The Mel Robbins PodcastFeel Better Immediately: Do THIS Today to Reset Your Life, Energy, & Happiness
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 2:01
Two reset questions to change how the rest of your year feels
Mel frames the episode as a “reset” built around two simple questions: what you’re proud of so far this year, and what you’re looking forward to next. She explains how savoring pride and anticipation can immediately lift your mood and reorient your mindset away from dread.
- •The episode is a mid-year reset focused on emotional experience, not productivity
- •Question 1: What are you proud of from this year so far?
- •Question 2: What are you looking forward to?
- •Savoring future anticipation boosts how you feel right now
- •You can create something to look forward to regardless of how the year has gone
- 2:01 – 4:03
Catching up after tour: brutal schedule, huge payoff
Mel shares what the last three months looked like on tour—long days, constant travel, big crowds—and why it was both exhausting and one of the most meaningful experiences of her life. She sets up the idea that big life highlights often come bundled with hard work and stress.
- •Three-month international tour with a large crew and ~100,000 attendees
- •16-hour days and constant travel across cities/countries
- •Awe at how musicians sustain touring life
- •Hard experiences can still be life highlights
- •This episode is a friend-to-friend walk-and-talk catch-up
- 4:03 – 6:34
Question #1—What you’re proud of: giving yourself overdue credit
Mel introduces the first reset question and emphasizes that most people are moving too fast to notice their own progress. She invites listeners to pause, look back to January, and name wins—big or small—that deserve acknowledgment.
- •Most people don’t stop long enough to reflect on progress
- •Pride can come from actions, experiences, or simply getting through challenges
- •Self-recognition builds resilience and momentum
- •Small daily wins matter as much as major milestones
- •Reflection interrupts the “blur” of a busy year
- 6:34 – 15:15
Mel’s proudest win: managing stress so she didn’t ‘miss’ the tour
Mel explains that her proudest accomplishment wasn’t the tour itself—it was staying present and emotionally regulated. A warning from her therapist pushed her to prioritize sleep, food, movement, and stress management so she could actually experience the joy of what she’d worked for.
- •Therapist warned: starting stressed would make her miss the experience
- •Built a new routine: sleep, nutrition, daily walking/weights, less alcohol
- •Focused on emotional regulation and being non-reactive
- •‘Let them… let me’ approach to release control and choose responses
- •Staying calm helped her remember and enjoy the moments
- 15:15 – 23:12
Why stress steals joy (and funny tour moments that proved it)
Mel uses humorous tour stories to show how being calmer let her enjoy the chaos instead of being derailed by it. The point: when you’re gripping the wheel and stressed, it’s hard to notice fun, connection, and meaning as they happen.
- •Story: teammate wears shark onesie to cope with fear of flying
- •Story: strict luggage rules + overweight bags create travel chaos
- •Choosing the response matters more than controlling the situation
- •Presence makes experiences memorable and enjoyable
- •Calm turns problems into stories instead of crises
- 23:12 – 27:17
When the big finale flopped: the ‘confetti fart’ lesson
At the tour’s biggest show in Sydney, the planned confetti finale failed spectacularly—only one cannon weakly popped. Mel highlights her real win: she didn’t blame, rage, or spiral, and she refused to let a mistake ruin an otherwise epic night.
- •Sydney show: 9,000 attendees and highest stakes of the tour
- •Confetti cannons malfunctioned—tiny output instead of full explosion
- •She chose not to get angry or snap at the team
- •Rumination (“wishing it were different”) robs celebration
- •Managing stress protected the joy of the moment
- 27:17 – 33:29
Behind-the-scenes grind—and a powerful audience moment in Vancouver
Mel details the relentless touring logistics to underline how easy it would be to live in a stressed, tunnel-vision state. She then shares a standout Vancouver moment where the crowd rallied around a woman fighting cancer—an example of the human connection she might have missed if she’d been in her head.
