What to Do When You’ve Been Cheated On

Speaker 2 Let's face it, everyone's juggling long, busy days.

Speaker 1 That's why Icebreakers Gum is made for the go-getters. With flavor crystals that deliver a bold cooling effect, Icebreakers keeps you refreshed and ready to take on whatever's next.

Speaker 2 And here's a bonus.

Speaker 1 The pack fits perfectly in your car, cup holder, or bag, so it's within reach when you need it most. Grab Icebreakers Gum online or at a store near you.

Speaker 3 When was the last time you did something just for you? Not for work, not for other people, not for your to-do list. If you can't remember, consider this your wake-up call because here's the truth.

Speaker 3 There's a version of you that only shows up when you're out exploring the world.

Speaker 3 And EF Go Ahead Tours makes it ridiculously easy to discover that version of you with immersive tours designed by experts and led by the locals in country.

Speaker 3 Because when you travel, you become more curious, more connected, more alive. And that feeling, you'll bring it back home with you.
So what are you waiting for? Book your trip at goaheadtours.com.

Speaker 3 EF Go Ahead Tours go for you. The Mel Robbins podcast is proudly sponsored by Amika Insurance, our exclusive insurance partner.
As Amika says, empathy is our best policy.

Speaker 3 From listening to your insurance needs to following up after a claim, Amika provides coverage with care and compassion.

Speaker 3 Because as a mutual insurer, Amika is built for its customers and it prioritizes you. Isn't that the way insurance should be? At Amika, your peace of mind matters.

Speaker 3 Visit amika.com and get a quote today.

Speaker 3 Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to a tough love episode of the Mel Robbins Podcast.

Speaker 3 I'm Mel Robbins. Welcome.
I'm a New York Times best-selling author and one of the most respected experts in the world on change and motivation.

Speaker 3 And today, I'm really excited to tell you that we have picked two listeners of the Mel Robbins podcast to join me today because they have written in and asked advice about a topic that I unfortunately know a lot about, and that topic is betrayal.

Speaker 3 And unfortunately, at some point, we all experience it. What do you do when you find out that someone you love has cheated on you or stolen from you or lied to you or stabbed you behind your back?

Speaker 3 Well, today, you're going to meet two people that this has happened to, and you're going to learn what to do. And more importantly, how to get your power back, because you can get your power back.

Speaker 3 You're going to learn today that you always have options, no matter how much this betrayal cuts you to the core. And I'm also going to share stories of betrayal that have happened to me.

Speaker 3 And so I want to start by thanking both of our listeners today for not only writing in, but for agreeing to come on the show. and for allowing me to invite you into their private coaching session.

Speaker 3 Because by sharing their challenges and you getting to hear the advice in real time, they're really doing the work for all of us to create a better life.

Speaker 3 And I want to thank you because we have been blown away by the number of questions and the topics that you keep submitting at melrobbins.com.

Speaker 3 And I also am loving the video questions that you're DMing me on Instagram.

Speaker 3 And I'm excited to tell you, we have a brand new call-in number that you can call at any time and leave a question for me here on the show.

Speaker 3 And that number is going to always be in the show notes from now on. And so when you listen to their private coaching session, listen with intention.

Speaker 3 Because whether you're in this situation or not, you will get something amazing out of this. There will be an insight that strikes you right to your core.

Speaker 3 And this is also one of those episodes that I know you're going to love having as a resource because you can share it with friends and family when they experience betrayal and you just want to help them.

Speaker 3 Because unfortunately, at some point, we all experience it. And that brings me to the very first question.
It's from Sonia.

Speaker 3 And you better buckle up because this first coaching session, it takes an unexpected turn near the end and it's a doozy.

Speaker 3 See, Sonia listened to the episode called The Three Lessons. I learned during the worst year of my life.

Speaker 3 And it's usually during the worst moments of your your life that you get the biggest lessons.

Speaker 3 And so I share this story about how a year ago, at the beginning of 2022, I found out that somebody that I trusted was in my business stealing for me.

Speaker 3 They lied to me to my face over and over and over. They lied to team members over and over.
And when I finally figured out what was going on,

Speaker 3 I realized they had been doing this for a long ass time.

Speaker 3 This betrayal knocked me on my knees. I felt so stupid when I first discovered it.
Then I felt hurt. Then I was furious.

Speaker 3 And it was painful. It was a painful lesson about trust.
And it was also a painful lesson, but a lesson that I needed.

