Millionaire podcaster Mel Robbins challenges Gen Z’s “lazy” label, argues their struggles are unlike anything baby boomers faced

(SeaPRwire) –   Gen Z has been labeled a “lazy” generation of workers, known for their TikTok obsession and preference for working from home. But multi-millionaire podcast host Mel Robbins pushed back against critics who slam the next generation of workers—and even urged those critics to step into Gen Z’s shoes and see if they’d like it. 

“We sit here and we look at twentysomethings and we’re like, ‘Oh, they’re weak or addicted to social media, or all anxious,’” Robbins stated in a TikTok video shared last year. “Have you stopped to consider what it’s like to be a twentysomething today?”

Robbins’ compassion for older Gen Z members and young millennials stands in sharp contrast to the negative comments flooding young people’s social media feeds. 

Former Whole Foods CEO John Mackey commented that young people “don’t seem like they want to work”; Whoopi Goldberg took Gen Z and millennials to task for not “bust[ing] their behinds” as her generation did, adding that they only want to work four hours a day. Actress Jodie Foster described her Gen Z staff as “really annoying” and hard to collaborate with.

But Robbins argued that older generations can’t grasp what it’s like to navigate adulthood in 2025—with challenges like homeownership being “out of reach,” a rapidly growing generational wealth gap, and massive student loan debt.

“The average 20-year-old today is under so much stress and pressure and chaos right now,” Robbins said. “And it’s not stress and pressure and chaos that existed five or six years ago.”

Robbins’ Advice for Gen Z: ‘If You Feel Lost, I’m Not Surprised’

Life is challenging for twentysomethings these days. They’re learning the hard way that the exact path their parents took—attending a top-tier school, doing internships during college, and landing in a thriving job market—no longer works. Gen Z got the raw deal, Robbins noted.

“The world is in chaos—and most twenysomethings had parents that lived in a very predictable, stable economy,” Robbins continued. “They went to a corporate job, they reported to the office, they had a network of friends at work. That’s not the typical 20-year-old experience.”

Gen Z is by far the most disheartened about their work lives: A 2026 MetLife survey found that only 62% report being happy in their jobs, the lowest rate among all generations. Additionally, besides struggling to build relationships at work, young employees are dealing with economic instability outside of their jobs. Last year, just 43% of entry-level workers felt optimistic about their employer’s six-month business prospects—Glassdoor’s lowest recorded figure since it began collecting data in 2016.

“They’re now in the middle of a recession, in hybrid work. The world is shifting, the landscape is shifting,” Robbins said. “If you feel lost, I’m not surprised. This is exactly how you should feel.” 

“You’re doing your twenties correctly—there’s nothing wrong with you,” she added. “It’s a perfectly normal response to the decade that you’re in, based on the moment in history that you’re in. Feeling lost is to be expected.”

Gen Z’s Situation Could Get Even Worse

Economists worry that Gen Z’s circumstances could become even more unstable. The increasing likelihood of a U.S. recession will be especially problematic for young generations, according to “Bond King” Bill Gross.

“This market ‘crash’ will affect millennial and Gen Z investors for long to come,” Gross shared on X in 2025, before President Donald Trump paused some of his harsh tariffs. “What before was a can’t-miss way to make money will induce caution and more conservative attitudes.”

Young people are also especially susceptible to financial ruin. They’re seeing fewer entry-level positions available in a job market constrained by budget cuts and AI integration. Plus, as the lowest-ranking group in the workplace hierarchy, Gen Z has little leverage to negotiate higher salaries. A large number of young Americans lack sufficient savings to cover one month of expenses, and this issue might worsen.

Robbins is urging anxious Gen Zers to shift their perspective instead of giving up and accepting a grim future. In her TikTok video, she advised twentysomethings to embrace uncertainty and see this stressful historical moment as a chance.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon also weighed in on the struggles of America’s youngest workers—and he was equally optimistic.

“These kids, anyone who’s depressed—as long as we don’t have nuclear war—they’re going to have an unbelievable life,” Dimon said in an interview with Fox News last year. “They shouldn’t be bemoaning their situation, they should be looking at the world and saying, ‘What can I make of it? What can I do better than the folks before me?’”

A version of this story was published on .com on April 14, 2025.