At its heart, Let Them is a reminder that we are not responsible for other people’s reactions, judgments, or opinions. Mel Robbins invites us to stop wasting energy trying to control how others perceive us and instead, refocus that energy on showing up fully, honestly, and unapologetically.

The core message?

“If someone doesn’t like you… Let them.”
“If someone misunderstands your actions… Let them.”
“If someone walks away… Let them.”

At first glance, it sounds like a permission slip to detach. But Robbins doesn’t preach indifference; she encourages freedom. Freedom from people-pleasing. Freedom from the fear of judgment. Freedom to live, work, and grow without constantly editing yourself.

I’m pretty darn good at this already. My younger self wasn’t, though, so twenty-year-old me could’ve used this message, but forty-plus-year-old me is already at the stage where I just don’t care if you like me or not, I am who I am, and I don’t give a damn.

I think that’s why I’ve finally started writing this blog. This is where I express myself and my take on the world, showing up fully and honestly with who I am. A few years ago, I was too shy to even consider making this step, and I thought, who would even care what I had to say? Recently, however, I had a close friend tell me that maybe there was someone out there who could be helped with my writing. After a few experiences that confirmed that thought, I leaped, and now we’re all here. (Although I’m pretty sure my only audience is my Mom. Hi Mom!)

In my real estate career, this message hit home on multiple levels, and that’s where I’m giving this book a bit of a bump on the ranking scale.

1. Rejection Is Part of the Job

Every agent knows what it feels like to lose a client, get ghosted after a showing, or watch someone pick a different agent after weeks of effort. Friends and family sometimes choose other people to represent them. It’s easy to take it personally. Here in Utah, everybody knows at least fifteen agents, and at the end of the day, one person wins the job and fourteen people get their feelings hurt. But Robbins’ “Let Them” framework reminded me: people’s decisions reflect their needs, not your worth.

I’m on several online boards with real estate agents from across the country, and this is a daily theme that crops up over and over. Somebody’s sister chose another agent. Somebody’s best friend went with someone else. Their own mother, even!! Hells bells, it’s even happened to me! At least twice! (I’m looking at you, you know who.)

Then, the unthinkable happens . . . friendships are ended, families are estranged, and people who loved each other no longer speak because the ‘not-getting-chosen’ was so hurtful to the person, they couldn’t continue the relationship any longer.

Here’s the thing I learned early on – it’s not about you! It’s them. There may be a half-dozen reasons you weren’t chosen, and it’s not because you aren’t loved or valued. It may be for reasons that have little to do with you at all. Some people just don’t mix business with friendship, and that’s okay. Don’t lose something as valuable as a relationship over something as ephemeral as a single transaction.

Instead of wasting time trying to win back someone who doesn’t want to work with you, let them go do business with the person they chose. Focus your business hustle on those who do see your expertise and focus your love on friendships and relationships where that love is returned. And when you are not valued in either area, let them go.

2. Not Everyone Will Understand Your Hustle

Real estate, blogging, teaching, and writing aren’t a 9-to-5 job. In fact, it’s all a mish-mash of hard-to-define and seemingly uncorrelated activities, potentially making me seem directionless. Often, people don’t understand my midnight hours typing away, my weekends filled with showings and open houses, or why in the world I would choose to substitute teach junior high students-yes, junior high!

Robbins encourages us to stop trying to explain ourselves to everyone and to stop needing their approval. The right people will get it. The rest? Let them.

This is hardest when it’s your immediate family. Often, the people who discourage you from reaching your dreams are the ones who sleep under the same roof. Stand your ground and do your thing. Now that I am in a caring relationship where I am encouraged and supported, I realize how much time I wasted trying to convince my past partners that I was enough and that I could achieve the goals I set for myself.

I spent waaaaaayy too much time bending myself into molds other people formed for me that just didn’t fit. Your authentic self and your authentic life will fit you like a glove. You will breathe easy, move about in the world easy, and your life will accelerate to match your drive.

As for me, this is the life that invigorates me. When I write, I feel fulfilled. When I help others with their real estate needs, I feel valued. When I teach, I’m answering a calling that’s bigger than myself.

3. Show Up Authentically, Not Perfectly

Clients connect with real people, not robots. Robbins’ call to show up as yourself, without apology, helped me embrace my own quirks and voice in my marketing, client interactions, and social media. Being polished is great, but being real is what builds trust.

