Mel Robbins
American author and podcast host (born 1968)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Melanie Lee Robbins (née Schneeberger; born October 6, 1968) is an American author, podcast host, and lawyer.
October 6, 1968
- Mel Robbins
- Mel Schneeberger
Boston College Law School (JD)
- Author
- Lawyer
- Speaker
- Podcast host
Mel Robbins | |
|---|---|
| Born | Melanie Lee Schneeberger October 6, 1968 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Other names |
|
| Education | Dartmouth College (BA) Boston College Law School (JD) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1996—present |
| Spouse |
Chris Robbins (m. 1996) |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | melrobbins |
Robbins gained recognition for her TEDx talk, 'How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over.'[1] Her books include The 5 Second Rule (2017), The High 5 Habit (2021), and The Let Them Theory (2024). She has been hosting The Mel Robbins Podcast since 2022.[2]
Early life
Melanie Lee Schneeberger[3] was born on October 6, 1968,[4] in Kansas City, Missouri.[5] She grew up in North Muskegon, Michigan,[6] and graduated from Dartmouth College.[7] She earned her J.D. from Boston College Law School in 1994.[8]
Career
1990s–2000s
Robbins began her career as a public defender in New York.[9] In 1996, she worked at the Legal Aid Society in New York City[10] and later worked as a CNN legal analyst covering the George Zimmerman trial.[11]
2010s–2020s
In 2010, Robbins published her debut book Stop Saying You're Fine: Discover a More Powerful You.[12]
In 2011, she gave a TEDx talk titled 'How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over', where she introduced the "five second rule" technique.[1]
In 2017, she published The 5 Second Rule, which became a bestseller.[13][14]
She later hosted The Mel Robbins Show (2019), which ran for one season.[15] She launched The Mel Robbins Podcast in 2022,[16] which was ranked among the top 15 podcasts in the U.S. in Q1 and Q2 of 2025. [17][18]
In 2025, she received an iHeartRadio award for Best Overall Host.[19]
In 2025, Robbins was named in Time magazine's inaugural "TIME100 Creators" list—branded by the publication as the 100 most influential digital voices.[20]
Her book The Let Them Theory (2024) became a national bestseller, appearing on the USA Today bestseller list in January 2025.[21]
The Let Them Theory
The Let Them Theory is a mindset tool adapted by Robbins which claims to reduce stress by encouraging an individual to focus only on what they can control by ignoring gossip and external criticism.[22][23] The concept has received criticism, including over its broader utility and presentation as a consistent theory despite a lack of factual basis.[24] Robbins responded to the claim that the book's idea is "so obvious it's laughable" by saying "Yeah, it is a cheap trick - and it works".[25][26]
The Let Them Tour
In January 2025, Robbins announced her first global speaking tour, "The Let Them Tour." The tour began on May 2, 2025, and was scheduled to visit 31 cities across North America.[27]
Awards and recognition
- Gracie Award for Outstanding Host – News/Non-fiction (2014)[28]
- People's Choice Webby Award – Podcast (2023)[29]
- Forbes "50 Over 50" (2023)[30]
- iHeartPodcast Award for Best Overall Host (2025)[31]
Personal life
Bibliography
- Stop Saying You're Fine (2010)
- The 5 Second Rule (2017)
- The 5 Second Journal (2017)
- The High 5 Habit (2021)
- Robbins, Mel; Robbins, Sawyer (December 24, 2024). The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking About. Hay House Inc. ISBN 978-1-4019-7136-6.