Speaker 3 I needed this lesson in order to be able to establish better boundaries. and to level up as a businesswoman.
Sonia heard me tell this story and she wanted more. She wanted to learn more.

Speaker 3 She had more questions to ask. She wanted to know, Mel, how did you handle the person who betrayed you? What did you do? Because she was dealing with a betrayal in her life too.

Speaker 4 Hi, Mel. I'm Sonia from New Zealand.

Speaker 3 Hi.

Speaker 4 How did you deal with betrayals from your friends? Did you confront them and make peace with them in the end? Or can you move on without making peace in some way?

Speaker 4 And then as you just fill your life with people who are much better humans?

Speaker 3 Excellent question. So

Speaker 3 in this particular instance, I did not confront the person

Speaker 3 mainly because they had logins to a bunch of stuff related to our business. And I had to first, once I realized this was going on, get the digital business safe and secure.

Speaker 3 And so that took a couple weeks. And I didn't want to send up any red flags that any issue was going on while we did that.
But then I made this decision.

Speaker 3 I thought,

Speaker 3 why would I confront this person?

Speaker 3 And

Speaker 3 what I realized in this particular instance is that I had already poured so much energy into the situation that confronting the person or trying to close the door

Speaker 3 and tell them what I had figured out, that that would cause so much negative energy in my life that I chose

Speaker 3 to not say anything and just move on.

Speaker 3 And here's what I have to say. I wouldn't necessarily do the same thing in a different situation.

Speaker 3 I mean, the person that stole all this money from me and damaged my business, they were in a different country.

Speaker 3 So even though I could have hired legal counsel and I could have gone after this person,

Speaker 3 when I thought about the time, the energy, the just emotional cost of doing that, it was too expensive to pursue it.

Speaker 3 Sometimes your peace of mind is worth way more than the money that you would get by confronting something. And that's what I determined for myself.
But here's the thing.

Speaker 3 There's a lot of cases. for you personally and for me where the right thing to do is to confront somebody.

Speaker 3 And there have been situations that I've been in in the past where I did get a a lawyer involved.

Speaker 3 So what you have to do whenever you're in this situation where somebody's betrayed you is you have to ask yourself, what's my goal here?

Speaker 3 My number one goal is protect my business, protect my peace, learn this lesson.

Speaker 3 What's in it for me? Am I trying to fix the person? Am I trying to make them wrong? Am I trying to repair the situation? Am I looking for a gotcha moment? Do I deserve to make this wrong a right?

Speaker 3 Do I need to go after them legally?

Speaker 3 And then you got to ask yourself, well, what do I need to say for closure?

Speaker 3 And should I do this because it's going to make me feel confident?

Speaker 3 And there may be a time in your life where you have to hear yourself say out loud to the person that betrayed you, I know what you did.

Speaker 3 And

Speaker 3 I will not have you. in my life because I will not surround myself with people who do this kind of thing.
And I forgive you, but you're not welcome back in my life as a friend as a partner

Speaker 3 you can just shut the door after that conversation you can forgive somebody you can call them out and you don't have to let them back in you don't have to give them a second chance and so it comes down to what you want out of this and if your goal is to stay in the relationship to use this betrayal as the door that needed to get kicked open in order for you to face stuff that's not

Speaker 3 If you do decide to stay in the friendship or the relationship, you have to have a conversation.

Speaker 3 You have to explain that you know what they did and that you know what they're doing is wrong and how their behavior is impacting you.

Speaker 3 And one way that you can set the conversation up, if that's what you're inclined to do, because you want to see if you can

Speaker 3 repair the relationship or you need to say something in order to feel like you're complete

Speaker 3 is you can say, I need to apologize for something, which always kind of makes people feel a little like, oh, what? You did something wrong? So they're not going to be defensive.

Speaker 3 And then you say, yeah, there's something that's been bothering me and I need to apologize that I didn't come to you sooner with this.

Speaker 3 And then you can also say, I take responsibility that it's impacting me this way.

Speaker 3 And then explain how their behavior is making you feel.

Speaker 3 You're not attacking them. You're not telling them they did X, Y, and Z.
You're explaining how it's impacting you.

Speaker 3 And based on their reaction,

Speaker 3 you will know whether or not this is somebody that you want in your life. If their reaction is, that's ridiculous.
I didn't mean that.

Speaker 3 You're being too sensitive. Bye.

Speaker 3 That's what you do. You got all the information you need.
But if their reaction is, I had no idea you felt that way. I feel terrible.

Speaker 3 Tell me what I can do. Like, that's a friendship that you want to save.
Does that make sense?