I’m not an easy person to put in a box, and I definitely don’t fit the usual Utah grandma mold. For example, I’m an ex-Mormon who readily attends mission farewells and baptisms; I’m a cookie-baking, on-the-floor-playing, story-telling Grandma who spends her weekends on the back of a Harley; I’m a wine-loving foodie who really enjoys a good drive-through meal more than once in awhile; and I’m a girly-girl who loves pampering myself with a good manicure and facial, but I’ll be out ruining them in the sun, digging for rocks, camping, hiking, or chasing butterflies.

Again, I am who I am. So, if you want to trust a Harley-riding wino who sometimes goes to church, loves caviar, McDonald’s, fossils, and her grandbabies more than anything with your real estate transaction, give me a call.

4. Set Boundaries Without Guilt

Whether it’s a client texting at 10 p.m. or a peer asking for favors, boundaries are vital. Let Them helped reframe boundaries not as selfish, but as self-respecting. It’s okay if people don’t like your limits. Let them. You’re protecting your time, energy, and sanity so you can serve better.

This was the message that resonated with me. It’s not so much that I’m a people pleaser, but that I’m a ‘get-it-done’ girl. And if getting it done means I need to handle a business matter after-hours, then I get it done. Buuuuuutttt, my get-it-done attitude sometimes comes at a cost, whether it’s family time, time with my hubby, or time I need to recharge.

And that’s where this book had me doing a bit of naval-gazing. Do I have my priorities aligned correctly, and are my boundaries protecting those priorities properly? Hmmmm. Time to do a bit of reflecting on that. Maybe I’ll journal about this one. Here’s another star and a little pom pom wave for that little nugget, Mel.

Robbins’ writing style is conversational, no-nonsense, and packed with relatable anecdotes. She doesn’t preach from a pedestal; she shares from experience. From dealing with online hate to losing friendships, she leads by example, making it easier for readers to adopt her mindset shifts.

The book is short, but impactful. You could read it in a day, but the message lingers much longer.

“Let them misunderstand. Let them gossip. Let them walk away. You keep showing up.”

Have you ever had someone deeply misunderstand you or your intentions?

I certainly have, and I’ve lost a few friendships over the years. In times past, younger me would chase to try to repair those relationships.

In romantic relationships, where I’d feel particularly invested, I would constantly be trying to prove that I was the worthy partner rather than questioning whether my partner was worthy of me. After a few broken marriages, I stopped that nonsense and finally found a man who was truly aligned with my values. Suddenly, being in a relationship was no longer work or hard; it was an easy and emotionally safe situation.

Similarly, when I began my real estate career, I was a hard-core chaser. Seriously, I had the worst commission breath every time I chatted with someone. After a few situations where I ran myself into the ground, I realized I am not the agent for every client, and I began to get choosy about who I worked with. It’s no longer my goal to be the highest-producing agent in my office; it’s my goal to have the happiest clients in my office, and that means I reserve my time, energy, and expertise for clients who align with me. This shift has led to some of the most meaningful interactions of my life, where I felt that I had made a difference. To me, that’s incredibly important.

Let Them sparked deep reflections, not just about work, but about identity, balance, and self-worth. Reading this book helped me realize: I am enough. I’m not for everyone, and that’s a feature, not a flaw.

Whether you’re a new agent navigating self-doubt or a seasoned pro dealing with burnout or boundary-setting, Let Them is a pretty good read. It doesn’t teach scripts or sales strategies, but it teaches something just as critical: emotional resilience.

If twenty-year-old me had read this book, I’d probably have fewer marriages under my belt, and I’d sure have a lot less invested in therapy sessions. I came to the truths espoused in this book the hard way, but the good news is that you don’t have to do it my way; you can just take this book to heart and start living these principles now.

In real estate, transactions are emotionally charged events. After all, we’re transacting the largest financial investment most people will make in their lifetime. And homes are deeply personal to us. On top of that, real estate transactions often happen when there are major life upheavals – death, divorce, marriages, expanding families, aging, retirement, job changes, financial challenges, or boons. One job hazard I face as an empath is taking on my client’s emotions. It can be hard for me to separate myself and guard my emotional safety during a real estate transaction, especially because I care so much for my clients. This book was a good reminder to create some emotional distance when navigating a real estate transaction.

I’m grateful my broker chose Let Them for our book club, even if it was a little bit rah-rah. If you’re in real estate, or any people-facing profession (like teaching junior high students), and find yourself carrying the weight of others’ opinions, this book just might set you free.

Recommended for:

• Real estate agents
• Entrepreneurs
• Teachers
• HR professionals
• Writers
• Artists
• Counselors or therapists
• People-pleasers

• Anyone who wants to grow stronger by letting go

⭐ Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
One of the better inspirational business books out there that will help build emotional resilience in the face of rejection or indifference.