Let Them: The Two Words That Might Just Change Everything

By Nicola Campbell-Turnbull

What if the secret to less stress and more peace was simply... letting go? Nicola Campbell-Turnbull reflects on discovering Mel Robbins’ Let Them theory — and why it hit home at exactly the right time.

Let Them. Could this be the book that shapes your summer — and your future?

I’ve followed self-help guru and the world’s number one podcaster Mel Robbins for a while. I get the newsletters, I listen to her podcast, every now and then, I’ve nodded along. I’ve tried to dip in and out of her advice like most of us do — when there’s a spare moment or a particularly good quote. But lately, I’d stopped opening the emails. I scrolled past her posts. I chose “The Rest is Entertainment’ Podcast instead because life just got... heavy and Marina’s and Richard’s ponderings on the crazy world of celebrity just felt easier on my brain.

Over the past few months, everything has shifted. We made the heartbreaking decision to move my mum into care. We cleared and sold her flat. I’m separating from my husband, the house is on the market, and I’ve been quietly adjusting to life as a sole parent again — though, truthfully, I never really stopped. All of this while running a business and navigating the emotional rollercoaster that is parenting teenagers. It’s been a lot. And somewhere in the middle of it all, I noticed something else creeping in: What will people think?

Then I heard Mel Robbins being interviewed on the radio and for the first time in a while, I stopped. I sat in the car outside my house — didn't rush into read emails or make a start on the day — and just listened. She was talking about her Let Them theory and something clicked.

It’s so simple. Two words. But they hit hard: Let Them.

Let them judge. Let them misunderstand. Let them leave. Let them think what they want. Let them act how they want. None of it is about you. All you can control is your own thoughts, your own actions, your own energy.

It made me realise how much time I’ve wasted worrying about what other people think. About what they do or don’t do. Their reactions. Their silence. Their choices. All of it exhausting and none of it mine to carry.

Turns out, I’m not alone. TikTok is full of Let Them tattoos. Instagram reels are filled with women saying “I needed this.” Mel Robbins herself has said, “Seeing so many of you get Let Them permanently inked on your body is proof of just how powerful these two words really are…”

And maybe the real proof is this: The Let Them Theory has made such an impact, it now has a parody. A book titled The Fuck Them Theory was released last month — because sometimes, even “letting them” can feel too generous. The movement is clearly resonating in a world where emotional burnout is real and boundaries are essential.

Yes, I’m late to the party — the book’s been out for six months and while I’ve been packing boxes and trying to hold it all together, the world’s been quietly rewriting the rules on emotional freedom.

The Let Them Theory might not solve everything, but it feels like a shift — a reminder to put down what was never mine in the first place. I haven’t even finished the book yet, but I’m calling it now: this might just be the summer read that reshapes my future.

So if you’re also carrying too much, trying to manage things out of your control or worrying what others might think — let them. And pick up the book instead.