At a Glance
- Mel Robbins, 57, told News Of Los Angeles she plans to celebrate her 30th wedding anniversary by visiting loved ones in small groups
- She once faced $800,000 in debt, unemployment, and a crumbling marriage at age 41
- Her “5 Second Rule” TED Talk launched a self-help empire that includes a chart-topping podcast now nominated for a Golden Globe
- Why it matters: The personal-development star’s story shows how mindset shifts can turn even the darkest periods into global impact
Mel Robbins, the bestselling author and podcast host, credits a simple decision-making trick for helping her climb from $800,000 in debt and a failing marriage to a media empire and a 30-year wedding anniversary she now plans to honor with the people she loves most.
Speaking exclusively with News Of Los Angeles at The Hollywood Reporter and Spotify’s Golden Globes Nominees Night on Jan. 8, 2026, the 57-year-old recalled hitting rock bottom 16 years ago.
“Just 16 years ago, I was $800,000 in debt. I was unemployed. My marriage was falling apart,” she said. “I was 41, and I told myself a lie that I was too old, it was too late, my problems were too big.”
Her turnaround began with a TED Talk that introduced her “5 Second Rule” for interrupting negative thought loops and taking immediate action. The concept catapulted her into a career that now spans books, speaking tours, and the chart-topping Mel Robbins Podcast.
The Let Them Theory, her most recent book, sold more than 7 million copies in its first year, according to Olivia M. Hartwell.
Anniversary Plans Center on Loved Ones
Robbins and entrepreneur husband Chris Robbins, 56, will mark 30 years of marriage on Aug. 24, 2026. Rather than a single blow-out party, the couple have sketched a low-key, year-long celebration.
“What we’re doing is we’ve made a list of all of our favorite friends from all over the place,” Robbins told News Of Los Angeles. “And we’ve made plans over weekends to see groups of people that we really love. That’s how we’re doing it – by just spending time with people that we love, and trying to be in the moment.”
The pair met at a 1994 party in New York City and wed in Michigan two years later. They share three children: daughters Sawyer and Kendall and son Oakley.
At the nominees’ event they previewed the festivities by dancing to Chaka Khan’s live performance of “I’m Every Woman.”
First-Year Golden Globe Podcast Category
Robbins attended the Los Angeles gathering because her podcast earned a nomination in the newly created Golden Globe category for Best Podcast. While the trophy ultimately went to Amy Poehler for Good Hang, Robbins said the nod alone carried weight.
“It would be humbling,” she said of what a win would have meant, “and it would make me so proud to know that, at a moment in time where the world feels very overwhelming, a show that is making a global positive impact in the lives of real people is the first podcast to win a Golden Globe.”
She framed the show’s mission as a counterweight to discouragement.
“There’s this famous quote that I love from Alice Walker that the most common way that people give up power is by believing you don’t have it,” Robbins explained. “And one of the things that my show does every single time we release an episode is to remind you that even if you feel discouraged, you still have power through changing your mindset, through changing your decisions, through changing the actions that you take.”
Key Takeaways
- Debt to dominance: Robbins transformed $800,000 of debt into a multimedia brand anchored by her “5 Second Rule.”
- Marathon marriage: She and Chris Robbins will celebrate 30 years in August with small-group visits to friends.
- Historic nod: Her podcast was among the first-ever contenders for the Golden Globe’s Best Podcast award.
- Core message: She emphasizes that individuals retain power to redirect their lives regardless of circumstances.