Speaker 4 Yeah, absolutely. It's something that I've already, I've moved on from these people.

Speaker 4 Whenever I've shared anything with how any of their reactions made me feel or the impact it had on my life, they just simply aren't interested.

Speaker 3 Yeah. Well, there's all you need to know, right? And so here's the second piece of transformation that I want for you.
You ready?

Speaker 3 There are

Speaker 3 patterns in life that repeat until you get the lesson.

Speaker 3 And for me, the biggest lesson about this betrayal by this person in business is that

Speaker 3 when I look back through my life

Speaker 3 and I think, hmm, what other relationships or friendships or colleagues, anything, what other relationships had the same feeling for me as this relationship?

Speaker 3 I can see a very similar pattern of the kind of person that I was drawn to or that was in my inner circle or that, you know, I was a really good friend with.

Speaker 3 And then all of a sudden I realized, oh my gosh, this person's mean and they gossip behind people's back.

Speaker 3 And now I'm scared because they're a friend of mine and like I don't know how to get out of this. I could see a very distinct pattern.

Speaker 3 And so maybe the lesson for you goes even deeper, which is not only when something's working or feels off to say something, notice somebody's reaction.

Speaker 3 And that tells you whether or not this is a friendship to lean into or one to pull away from.

Speaker 3 But the other lesson could be, are there particular personality types or relationship dynamics that draw you in that turn out to not be good for you?

Speaker 4 I feel like I've learned learned the lesson because this is with my ex-husband and everything that happened. And so I just, yeah, he keeps reaching out to try and have a friendship going forward.

Speaker 4 But because of everything that happened, I'm not interested.

Speaker 3 Yes, you don't need to have a conversation with somebody in order to have closure.

Speaker 3 We often chase other people down and we say we want closure, but what we're actually looking for is confirmation or we're looking for some sort of assurance. We want to feel better.

Speaker 3 You can do that for yourself if you're very clear about why this isn't working for you and what your boundaries are. And it sounds to me like you're very clear.
You don't need to have a conversation.

Speaker 3 You've already had the conversation and their behavior in it told you everything you need to know.

Speaker 4 Yeah, that's the feeling because anytime I bring anything up about how anything's impacted me, it just

Speaker 4 brings up all of the old stuff again. And it's just too hard.
So I just have to let. let them all go and just like let my life carry on.

Speaker 3 Yeah. And you also,

Speaker 3 is there a request you need to make of your husband? Like

Speaker 3 oh, your ex-husband, excuse me. So he's, he was friends with them.
So he's not part of this really.

Speaker 1 No, he is.

Speaker 4 It was like the stuff that happened that ended my marriage.

Speaker 3 Oh.

Speaker 4 With my best friend.

Speaker 3 Oh, so is he with your best friend?

Speaker 5 He is. Yeah.
He came out as bisexual.

Speaker 4 So he's with both of them.

Speaker 3 Wow.

Speaker 3 That's a lot.

Speaker 5 Yeah, it was a lot.

Speaker 3 And that's exactly why you don't need to have them in your life.

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 3 And you don't owe anybody an explanation.

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 3 You deserve peace.

Speaker 4 Yeah. It's been really good.
I've got so many beautiful new humans in my life. And just

Speaker 4 experiencing that kind of love and friendship from all my new friends and my new boyfriend, it's really beautiful.

Speaker 3 Wonderful. That's great.
I'm proud of you.

Speaker 4 You've helped a lot. Thank you.

Speaker 3 Well, I appreciate you being here, but you keep the credit because you did the work.

Speaker 4 Thank you very much for all you share.

Speaker 3 You're welcome.

Speaker 3 I'll tell you what, there is no doubt. Life is always trying to teach you something.

Speaker 3 That is for sure.

Speaker 3 And I hope that one of the lessons that you learned, not only from my story, but also from the coaching with Sonia, is that you don't need need to seek closure from somebody else.

Speaker 3 You can do that for yourself.

Speaker 3 And what I need to say to everybody listening is if you've been broken up with or if you've got a friendship where the behavior's turned toxic or you've got something going on, you don't need to have a conversation about it.

Speaker 3 Their behavior has told you what you need to know.

Speaker 3 If you're still questioning it, have the conversation in the way that I suggested where you apologize for withholding this, you tell somebody how their behavior or lack of behavior makes you feel, and then watch their reaction.

Speaker 3 If they're caring and kind, wonderful.

Speaker 3 If they're not, wonderful.

