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The Secret to Stopping Fear & Creating the Future You Want with Shonda Rhimes

2025-11-10 People & Blogs
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Mel Robbins
Mel Robbins
5.7m subscribers

Shonda Rhimes: Mastering Courage Through Saying 'Yes'

Discover how TV powerhouse Shonda Rhimes shifted from living a small, fearful life to achieving fulfillment by implementing the powerful "Year of Yes" challenge. Learn the specific steps to stop hiding, start challenging your comfort zone, and reclaim the power to shape your own reality.

Short Summary

  • Outcome: Create a larger life by systematically confronting things that evoke fear, regardless of external opinions.
  • Outcome: Develop stronger internal clarity, realizing that saying "yes" to growth ultimately strengthens your ability to say "no" strategically.
  • Outcome: Reconnect the mind to the body and reclaim personal space by examining seemingly small decisions (like what you eat or whether you attend an event). This conversation reveals that even extreme success masked deep personal dissatisfaction for Shonda Rhimes. She shares the framework she used—a year-long commitment to saying yes to every fear—to bridge the gap between her imaginative life and her actual existence. Understand how internal shifts, like addressing health habits or personal relationships, stem directly from external action.

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Description

Order your copy of The Let Them Theory 👉 https://melrob.co/let-them-theory 👈 The #1 Best Selling Book of 2025 🔥 Discover how much power you truly have. It all begins with two simple words. Let Them. — This episode is a MUST listen. If you’ve ever felt stuck, small, or tired of letting fear dictate your life, you need to hit play. This is the most eye-opening, empowering conversation you’ll hear this year. It’s time to stop playing small. There’s a bigger possibility for your life, you are more capable than you know, and you can manifest the future you want. Today’s episode will show you how. In it, Mel is joined by Shonda Rhimes. Shonda is one of the most powerful voices in entertainment history. She’s the creator of Grey's Anatomy and Scandal and the Executive Producer of Bridgerton and How To Get Away With Murder. She’s won Golden Globes, Emmys, broken records, and built Shondaland, a global storytelling empire. But this is not a conversation about groundbreaking TV shows. It’s about taking your life back. Shonda reveals that despite all her success, she was still living in fear. Still hiding. And in this conversation, Shonda will challenge you to do the same things she started doing: to stop doubting yourself, stop waiting for permission, and start saying YES, even when it’s terrifying. This is a masterclass in courage, clarity, and finding your power. By the time it’s over, you won’t just believe change is possible. You’ll know it is. Because the life you want? It’s on the other side of YES. And it starts right now. For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page: https://www.melrobbins.com/episode/episode-341/ Get Shonda’s book, “The Year of Yes: 10th Anniversary Edition,” here: https://a.co/d/4HFKL84 Follow The Mel Robbins Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themelrobbinspodcast I’m just your friend. I am not a licensed therapist, and this podcast is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. Got it? Good. I’ll see you in the next episode. In this episode: 00:00 Meet the Guest 4:51 Shonda Rhimes' “Year of Yes”: Why Saying Yes Changes Everything 10:29 The Mindset That Changes Your Life Immediately 16:55 How to Set Health & Wellness Goals That Stick 23:03 The Right Way to Have Difficult Conversations 32:00 What to Do When You Feel Stuck In Your Life 40:48 How to Stop Being a People-Pleaser for Good 53:08 How to Find the Feeling of Home 1:06:35 The Lifelong Benefits of Mentorship 1:12:44 Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone — Follow Mel: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melrobbins/ TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@melrobbins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melrobbins LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melrobbins Website: http://melrobbins.com​ — Sign up for Mel’s newsletter: https://melrob.co/sign-up-newsletter A note from Mel to you, twice a week, sharing simple, practical ways to build the life you want. — Subscribe to Mel’s channel here: https://www.youtube.com/melrobbins​?sub_confirmation=1 — Listen to The Mel Robbins Podcast 🎧 New episodes drop every Monday & Thursday! https://melrob.co/spotify https://melrob.co/applepodcasts https://melrob.co/amazonmusic — Looking for Mel’s books on Amazon? Find them here: The Let Them Theory: https://amzn.to/3IQ21Oe The Let Them Theory Audiobook: https://amzn.to/413SObp The High 5 Habit: https://amzn.to/3fMvfPQ The 5 Second Rule: https://amzn.to/4l54fah

Top Comments (10)

@ImOnPoint 2025-11-10

We only have a short amount of time here on this Earth. If we don't take advantage of the time we have, time will take advantage of us.

203 4 replies
@GhHapata 2025-11-12

this was such a clear and honest session, mel and shonda made the week long practice feel actually doable and not cheesy, loved the bit where she explains holding the future like a script. it reminded me of mapping the secret economy and after watching this it hits different, like i can actually feel the scaffolding of habits clicking into place. ive been doing tiny shifts since the video and my mornings and focus rearranged themselves, even a small revenue shift showed up which feels wild. the craziest part is how unbelievably easy it is to flip from stuck to productive once you do the tiny steps. gonna try this for a month and report back

164 1 replies
@carterchester3262 2025-11-10

“At the end i lost a ton of weight, but that wasnt the thing that was interesting to me. It was that now it felt like my body was a part of me vs it was something that carried my brain around” Oh baby how relatable this is

75
@pivotingwithpurpose 2025-11-15

I did not like my skinny legs, and then it dawned on me, these are my Mother's legs. She had died and would never be able to give me ANYTHING again. So, I decided to accept my skinny legs.

54
@AnnetteWhelan-rv4ec 2025-11-10

A saw a counselor several years ago and she wrote on a piece of paper, "talk to yourself as if you were talking to a friend" I carried that piece of paper and reminded myself when I said or thought those mean things about myself to speak to yourself in a loving way. You would never speak to a friend with those hurtful words. Great episode!❤️

52 2 replies
@kelligirl2482 2025-11-10

As the Bible says, love your neighbor As You Love Yourself!! We have to remember to love ourselves!

46
@donnaambrose1234 2025-11-14

Thank you Mel and Shonda. "BELIEVE that you have the possibility of changing your own life." So goooood, ❤❤❤

40
@barbarajohnson593 2025-11-18

Well said Shondra...I've been saying yes since 2023 when I experienced an interruption which turned into a shift in my life....and I have not looked back...thank you for the confirmation that you too can change...at any age. Les Brown said something similar about finding a mentor..."find a mentor, and if you can't, successful people leave clues...so I read books or follow successful people like yourself...

22
@cynthiagrace495 2025-11-11

Introversion is not a character flaw. Nor is it equal to being shy or afraid or having a small life.

17
@StarBrunson 2025-12-05

I read the Year of Yes after I left my 20 year relationship and it helped me regain my freedom and joy. I have looked up to Shonda Rhimes from the shows she writes/produce to her overall personality. I have always been a quiet spoken person and tend to feel visible to the world. After reading the book, I did so many things that I never thought I would do. I went skydiving and I have a fear of flying, I climbed Pikes Peak (over 14, 000 feet), and now that I became an empty nester, I am looking for my passion and making myself a priority . Working on one of her shows is on my life list. I'm happy to find this interview and remind me of this mindset to help with my next chapter. Thank you!

12

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