6 Words to Tell Yourself Every Morning
Mel Robbins (host), Erin Walsh (guest), Erin Walsh (guest)
In this episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast, featuring Mel Robbins and Erin Walsh, 6 Words to Tell Yourself Every Morning explores use clothing intentionally to embody confidence, energy, and self-worth daily Erin Walsh reframes clothing as an embodiment tool—starting each morning with the six-word question “How do I want to feel?”—to align your outer appearance with your desired inner state.
Use clothing intentionally to embody confidence, energy, and self-worth daily
Erin Walsh reframes clothing as an embodiment tool—starting each morning with the six-word question “How do I want to feel?”—to align your outer appearance with your desired inner state.
The method shifts dressing from external approval (“What will look good?”) to self-honoring intention, reducing closet anxiety, body shame, and decision fatigue.
Practical tactics include choosing three feeling-words, identifying a few “greatest hits” outfits, experimenting by trying everything on, and building a supportive closet that matches your current body and life roles.
The conversation tackles emotional closet “minefields” (old identities, sunk-cost guilt, postpartum and menopause body changes) and offers strategies to purge or repurpose items without shame.
Three real-life case studies (postpartum, post-menopause, post-cancer/knee replacement) show how intentional dressing restores confidence, power, and joy without requiring new purchases.
Key Takeaways
Start with intention, not appearance.
Pause before opening your closet and ask “How do I want to feel? ...
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Use three feeling-words as your daily styling compass.
Pick a trio (e. ...
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Build a ‘greatest hits’ section from what already works.
Identify at least three items you consistently feel great in (your version of jeans/white shirt/blazer) and treat them as reliable anchors when you’re tired, anxious, or short on time.
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Remove clothes that don’t fit your current body.
Keeping too-small items turns your closet into a daily shame trigger; donating, selling, or swapping reframes the choice as support for your present self (and potentially someone else’s fresh start).
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Try everything on to reclaim clarity and control.
A quarterly “closet laboratory” session—trying on each piece and noting how it makes you feel—reveals what aligns with your identity now and prevents mindless defaulting to the same few items.
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Structure and tailoring can make you look and feel better instantly.
Proper hems, balanced proportions, supportive undergarments, and structured layers (collars, shoulders, waist definition) create polish and confidence without weight loss or a new wardrobe.
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Small ‘first layer’ upgrades change your self-respect narrative.
Intentional underwear and base layers are foundational signals that you matter; it’s not about cost, but about choosing pieces that make you feel held, supported, and cared for.
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Notable Quotes
“How do I want to feel? Six words.”
— Erin Walsh
“When you dress from a place of wondering if it’s good enough for the world, you’ve already decided that you’re not good enough for the world.”
— Erin Walsh
“I see the closet as a portal to possibility.”
— Erin Walsh
“I need to feel invincible. I need to feel unstoppable. And I need to feel confident.”
— Mel Robbins
“It’s not about the clothes. It’s about your possibility.”
— Erin Walsh
Questions Answered in This Episode
If you’re overwhelmed in the morning, how do you choose three feeling-words quickly without overthinking or spiraling into self-criticism?
Erin Walsh reframes clothing as an embodiment tool—starting each morning with the six-word question “How do I want to feel? ...
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
Erin, what are the most common ‘default outfits’ that signal hiding (postpartum/menopause), and what are the simplest swaps to keep comfort but add structure?
The method shifts dressing from external approval (“What will look good? ...
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
How do you decide whether a sentimental item belongs in your active closet, a separate keepsake space, or should be released?
Practical tactics include choosing three feeling-words, identifying a few “greatest hits” outfits, experimenting by trying everything on, and building a supportive closet that matches your current body and life roles.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
What does ‘structure’ mean in practice for different bodies—shoulders, waist, hips—and what are 2–3 starter pieces that create it affordably?
The conversation tackles emotional closet “minefields” (old identities, sunk-cost guilt, postpartum and menopause body changes) and offers strategies to purge or repurpose items without shame.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
What’s the best protocol for a closet cleanout when you feel guilt over expensive unworn items (tags still on)?
Three real-life case studies (postpartum, post-menopause, post-cancer/knee replacement) show how intentional dressing restores confidence, power, and joy without requiring new purchases.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
Transcript Preview
This is gonna be one of the most eye-opening and transformative conversations you've ever heard on this podcast. Erin, what's the one question you want people to ask themselves before they even open the door to the closet in the morning?
How do I want to feel?
How do I want to feel?
Six words. We all have to get dressed in the morning the same way we have to brush our teeth. So aren't you gonna wanna walk as your most supernova self and not, you know, be afraid to be that person? Like, what are you waiting for?
Erin Walsh is one of the most sought-after celebrity stylists on the planet. She has styled some of the biggest names in Hollywood for red carpets, magazine covers, press tours, and defining career moments. She believes getting dressed, it's not about trends, it's about who you are. It's about your identity and who you wanna become. She is the bestselling author of the new book, The Art of Intentional Dressing, and you're gonna hear three women on our team who are part of this episode admit deeply personal things about how they feel and how they felt and how much they've changed since just trying this different way of getting dressed. This is about using what you have in your closet to help you feel confident, energized, more powerful, protected. It's a mindset shift. It is simple, you can do it immediately, and you will feel the impact every single day for the rest of your life. My team showed me something. 58% of you that watch here on YouTube are not subscribers. My goal is that we get that number to 50%. If you are loving the videos that we are putting up here, bringing you world-renowned experts, this one today is gonna blow your mind with Erin Walsh. Just hit subscribe. If that's lit up, the subscribe button, you're not a subscriber. First of all, it's free. Second, it's the best way you can say, "Hey, thanks, Mel. Hey, thanks, Mel's team," for showing up and supporting me in creating a better life. Thank you in advance for hitting subscribe. It means a lot to me, and I appreciate your support. Now, get ready. This conversation with Erin Walsh, it's gonna blow your mind. Let's get into it. Erin Walsh, welcome to The Mel Robbins Podcast.
[laughs] I have no words. I'm so excited to be here. Thank you.
Well, I'm thrilled that you came to snowy Vermont.
I love it.
And this is the first episode that we have taped here in the barn.
Fireside chat.
Fireside chat is right.
Sexy unplugged. [laughs]
And well, you're gonna help us be sexy, if that's what we wanna feel.
Gonna try. We're gonna try.
I wanna start by asking you, how is my life going to be different if I take everything to heart that you're about-
Mm-hmm
... to teach us today about using clothing as a way to embody the feeling that we want-
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