Reviewed by Michael McManus, MSW, LCSW
This is an especially rewarding book review to do, as I have had the pleasure of meeting Mel several times in yoga class. She was kind, inviting, open, humble and very friendly! I had seen her in the class three times in a row before I had the nerve to say hello! She truly walks the walk and also has a great podcast. I highly recommend Mel’s latest book, The Let Them Theory, a timely and refreshing antidote to the noise of modern overthinking. In her trademark straightforward style, Robbins distills a life principle so simple it’s almost startling: stop trying to control others and simply let them. Let them behave, choose, and react however they will—and redirect that energy toward your own peace and growth.
Rather than offering a dense psychological framework, Robbins uses storytelling, real-life examples, and her well-honed motivational clarity to show how this small mental shift can liberate personal relationships, workplaces, and even self-esteem. The theory recognizes that our happiness isn’t built on managing others but on mastering our focus and boundaries.
What makes this book powerful isn’t complexity—it’s permission. Robbins gives readers permission to detach from emotional micromanaging and to live responsively, not reactively. Readers who enjoyed The 5 Second Rule will find familiar momentum here, but The Let Them Theory feels calmer, wiser, and more self-assured. It’s less about productivity hacks and more about emotional maturity.
By the final chapters, Robbins transforms “letting them” into a philosophy of dignity. One learns that detachment isn’t indifference—it’s self-respect. The result is a deeply personal book that manages to feel both therapeutic and pragmatic, likely to resonate with anyone exhausted by the endless effort to please or persuade.
Michael McManus LCSW is a psychotherapist in private practice in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. He and his wife Angela, who is also a psychotherapist, have lived in the area for nearly 40 years and raised 4 amazing children. They enjoy walking, biking, hiking, swimming, reading, and yoga.
Michael can be reached for an appointment by text or phone at (850) 837-0123 or his website: psychotherapy30A.com.
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