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It was an ordinary Tuesday morning in February 2008 when Mel Robbins woke up to the sound of her alarm.
She was overcome with the same sense of dread that seemed to consume her days. Her husband's restaurant business had failed, leaving them $800,000 in debt while she was unemployed.
"How the hell is getting out of bed going to pay my bills," she thought to herself.
But for some inexplicable reason, instead of snoozing her alarm, Robbins did something different.
"I made one decision that changed my life," she told Kate Langbroek on Mamamia's No Filter.
"I just started counting backwards, 5-4-3-2-1, and then I rolled out of bed."
That decision marked the start of something that would change both her life and her career.
The Five-Second Rule.
Listen to Mel Robbins on No Filter. Post continues below.
The Five-Second Rule.
Today, you'll likely know Robbins as the powerhouse behind the viral 'Let Them' theory. She's one of the most influential voices in self-help and in-demand keynote speakers.
Her achievements make it seem as if she's lived 10 lives in the space of 56 years — a lawyer, life coach, CNN legal analyst, entrepreneur, talk-show host, best-selling author and now, most famously, a podcast host.
But not all of it has been glamorous. At 41, Robbins' life fell apart. Her husband Chris's restaurant business — something they'd sunk their entire life's savings into — collapsed.
Suddenly, they found themselves $800,000 in debt. Then Robbins lost her job.
"I was drinking myself into the ground, blaming everything on my husband," she said.
"I would hit the snooze button six times in the morning and wake up hungover to my two children, who were school age at the time, who had missed the bus.
"When your kids are standing next to you, and you can't pay for groceries at the grocery store… you don't lose that."
For months, Robbins let herself waste away, consumed by anger and anxiety.
Until that one February morning changed everything.
The five-second rule, which ended up becoming the title of Robbins' best-selling book, shifted her entire thinking.
"Doing something that you don't feel like doing is a skill," she said.
"Learning how to do things just because you know they need to get done… Because if you can learn how to get out of bed when you don't feel like it… you can do anything. That's the secret."
Soon, Chris started using the five-second rule, too. And over time, they pulled themselves back out of the hole.
But Robbins' struggles weren't just about external circumstances. At 47, she discovered something that reframed her entire life story.
For as long as she could remember, Robbins thought she was dealing with anxiety.
At 47, she finally received her diagnosis of ADHD and dyslexia.
"It impacted my whole life that I didn't know," she said.
"You develop anxiety because you're being asked to do things that your brain functionally, structurally, isn't able to do the way other people do."
Today, Mel reaches millions of people with her chart-topping podcast. Image: Getty.
The diagnosis was revelatory.
"In these moments where I've really struggled, I just thought I was the only one. I thought there was something wrong with me," she explained.
If there's one message that Robbins preaches to her millions of listeners, it's that we have the power to change our lives.
"Most people know how to have a bad attitude or be in a bad mood for no reason... What I think is a really important skill in life, is teaching yourself to have a good attitude, to be in a positive mood for no reason," she said.
"The single biggest obstacle in your way right now, is not ability... It is a lack of hope, discouragement, the belief that it's not going to work for you."
It took Robbins 54 years to realise she was repeating one key mistake: not understanding jealousy.
"I actually thought I was competing against other people," she said.
"How sad that I went through my life for the first 54 years, jealous of people that actually could have… been a source of inspiration, a source of information, a source of support."
Now, she sees it as a wake-up call showing you "what your own heart is calling you toward."
"Nobody is against you… Other people don't block your way, other people lead the way," Robbins said.
"They show you what's possible.
"Get to f***ing work. Stop telling yourself you can't have this stuff. Stop coming up with excuses, because there are a million ways to figure it out."
Mel Robbins' big secret to success: "Learn how to get out of bed when you don't feel like it". Image: Getty.
The 'Let Them' theory was born.
It was a moment with her teenage son that sparked Robbins' next breakthrough.
Her son Oakley was getting ready for prom, and Robbins was doing what she does best — trying to control every detail.
"I was being your typical controlling mum," she said.
Her daughter Kendall watched as Robbins stressed about every aspect of the night.
"Let them," Kendall kept saying. "Let them go to the taco stand. Let them go in the rain. Let them do what they want."
Something clicked.
"That night was when my shoulders dropped and I'm like, 'Why do I care so much?'" Robbins recalled.
It was a lightbulb moment that would become her most famous theory.
"I started to anytime I was stressed out or annoyed or bothered, I would literally just say 'let them'," she said.
"Here's what I noticed: people are f***ing annoying, and they stress you out, and they hurt your feelings, and most of the things that make you stressed have to do with other people."
The revelation was simple but profound: "Why am I giving so much time and energy to other people? Why am I giving time and energy to things I can't control?"
Mel and her daughter Kendall. Image: Instagram/melrobbins.
After developing the theory, Robbins had been using it for six months and drafted a book about it when her daughter returned from a solo backpacking trip through Australia and Asia.
Within 36 hours, her daughter returned with devastating feedback.
"Mum, you can't write the book," she said. "People are using 'let them' and they're lonely."
The problem? When people applied "let them," they realised painful truths — that they were the only sibling who reached out, that their friends made plans without them, that they were dating someone who treated them poorly.
"There has to be a second part, mum, because once you recognise the truth in your relationships... you don't want to sit in feeling disempowered and lonely."
"What's the second part?" Mel asked.
"Let me."
Mel Robbins had a special announcement to share with her Australian fans. Image: Getty.
Her big Australian announcement.
Today, Robbins' influence spans the globe. Her podcast reaches millions, her books are bestsellers and her theories have helped countless people reclaim control of their lives.
And now, she's bringing that message Down Under.
"One thing I want to tell you is that in 2026, I'm coming to Australia and New Zealand," she said exclusively to No Filter.
"I have not told anybody. We have not announced it yet."
In 2026, she'll be stepping up to microphones across Australia and New Zealand, ready to share what she's learned on that long road of life.
So get ready to count down, let go and finally let yourself win.
Feature image: Cody OLoughlin.
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