Speaker 3 You know what to do. Close the freaking door on that relationship.
Do not accept that behavior in your life, period. Not from somebody that's not willing to do the work to repair this.
All right.

Speaker 3 We got to take a short break to hear a word from our sponsors, but when we come back, we have got a second person that is dealing with betrayal. And this one is even more emotional.

Speaker 3 Here's something to remember. Pay attention to how people make you feel.
Dating isn't just about the surface details we sometimes get caught up on.

Speaker 3 What matters most is whether being with someone helps you feel grounded and fully yourself. That kind of alignment is what leads to lasting relationships.

Speaker 3 Bumble is designed to help you find connections that feel in tune with who you are with tools like thoughtful prompts and shared interests that highlight what really matters to someone and verified profiles that give you peace of mind.

Speaker 3 When you stay aligned with yourself, dating feels less like a struggle and more like an opportunity. Bumble can help you put that into practice.

Speaker 3 You know, so many members of the team here at the Mel Robbins podcast have people in their lives who not only found meaningful connections on Bumble, they found the one.

Speaker 3 I mean, one of our producer's friends named Hannah was using Bumble BFF and she loved meeting friends on it so much she thought, wait, I should be using Bumble for dating too.

Speaker 3 Not long after, she matched with Declan. They met up for a first date and they realized quickly that they were not only aligned, they were a perfect match.

Speaker 3 And just as easily as Bumble helped Hannah meet new friends, it connected her with the person she eventually married. Download Bumble and find your meaningful connection today.

Speaker 6 Traditional healthcare can leave you with more questions than answers.

Speaker 6 That's why Function goes deeper, providing access to powerful data about your health and clear, actionable insights from top doctors.

Speaker 6 With a Function membership, you can test over 100 biomarkers a year, including hormones, toxins, and inflammation.

Speaker 6 That's five times more than the average annual physical and no gatekeeping or long wait times. You can also add MRI and CT scans that look for signs of hundreds of conditions.

Speaker 6 Function doesn't push supplements or pharmaceuticals. It's just powerful, unbiased data designed to help you own your health.
Get started for just $4.99 a year.

Speaker 6 Learn more and join using this show's link. Function is the new essential health check, and this show's first 1,000 listeners get a $100 credit toward their membership.

Speaker 6 Visit functionhealth.com slash Mel Robbins or use gift code Melrobbins100 at sign up to own your health. That's functionhealth.com slash Mel Robbins or use gift code Melrobbins100 at sign up.

Speaker 3 Taking care of your money can help bring clarity and peace of mind.

Speaker 3 With Experian, your big financial friend, you can check your FICO score, explore ways to save, and get matched with credit cards that fit your lifestyle.

Speaker 3 And when you apply for no ding decline credit cards, your credit scores won't be impacted if you aren't approved. Download the free Experian app and take the first step toward financial peace of mind.

Speaker 3 Applying for no ding decline cards won't hurt your credit scores if you aren't initially approved. Initial approval will result in a hard inquiry, which may impact your credit scores.

Speaker 5 Experienced.

Speaker 3 If you could stop someone from breaking into your home before they got inside your house, wouldn't you? Of course you would. Well, that's exactly what Simply Safe does.

Speaker 3 With Active Guard outdoor protection, you can prevent break-ins to your home before they happen. And that's when you want to stop them.
Here's how Simply Safe works.

Speaker 3 AI-powered cameras detect threats while they're still outside and alert real security agents. And what happens next is next level.
The agents take action while the intruder is still outside.

Speaker 3 They let them know they're being watched on camera and that police are on their way. And they can even sound a loud siren

Speaker 3 and trigger a spotlight if that's what needs to happen. SimplySafe stops crime before it starts.
And with their 60-day money-back guarantee, you can try it and see the difference for yourself.

Speaker 3 Don't miss out on SimplySafe's biggest sale of the year, 60% off. Right now, our listeners, that's you, can save 60% off on a SimplySafe home security system at simplysafe.com slash Mel.

Speaker 3 That's simplysafe.com slash mel. There's no safe like simply safe.

Speaker 3 Welcome back. It's Mel, and I'm so glad you're here because our next question today comes from Jen.

Speaker 3 And the reason why I invited Jen on the podcast is because there was something about the way she wrote this initial question.

Speaker 3 And she wrote to me that, like me, she too had had one of the most difficult years of her life. And I thought, now

Speaker 3 this woman, Jen, she seems like a person who's going to put her heart on the line. I can just sense that about some people.
She is ready to be vulnerable. She's ready to have a breakthrough.

