May 15, 2026
Mel Robbins, author of The Let Them Theory and podcast host, is known for her efforts to empower women, especially when it comes to money.
The "let them theory" — which Robbins coined in her 2024 book — is all about adjusting your mindset to give up control of other people's emotions and actions. In other words, you need to let them do what they want, and just focus on yourself instead. Unfortunately, many of Robbins' viewers aren't keen on letting her get away with her recent financial advice.
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In an Instagram post (1) sponsored by Microsoft Copilot, Robbins encourages women to use the AI software for financial guidance, even advising them to share bank statements, debt statements, bills and income statements, as per one of the prompts (2) she pinned in the comments.
Robbins emphasizes the need for women to start using AI more by quoting a Harvard Business School study (3) which states that the share of women adopting AI tools was 10% to 40% smaller than the share of men, though Robbins just says 40% in her post.
"We are committed to making sure no women get left behind" she passionately proclaims, gesturing to a team of nondescript women sitting at a table behind her.
Robbins' AI prompts
Robbins offers two prompts that she advises people to use on Copilot. The first, she says (1), is "how you're going to use AI to help take control of your money" and applies all of the best advice from financial advisors that have guested on her podcast.
"I wish I had this content, this prompt and Copilot when I was $800K in debt," she adds.
Here is part of what the first prompt reads (2): "I feel overwhelmed, behind, or ashamed about my money, and I want help understanding what's actually going on without judgment. Go slowly and guide me one step at a time. Don't give me everything at once - after each step, stop and wait for my response before continuing. l'll share documents like bank statements, debt statements, bills, and income info when you ask. If I'm not sure what to upload, start by telling me the three most helpful documents to share first."
The second prompt is meant to help you save time: "I was inspired to create this prompt to help you do a time audit" she said in the video, adding that the prompt is "based on the best time management advice we've ever had on the Mel Robbins Podcast."
Here is a snippet of the second prompt which you can get by commenting "prompt" on her Instagram post: "Help me do a time audit of my real life… Using my schedule, to‑do list, or notes (I'll paste them when you ask), group things into clear buckets, show me what's taking the most time and energy, and help me identify what matters most right now versus what can wait. Call out anything I may not be seeing, and tell me what I can simplify, delegate, or drop. Then help me find small pockets of time I already have and how I can use more of my time for what I want to do, not just what I have to do."
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The reason for the backlash
While some people were eagerly writing in the comments of Robbins' post, asking for the AI prompts, the video also sparked some serious backlash.
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Dr. Jen Gunter — a gynecologist and bestselling author — shared one of Robbins' prompts on Instagram (2), emphasizing her disagreement with Robbins' advice.
She wrote: "Do not take Mel Robbins paid advice from Microsoft and upload any financial information to their tool. And it's disgusting that her advertisement is based partially around the fact that women are using AI less than men and this somehow means that they are being left behind. The current AI tools have a male dominated prejudice because they are trained on systems with social inequalities. Perhaps the fact that women are using AI less actually reflects self protection mechanism."
Gunter is not the only one who spoke out against Robbins' advice. On an episode of CTV's The Social (4), co-hosts discussed the situation, and whether Robbins herself, or her followers, are responsible for any potential harm caused by feeding AI this sensitive financial information.
The co-hosts agreed that the onus is ultimately on the influencer promoting the product and advice. Journalist Kate McKenna said "Influencers are not experts. She is many things — she is a lawyer, a podcaster, a broadcaster. She is not a financial expert, so why are we treating her like she is?"
It's been about a week since Robbins' posted this video. A few days ago, she commented on her own post acknowledging the criticism. She writes (1): "I agree I could have been more clear in how I framed the example and the context around the prompt. The intention was to share a practical way I personally use AI to help organize and think through common questions I receive from listeners … we've since updated the language in the prompt to add more context and guidance so it's clearer for people using it themselves."
Ultimately, you should be thoughtful about the information you share with AI, and may want to consider consulting a financial advisor instead of or before using an AI prompt.
Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
Instagram (1),(2); Harvard Business School (3); YouTube (4)
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Em Norton is a Content Specialist at moneywise.com. They have been with the company since 2022.
