How The Mel Robbins Podcast helped me change my life

I don’t know how I came across The Mel Robbins Podcast but I’m so glad I did. I discovered it at a time in my life when I really needed it and somehow my Spotify must’ve known, maybe listened to me crying to Taylor Swift a few too many times…

Although I didn’t know how much I needed to hear everything she had to say.

Covering a variety of topics surrounding mental health, happiness, success, bad habits and relationships just to name a few. Mel Robbins is a 55-year-old Author, podcast host and motivational speaker. Previously practicing as a Lawyer, she often discusses the fact that she waited her entire life to start her podcast, reluctant to put her dreams in the hands of failure, however the exact opposite happened, and it is now one of the most listened to podcasts in Spotify history. She gave me a real sense of hope and urgency to change my life as I related to the words she was saying and the feelings she had that inevitably held her back. It was refreshing to hear honesty, without her making out that any of her success was easy, but achievable with the right resources and mindset which was something I needed to start applying to my own life.

Each episode is unique and often includes incredible guests who are usually specialists in the topic she is discussing. One of my favourite episodes is titled ‘How to Deal with Difficult People: One Trick to Live a More Peaceful and Fulfilled Life’ this episode includes special guest psychologist and narcissism expert Dr Ramani Durvasula and I took so much away from listening. The topics covered in many episodes are often ones which aren’t often spoken about, this one included, this episode made me feel validated and incredibly heard as I related to much of what they discussed and could feel it poking at my unresolved trauma, which was a good thing despite that metaphor lol. I think it’s incredibly common for us all to bury are heads in the sand when we’re struggling and podcasts like this one are a great place to start when you feel lost or depressed and can teach you a lot more about yourself than you may initially think.

I’m not inferring that this alone will change your life, but it has been a catalyst for me in changing my own, because I really wanted to. And you have to want to. There isn’t any singular thing that anyone can tell you that will fix your problems or change your mindset, but if you start to look inward on your life, more often than not your habits will tell you everything you need to know. I learnt this from Mel and when I started to unpack and chip away at my problems a mountain started to look more like a mole hill and I was able to start adjusting my perspective. To put it bluntly, this time last year I had quit my job, crashed my car and amongst many other things I was lost and I was miserable. Now I do a job I love, work with some of my best friends and have just about got myself together to a degree. And I knew NOTHING when I started, just ask my team.

Getting a new job didn’t make all my problems disappear, but I’ve learnt how to handle them differently and look at them from a different point of view and I’m proud of myself for this. My point being, I made a decision that my life couldn’t stay the same, I needed to push myself into an uncomfortable, uncontrolled situation, which is commonly something none of us want to do, and put a lot of trust in the fact that it would work out. Throughout that time I found things that helped me trust and be patient, and one of the was Mel Robbins.

So please listen, asking on your future self’s behalf.

Chloe Acton, Cohort 41 Apprentice at McCann