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Forbes
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
How Jay Shetty's Juni Bridged Ancient Wisdom With Modern Convenience
As I sat down with Jay Shetty, I immediately thought of his carefully designed studio where he's curated heart-shaped objects to 'open the heart' as he interviews some of the world's highest achievers for his show, On Purpose. I expected to talk about what he learned as a monk, but instead what I discovered was a love story he told through sparkling tea. "I was addicted to sugar," Jay confessed, leaning forward with the same intensity he brings to discussing ancient wisdom. "And when I say addicted, I mean a chocolate bar, chocolate biscuit, chocolate yogurt, and chocolate ice cream nearly every day throughout college. Plus, a soda." Honestly – it was difficult for me to imagine Jay, who is often radiating health and mindfulness – as someone who couldn't get through the day without multiple hits of sugar. To my surprise, that's where this story began: a monk's sweet tooth and a nutritionist's patience. When Jay met Radhi Devlukia, who would later become his wife, not only did he fall in love with her as a person, but also a new way of living. Radhi, an Ayurvedic enthusiast, noticed Jay's sweet tooth was something deeper than an occasional craving. "She really had to train me off of sugar and educate me on the dangers of sugar in my diet," Jay explained, his tonality filled with gratitude. "But then when we were looking for alternatives, you couldn't really find anything. You'd find things claiming to be healthy, but they were still packed with sugar and a bunch of other stuff." As our dialogue continued, I began to noticed something important about Jay's approach about building Juni. This wasn't another celebrity beverage play from someone with a massive following. This was the evolution of a philosophy he'd been living and teaching for a long time. "I've done the education part," he said with certainty. "I can talk about taking adaptogens and nootropics every day, but until I make it really easy for someone to do, they still have to build the discipline and habits." He paused, and I could see him processing the same realization that had led to Juni's creation. "I realize that's hard to do when you walk into a supermarket. There's just a million things available and everything's screaming at you." This was Jay applying his "high standards, high grace" philosophy to business. The high standard: people deserve access to genuinely healthy options. The grace: recognizing that willpower alone isn't enough when you're surrounded by processed alternatives. While Radhi played an instrumental role detoxing Jay from sugar – she also introduced him to a new vocabulary in nutrition and wellness. She brought an approach that would eventually become the foundation of Juni. "Juni started as a way to modernize the rituals we grew up with, especially tea," Radhi explained. "We wanted to honor those traditions while bringing something new and vibrant. That vision became the first sparkling adaptogenic tea with a quickly expanding retail footprint." Radhi and Jay wanted to create something that sparked joy and inspired connection. Each sip has their Super-5 blend as a mood boost, instead of the sugary drinks that can leave you feeling sluggish. The Super-5 Blend includes green tea or hibiscus tea plus lion's mane, ashwagandha, reishi, and acerola cherry. 'Zero sugar, 5 calories, clean-label, and full of flavor,' she explained. Jay was able to rattle off some of these benefits with the enthusiasm of someone who has experienced them first-hand. 'Ashwagandha for memory and endurance. Lion's mane for stress and anxiety. Reishi mushroom to fight fatigue. Acerola cherry for vitamin C and antioxidants. Green tea for brain health and metabolism.' Juni wasn't developed from your typical market research, it was born from a personal need. And the overwhelming response has been something of a fairytale. Juni achieved triple-digit year-over-year growth on Amazon, with nearly 60% new customers each month. Their repeat rate became "incredible"—Jay's word, delivered with genuine surprise—with nearly half of customers making multiple purchases. Their recent Amazon Prime Day was 120% over the previous year and their second-best day in company history. It was obvious that consumers were voting with their wallets. Interestlingly enough, this was also the validation of a cultural shift. The data showed customers actively searching for healthier functional beverages and non-alcoholic alternatives. The decaf line, which launched nationwide in Sprouts Farmers Market, particularly resonated with people seeking drinks without alcohol. "The amount of times I'm in a restaurant and I'm like, 'Hey, do you have anything on the menu that just doesn't have sugar in it?' And they don't," Jay said, shaking his head. This is where it's ideal to have a healthier alternative. It's not about eliminating