7 Longevity Secrets From My Rockstar 85 Year Old Mother-in-Law | The Mel Robbins Podcast
Mel Robbins (host), Judie (Judy) Robbins (guest)
In this episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast, featuring Mel Robbins and Judie (Judy) Robbins, 7 Longevity Secrets From My Rockstar 85 Year Old Mother-in-Law | The Mel Robbins Podcast explores eighty-Six And Thriving: Judy Robbins’ Real-Life Longevity Blueprint Revealed Mel Robbins interviews her 85-year-old mother-in-law, Judy Robbins, to uncover the habits, mindset, and choices behind Judy’s unusually vibrant, active life in her mid-80s.
Eighty-Six And Thriving: Judy Robbins’ Real-Life Longevity Blueprint Revealed
Mel Robbins interviews her 85-year-old mother-in-law, Judy Robbins, to uncover the habits, mindset, and choices behind Judy’s unusually vibrant, active life in her mid-80s.
Judy shares her daily routine of movement, meditation, social connection, lifelong learning, and service, emphasizing that she began consistent exercise only in her 30s and has maintained it through discipline, routine, and ‘good guilt.’
A major theme is that connection and contribution—especially friendships, intergenerational relationships, and decades of hospice volunteering—are as important as physical fitness for emotional health and longevity.
Throughout the conversation, Judy reinforces living in the present, gratitude for what you already have, and proactively creating the love, social life, and experiences you want instead of waiting for others to provide them.
Key Takeaways
Make daily movement non‑negotiable and build it into your routine.
Judy has run or walked about five miles a day for decades and structures her environment (like living in a three-story condo) to force herself to stay active, refusing to ‘take a week off’ because breaks easily become stopping.
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Prioritize social connection—especially with younger people—as much as exercise.
She believes being social can be “almost more important than exercise” because it makes you feel loved; Judy deliberately maintains a large circle of friends and many younger relationships to stay energized and engaged.
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If you feel unloved or lonely, create love by serving others.
Her direct prescription for people who feel they have no one is to take hospice training or care for someone in need; in her 40+ years of hospice work, she’s found that caring for others reliably brings love, meaning, and self-worth back to the caregiver.
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Stop waiting for people to call you—initiate the connections you want.
Instead of resenting her adult children or friends for not calling, Judy accepts their busy lives and chooses to reach out herself, emphasizing that you should talk directly to your friends rather than about them through others.
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Live in the present and be grateful for what you have right now.
Judy warns that constantly wishing for something else creates stress and disappointment; she grounds herself by seeing each day as a gift, not assuming there will be a tomorrow, and being thankful for her health, family, and current reality.
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Keep your brain active with intentional practices and learning.
Her routine includes a daily mantra-meditation with finger movements (a neurobic-style exercise), bridge, audiobooks while walking, and regular reading—habits she believes help maintain memory, focus, and mental sharpness.
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You can reinvent yourself and have adventure at any age.
From starting running in her 30s, running her first marathon at 70, skydiving at 81, teaching English in Cambodia in her late 60s–70s, to going on a dude ranch cattle drive at 85, Judy shows that trying new things isn’t limited by age but by excuses.
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Notable Quotes
““If you feel like nobody loves you, take the hospice training and go take care of somebody.””
— Judy Robbins
““I think being social is almost more important than exercise, because it makes you feel loved.””
— Judy Robbins
““Don’t talk about your friends; talk to your friends.””
— Judy Robbins
““People live in a lot of disappointment because they think about what they'd like to have instead of what they have this moment.””
— Judy Robbins
““Your age isn’t stopping you from doing anything. Your excuses are.””
— Mel Robbins
Questions Answered in This Episode
How could I redesign my own daily routine so that movement, social contact, and some form of learning happen automatically—without relying on motivation?
Mel Robbins interviews her 85-year-old mother-in-law, Judy Robbins, to uncover the habits, mindset, and choices behind Judy’s unusually vibrant, active life in her mid-80s.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
If I feel chronically lonely, what specific form of service or volunteering could I start this month that would put me in direct contact with people who need care?
Judy shares her daily routine of movement, meditation, social connection, lifelong learning, and service, emphasizing that she began consistent exercise only in her 30s and has maintained it through discipline, routine, and ‘good guilt.’
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
Where in my life am I ‘waiting for the call’ instead of being the one who reaches out, and what would happen if I reversed that pattern?
A major theme is that connection and contribution—especially friendships, intergenerational relationships, and decades of hospice volunteering—are as important as physical fitness for emotional health and longevity.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
What am I currently wishing for in the future that’s preventing me from fully appreciating and using what I already have right now?
Throughout the conversation, Judy reinforces living in the present, gratitude for what you already have, and proactively creating the love, social life, and experiences you want instead of waiting for others to provide them.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
What’s one ‘too old for me’ experience—physical, social, or adventurous—that I could realistically decide to try in the next year to expand my sense of what’s possible as I age?
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
Transcript Preview
(ticking sound) Judy Robbins. Everybody, she's gonna be 86 and she's dropping knowledge.
(laughs)
How old were you when you ran your first marathon with me?
70.
How old were you when you jumped out of an airplane for the first time?
81.
(laughs) God, woman. If you were to talk directly to somebody who feels like they don't have anyone who loves them in their life, what would your advice be about how to get started?
Without a skipping a beat, I would start by... (instrumental music plays)
Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast. I am so excited for today's conversation because we're gonna talk about longevity, and by longevity, I don't mean how do you live forever? I mean, how do you live a long, vibrant, connected, happy, healthy and purpose-driven life? How do you do that? What are the guidelines, the keys, the secrets? What are the mistakes that people make that prevent them from doing that? And in order for us to really dig into this topic in a fun and entertaining and helpful way, I thought why don't I just track down the most badass woman that I know, in terms of somebody who's in their 80s? Who am I talking about? I'm talking about my mother-in-law, Judy Robbins. Every single time I post some photo with her or some video with her on social media, you guys hammer me with questions. "How does she have biceps and a six-pack at the age of 82? How can she hold a plank for two minutes and 30 seconds?" That is true. In fact, we were in barre class the other day and we walk in and I go and grab the five-pound weights. She freaking grabs the eight-pound weights. Show off. No, I'm joking, but seriously, I have been so impressed because she has been a widow since she was 69 years old, and she lives her life in a way that makes me want to be as connected and happy and optimistic and vibrant as she is at the age of 85. She inspires me. And you guys ask a lot of questions about her secrets every time you see her. In fact, I posted a photo of my family holding her up like a little doll, 'cause she's so petite, at our daughter's graduation, and she had just taken a gummy and was dancing with us at a, at, at, at a graduation party. I mean, she's just an absolute hoot. And I'm not the only one who feels that way. Her friends feel that way about her, and everywhere we go people are stunned that she is as old as she is because she doesn't act that way and she doesn't look like it. And so I thought, you know what? Let's get her on the podcast. Let's answer your questions and let's dig into what she believes are the habits, the mindset tricks, and the values and priorities in her life that have led to living such an incredible life in the last chapter of her life. I mean, how amazing would it be for us all to wake up at the age of 85 and truly authentically feel like the best days are in front of us? Because you know what? With small changes, they can and they should be, and that's what we're gonna dig in today. So ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, meet my friend and my mother-in-law, Judy Janks Robbins. Welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast. All right. So there's a lot to cover, but I just have to have some highlights here. So, uh, how old were you when you ran your first marathon with me?
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