Simone Ashley: “Self-Belief Changed My Life”

**Jay Shetty** (0:00)
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We were just together for dinner last night, so this was very weird.

**Simone Ashley** (2:10)
I know.

**Jay Shetty** (2:10)
We were at the Bangkok Supper Club. You are one of my dearest friends. You're like a sister to me.
We had a great time, but you've become a New York girl now. Yeah. So tell me about what are the three top recommendations in New York that I shouldn't miss this week and people shouldn't miss?

**Simone Ashley** (2:25)
Bangkok Supper Club was a vibe.

**Jay Shetty** (2:27)
It was great.

**Simone Ashley** (2:28)
We were going to go to Frenchette, but I shifted because I wanted something else. Bush Frenchette is great.

**Jay Shetty** (2:33)
You landed from London last night.

**Simone Ashley** (2:35)
Landed from London.

**Jay Shetty** (2:36)
Why did you shift away from Frenchette?

**Simone Ashley** (2:38)
I was feeling summery vibes. I just really wanted chicken and rice.
I think it's got good veggie options as well. I got recommended to go there before and all of the friends that have gone there have been like, it's one of the best. Third place. Can't think off the top of my head. There's so many.

**Jay Shetty** (2:56)
There's two good ones to start. Last night was good, so your recommendations are good. Hey, it's Jay. I don't know what your day has been like, but I was just thinking about you for a minute. And I hope you're being a little patient with yourself because you deserve it. And yeah, I'll talk to you soon.
Simone Ashley, welcome to On Purpose.

**Simone Ashley** (3:25)
Hi. Thank you for having me.

**Jay Shetty** (3:27)
What's the biggest difference in your life over the last five years? Like, if you look to your life where you were five years ago, personally, professionally, and you looked at it today, what are the biggest shifts you're noticing?

**Simone Ashley** (3:37)
So five years ago was 2021 We were just coming out of lockdown.
I was really worried because, like many people, lockdown left me in a place where, especially as an artist, I didn't know when the next paycheck was coming in and what was going to be happening with my work. So I was smiling through it.
I remember January 2021, I was sat in my friend's apartment and I was like, I just need one thing, whether it's a commercial, I'll do a toothpaste commercial, I'll do anything. And then I got a call for Bridgerton literally the next week. And I was filming A Little Mermaid as well at the time. And yeah, then life completely changed. Then I was filming the whole of 2021 Bridgerton. We filmed for like 10 months because we were filming during COVID. Personally, over the past five years, I've definitely grown so much. And I'm really proud of that. I think I've really taken upon reflecting on myself and trying to grow into the woman I want to be.