Focus on Yourself: Do THIS Before 2026 Ends to Get Back on Track with Eric Thomas

Episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast · November 5, 2026 · 57 min

Mel Robbins and motivational speaker Dr. Eric Thomas discuss his 52-day challenge for getting back to one's best self before the year ends.

Summary

Mel Robbins hosted Dr. Eric Thomas, the pastor and motivational speaker known as ET the Hip Hop Preacher, in an episode released with 52 days left in 2026. Thomas explained that his 52-day challenge was inspired by the biblical story of Nehemiah rebuilding Jerusalem's wall in 52 days, and that he created it after a hard year in which people in blue-collar Michigan were losing hope. He described completing the challenge himself to address his health, including weight, pre-diabetes, pre-hypertension, and sleep apnea, by borrowing the scheduling and discipline he already used in other areas of his life. He also said his retired mother found a renewed sense of purpose through it.

Thomas recounted being jailed as a homeless teenager and realizing he was the common denominator in his problems, which led him to stop blaming his mother and absent biological father. He described losing his job at McDonald's, the role of his future wife Didi and his church community in pushing him toward a GED and college, and his eventual Ph.D. He argued that excuses soften pain but do not change consequences, and that people should focus on the strengths in the hand they were dealt.

In the practical segment, Thomas outlined his steps: pick an area with the greatest return on investment, post a realistic picture of one's past best self, schedule the work, make it non-negotiable, start light, and tell someone for accountability. Robbins introduced the idea of embarrassment as a signal of misalignment with one's values, which Thomas expanded into an "embarrassing inventory." Robbins shared her own work stress and transcendental meditation practice, and listed challenges her production team planned to take on.

Chapters

0:00
Introduction and the 52-day premise
Robbins introduces Dr. Eric Thomas and notes 52 days remain in the year when the episode airs.
3:30
Origin of the 52-day challenge
Thomas explains how a hard year and the story of Nehemiah's wall inspired the challenge to return to one's best self.
6:00
Thomas's personal health challenge
Thomas describes losing weight and addressing health problems in 52 days and his mother's own transformation.
12:49
Borrowing skills from areas of control
Thomas argues people can transfer discipline from areas where they succeed to areas where they struggle.
16:32
Homelessness, jail, and personal responsibility
Thomas recounts his arrest as a homeless teen and realizing he was the common denominator in his troubles.
22:15
Stopping blame and changing perspective
Thomas discusses wanting attention over growth, his hurt over his biological father, and losing his McDonald's job.
30:14
The turning point and accepting help
Thomas describes Didi and his church community pushing him toward a GED and college.
32:40
Excuses and playing the hand you're dealt
Thomas argues excuses feel good but don't help, and success came from seeing his gifts.
36:35
How to set up a 52-day challenge
Thomas outlines picking a high-return goal, posting a picture of one's best self, and starting small.
42:25
Embarrassment as a starting point
Robbins frames embarrassment as a signal of misaligned values and Thomas proposes an embarrassing inventory.
44:48
Daily non-negotiables and accountability
Thomas lists scheduling, non-negotiability, starting light, and telling others; Robbins shares her team's challenges.
48:45
Facing the scale and parting words
Thomas urges listeners to face the truth, let their best self take over, and remember "you owe you."

