By Ellen Gamerman

Self-improvement queen Mel Robbins has a single thought when she wakes up in the morning: "Ugh."

The 57-year-old author, podcaster and speaker is as cozy in her bed as procrastinators are in theirs. The difference is -- unlike her -- they didn't skyrocket to fame with a catchy action strategy. The philosophy outlined in the self-published 2017 title, "The 5 Second Rule," the first of her three bestselling books, holds that when faced with an unpleasant task, such as getting out of bed, one must count down from five and then just do it.

Robbins is coming off her blockbuster book "The Let Them Theory," which encourages readers to stop attempting to manage the feelings and judgments of others and focus instead on their own needs. It sold 9 million copies worldwide. She is her own guinea pig, trying out much of what her experts talk about on "The Mel Robbins Podcast," a self-help show she launched in 2022 that was nominated for a Golden Globe in this year's inaugural podcast category.

Now, Robbins is turning her attention to a fruit-flavored drink with 23 grams of protein, her first-ever product -- the equivalent of a 3-ounce steak.

A mother of three, Robbins lives in Vermont with her husband, dogs Homie and Yolo and cat Mr. Noodle. Here, she discusses her self-talk in the mirror, the significance of her Mason jar and the giant middle finger on her closet floor.

What's the first thing you do when you wake up?

My morning routine begins with an evening routine. At night, I always clean up the mess in the kitchen. I set out my exercise clothes and lay them on the floor of my closet. And I always tuck in my phone before I tuck myself in. My phone lives in the bathroom in a charger with the ringer on.

Then what?

When the alarm rings, I get out of bed. The immediate thing I do then is I make my bed. Clutter creates clutter in your mind. That little ritual of completing something starts to create momentum. I do not allow myself to lay in bed, because I know it is probably one of the most dangerous places for me to be mentally.

As I brush my teeth, I look in the mirror and I tell myself, "Today is going to be a good day." Even if I have something that I'm not looking forward to. And I then also ask myself, "What's the one thing that matters most to me today?"

I still haven't looked at my phone, and what most of us don't realize is that the second you pick up your phone, you just let work, the world around you, every person that's texted or emailed you, every marketer that is trying to market to you, step to the front of your mind. And from that point forward, you will be last on your list for the rest of the day.

Then I go into the closet, and guess what's there for me on the floor? [The exercise clothes.] It's like a giant middle finger from myself the night before. So what am I going to do? Step over them and ignore the promise I've made to myself?

What's your coffee ritual?

I put a big Mason jar in front of a coffee maker before I go to bed -- I use that as a visual cue to delay coffee for an hour and drink water first. That one habit change, I kid you not, got me to change from a person that was having three to four cups of coffee a day to drinking water. I don't even think about coffee until like 11 a.m.

Do you eat breakfast?

I always thought we were supposed to exercise on an empty stomach. That's the exact opposite of what women should do. I get 30 grams of protein in a number of different ways. I will either eat a couple scrambled eggs if I have time to make them, or if we have chicken or steak or fish or something in the fridge from last night, I will eat that. Getting 30 grams of protein first in the morning, I am a different person when I do that. I'm not cranky or moody, I'm not scattered or stressed. I feel grounded in my body.

What about exercise?

I get right outside for morning light. I've learned from experts over and over about how exposing yourself to natural light, even on an overcast day, either resets or talks to your circadian rhythm. And I have two dogs, so they're always staring at me as I'm drinking my water and eating my protein. So I take them out. I'm doing heavy resistance training, or I'm doing incline walking. And then [one to two hours after waking up] I look at my phone.

Making this Pure Genius Protein drink is not directly related to your expertise.

I don't have expertise. I'm listening to the experts on my podcast, and I'm like, "OK, got it, 30 grams of protein first thing in the morning." I'm not going to just slap my name on something to make money. I had a problem in my life that I was having difficulty solving: getting high-quality protein on the go.

Some of your fans have expressed disappointment that you're trying to sell them something after focusing for so long on their inner lives. How have you reckoned with that?

I think that's a very fair response in a world that's always trying to sell you something. And I would be super happy if you checked out the website simply because you were annoyed and you learned something.

There are people on Instagram who post elaborate morning routines, getting up at 3:30 a.m. and sticking their heads in bowls of ice. What do you think of that?

Everybody should do what works for them. For me, life is complicated enough. If you set up a routine that's too complicated, you will fail, and then you're going to feel like a failure. It's about making changes that work for you. If it works for somebody to wake up at 3:30 in the morning and stick their face in a thing of ice and then run 7 miles and meditate for 45 minutes, they should do that. You get one life.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 16, 2026 08:00 ET (13:00 GMT)

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