Latest news with #The5SecondRule
News24
24-05-2025
- Business
- News24
Who is Mel Robbins? The self-help guru who turned a five-second hack into global success
Self-help maven Mel Robbins overcame a financial crisis of $800 000 by creating the '5 Second Rule,' which she says helped her take control of her life and improve productivity. She authored The 5 Second Rule, The High 5 Habit, and The Let Them Theory, with millions of copies sold worldwide despite mixed reviews for her latest book. With 28 million followers, an award-winning podcast, and accolades like Forbes' '50 Over 50,' Robbins is a leading voice in mindset and behaviour change. Mel Robbins is the woman behind some of the world's most highly successful self-help books and an award-winning podcast. Her literary contributions include The 5 Second Rule (2017), The High 5 Habit (2021), and The Let Them Theory (2024). She also hosts The Mel Robbins Podcast, which earned her the prestigious 'People's Choice Award' at the 2022 Webbys. The 56-year-old has amassed 28 million followers online and is widely regarded as one of the leading authorities in mindset, personal growth, and behaviour change. While she currently rides the waves of her success, the New York Times best-selling author wasn't always at the top. She candidly shared her struggles with debt 15 years ago, at age 41, revealing that she and her husband faced a daunting financial crisis of approximately $800 000 (roughly R14 million). At the time, the pair tried but failed to launch a successful restaurant business. This financial burden brought significant stress and a feeling of powerlessness, she shared during a chat with CNN's Sara Sidner earlier this year. 'I found myself at a rock-bottom moment,' Robbins confessed. During one of her TED talks, she also said, 'When that happens, you realise a couple of things about life. One of them is that no one is coming to save you, and as much as the situation that you're in is unfair, and you may not be responsible for where you are in your life at this moment, you will have something happen where you realise that it's your responsibility to stop bitching and to do something.' And that's precisely what she did. Deciding that she had to take responsibility for her life, Robbins set to work, actively taking steps to reduce spending, increase her income, and create a budget to manage her finances. And how did she do it? Using a five-second rule on herself. The turning point came one morning when she was paralysed with anxiety, knowing she needed to get out of bed to prepare her daughter for school. Robbins, who often hit the snooze button, decided in that moment to try a simple countdown: 'five, four, three, two, one' - and then she forced herself out of bed. 'I used it in my personal life for three years and didn't tell anybody. I didn't know why it worked. I was like, five, four, three, two, one. Get out of bed. Five, four, three, two, one. Go for a run. Five, four, three, two, one. Pick up the phone and network until you get a job. Five, four, three, two, one…' Robbins explained in countless TED talks and podcast shows. Going forward, she religiously counted down five seconds before tackling her important tasks, an action that drastically improved her productivity and overall quality of life. Soon afterwards, this became the foundation for her highly successful book, The 5 Second Rule, reinforcing the importance of taking immediate positive action when faced with a difficult decision or difficult task. Since its first printing, the book has sold over 200 million copies and been translated into over 30 languages. Following its success, she wrote another best-seller, The High 5 Habit, which preaches the importance of giving yourself a pat on the back and offering yourself the same level of love and encouragement you offer loved ones. The book has been described as 'a simple yet profound tool that changes your attitude, your mindset and your behaviour.' Her third book, The Let Them Theory, encourages people to stop trying to control other people's behaviours/decisions and focus on their own lives. It attracted significant backlash and criticism from critics who shared concerns that the book can lead to neglecting important relationships and ignoring hurtful behaviour from others. Some claimed that it lacked originality and was oversimplified and impractical. Despite this, in March this year, The Mel Robbins Podcast won Best Overall Host at the iHeartRadio podcast awards and in November 2024, Apple announced that the podcast was the 7th-most shared of Apple Podcasts' programmes in the US for the year. In 2023, Forbes named her '50 Over 50' in the Lifestyle Category.