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Eric Thomas
Thomas says unlike his usual grind message, the challenge asks people only to return to their past best self.
“I'm not asking you to get to a place you've never been. I'm just asking you to get back to your best self”
Listen from 3:32 · 52-day challenge
Linked moment · 4:23Skip to 4:23 using a listen link in the info box.
Eric Thomas
Thomas says the 52-day challenge came from a prayer-group lesson on Nehemiah rebuilding a long-fallen wall in 52 days.
“the wall was torn down for like 100 and something years, 140 years. And they rebuilt it in 52 days”
Listen from 4:23 · 52-day challenge
Eric Thomas
Thomas says his health challenge was driven by pre-diabetes, pre-hypertension, and sleep apnea rather than weight alone.
“it really wasn't about losing 30 pounds. It was about pre-diabetes. It was about pre-hypertension. It was about mild sleep apnea”
Listen from 7:29 · Weight loss
Eric Thomas
Thomas advises transferring strategies from areas of life where one succeeds to areas where control has been lost.
“Borrow from an area where you're already great, where you're already conquering, and just bring those same skill sets into a place where you've lost control”
Listen from 13:30 · Personal accountability
Eric Thomas
Thomas recounts that while jailed as a homeless teen he realized he himself was the common factor in his problems.
“I was like, Eric, who's the common denominator? And I said, Eric Thomas is”
Listen from 17:21 · Homelessness
Eric Thomas
Thomas argues that dwelling on others' wrongs gives them control, even when they truly were wrong.
“They were wrong. But life is not about proving they're wrong. Life is about making things right for you”
Listen from 22:53 · Personal accountability
Eric Thomas
Thomas says his aggression as a youth stemmed from hurt over not knowing his biological father.
“You're not fighting because you're tough. You're fighting because you're hurt. You're not hard because you're hard. You're not hard. You're hurt”
Listen from 27:54 · Fatherhood
Eric Thomas
Thomas says the first great decision is often asking for help, and he succeeded by being around people who made good decisions.
“the first greatest decision we can make is to say help. It's not us doing anything”
Listen from 31:45 · Personal accountability
Eric Thomas
Thomas argues excuses provide comfort but leave the consequences unchanged.
“Excuses just make you feel so good, but here's the challenge. you still got to get up the next day with the consequences”
Listen from 33:39 · Personal accountability
Eric Thomas
Thomas recommends posting a realistic picture of one's past best self rather than an unreachable ideal.
“I took a picture of where I wanted to be and I put it up. It's the first thing I want you to do”
Listen from 38:15 · Manifestation and goal setting
Eric Thomas
Thomas says the mindset shift will come within 52 days even if not all results do.
“the results may not all come in 52 days, but the mindset will come in 52 days and the results always follow the mindset”
Listen from 42:15 · 52-day challenge
Mel Robbins
Robbins says she started transcendental meditation to manage the stress of building her company.
“I started a transcendental meditation practice because I had to look into what do I need to learn as a skill”
Listen from 42:25 · Meditation
Eric Thomas
Thomas proposes starting with an inventory of areas where one is, or should be, embarrassed.
“let's do an embarrassing inventory and let's audit all the areas where either I'm embarrassed or I should be embarrassed”
Listen from 44:32 · Embarrassment as motivation
Eric Thomas
Thomas lists scheduling as the first non-negotiable step, saying unscheduled goals won't happen.
“if you don't write it down and you don't give it a time, it's just not going to happen”
Listen from 45:01 · 52-day challenge
Eric Thomas
Thomas says telling others creates accountability because people let themselves down more readily than others.
“You can let yourself down sometimes quicker than you can somebody else”
Listen from 47:28 · Personal accountability
Mel Robbins
Robbins argues embarrassment reveals that one is living out of line with one's true values, without needing rock bottom.
“is a way for you to access the truth, that you're living in a way that's not aligned with your true values”
Listen from 47:31 · Embarrassment as motivation

People

In the conversation

Mel RobbinsAmerican author, podcast host and former lawyer who hosts The Mel Robbins Podcast
Eric ThomasAmerican motivational speaker, pastor, and author known as ET the Hip Hop Preacher

Discussed

Michael B. JordanAmerican actor praised by Kelly for playing two roles in a vampire thriller

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From the publisher

If you’ve been feeling like this year got away from you, this episode will help you get back on track. In this powerful and practical conversation, Mel sits down with world-renowned pastor, and motivational speaker, and New York Times Bestselling author Dr. Eric Thomas to talk about how to get yourself back on track when life has knocked you off course. Dr. Thomas knows what it feels like to have your circumstances work against you. He went from being homeless and dropping out of high school to earning his Ph.D. in education from Michigan State University and becoming one of the most influential motivational speakers in the world known as ET The Hip Hop Preacher. But this conversation is not about pushing harder, grinding more, or trying to completely reinvent your life overnight. In this episode, Dr. Thomas shows you how to stop focusing on everything that is going wrong, identify what is still within your control, and start building momentum again one day at a time. He also shares his 52 day challenge that he created after watching himself and people around him lose hope during a difficult year, and will inspire you to take on this challenge as well. You’ll learn: -The story that inspired his 52-day challenge and why it completely changed the way he thinks about transformation -How to figure out the one area of your life that needs your attention right now -How to take the skills you already use successfully in one area of your life and apply them somewhere you feel stuck -How to choose a daily action that is realistic enough to actually stick with -How to recognize the excuses you keep making without beating yourself up -Why you do not need to change your whole life in order to change the direction of it -How to keep going when you are doing the work but still cannot see the result -The question to ask yourself when you feel like giving up -How to stop obsessing over how far you have to go and focus on what you can do today -Why getting back to your best self ma…

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on November 8, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Self-Improvement·Health & Fitness