The bestselling ‘Let Them Theory’ author and Golden-Globe nominated podcaster opens up to PEOPLE about her journey to stardom in this week’s cover story

Mel Robbins for the cover of PEOPLE; Mel Robbins in Vermont on Oct. 7Credit: Allison Michael Orenstein
Mel Robbins for the cover of PEOPLE; Mel Robbins in Vermont on Oct. 7
Credit: Allison Michael Orenstein

Mel Robbins slaps a strip of blue painter’s tape emblazoned with “M-E-L” in Sharpie onto her shirt as she breezes into the kitchen of her Vermont home on a brisk October morning.

The New York Times bestselling self-help author and Golden Globe-nominated podcast host greets the PEOPLE crew by earnestly shaking hands and dismissing the idea that she doesn’t need a name tag: “Sure I do,” she says. “I’m part of the team.”

Down-to-earth despite her skyrocketing stardom, Robbins, 58, doesn’t take one single moment of the big life she’s built for granted. Before she published the record-breaking book The Let Them Theory in 2024 and found success as the host of the wildly popular Mel Robbins Podcast, Robbins was $800,000 in debt while on the brink of divorce and drinking too much.

Mel Robbins photographed for PEOPLE at her home in Vermont on Oct. 7, 2026Credit: Allison Michael Orenstein
Mel Robbins photographed for PEOPLE at her home in Vermont on Oct. 7, 2026
Credit: Allison Michael Orenstein

“I wake up every day and I am profoundly grateful for making a decision to change myself for the better because that’s what started it all,” she tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. “One decision changes your life.”

Unlock Mel Robbins’ Full Story

  • More about Robbins’ one life-changing decision 
  • What Oprah Winfrey tells PEOPLE about why Robbins resonates with her fans
  • The secret to Robbins’ 30-year marriage to husband Chris 
  • Robbins’ best advice on how to handle critics 
    Join & Keep Reading

#Mel #Robbins #Built #SelfHelp #Empire #Facing #Debt #Depression #Proud #Person #Ive #Exclusive