I Wish I Were Mel Robbins!

After five years of podcasting with minimal fanfare, I finally asked myself: What makes the top podcasts so popular? Cue a deep dive into the world of Joe Rogan, sex talk shows, and the queen of life advice—Mel Robbins. In this episode, I explore how Mel went from anxious attorney to $48 million microphone mogul, why her style resonates, and what it reveals about today’s obsession with Life Coaches. I question the cult of confidence, share a few hard-earned truths from my own experience as an inventor and beauty industry vet, and ask—do we really need motivation, or just a little laughter and perspective? Let’s talk Body, Mel, and the BS we’ve all bought into.

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Transcript

I wish I were Mel Robbins!

I’ve had a podcast  called Body Conversations for five years, and let’s just say it hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. A few weeks ago, I finally decided to listen to the top 10 podcasts—something I probably should have done five years ago. First up: Joe Rogan. I didn’t learn much from his bro-centric banter, despite having two sons firmly planted in that demographic. Moving on, I found a few reputable media podcasts (The New Yorker, The New York Times—you know, the kind you don’t listen to enough. Then, two women discussing nothing but sex. That was…a lot of nonessential info.

And then, I stumbled upon her. Mel Robbins. She’s got a podcast, best-selling books, a YouTube channel—she’s so successful she is  paid $48 million just for talking into a microphone. At this point, I started asking around, “Do you know Mel Robbins?” and everyone said yes. Turns out, I’ve been living under a rock. But when I finally tuned in, I was floored.

So, I did some research. By the way, “research isMel’s favorite device since you need to shout SCIENCE or something like it to get  respect.  Mel’s whole thing is telling women how to solve their problems and live their best LIFE! Apparently, this is an entire industry now. They even have a name: Life Coaches. I’ll be 84 in a month, which means I either need to make my podcast work or quit paying  a monthly hosting fee  that no one listens to. Statistically, I should already be dead—American white women are only expected to live until 80—so I’m right now  four  years past my expiration date.  But maybe that’s why my perspective feels outdated. On the other hand, I am an inventor with nine  patents on body-centric products  that are selling even on Amazon  and people love them!

I grew up in an era where life was decidedly different. My parents belonged to the Greatest Generation—the kind of people who survived the Depression and World War II and made the rest of us feel like we’d never measure up. They were strong, motivated, and full of good character…but also, casually bigoted. My mother had a favorite saying: “It’s just as easy to do it the right way as the wrong way.” And I, like a good 1940s kid, didn’t argue. That’s just how it was. Choices? Never heard of them. Feelings? Irrelevant. You didn’t procrastinate, collapse over mean words, or expect the world to hand you anything. The popular saying was “No one promised you a rose garden.” And we believed it.

And now here comes Mel, telling me she LOVES me. Not just me, but all of us. She’s practically whispering sweet nothings into our ears. Naturally, my skeptical side kicked in. I checked her out on LinkedIn: Dartmouth grad. Law degree. Defense attorney. CNN legal analyst. Radio host. TED Talk speaker. Oh, and she’s also gorgeous—blonde, thin, the whole package. Her 5 Second Rule (which has sold millions of copies) was born from one casual mention in a TED Talk, which, back then, was basically winning a Nobel Prize. But the way she tells it, you’d think she was just some anxious woman giving a speech at a local PTA meeting.

Yet here I am, unable to stop listening. Soon, I’m reading hundreds of five-star reviews of her books. My brain is spinning. Meanwhile, I’ve been watching Harry Potter with my granddaughters (ages 6 and 8), and suddenly, I start wondering—Is Mel a wizard? Do adults seriously believe that The 5 Second Rule will transform their entire existence? We tell kids they can be anything they want, but let’s be real: that’s a lie. Most of us are just trying to make it through the day without messing up.  Of course, we are all hoping to get it right– but not counting on this happening. 

Of course, every Life Coach has a backstory. Mel’s is that she was miserable at 41—between jobs,  with  $800,000 of debt, and her husband’s restaurant was failing. That sounds dramatic until you realize…uh, who doesn’t have debt? Most people with mortgages are in the same boat. The U.S. government is trillions in debt, and no one seems too concerned. Just print more money! Maybe that’s the same attitude that gets people to buy into these success stories.

And then there’s Kylie Kelce. Yes, related to the most famous person alive—Taylor Swift. She started a podcast (Not Gonna Lie) a few months ago and instantly dethroned Joe Rogan. And yet, she’s giving us everywoman vibes. Her husband makes $24 million a year just for playing football, but she acts like she’s washing her kids’ clothes, cooking every meal, scrubbing the floors, and tending the garden—all while wearing jeans and sneakers, of course. People love to believe their favorite celebs are just like them, when in reality, these people have nothing in common with their audience.

I live in Chelsea, work in Soho, and thanks to my late husband’s career in the design and art world (plus one son in entertainment), I’ve met my share of celebrities. I even lived in the Police Building, where supermodels like Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, and Naomi Campbell used to live. I’ve been in the green room at QVC, where hosts wait before they go on air to sell you overpriced nonsense. Trust me—none of these people are struggling. They only pretend to be when they need a backstory. They don’t love you. They aren’t honored to connect with you. They are only excited to cash the check.

Mel tells her fans how much she feels them, how deeply connected she is to them. She even says that if someone forwarded her podcast link to you, it proves you’re loved. That’s right. You’ve been validated. By a link.

So, yeah. I finally figured out why my podcast isn’t attracting an audience. But there’s hope! I predict the Life Coaching boom has peaked and will start to fade. Three major forces are coming for these gurus:

1. AI (because ChatGPT will soon be doling out free life advice and doing all the dreary work you avoid).
2. Ozempic and Mounjaro (because once people get skinny without effort, they won’t need motivation AND they won’t feel “bad about themselves”)
3. Religion (because right now  religion is having a renaissance  and who needs an influencer or Life Coach when you have Jesus!)

More podcasts will follow. I’ve spent decades working in the “appearance” biz—hair, skin, body. Of course, this is the wellness and beauty industry to others. I have made all the hair and  makeup and skin care products so  I actually know what works and what doesn’t. I have  created the fitness programming so I can test  if it is doable.  But in the meantime, forget Life Coaches. Laughter is the best medicine. Watch comedians on Netflix, YouTube, Instagram. Read The Onion. Watch Bill Maher and SNL. And for the sake of your sanity, stop getting suckered into false promises. Remember “All the World’s a Stage” and some people   play  better than others. Applaud the performance but not  necessarily  the message.