Speaker 3 And I sense there was a lot more under the surface here. So Jen, I want to welcome you to the podcast.
Can you start by just introducing yourself and asking your question again?

Speaker 5 So, my name is Jen, and I am from Pennsylvania. I have a lot of difficulty giving myself credit, as you suggested that we do,

Speaker 5 especially this past year, which has been just extraordinarily painful. How can I overcome that?

Speaker 3 I love your question.

Speaker 3 So,

Speaker 3 why has this last year been extraordinarily painful?

Speaker 5 Without getting into too much detail,

Speaker 5 there was some betrayal that happened in my life,

Speaker 5 and it's

Speaker 5 just affected every

Speaker 5 aspect of who I am. Like

Speaker 5 I question everything now, like everything I thought I was, everything I thought I could do, like it's all

Speaker 5 like it's all just been ripped away. And

Speaker 5 I can't overcome it.

Speaker 3 You can overcome it.

Speaker 3 You won't at the moment.

Speaker 3 And let me give you advice about betrayal, okay?

Speaker 3 And this is really hard to get.

Speaker 3 And as somebody who has both been betrayed and who earlier in my life was somebody who was the betrayer,

Speaker 3 I can speak to both sides of this.

Speaker 3 And what I want to say, and this is the hardest thing to grasp, it has nothing to do with you.

Speaker 3 What that person did in your life has nothing to do with you.

Speaker 3 It has to do with their pain. It has to do with their neurochemistry.
It has to do with their coping mechanisms, their trauma, their dysfunction,

Speaker 3 their pain.

Speaker 3 It doesn't make it any easier when you're on the receiving end of it.

Speaker 3 Say and just repeat:

Speaker 3 it literally has nothing to do with me.

Speaker 3 This is a very hurt and lost person

Speaker 3 who is coping with that hurt and that loss in an incredibly destructive way.

Speaker 3 But in no way, shape, or form does their bullshit bullshit determine whether or not I'm lovable

Speaker 3 or whether or not I trust people or whether or not I'm good enough.

Speaker 3 They have revealed a very broken side of themselves that they have chosen to escape, numb, deflect

Speaker 3 all of it instead of facing it in the mirror.

Speaker 3 And

Speaker 3 it's really hard because you got to go through a process of grieving

Speaker 3 what you thought it was

Speaker 3 in order to have yourself unhook from it.

Speaker 3 Because what you're actually grieving right now, and I'm just going to, you haven't given me any details, but I'm just going to, you know, talk from my own experience. You're grieving the future.

Speaker 3 that you thought was going to happen and you're grieving

Speaker 3 the reality of what you thought was going on.

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 3 And that's incredibly destabilizing.

Speaker 3 And so you got to give yourself time,

Speaker 3 I'd say a year,

Speaker 3 to

Speaker 3 really

Speaker 3 just move through the anger, the pissed offness, the hurt, the how could they have done this? How could I not have seen this? How could they have lied?

Speaker 3 All of it.

Speaker 3 And then at some point, you're going to hit this saturation point where you have soaked up so much of the misery

Speaker 3 that you will no longer want to feel it. And the only thing that will help you,

Speaker 3 like a sponge, squeeze that shit out of your being,

Speaker 3 is when you say, wow,

Speaker 3 I actually feel sorry for that person.

Speaker 3 I feel sorry that they're so screwed up

Speaker 3 that their only way to cope with that is to either cheat or lie or steal or whatever,

Speaker 3 because it's easier than facing the truth.

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 3 Some people are so scared

Speaker 3 of disappointment or upset or pain that they are willing

Speaker 3 to drug, smoke, drink, or fuck their way through life.

Speaker 3 Because the momentary rush of dopamine that you feel when you snort cocaine or you have an orgasm or you're flirting with somebody in secret or you're stealing, that relieves you of the deep pain that you're feeling.

Speaker 3 That's why people do that.

Speaker 3 And you were hurt. You didn't deserve it.
But I'll tell you what else.

Speaker 3 You don't deserve and you shouldn't be in a relationship with somebody who is not willing to face that shit, who is not willing to heal with you, who is not willing to do the work.

Speaker 3 And so, you know, I'm being tough with you

Speaker 3 because this person already got how many years of your life?

Speaker 5 14.

Speaker 3 In my opinion, if two people are willing to do the work,

Speaker 3 any relationship

Speaker 3 can come through and be stronger

Speaker 3 even in the face of betrayal. No question.