NDTV
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Sun, Sea and Self-Help: Ananya Panday's Latest Read Is The Let Them Theory By Mel Robbins
Ananya Panday isn't just a fashion and beauty girl who makes heads turn each time she steps out in city, either for an event or for a casual day out. But she also has a bunch of other interests that includes reading. The Kesari: Chapter 2 actress recently posted a picture of herself holding up her current read to the skies as she caught it on camera in an Instagram story. Ananya Panday 's latest book of choice for a leisure time read will make you think that she is definitely more than a pretty face. The 26-year-old actress is currently reading, The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. If your inner book worm has been shaken up by witnessing Ananya Panday reading up like one. Here's all you need to know about her latest read, The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. The Let Them Theory is a book penned by a New York Time Bestselling Author, Mel Robbins with millions of books being sold across the world. The book is a life-changing tool that millions of people cannot stop talking about. It discusses the key to happiness in life for either being happiness, success or love. But if one has felt stuck with where they are in life, and are frustrated with where they are, then the book talks about how the problem is not them. The author, Melanie Lee Robbins is an American author, podcast host, and a former lawyer who is known for her books like The 5 Second Rule, The High 5 Habit and more. Ananya Panday's current read, The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins makes for a good read.
Forbes
19-05-2025
- General
- Forbes
Mel Robbins And The Power Of Letting Go
Power is often confused with control. The instinct to manage outcomes, influence how others behave, and keep everything in place can easily be mistaken for strength. But real power, Mel Robbins suggests, may begin with the choice to stop carrying what was never ours to hold in the first place. That idea sits at the center of The Let Them Theory, the latest book from the bestselling author and podcast host known for turning personal challenge into practical frameworks with wide appeal. Co-written with her daughter Schuyler, the book offers a kind of radical simplicity. Let people feel what they feel. Let them judge, misunderstand, or disagree. The point isn't detachment but learning how not to lose yourself in the process of managing someone else. At 56, Robbins describes herself as being in a 'peak moment,' a result, she says, of stepping back from what no longer serves her. She first gained wide recognition with her 2017 book The 5 Second Rule, based on a behavioral technique she developed during what she has called her 'rock bottom' in her 40s, a period marked by both personal and financial crisis. That book went on to sell millions of copies and established her as a voice of action, helping people disrupt hesitation and move forward. With The Let Them Theory, Robbins turns her attention to a different kind of challenge, examining the weight we carry out of habit and asking what it means to release what was never ours to manage, not by force but by choice. 'This isn't about letting go,' said Robbins in a recent Forbes interview. 'I've never been able to let anything go. But when you say, 'let them,' you're not giving in. You're opting out of the noise. You're stepping back into your own life.' That clarity has shaped much of Robbins' appeal. A former attorney and CNN legal analyst, she didn't come up through academic theory or clinical training. Her reach came through candor, naming the emotions people navigate every day but rarely voice from fear to inertia, shame and resentment. Her tools caught on not because they were novel, but because they were usable. The 'let them' message reflects a turn in her approach, shifting from tactical advice to a broader rethinking of where we invest our energy and why. The book took shape during the pandemic, as Robbins began to examine long-entrenched habits of overexplaining, overfunctioning, and absorbing what didn't belong to her. Writing with her daughter made the process more personal and, at times, more charged. 'We'd argue, storm off, come back, and keep writing,' Robbins said. 'But that tension made the book better. It made it honest.' That honesty is part of what's resonating. 'I've been the overbearing mom. The jealous friend. The fixer,' she said. 'This book is about what happens when you finally stop trying to be all of those things.' Since its release, 'let them' has become cultural shorthand, passed through group chats, executive teams, wellness circles, and everyday conversations. It hasn't spread as a trend, but as a kind of quiet permission to stop absorbing other people's reactions and to direct your energy with greater intention. Part of its power lies in how deeply Robbins' message already resonates. What sets her apart isn't just the scale of her audience, but the depth of connection she creates. Her videos have been watched billions of times, her books have topped bestseller lists, and her self-produced podcast consistently ranks as the most downloaded education show across major platforms. When Oprah Winfrey received an early copy, she read it cover to cover, marked it with dozens of tabs, and called it 'generation-defining.' For Robbins, it was a surreal moment, but also a form of recognition. 'I realized this wasn't just a book,' she says. 'It was a language people didn't know they needed.' 'You're not letting people off the hook,' explains Robbins. 'You're letting yourself off the hook. You stop trying to fix, manage, prove. And you start protecting your peace.' For Robbins, clarity over control is at the heart of power. 'When your thoughts, emotions, and actions are aligned with your values,' she says, 'that's when you feel strongest. It's not about doing more. It's about being more honest. More grounded. More yourself.' The Let Them Theory doesn't offer a system or a solution. It offers something steadier—a return to what's yours, and a release of what isn't. In a culture that equates busyness with value and burnout with success, Robbins is making a different case built not on striving, but on knowing when to stop. Watch the full Mel Robbins interview and more from the Power Women Profiles series here.
