Let them. Two simple words that have become the title of Mel Robbins’ latest blockbuster and the core of her philosophy. At 57, the American author, motivational mentor and undisputed queen of podcasts is a phenomenon. In just three years, her podcast has amassed more than 577 million downloads and reached listeners in 193 countries.
“What’s the secret to my success?” Robbins asks during a transatlantic video interview. “I honestly think it’s because I can work harder than almost anyone else. You know the saying that a hard-working person will always outperform a talented person who doesn’t put in the effort? My success comes down to work ethic. I work relentlessly.”
But effort alone, she says, is not enough. “One of the other real secrets is knowing exactly what you want. A lot of people struggle because they never take the time to define what success even looks like. The truth is that success changes as you change. For me, success means impact. It means doing work that challenges me intellectually and creatively, work that gets my brain firing. It means having time for friends, for family and for joy. What you’re seeing now is the result of 16 years of work, day after day after day.”
During the conversation, Robbins radiates warmth and attentiveness, even across oceans and time zones. She listens closely, responds personally and even admits she did her homework ahead of the interview. “From what I saw when I looked you up a bit and read about your background, I think we’d have fun going out in the city together,” she says with a laugh. “You seem like someone people really connect with.”
The big crisis: debt and alcoholism
Robbins was born in Missouri and raised in Michigan. “On one side of my family, my grandparents were farmers. On the other side, they were immigrants from Austria who ran a bakery,” she says.
Asked what shaped her personality and later success, Robbins points to her parents.
“They were incredibly hard-working and deeply connected to their community. I watched my parents volunteer all the time. My father was a small-town doctor, and in the 1970s and 1980s there were no urgent care clinics. People would come to our house every day so my dad could look at an injured elbow or a hurt knee. My mother worked in a small shop and volunteered as well.”
She recalls trips to the local farmers market. “There were about 70 different farmers, and my mom knew every single one by name. She knew their spouses, their kids, even the name of their dog. I was the little kid standing there thinking, ‘We just came to buy peas and corn. Why are we talking to everyone for 15 minutes?’ But I absorbed that deep care for other people. Somehow, it made its way into my DNA.”
The road to success, however, was anything but smooth. In the 1990s, Robbins worked as a lawyer, including for the public defender’s office, and later as a legal analyst for CNN. She hosted a radio show and built a solid media career. Then, in 2009, at age 41, everything collapsed. She lost her job. Her husband’s restaurant business began to fail. The family spiraled into massive debt.
“We were about $800,000 in debt,” she said in a past interview. “That doesn’t happen by accident. When my husband’s restaurant started going under, we lost all our savings, our house was leveraged and we had three kids under the age of 10. Then I lost my job. I never imagined I’d face bankruptcy. I never imagined I’d be an alcoholic. I never imagined I’d be on the brink of divorce or lose everything that mattered to me. I hit rock bottom.”
At the lowest point, Robbins says she would wake up every morning and lie in bed “like a pot roast marinating in fear.” “I’d stare at the ceiling and think, ‘I hate my life. I hate my husband. I hate myself.’ It felt easier than doing the things I knew I needed to do. And that’s one of the most basic things I teach now. You already know what you need to do.”
She does not romanticize motivation. “Here’s the shocking news. Motivation is unreliable. It’s never there when you need it. You have to train yourself to do things you don’t feel like doing. For me, that started with learning how to get out of bed on mornings when I didn’t want to get up at all.”
Eventually, she did. “Procrastination, anxiety, fear and shame didn’t beat me. I beat them. Fear kills action, but action kills fear. You can’t sit around waiting to feel ready. You have to teach yourself to go five, four, three, two, one, move. Action is the only way to change your life.”
The road to the top: the five-second rule
Robbins began writing, and in 2017 she published the book that made her a household name: ‘The 5 Second Rule.’ The idea was deceptively simple. It takes five seconds to push yourself to act, to build confidence, end procrastination, overcome fear and stop overthinking.
Her TEDx talk on the subject quickly became one of the most viewed lectures in the world. CEOs and senior executives embraced her work, and Robbins emerged as a leading authority on change, confidence and decision-making.
Asked about the best advice she ever received, Robbins laughs. “Wow, that’s a hard question. The best advice I’ve gotten is the advice that actually worked,” she says. Then she turns serious. “One quote that’s stayed with me is from Maya Angelou. People will forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”
That idea, she says, is another key to success. “If you want to be great at interviewing, public speaking or hosting a podcast, skills are just the entry ticket. What makes you exceptional is obsessing over the details most people don’t even think about. How do you make others feel when you walk into a room? Our energy is like weather. You can walk in as sunshine or as a gray cloud. Both have an impact.”
The hottest podcast in the world
In 2022, Robbins launched her podcast, taking her influence to an entirely new level. “My first job in media was a local radio call-in show, and I fell in love with audio,” she says. “I loved the intimacy of long-form conversations and the one-on-one feeling. When I decided to enter podcasting, I knew it would take an enormous amount of work. I spent a year thinking about what kind of conversations I wanted to have.”
Her vision was clear. “I wanted it to feel like you’re taking a walk with a friend. Not talking at you, but talking with you. And I realized that what people need most right now is encouragement.”
That philosophy has resonated globally. Apple recently announced that Robbins’ podcast ranks first among all Apple-produced podcasts. “When I think about what we create, I think about impact,” she says. “I think about you, on the other side of the world, with no time, choosing to press play because you want to feel better, do better, improve your life. You’re giving me your most valuable resource, your time. That’s a huge honor.”
Her obsession with production reflects that respect. “I want it to feel like you are the only person I’m talking to. Like the guest and I showed up just for you. That’s the philosophy behind everything we do.”
The podcast’s cultural status was cemented recently when the Golden Globes announced a new category for outstanding podcasts. Robbins’ show is among the finalists, with a strong chance of taking home the award.
Why are podcasts so successful, and are they here to stay?
Robbins does not hesitate. “Podcasts aren’t just a trend. They’re only going to grow. At their core, they’re an audio medium, and most people still listen rather than watch. In a world overloaded with visual stimulation, people want to consume content without staring at another screen.”
She also celebrates the accessibility of the format. “Anyone can start a podcast. You don’t need permission, money or an audience. That’s what excites me. Podcasts give people a voice. They’re the most democratic format there is.”
Looking ahead
So what does Mel Robbins want now? “More time with my family,” she says simply. “When you reach a certain level of success, it can go to your head. But when you’ve almost lost everything that truly matters, you never forget what’s important. And what’s important is time with the people you love, while you’re all still here.”
Politics, however, is off the table. “God, no,” she says, laughing. “I’d rather change the world not by controlling it, but by guiding people toward becoming better versions of themselves. By encouraging them and giving them tools to build better lives and stronger relationships. If I can help people live more meaningful lives and feel like better human beings, that’s the most important thing I can do.”