Conversation with a Hadza Chief Part 4 with Jay Shetty

What happens when ancient wisdom meets modern purpose? In this episode of A Wilder Life, Eric Edmeades sits down with global thought leader Jay Shetty to ask the Hadza chief Nona life's three biggest questions — and the answers just might change your perspective forever.
In this episode of A Wilder Life, Eric discusses how radically different perspectives can reshape our understanding of values, purpose, and death through a unique conversation between Jay Shetty and Hadza chief Nona. This fourth and final installment in the special Hadza series brings deep, often humorous, and grounding insights from a culture still deeply connected to our evolutionary roots.
Key Takeaways:
→ True values are simple: The Hadza value full bellies and a good hunt over material possessions — a stark contrast to modern consumerism.
→ Purpose is practicality: Life’s purpose, for Nona, is to live well by fulfilling one’s role — to be the best bushman he can be, just as Eric should be the best “city person.”
→ Death is final: The Hadza see death as a permanent end — no spiritual journey, just the closure of life and the need to move the village.
→ Wisdom lives in simplicity: There’s deep insight in the Hadza’s practical answers that reflect evolutionary clarity, not abstraction.
→ Mismatch matters: Eric ties these insights into the broader message of The Evolution Gap — how modern struggles stem from a life out of sync with our biology.