- •Tour-day schedule: load-in, tech, rehearsals, signing, meet-and-greets, show
- •Recognizes how intense the performance lifecycle is (respect for musicians)
- •Drag opener ‘Melodrama’ builds community in the room
- •Vancouver: audience erupts to support Colleen’s wish to beat cancer
- •Presence allowed Mel to absorb meaning and feel energized by listeners
- 33:29 – 35:00
Closing the loop on pride: find yours and ask why it matters
Mel returns to the first reset question and prompts deeper reflection: not just what you’re proud of, but why. She argues that pride often reveals growth—strength, boundaries, healing, perseverance—that you may be overlooking.
- •Re-ask: What are you proud of this year (or even today)?
- •Don’t overlook ‘small’ wins and survival wins
- •Ask: ‘Why am I proud of that?’ to uncover deeper change
- •Pride signals personal values and progress
- •Self-credit is a skill you can practice regularly
- 35:00 – 40:08
Question #2—What are you looking forward to? (and why it changes your brain)
Mel introduces the second reset question and explains why lacking anticipation makes life feel flat and repetitive. She references neuroscientist Dr. Tali Sharot’s work on habituation and how novelty and planned events can “wake up” your brain and restore motivation and joy.
- •If nothing feels ahead, life becomes autopilot and survival mode
- •Anticipation provides emotional lift and meaning
- •Habituation: familiarity dulls the brain’s response to even good things
- •Novelty/plans interrupt routine and increase noticing and engagement
- •Putting something on the calendar gives your mind a ‘good place to go’
- 40:08 – 44:34
Mel’s big ‘look forward to’: Grand Canyon rafting + the backpack debate
Mel shares an upcoming family backpacking and rafting trip she’s been anticipating for years, using it as a model for building excitement. Along the way she tells stories about gear, her decades-old backpack, and the nervous excitement of doing something difficult and memorable.
- •Nine-day rafting/camping trip planned for years with family friends
- •Anticipation builds energy long before the event happens
- •Gear prep becomes part of the story (and the bonding)
- •Humor and nostalgia: her 1986 backpack is still in play
- •Big adventures don’t have to be frequent to be identity-restoring
- 44:34 – 49:40
Mindset shift from the ‘magic boots’ story: choose the story you tell
Mel revisits a past hiking trip where she forgot her boots and had to buy stiff new ones right before a mountain climb. Instead of catastrophizing, she chose a confident narrative—and had a great outcome—using it to teach that your expectations shape your experience.
- •Mount Katahdin trip: forgot boots, had to buy last-minute pair
- •Buying unbroken-in boots is usually a recipe for blisters/failure
- •She deliberately chose an empowering belief (‘magic boots’)
- •Your mindset settings influence performance and suffering
- •Apply this reframe to something you’re currently dreading
- 49:40 – 54:43
Bring back what you used to love: reclaiming identity through plans
Mel argues that what you look forward to doesn’t need to be new—sometimes it’s returning to what made you feel like yourself before life got crowded. She lists examples and encourages listeners to make room for joy that has slowly drifted away.
- •Life responsibilities crowd out hobbies and connection over time
- •Looking forward to ‘old you’ activities can restore aliveness
- •Examples: music, dance, fishing, reading, cycling, tennis, painting
- •Anticipation reminds you life is more than caretaking and work
- •The goal: create a spark, not a perfect plan
- 54:43 – 57:45
Make it real: invite someone, pick a date, stop waiting for joy
Mel gets highly practical: if nothing is on your calendar, that’s a signal to add something now. She suggests reaching out to friends, planning weekends, attending events together (or solo), and repeats her core mantra that change requires action.
- •If you don’t have something ahead, add one thing—anything
- •Text an invite; if they say no, ‘let them’ and ask someone else or go solo
- •Plans create momentum and interrupt the sameness loop
- •‘If you change nothing, nothing changes’
- •Anticipation helps you endure today’s challenges
- 57:45 – 1:01:46
The reset in two takeaways: credit + anticipation to lift your life now
Mel summarizes the episode’s two questions and urges listeners to savor both pride and what’s ahead. She closes with encouragement that no matter how hard the year has been, these two prompts can reset your emotional experience of the months to come.
- •Takeaway 1: Stop measuring only what you didn’t do—name what you’re proud of
- •Takeaway 2: Name (or create) what you’re looking forward to
- •Savoring future moments boosts present-day mood
- •You have agency in how the rest of the year feels
- •Final encouragement: you can create a better life starting today
