This Conversation Will Change How You Think About Your Entire Life

The Mel Robbins Podcast

SiriusXM Podcasts

Health & Fitness, Society & Culture, Education, Self-improvement, Mental Health, Relationships

4.7 • 15.3K Ratings

🗓️ 26 January 2026

⏱️ 88 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In today’s episode, you’re going to hear a conversation that will help you find meaning again - especially if you’ve been feeling lost, stuck, stretched thin, or quietly wondering, “Does any of this even matter?” Joining Mel is Ocean Vuong - one of the most acclaimed writers of our time and the bestselling author of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. His newest book, The Emperor of Gladness, moved Mel so deeply she knew she had to bring him on the podcast - because Ocean has a rare gift: he puts words to feelings you’ve had, but never knew how to say out loud. Ocean is an award-winning poet, a MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant” recipient, and a professor at NYU. He writes and speaks about grief, love, identity, hardship, and hope with an honesty that doesn’t just hit… it stays with you. This episode is an invitation to pause, reset, and reconnect with yourself. It will help you stop judging where you are, release the pressure you’re carrying, and remember that you don’t need to become someone else to be worthy - or to build a meaningful life. Even if you’ve never read Ocean’s work, this conversation will feel like someone finally handed you the words you’ve been searching for. In this episode, you’ll learn: -How to find meaning even when you’re behind in life -How to move through grief without shutting down and let beauty exist alongside pain -Why chasing who you “should” be is keeping you stuck and how to come back to yourself -How to reconnect with yourself when you’ve been in survival mode for too long -How to feel calmer and more grounded when life feels uncertain - How to reprogram your mind for more positive thinking By the end of this episode, you’ll feel more hopeful, more centered, and more at peace with where you are - with permission to be exactly who you are, right now. For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page. 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: Order Mel’s new product, Pure Genius Protein Get Mel’s newsletter, packed with tools, coaching, and inspiration. Get Mel’s #1 bestselling book, The Let Them Theory 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

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast.
0:08.6	Have you ever read something and thought, how did they know exactly what I'm feeling?
0:15.7	Well, that's what happened to me when I read the remarkable best-selling book, The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean
0:23.8	Vaughn. It is one of my favorite books of all time because Ocean could just put words to
0:30.9	emotions and experiences I didn't even know I had. It held up a mirror to the moments I've buried.
0:38.3	It softened me in ways I didn't expect.
0:40.8	And it reminded me, line by line, that beauty can still exist, even in the hardest moments of life.
0:50.3	Ocean Vaughn writes like no one else.
0:53.6	He just has this ability to capture grief,
0:56.6	love, identity, and hardship with a kind of honesty that doesn't just land. It lingers.
1:05.0	If your life doesn't look the way you thought it would by now, if you feel stuck,
1:10.3	if you've been stretched thin and you're hiding
1:13.2	how tired or lost you feel, if you've been quietly wondering, does any of this matter? You are
1:19.5	exactly where you need to be right now. This conversation will help you reconnect with yourself.
1:26.1	You'll hear what it means to build a meaningful life
1:28.6	in the middle of uncertainty, hardship, and struggle.
1:32.5	You'll understand that you don't need to become someone else
1:35.5	to be worthy.
1:37.3	And you'll walk away with a deeper sense of peace,
1:41.0	purpose, and permission
1:42.2	to be exactly where you are and who you are.
1:57.5	Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast. I am so excited you're here.
	...

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