Amy Morin

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Amy Morin – Life, Career, and Notable Insights


Learn about Amy Morin — the American psychotherapist, bestselling author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do, mental strength coach, speaker, and advocate for resilience. Discover her life story, ideas, and memorable quotes.

Introduction

Amy Morin is an American psychotherapist, licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), author, speaker, and thought leader in the domain of mental strength and resilience.
She is best known for her bestselling book 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do, which started from a viral blog article and has become a guide for many seeking emotional balance, greater inner strength, and healthier mental habits.
Through books, podcasts, speaking engagements, and media appearances, Morin helps audiences break negative patterns and build practices of resilience.

Early Life, Education & Personal Challenges

Amy Morin’s foundational motivations emerged in part through personal adversity. On her “About” page, she describes how losses in her life—losing her mother and later her husband—shook her confidence in the theories she had learned in school.
These experiences prompted her to seek not only what works in mental strength, but what must be dropped, leading to her signature concept of “things mentally strong people don’t do.”

In terms of formal education, Morin holds degrees in social work. She earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Maine and a master’s degree in social work from the University of New England.
Morin began her professional practice in psychotherapy around 2002.

She has also functioned as a college psychology instructor and writes regularly for platforms such as Psychology Today.

Career & Achievements

Viral Article to Bestselling Author

Morin’s rise in public awareness began when she published a reflective piece titled 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do as a blog post. That article went viral, reaching millions and eventually catching the attention of publishers, leading to a full book.
That book, once published, became a bestseller, translated into dozens of languages.

She went on to write sequels and related titles such as:

  • 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do

  • 13 Things Mentally Strong Women Don’t Do

  • 13 Things Strong Kids Do

  • 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do Workbook

  • 13 Things Mentally Strong Couples Don’t Do

Her books have collectively sold more than one million copies, and are translated into more than 40 languages.

Podcast, Speaking & Media

Morin hosts a podcast called Mentally Stronger With Therapist Amy Morin, where she shares mental strength tools, interviews, and strategies.
She is also a sought-after keynote speaker, delivering talks internationally on resilience, mindset, and emotional health.
Her TEDx talk, “The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong,” is one of her most-watched, having accumulated millions of views over time.

Morin has also contributed to or been featured in major media outlets like Time, Forbes, Fast Company, CNN, and more.

She served as or-in-Chief of Verywell Mind from 2020 to 2023.

Philosophy: Mental Strength Framework

Morin’s core thesis is that mental strength isn’t just about cultivating positive habits, but also about eliminating counterproductive ones. Her motto is: What you give up matters as much as what you build.

She argues many people sabotage themselves through well-intentioned but harmful actions—ruminating on mistakes, remaining in victim mindset, giving too much credit to others’ opinions, avoiding discomfort, and so on. The “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do” aims to identify those pitfalls.

Her approach combines clinical insights, psychological theory, and practical strategies (exercises, thought challenges, reframing) so readers and listeners can apply mental strength tools in daily life.

Morin frames mental strength as something trainable—much like muscles. Through consistent practice, self-awareness, boundary setting, and eliminating detrimental habits, people can become more resilient in the face of adversity.

Legacy, Reach & Influence

Though still active with projects ongoing, Amy Morin’s influence is already significant:

  • She has shaped how many people think about resilience, framing mental strength not as stoic toughness but as mindful discipline and healthy boundaries.

  • Her books and talks are widely used by counselors, coaches, schools, universities, and corporate training programs.

  • Her platform reaches millions monthly via her writing, podcast, and newsletter.

  • She has helped popularize the dialogue around what not to do—a counterintuitive but powerful framing in self-help and psychology literature.

Her living arrangements (she sails and works from a boat in the Florida Keys) reflect a lifestyle aligned with autonomy, exploration, and integration of her work and values.

Personality, Strengths & Style

Amy Morin comes across as empathetic, grounded, and practical. Her style blends professional wisdom with personal vulnerability—sharing her own struggles so that readers feel understood.

Her clarity and structure help readers translate concepts into actions. Her messaging is direct and action-oriented (“don’t do this,” “start this”) rather than abstract.

She emphasizes humility (she often notes that she continues to work on her own mental strength) and views resilience as a lifelong project, not a destination.

Notable Quotes by Amy Morin

Here are several memorable quotes that reflect her philosophy on mental strength:

“Developing mental strength isn’t about having to be the best at everything. … It means knowing that you’ll be okay no matter what happens.”
“Retaining your power is about being confident in who you are and the choices you make, despite the people around you and the circumstances you’re in.”
“Learning from each mistake requires self-awareness and humility.”
“The time you do get edgy … is the time, boom, there goes your opportunity.”
“Each day, I come in with a positive attitude, trying to get better.”
“It’s an emotional time for you when you get injured. … You have a lot of time to think to yourself.”

