When I sat down with Robert Irwin this week, I expected to talk about bedding.
After all, the conservationist, the television personality, dancing with the stars Champion, and wildlife advocate has Partnered with The Ladd Collective for a new campaign encouraging young men to improve their sleep habits and take better care of themselves.
What I didn’t expect was a conversation about optimism, conservation, childhood, and the importance of building routines that set you up for success.
At just 22 years old, Irwin has already built a career that spans wildlife conservation, television, photography, public speaking and major brand partnerships. Yet throughout our conversation, he kept returning to a surprisingly simple theme: Taking care of yourself matters.
And yes, this includes changing your sheets. (above average 4 times per year He says most single men are doing this…yes).
‘You have to take care of yourself’
Irwin laughed when I told him about my 16-year-old son, who seemed genuinely surprised and disappointed to learn recently why pillowcases and clean sheets are important (I totally freaked him out). Unwashed pillowcases contain more bacteria than a toilet seat” data).
As it turns out, he’s heard similar stories before.
Growing up at the Australia Zoo, Irwin spent much of his childhood outdoors.
“I was always a kid in the muddy creek or catching alligators or snakes or whatever,” he said. men’s journal. “I was always dirty.”
But despite spending his days wrestling crocodiles and wandering the Australian wilderness, he developed a surprisingly disciplined approach to sleep and recovery.
“I’ve always been really interested in health and fitness,” Irwin said. “Sleep is really the most important thing in all of this.”
He added, “I change my bedsheets frequently. I have to take a good shower before I go to bed and take a shower when I wake up. I’m very strict about it.”
When he learned that many young people did not follow the same habits, his reaction was simple.
“I have to help them.”
Later in our conversation he put it more clearly.
“You have to take care of yourself, too. And you have to change your bloody sheets, too.”
Why do small habits matter?
One thing that struck me during our conversation was how often Irwin connected small daily routines to larger life goals. For her, self-care isn’t about perfection. It’s about building a foundation that allows you to manifest the things that matter. After all, you can’t pour from an empty cup.
“My life is so busy these days,” he said. “When I’m at home, having a routine and really self-care is something that, especially a lot of people I know my age have no idea about.”
Irwin spends much of his year traveling, filming, speaking, and working on conservation projects around the world. In fact, he told me that he was preparing to leave for London the next day to attend climate action week. That lifestyle has further strengthened his belief that healthy habits matter.
“If you really take care of yourself, you can get through the day better,” he said.
Then came the quote that can best summarize his philosophy:
“How you do anything is how you do everything.”
Robert Irwin x The Lad Collective
Making conservation (and everything else) ‘fun’
While the conversation started in bed, it inevitably returned to conservation.
For Irwin, each project ultimately connects to a larger mission.
“I want it to be fun,” he said, discussing everything from wildlife documentaries to television appearances and brand partnerships. “If I can get to the end of this, make the world a little more fun, laugh a little more, and think a little more about the environment, then I’ve done my job.”
It’s an approach that feels especially refreshing at a time when many conversations about the environment are dominated by fear and division.
Instead, Irwin returned again and again to optimism.
“We need optimism and we need voices that lead with passion and a sense of positivity,” he said.
The advice every parent needs to hear
As a mom raising kids on a farm, one answer in particular came to mind.
When I asked Irwin what the average person can do today to help wildlife and the environment, he didn’t talk about politics or policy. Instead, they talked about children.
“For any parent or grandparent or uncle or aunt who has a child in their life, trying to establish some kind of connection with the natural world, with the younger generation in their life, is one of the most important things we can do,” he said.
He talked about the power of simple experiences – a trip to a national park, time spent outside, even a child running barefoot through nature.
Sometimes, he said, that’s all it takes to form a lifelong relationship.
As someone whose youngest son happily spent every day barefoot and covered in mud, I couldn’t help but smile. Irwin laughed when I told him stories about farm life and kids who were determined to stay dirty.
“Definitely a sign of a happy childhood,” he said.
a simple message
By the end of our conversation, it was clear that Irwin’s message wasn’t actually about the bed at all.
It was about taking care of yourself, staying connected to what matters, and making room for a little more optimism in a world that often lacks it.
And if it starts with clean sheets, Robert Irwin seems to be just fine with that.
