“Hey! It’s your friend Mel and welcome to the Mel Robbins Podcast” is what plays in my ears every morning as I get ready.Â
I first discovered Mel Robbins through a 20-second clip on TikTok of her explaining the concept of a “brain dump,” a journaling exercise consisting of word-vomiting what’s on your mind. Intrigued, I opened spotify and was quickly swept up in her world. Before I knew it, I had become one of her 25 million online followers.Â
Mel Robbins is an author, motivational speaker, and podcast host, whose game-changing theories and no-nonsense advice have taken the internet by storm. Robbins began her professional career as a criminal defense attorney in New York City, before becoming a legal analyst for CNN. In the mid-2010s, following what she calls her hitting “rock bottom”, she pivoted to the world of life coaching and public speaking. Robbins published her first book The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage in 2017, and quickly became a bestselling author and radio show host. She launched her podcast in 2022 and has since gained millions of online followers, readers, and listeners.Â
Two of Robbins’ theories in particular have gained significant attention on social media—the 5 Second Rule and, more recently, Let Them. Introduced in her 2017 book, the 5 Second Rule suggests that when you have a goal, instinct, or task to complete, you should count down from five and then take immediate action. The idea is that doubt, fear, and hesitation often prevent us from achieving our goals, and the 5 Second Rule helps bypass overthinking by forcing action. Mel Robbins’s Let Them Theory argues that instead of obsessing over or trying to control the actions of others, focus on your own well-being. If someone isn’t doing something you like, simply let them. This mindset shift has spread like wildfire on TikTok, with people making videos dancing or days in the life with the caption “let them.”
Both of these concepts reflect Robbins’s greater influence as a life coach and her tough-love, no-BS style. Robbins’s podcast and books feel like you are being grabbed by the shoulders and shaken by your cool—yet kind of intimidating—aunt, as she bluntly reminds you of your worth. One of Robbins’s key beliefs is that you have the power to change your life–no one else is going to make you go to the gym, do your work, etc. You have to get up and do it yourself. This is one of the main reasons why so many people find Mel Robbins’s outlook so empowering and applicable, and why she has become a viral sensation.Â
What I believe is most critical about this discourse, is to acknowledge the importance of her filling a gap in the podcast world– the world that is seemingly dominated by the manosphere (online media such as podcasts or forums that promote misogyny and ideals of the patriarchy). In the past two years or so, the concept of male-focused podcasts has emerged, so much so that people online joke about needing to make podcast equipment more expensive or call out the problematic content of many of these “alpha male” podcasts.Â
The mainstreaming of these manospheric podcasts and their propagation of demeaning attitudes towards women has led to the radicalization of young men online. In a landscape dominated by figures like Joe Rogan, Nick Fuentes, and Andrew Tate, Mel Robbins stands out as a refreshing, uplifting, and energizing voice. This is why many frustrated with the current state of podcasting have gravitated toward her content. In addition to this, Robbins is 56, challenging the narrative that podcasters need to be young in order to have something interesting and exciting to contribute.
If you have never heard of Robbins before, I hope I have convinced you to check her out. Want to know where to start? If I were just getting into Mel Robbins’s content, I would start by listening to her Ted Talk “How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over” to get a sense of her principles and palpable energy. I would also visit her website where you can learn more about her life, books, and podcast.
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