When Deepak Chopra first directs the question, "Who are you?" to Jersey Shore's Vinny G., Vinny answers as many of us would: with his first name. It's a habit most of us learned at childhood. We define ourselves by our name, our gender, our age, our profession, and countless other labels. But who are we, really?
On Monday of this week, The Chopra Well launched an exciting new show, aptly named Who Are You. In the show's premiere episodes with guest star Vinny G. from Jersey Shore, Deepak and Vinny come together, from seemingly opposite sides of the cultural spectrum, to unpack the intricacies of identity. Think: frat party meets vipassana retreat. Who said personal growth couldn't be fun?
Frat boy persona aside, Vinny maintains his distinct identity: a New Yorker with an Italian background, an actor and ex-aspiring lawyer, a young adult drawn to personal growth, with a mind for philosophy and a taste for wild revelry. His recently-published book, Control the Crazy, recounts his journey battling "generalized anxiety disorder" and the tools and wisdom he has accumulated along the way. Vinny is expressive, playful, and surprisingly relatable. He and Deepak make for a wickedly-captivating duo.
Naturally, Deepak is unsatisfied with Vinny's initial response and asks again. "Who are you?" Vinny pauses a moment and then replies, "consciousness." Not your typical club chat fare. It is a particularly relevant question to ask a celebrity, whose identity is often confused in the mire of exploitation and representation. Throughout the show, Deepak will pose this and other questions to his celebrity guests (Perez Hilton, Smosh, Vsauce, to name a few) and we can't wait to hear them share their worldviews and beliefs. You can catch all the episodes by subscribing to The Chopra Well on YouTube. It's not often you find these well-known figures under Deepak's spiritual spotlight!
Do you know who you are? Are you a noun or a verb? Send us your thoughts!
Written by Antonia Blumberg
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