Almost a decade in therapy
Camila had been in therapy for nearly a decade before going to the Hoffman Institute, yet still felt stuck in a cycle of awareness without real emotional change.
Snapshot · On Purpose with Jay Shetty
CAMILA MENDES: "Perfectionism Was Ruining My Life"
Explore episode
Jul 27, 2026
Where this was said
Finding Spirituality Later in Life
At 29:00 · chapter starts 24:41
Jay observes a pattern he's seen everywhere: people cycle back to their roots as they age, redefining them rather than simply returning. Camila sees it in herself culturally and also spiritually. She grew up between a radical atheist father's side and a Catholic-turned-Spiritism mother's side, and landed firmly in teenage atheism — proudly, with Richard Dawkins on her nightstand. But years of therapy had helped her identify problems without resolving how she felt. She needed something more. She didn't even know it was spirituality she was craving. Then Hoffman gave her a form she could actually access: not organised religion, not a distant God, but a connection to her own highest self. 'Who is my highest self?' became her compass. That she describes as her version of God. It opened a door. She's not an atheist anymore, but she's not religious either — she just wants to believe in something and is okay with not knowing exactly what. Jay agrees that challenging your beliefs is terrifying but necessary, and that certainty in any belief system usually signals immaturity.
From Radical Atheist to Spiritual Person
Camila went from proudly reading Richard Dawkins in her teens to finding a form of spirituality she could finally get behind — not religion, but a deep connection to her highest self. Therapy had given her awareness; Hoffman gave her something to actually believe in.
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