These statements echo her themes: self-awareness, boundary, growth mindset, and confronting adversity honestly.

Lessons from Amy Morin

  1. What you stop doing matters as much as what you start doing.
    Many negative patterns lie in habits that we cling to unconsciously. Morin’s framing urges awareness about what to let go.

  2. Resilience is trainable.
    Just as strength in the body comes from repeated effort, mental strength comes from consistent mental habits and discipline.

  3. Vulnerability builds trust and relatability.
    Her willingness to share personal struggles helps readers feel seen and less alone in their challenges.

  4. Mindset is the lens through which life is experienced.
    By shaping mental frameworks, people can shift how they interpret and respond to stress, setbacks, and complexity.

  5. Small consistent choices compound.
    Incremental shifts—saying no more often, pausing before reacting, reframing difficult thoughts—accumulate into lasting change.

Conclusion

Amy Morin stands out in the crowded world of self-help and psychology because she offers a balanced, no-nonsense approach to mental strength. Her unique angle—focusing not just on what to do, but what to stop doing—gives her voice a distinct clarity.

Whether through her bestselling books, her podcast, or her public speaking, Morin continues to impact individuals seeking more emotional balance, consistency, and resilience.

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Just because you're struggling with self-discipline doesn't mean you have to raise the white flag and declare your self-improvement efforts a complete failure. Instead, work to increase the chances that you'll stick to your healthier habits - even when you don't feel like it.

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If you quit every time you face a new challenge, giving up can change how you view yourself. You may begin to think you're weak or that you're a failure because you can't seem to stick with things long enough to see positive results.

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Spending time with negative people can be the fastest way to ruin a good mood. Their pessimistic outlooks and gloomy attitude can decrease our motivation and change the way we feel. But allowing a negative person to dictate your emotions gives them too much power in your life. Make a conscious effort to choose your attitude.

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Acknowledging the unproductive thoughts and ineffective behavior that you've tried to ignore can be uncomfortable. But, stepping out of your comfort zone and choosing to proactively address bad habits will skyrocket your ability to create long-lasting change.

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If you want to become physically stronger, you'll need healthy habits - like going to the gym. You'll also have to give up unhealthy habits - like eating junk food. Building mental strength requires healthy habits - like practicing gratitude - while also giving up unhealthy behavior, like giving up after the first failure.

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Trying to change before you're ready isn't likely to be productive. For example, most New Year's resolutions don't last because people spring into action without being prepared for the work it's going to take. Forcing change based on a date on the calendar, rather than a true readiness to transform, can be a setup for failure.

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Acting tough is all about developing an attitude and a persona that says, 'Look at how great I am.' But often, that tough exterior is meant to hide self-doubt. Mentally strong people invest more energy into working on their weaknesses rather than trying to cover them up.

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Although circumstances may change in the blink of an eye, people change at a slower pace. Even motivated people who welcome change often encounter stumbling blocks that make transformation more complicated than they'd originally anticipated.

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Being a top performer - whether it's in business or on the athletic field - requires grit and tenacity, as well as the continuous desire to become better.

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Striving for success is healthy - but believing you need to succeed the first time around may backfire. Mentally strong people believe failure is part of the process toward a long journey to success. By viewing failure as a temporary setback, they're able to bounce back and move forward with ease.

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Everyone has the ability to increase resilience to stress. It requires hard work and dedication, but over time, you can equip yourself to handle whatever life throws your way without adverse effects to your health. Training your brain to manage stress won't just affect the quality of your life, but perhaps even the length of it.

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Mental health is a continuum, and people may fall anywhere on the spectrum.

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Establishing healthy habits - like eating a healthy diet, getting plenty of sleep, and participating in regular exercise - can also go a long way to improving how you feel. Similarly, getting rid of destructive mental habits, like engaging in self-pity or ruminating on the past, can also do wonders for your emotional well-being.

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It'd be nice to learn enough from each mistake that we'd be guaranteed to never repeat that same mistake twice. But, how many times have you said, 'I'll never do that again,' only to find yourself right back at it a few days later. Learning from our mistakes requires humility and a willingness to look for new strategies to become better.

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Feeling sad or lonely isn't a bad thing. But those emotions increase the risk that you'll cross the line into self-pity.

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There will always be obstacles and challenges that stand in your way. Building mental strength will help you develop resilience to those potential hazards so you can continue on your journey to success.

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When it comes to physical strength, someone may have a stronger upper body than lower body, or a stronger right arm compared to the left arm. Similarly, we're likely to excel in some areas of mental strength while struggling with others.

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Mental strength requires a three-pronged approach - managing our thoughts, regulating our emotions, and behaving productively despite our circumstances. While all three areas can be a struggle, it's often our thoughts that make it most difficult to be mentally strong.

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Positive thinking is a valuable tool that can help you overcome obstacles, deal with pain, and reach new goals.

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