On Purpose with Jay Shetty
Riz Ahmed: How to Silence Your Inner Critic (And Build REAL Self Worth)
10 Jun 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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I have long, deep history with this critical voice and this shame, and I really think it can kill you, man. What part of you still feels like it doesn't belong? Different parts of me in every place that I go to.
Chapter 2: What insights does Riz Ahmed share about overcoming the inner critic?
If you felt totally comfortable everywhere you went, then you're probably not in the right place. What is Riz Ahmed's dream? External markers of achievement, the award, the round of applause. They don't nourish you on a soul level. And the thing that I'm seeking now is a sense of flow. That moment when you forget yourself.
Chapter 3: How does Riz Ahmed define self-worth beyond achievements?
Hey everyone, welcome back to On Purpose, the place you come to become happier, healthier, and more healed. Today's guest is someone I've been wanting to have in this seat for God knows how many years. I'm joined by the one, the only, Riz Ahmed, Academy Award winning actor,
writer, producer, and artist known for Sound of Metal, Rogue One, and The Night Of, and for bringing deeply human stories to life. Riz is currently starring in Bait. If you haven't seen it, make sure you do. A series exploring identity and the tension between who we are and how we're seen.
Chapter 4: What personal story shaped Riz Ahmed's perspective on identity?
His reimagined film Hamlet and Digger, his new film coming later this year. Please welcome to On Purpose, Riz Ahmed. Riz. Honestly, whether it was post 9-11 blues, whether it was Four Lions, we've been with you from the start. I've been cheering you on. Thank you so much. I am a huge fan of how you put yourself out there, the conversations you have, your multidisciplinary art form.
Chapter 5: How can vulnerability lead to personal freedom?
And honestly, I've been waiting for this moment, I feel like, for like... God, at least seven years since I launched the show.
Likewise, Jay, because I'm watching you and I've just been rooting for you from the beginning. And, you know, we were just saying this before the cameras started rolling. We have so many people in common in the work world, but also in the personal world, because we grew up not too far away from each other and kind of overlapping worlds as well.
So seeing you doing your thing, blazing a trail, it's just super inspiring. So likewise, man, I've been itching to get in here and, yeah, talk to you.
Chapter 6: What lessons did Riz Ahmed learn from his health crisis?
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I was thinking about it and I want to vouch for this because I like doing this when I've got someone on the show, when I've got a memory that stands out to me. And it was probably around five years ago, I think it was, you'd been nominated for an Oscar. We had this South Asian Oscars evening in LA and you were at the party.
It was probably the only time I've actually been in the room with you. It was me, you, and we were talking to Bella, Bella Bajaria, who's chief content officer at Netflix, dear friend. And you said to Bella, you were like, give this guy a show, man. You were vouching for me even back then. You were like, give him a show, Bella. What are you doing? And I was like, this is so nice. I'll take it.
You're the man of the moment. You're nominated for the Oscar and you're trying to get me a show. And now we've got three shows at Netflix. Amazing.
Chapter 7: How does Riz Ahmed manage the voice of his inner critic?
I feel like you planted a very important seed. I want to give you your flowers and give you credit for that, man.
For me, the reason I was rooting for you was because of not just what you have to say, because of course what you say is so rooted in this ancient tradition. It's how you say it, it's how approachable it is, it's how human it feels, it's how relatable it felt. Just even selfishly on a personal level, when I hear you speak,
When I see the way that you're relating to people and making these things that can sometimes feel very abstract or kind of elusive ideas, esoteric ideas, and bring them into the everyday, bring them into our daily lives, it makes me feel less stupid. You know what I mean?
Chapter 8: What role does gratitude play in building self-worth?
It makes me like, okay, yeah, okay, yeah, all right. I understand that. I get to grips with that. And I'm certainly one of those people who for a long time thought, oh, what's this meditation stuff? What is this? This is kind of a bit airy-fairy. And it actually became such a big part of my life for many years and changed my life in so many different ways.
And it's really because of people like you making it relatable, making it human. So, yeah, on a personal level, I was like, I need more Jay Shetty in my life.
You're too kind, man. Thank you. That means the world. It's an incredible moment for you. I feel like you're everywhere in a good way. I feel like bait has just pierced through the zeitgeist and the culture. I mean, 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. Unbelievable. That is ridiculous to even think about. Thank you, man. And to see the... kind of conversations it started.
It's not just, oh my God, you should watch this show. It's really good. It started conversations about identity, about shame, about mental health, about inner critic, about guilt, about all these things. And you see it wherever I go on my feed, whether it's TikTok or Instagram, either it's you or someone talking about the show. How does it feel to put yourself out there
in such a vulnerable way because this story has so much of a correlation with your reality. How does it feel to put yourself out there almost not wanting validation and then to be validated for it?
It's really interesting, isn't it? Because the whole show is about validation seeking and how it can lead us down a really dangerous path. It's very natural, it's very human, we're social animals to want that connection, want that praise, want that affirmation to be seen.
But if you are purely dependent on that external validation and you're not giving yourself that self-love, you can become completely lost. And that's what the show is about. And the show is really inspired by my own journey with that. I've been on that journey. I continue to go on that journey. I haven't fixed it. I haven't solved the equation.
It's a constant battle, trying to find that self-love and not just be on a treadmill looking for it from other places. So the show is about that. And about trying to get past validation. So in a weird way, when people are validating the show, I'm like, this is a trap. You know, it's interesting.
I was saying something that I said to someone the other day, which is, I've never been great at receiving praise. Just now, when you were saying all these nice things about me, I was actually saying, okay, I'm here with Jay Shay. I'm going to open my heart, try and be present and receive the good energy. But something in me, and I'm sure you've come up against this with all kinds of people.
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