the spiritual teachings of Kabbala in the 90s did she discover there was another way to respond to life’s challenges. Her inbuilt curiosity and openness to study enabled her to begin to make sense of the events in her life. Madonna has both survived and thrived, where many of her musical and creative compatriots of the time have fallen by the way side, and she firmly believes she would have fallen too, if she had not made room for spiritual learning.

Jay discusses the loss of our third place – where once we had the three spaces, our work, our home and a place of connection such as a community centre or place of worship. We are now often missing this third space that enabled reflection, connection and spiritual enquiry. Even our work and home space are now combined.

With subtle questioning, Jay Shetty lets Madonna share and expand on her spiritual beliefs. We get to understand that Madonna not only works hard in her creative life, but studies hard too, discovering and delving into Kabbala and what living a spiritual life means. Along with her long-term teacher Eitan, who joins the podcast midway through, her desire is to share these lessons to help us too.

I suddenly feel linked – Madonna is no-longer a distant star – but someone with something deeper to share that may help us find our way through, in the best way we can. The sometimes polarising icon, who gave many of us the soundtracks to important moments in our life, now gifts us teachings to live our lives by.

I never thought I would be connected to Madonna – but I am – we all are. Take a listen, take a moment. As both Madonna and Jay agree, we have to go through the dark, difficult times, we can’t skip it for us on anyone else. If you want to take a journey – whatever your beliefs – these are wise and in-depth studied words from Madonna, enlightening us, and skilfully released to the world by Jay Shetty – on purpose.