the need for self-discipline – it's about having a good option when you're constantly surrounded by bad ones. "I just want people to have an option that means they don't have to constantly compromise on their health when they're out." As our interview came to a close, I realized that this wasn't a blind product endorsement we often see celebrities make. For Jay and Radhi, it's the perfect project to apply both of their wisdom at the intersection of ancient wisdom and modern convenience. "Something shouldn't taste bad to be good for you," he said, "and something that tastes good shouldn't be bad for you." Such a simple concept yet extremely difficult to execute on. It requires countless hours of iteration, refining and testing. Radhi's expertise making functional ingredients has proved to be invaluable. It's the kind of attention to detail that makes a good idea into a great product. Click below to watch a clip of the interview with Jay Shetty:
News24
02-08-2025
- Politics
- News24
Myanmar junta air strike on ruby mine hub kills 13
A Myanmar junta air strike on Mogok killed 13 people, including civilians like a monk and a father and son. Civil war has raged since the 2021 military coup, with rebel forces seizing territory like Mogok, a ruby mining hub. The junta plans December elections but faces boycott and criticism as opposition groups call it a 'fraud' to maintain power. A Myanmar junta air strike on a rebel-occupied ruby mining hub killed 13 people on Saturday, according to a resident and a spokesperson for an armed opposition group. Civil war has consumed Myanmar since the military seized power in a 2021 coup, sparking resistance from pro-democracy guerrillas who found common cause with long-active ethnic armed groups. Their scattered forces initially struggled to make headway, but a combined offensive starting in late 2023 seized swathes of territory, including the town of Mogok - the centre of the ruby trade. Myanmar is rich in precious stones and rare earth elements coveted by all factions and sold off, mostly to neighbouring China, to boost war chests. A junta spokesperson could not be reached for comment. However, a local who declined to be named for security reasons said the strike took place around 08:15 am (0145 GMT), killing seven instantly, with six dying later of their wounds. READ | Myanmar military offers new truce in bid to 'protect the towns and people's lives' He said among the dead were a Buddhist monk collecting alms and a father and son who were riding the same motorbike. "A car passing through the area was hit, too," he added. "Seven people were wounded, including the driver." A spokesperson for the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, which has occupied Mogok since last summer, matched that death toll but gave a figure of 14 wounded. "It was in the morning time when the airstrike hit a public area," said spokesperson Lway Yay Oo. There were a lot of people walking in the street; therefore, a lot of people were killed. The military was initially backfooted by the rebels' combined offensive but has enacted conscription to boost its ranks. Its troops recently retook several key settlements in central Myanmar, including the gold mining hub of Thabeikkyin, which it seized late last month after a year-long battle. The junta on Thursday ended the state of emergency it had declared after toppling the government of Aung San Suu Kyi more than four years ago, and has touted elections in December as an off-ramp for the conflict. However, with Suu Kyi still jailed, opposition groups, including ousted lawmakers, are boycotting the poll. A UN expert in June described the exercise as a "fraud" designed to legitimise the junta's continued rule.
CNA
01-08-2025
- CNA
Head monk of China's Shaolin Temple under investigation
Scroll up for the next video X Head monk of China's Shaolin Temple under investigation
Wall Street Journal
29-07-2025
- Automotive
- Wall Street Journal
A Buddhist Monk's Alleged Indulgence in Money and Sex Transfixes China
Shi Yongxin rode in luxury cars, traveled the world to meet the rich and powerful, and presided over a globe-spanning business empire. He's also a monk and the abbot of China's Shaolin Temple—perhaps the world's most famous Buddhist monastery, founded more than 1,500 years ago and renowned today as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism and a cradle of Chinese martial arts.
Bloomberg
18-07-2025
- General
- Bloomberg
One Is the Loneliest Number. But It's Great for Grok.
This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a hermetically-unsealed revelation of Bloomberg Opinion's opinions. Sign up here. The story goes that a young Buddhist monk left his home and family to practice the rigors of meditation and the privations of faith up in the mountains. One day, a visitor asked the hermit how his quest for enlightenment was coming along. The meditation and fasting were all going well, he said. But he suffered from one chronic ache: loneliness.
