Selena Gomez on Healing, Purpose, and Making Mental Health Her Friend
This episode was aired on 7 November 2022 and is featured as part of our “Most Watched” podcast series.
In a raw and revealing conversation on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, Selena Gomez opens up about her biographical documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, her bipolar diagnosis, and why she believes “there’s blessing in the breaking.”
On Healing Through Service
Gomez shared that releasing the documentary was itself a healing process—a way of letting go of an older version of herself.
Releasing it is a huge healing process for me and it’s me letting go of that version of myself.
She explained that she’d rather continue to get her heart broken than stop feeling altogether:
I would rather continue to get my heart broken than to not feel at all.
On Making Mental Health a Friend
One of the most powerful moments came when Gomez described her relationship with bipolar disorder—not as an enemy to defeat, but as something she’s learned to live with.
I have bipolar. I just learn how to live with it. I just have made it my friend because that’s truly what it can be to me now.
She credited dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, and the support of family and friends with helping her recognize triggers and accept that some things won’t be “fixed”—they’ll just be managed.
On Imperfection and Letting Go
Gomez reflected on how she used to feel pressure to appear perfect, especially during her Disney years. Now, she embraces her imperfections—even her laugh, her tendency to talk during movies, and showing up to Halloween as a banana while everyone else went all out.
“I don’t have to be perfect all the time. I’d rather be that girl.”
She applied this mindset to her creative work too, noting that mistakes in the studio or on set often become the best parts of a song or scene.
On Facing Fears and Embracing Change
When asked about her fears, Gomez admitted she’s still nervous about the documentary’s release—but she sees fear as a teacher.
My fears are only going to continue to show me what I’m capable of. The more that I face my fears, the more that I feel I’m gaining strength, I’m gaining wisdom.
She also shared how she’s learned to embrace discomfort, particularly during her time filming Only Murders in the Building in New York—staying for months instead of days, walking in parks, and discovering that her world could be bigger by stepping into unfamiliar destinations.
On Her Mother, Mandy Teefey
The conversation grew even more intimate when Gomez’s mother, Mandy, joined the podcast. Mandy revealed she had her own suicide attempt at age seven and became a mother at 16—experiences that shaped how she raised Selena.
Mandy shared why she hasn’t been able to watch the full documentary:
It’s gonna hurt my stomach. It’s gonna put me in that mindset and I’m gonna wish I could go and protect her.
Selena responded with grace:
It’s not you not being there. It was me not letting you be there. That was the hardest part.
On Wondermind and Changing Lives
Together, Selena and Mandy discussed their mental health platform, Wondermind, which grew from Selena’s early experience with 13 Reasons Why and a shared desire to create accessible, stigma-free mental health resources.
I don’t want anyone to ever feel that way. — Selena, on her suicide attempt at age seven
Mandy explained their mission:
We’re creating this for everyone—content for people to have access to that can’t afford to get treatment or don’t need treatment, but they need someone to say, ‘Hey, check this out.’
The Final Five
Jay closed with his signature Final Five questions. Here’s what they shared:
Best mental health advice:
- Selena: “Make it your friend. Learn how to make it a part of your life.”
- Mandy: “Take your time.”
Worst mental health advice:
- Selena: “It’s all in my head and I can just control it.”
- Mandy: “You’re fine. You’re so dramatic—you make up everything.”
Current purpose:
- Selena: “I am meant to share my story. I want to be loved the way I love people. I want to give the way people have so generously given to me.”
- Mandy: “I’ve received so much. Now I want to give.”
What they used to value but don’t anymore:
- Both: People’s opinions.
One law for the world:
- Selena: “Practicing forgiveness.”
- Mandy: “Treat others the way you want to be treated.”
Why This Matters
This conversation isn’t just celebrity confession—it’s a roadmap for anyone navigating mental health, family dynamics, or the pressure to appear perfect. Gomez and Teefey model what it looks like to grow separately and together, to use pain as purpose, and to lead with love even when it’s hard.
As Selena put it:
There’s no perfect way to heal. There’s no perfect way of dealing with something. It’s more just: how am I going to be a better person? How am I going to make the best choice for myself?
This recap is based on Selena Gomez’s appearance on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast. For the full episode, click on the YouTube link at the top or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
