If the holidays stir up feelings about your family - stress, guilt, grief - this episode is for you.

Whether you love spending time with them, can only handle them in small doses, or stay away for your own sanity, being around family has a way of pushing every button you’ve got.

That’s why Mel invited Dr. Mariel Buqué, a Columbia-trained psychologist and leading expert on family dynamics and generational patterns, to share the real reason why your family stresses you out.

Dr. Buqué will help you see how the home you grew up in and the role that you played in your family shaped you as a person.

She will also explain why the same tension, guilt, and arguments keep repeating year after year and how you can shift this dynamic.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

-How no siblings grow up in the same family, and why it’s important to understand this

-The specific challenges and lasting impact of being an eldest daughter

-How women in particular absorb family stress, and the impact this can have on autoimmune diseases

-How family trauma can be passed down through generations until someone decides to break the cycle

-The impact on you of how your parents were parented

-Specific daily tools and tactics to use around your family

-How to do the work to heal yourself, even if others are not supportive

This conversation will give language to what you’ve been feeling for years and tools you can use immediately: at the holiday table, on the phone, or in everyday life.

It’s an invitation to stop absorbing everyone else’s stress, see your family with clearer eyes, and protect your peace.

For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page.

As a gift to listeners of The Mel Robbins Podcast, Mel has created a free 20-page workbook to help you make 2026 a great year. This workbook is designed using the latest research to help you get clear about what you want and empower you to take the next step forward in your life. And the cool part? It takes less than a minute for you to get your hands on it. Just sign up at melrobbins.com/bestyear.

If you liked the episode, check out this one next: The One Tool to Transform Your Relationships: The Let Them Theory

Connect with Mel:

• Get Mel’s newsletter, packed with tools, coaching, and inspiration.
• Get Mel’s #1 bestselling book, The Let Them Theory
• Get on the waitlist for Pure Genius
• Watch the episodes on YouTube
• Follow Mel on Instagram
• The Mel Robbins Podcast Instagram
• Mel's TikTok
• Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes ad-free
• Disclaimer

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today, you are going to learn scientifically proven ways you can use your mind to upgrade your life, starting with your body, your energy, and your confidence.

In this episode, Stanford professor and leading psychology and mindset researcher Dr. Alia Crum reveals the science behind how your thoughts shape your body, your energy, and your health.

She’s proven over and over again that your thoughts about exercise, stress, and food are working against you – and how you can change them.

She’ll explain that this isn't just about thoughts, but that you have settings in your mind that you need to change.

This is not positive thinking. This is repeatable, evidence-based science behind mindset, motivation, and physical change.

You’ll learn:

-The one mindset shift that makes healthy habits feel easier instead of exhausting

-The groundbreaking studies proving your beliefs can change your biology

-How to make workouts easier so you get fitter, faster

-How the “settings in your mind” influence your metabolism, hunger, stress, and recovery

-How to make healthy eating easier so you feel your best every day

-How to stop fighting your body and start working with it

-How to feel more energized, capable, and consistent without forcing yourself

-How to overcome your worst fears so you don’t let anything hold you back

If you are tired of criticizing yourself, tired of your fears and anxiety, and tired of never seeing the results you deserve, Dr. Crum is going to teach you, step by step, exactly how to change the settings in your mind to achieve anything you want.

Once you hear this, you’ll start noticing shifts in places you never expected.

For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page.

As a gift to listeners of The Mel Robbins Podcast, Mel has created a free 20-page workbook to help you make 2026 a great year. This workbook is designed using the latest research to help you get clear about what you want and empower you to take the next step forward in your life. And the cool part? It takes less than a minute for you to get your hands on it. Just sign up at melrobbins.com/bestyear.

If you liked the episode, check out this one next: How to Create a Successful Mindset: The Science of Passion and Perseverance

Connect with Mel:

• Get Mel’s newsletter, packed with tools, coaching, and inspiration.
• Get Mel’s #1 bestselling book, The Let Them Theory
• Get on the waitlist for Pure Genius
• Watch the episodes on YouTube
• Follow Mel on Instagram
• The Mel Robbins Podcast Instagram
• Mel's TikTok
• Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes ad-free
• Disclaimer

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In today’s episode, you’re going to learn what nobody tells you about grief and loss.

Whether you’ve lost someone recently, years ago, or are anticipating a loss, this conversation will give you clarity, relief, and a way forward.

Or if someone you love is grieving and you feel helpless and want to know how to support them, after this conversation you will know exactly what to say and do.

Joining Mel today is David Kessler, one of the world’s most renowned experts on grief and loss and bestselling author of eight books, who has spent more than 40 years helping millions of people through the hardest moments of their lives.

David has lived profound loss himself, and he brings a rare combination of research, compassion, honesty, and hard-earned wisdom.

What he shares today will change the way you understand grief, your own emotions, and what healing actually looks like.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
-The real reason grief feels so confusing (and why you’re not “doing it wrong”)

-The biggest mistakes people make when they’re grieving
-What to say (and what never to say) when someone you love is grieving

- Why waves of sadness hit you out of nowhere

- What grief bursts and love bursts are and what they mean
-Why guilt is so common after loss and how to release it
-How to carry your love forward without being trapped in pain
-The surprising ways laughter and anger help you heal

Today, David offers you a simple framework to live with more peace, grace, and meaning after loss.

If you’ve ever felt alone in your grief, confused by your emotions, or pressured to “move on,” this conversation is for you.

You are not doing it wrong. You are not alone.

And with David’s clear, compassionate guidance, you’ll understand how healing can become possible.

For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page.

As a gift to listeners of The Mel Robbins Podcast, Mel has created a free 20-page workbook to help you make 2026 a great year. This workbook is designed using the latest research to help you get clear about what you want and empower you to take the next step forward in your life. And the cool part? It takes less than a minute for you to get your hands on it. Just sign up at melrobbins.com/bestyear.

If you liked the episode, check out this one next: Why You Feel Lost in Life: Dr. Gabor Maté on Trauma & How to Heal

Connect with Mel:

• Get Mel’s newsletter, packed with tools, coaching, and inspiration.
• Get Mel’s #1 bestselling book, The Let Them Theory
• Get on the waitlist for Pure Genius
• Watch the episodes on YouTube
• Follow Mel on Instagram
• The Mel Robbins Podcast Instagram
• Mel's TikTok
• Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes ad-free
• Disclaimer

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.