In this episode of On Purpose with Jay Shetty, actress and singer Cynthia Erivo opens up about the ways she maintains high performance while avoiding burnout. She details her comprehensive self-care routine, which includes a vegan diet and regular exercise, and explains how her drive for excellence has transformed from a need for external validation into a pursuit of personal fulfillment.
The conversation explores Erivo's journey of self-acceptance and her experience of feeling like an outsider. She discusses how she has come to view her differences as strengths, sharing insights about finding genuine satisfaction through authentic connection with audiences rather than seeking approval from others. Through her roles and music, she describes creating spaces where others who feel different can find belonging and recognition.
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Cynthia Erivo discusses her approach to maintaining high performance through a combination of rigorous self-care and intense work dedication. She describes a careful regimen that includes a vegan diet, daily vitamins, regular exercise, and the use of an infrared sauna at home to manage the demands of her schedule and frequent travel.
Erivo reveals her tendency toward overachievement, often going beyond typical expectations—such as producing a 20-song album instead of the standard 10 to 13 songs. While acknowledging that this drive initially stemmed from a need to prove herself, she explains that it has evolved into a pursuit of personal joy and mastery. Despite her intense work ethic, Erivo emphasizes the importance of incorporating rest into her routine, recognizing it as crucial for avoiding burnout and maintaining her well-being.
Despite her success, Erivo shares her experience of feeling like an outsider and her journey to embrace this uniqueness. Through her role as Elphaba, she has become an inspiration for others who feel different, particularly connecting with women who've experienced hair loss and appreciated her confidence in her baldness. She views her differences not as barriers but as tools for creating inclusive spaces and meaningful connections.
Erivo discusses the complex relationship between external validation and true fulfillment. She explains that while seeking approval from others—whether from her father or social media—can be tempting, genuine satisfaction comes from connecting directly with her audience. She describes how creating music that authentically represents herself and deeply moves listeners provides more meaningful validation than surface-level praise. This approach is evident in her concerts, where she makes a point to sing to audience members behind her, ensuring everyone feels included and seen.
1-Page Summary
Cynthia Erivo speaks on maintaining a balance between her diligent work ethic and her self-care routine, emphasizing the importance of both for her health and success.
Cynthia Erivo discusses her rigorous self-care rituals that support her energy and health during demanding schedules. She is selective about her diet, ensuring that she takes vitamins daily and eats well. Conscious of airplane food's quality, Erivo prefers to bring her own meals, understanding the importance of knowing what she consumes. Abstaining from alcohol and following a vegan diet, she has learned what her body can, and importantly, cannot process, notably meat. Additionally, Erivo surrounds herself with supportive people who respect her self-care and workload decisions.
She indulges in exercise, always aware of the gym's location to carry out workouts such as long walks or runs. Erivo maintains consistency in self-care, evident through her daily habits like taking vitamins, having tea, and even allowing herself the occasional treat of Ruffles chips. To aid recovery, she has invested in infrared sauna facilities at home, which, together with her other habits, contributes to her ability to manage jet lag and remain in good health.
Cynthia Erivo showcases her dedication to her career by balancing intricate work demands such as shooting and crafting her album concurrently. She reveals her tendency not to rest as much as needed, reflecting a vigorous work ethic that may occasionally come at the expense of her health. Erivo admits to being an overachiever, always aiming to surpass the expected standards. Citing examples, she details how she opted to produce an album with 20 songs, far beyond the standard 10 to 13, or how she might invest a year in a project that others would finish in six months.
Erivo acknowledges that her drive for overachievement has evolved over time. Initially driven by hardship and a desire to prove herself, she later realigns her ambition toward seeking joy and mastering her trade for personal satisfaction, stepping away from the pressure of proving herself to others or emulating her mother's accomplishments. ...
Cynthia's Work Ethic, Self-Care, and Dedication
Cynthia Erivo articulates a profound journey of personal growth, self-acceptance, and becoming an inspiring figure for those who have felt marginalized or different.
Despite her significant achievements, Cynthia Erivo grappled with feelings of being an outsider. She adopted a mindset of belonging whenever she entered a space as a way to influence the social atmosphere positively.
Erivo grew to understand that not fitting in can be beneficial, shaping her into the person she wants to be. Initially viewing her uniqueness as a barrier, she eventually recognized it as the reason for her recognition and individuality. She also contemplate the isolation that comes from the fear of abandonment but realized that assuming other people are leaving her would lead to loneliness and hinder genuine connections.
Erivo mentioned how taking on Elphaba's role empowered many people who felt overlooked or different. Women who've experienced hair loss sent messages appreciating her confidence in her baldness, which gave them strength. Erivo's embracemen ...
Her Journey to Self-Acceptance and Belonging
Cynthia Erivo, along with Jay Shetty, discusses the complex relationship between seeking external validation and achieving true inner fulfillment. Cynthia shares how her understanding of validation has evolved throughout her career, as she reflects on the nature of her work and its impact.
Cynthia discusses the allure of external validation and its limitations, highlighting that seeking approval from others—whether it’s a parental figure like her father or audiences on social media—can result in emptiness. She acknowledges that people form opinions based on a limited understanding of another's experiences and that pleasing everyone is impossible. She relates to the experience of being perceived as a villain when she contributed to someone’s growth. Cynthia stresses that the fulfillment achieved from within is more important than the approval and praise from external sources.
Cynthia’s insights into the nature of validation illustrate that craving and receiving external validation can be both healthy and unhealthy, asserting that it’s vital to feel good about oneself without relying solely on external validation. For her, genuine fulfillment comes when she connects directly with her audience and sees the emotional response elicited by her performance, which is more rewarding than applause or compliments. Cynthia gets joy knowing she has affected someone deeply with her work, citing its influence on their behavior and life as transcendently purposeful.
Cynthia Erivo wanted to create music that was a transparent, human, and extremely truthful connective tissue to who she was. She focused on pouring all of herself into her music, allowing her creative process to be highly emotional and connection-centered. She used intuitive construction of vocal layers that aimed to evoke emotions rather than adhere to strict structure, finding a natural expression for the music within.
Her transition from working to prove something to her father to working for ...
Balance Between External Validation and Inner Fulfillment
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