Speaker 3 But only if both of you are willing to come to the table and do the work together. You

Speaker 3 to forgive

Speaker 3 and the other person to face their shit that led to this.

Speaker 3 And if they're not,

Speaker 3 then

Speaker 3 all you can do is grieve what wasn't and grieve the future you thought you were going to have

Speaker 3 and

Speaker 3 take a hefty amount of empathy to feel sorry for somebody, that this is who they are, as hard as it is,

Speaker 3 and at some point

Speaker 3 to truly, honestly be grateful that all this crap got revealed

Speaker 3 so that you can

Speaker 3 move forward with somebody who's healthy.

Speaker 3 And the somebody I'm referring to is you.

Speaker 5 Yeah, I like that.

Speaker 3 And one other thing,

Speaker 3 even though this has nothing to do with you,

Speaker 3 when you look across the 14 years,

Speaker 3 there are probably

Speaker 3 things that you can see

Speaker 3 where you let shit slide

Speaker 3 or you didn't say what you really meant.

Speaker 5 I blame myself when I look back and kind of assess all of those things, like I do find things that I have let slide. So then I blame myself for letting it go.

Speaker 3 No,

Speaker 3 it's just a a lesson. And sometimes lessons we learn easily and sometimes we need sledgehammers.

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 3 And this is a sledgehammer. And so as you move forward in your life, whether you do so on your own or you do so,

Speaker 3 you know, working through this with somebody,

Speaker 3 one of the things to do is not to blame yourself. It's to say, oh,

Speaker 3 I now know that I will never do this again.

Speaker 3 That when I feel a certain way, I won't be silent. When I have a hunch, I won't talk myself out of it.
That when I'm being disrespected, I will address it.

Speaker 3 And that's what you're learning from this. It's one of the thousand things that you're about to learn from this.
And one other thing I want to tell you

Speaker 3 is:

Speaker 3 I promise you,

Speaker 3 the road ahead,

Speaker 3 you got the best years of your life ahead of you.

Speaker 3 You do. And I think you know that.

Speaker 5 I hope so.

Speaker 5 I want to know that. I want to think that.
It's just

Speaker 5 then I get into my head, and that's kind of where I live.

Speaker 3 What's the thing that you say that tortures you the most?

Speaker 5 That I'm not good enough.

Speaker 5 That it happened because I'm not good enough, not pretty enough, not thin enough, not

Speaker 5 all of it.

Speaker 3 How's that feel?

Speaker 5 It sucks.

Speaker 3 Do you want a different story?

Speaker 5 I do.

Speaker 3 Great.

Speaker 3 I want a different story for you too, because there's a very different interpretation of this whole thing, you know, and I'm going to tell you what it is after the break.

Speaker 3 Let me tell you something. No one wakes up fearless.
Confidence is built one decision at a time.

Speaker 3 You take a breath, you push yourself a little bit forward every day, and then you wake up and you do it again the next day. That's how growth happens.

Speaker 3 So if you're ready to take on a challenge, the defender is too. It's not just a vehicle, it's a statement.
The Defender is built for people who push boundaries.

Speaker 3 Whether you're heading into the wild or sneaking away for the weekend, it's ready for whatever adventure you dream up.

Speaker 3 This is an icon, reimagined, rugged and purpose-built on the outside with modern comfort and smart design inside.

Speaker 3 Durable materials, extreme testing, and next level tech, 3D surround cameras, clear sight views, intuitive displays, and driver aids that make even tight parking feel like a breeze.

Speaker 3 And And there's a Defender for every kind of explorer. The Defender 90 is a compact two-door powerhouse city-ready with serious grit.

Speaker 3 The Defender 110 balances off-road capability with on-road comfort. And the Defender 130, room for eight and gear to match for the journeys that demand more.

Speaker 3 Explore the full Defender lineup at Landroverusa.com.

Speaker 3 Whether you're soaking up the last weeks of summer, planning a trip, or just looking for a new challenge before the fall, Rosetta Stone makes learning a language easy.

Speaker 3 Their method is immersive and intuitive. No boring memorization, no confusing grammar drills, just quick lessons that fit into your day over coffee, waiting for an appointment, even while traveling.

Speaker 3 And that's exactly how I used it before a trip to Greece with my husband. I practiced a little Greek.
It was so easy to squeeze it in, a few minutes here and there, and it made such a difference.

Speaker 3 Being able to say simple things like thank you or eferisto connected me instantly with the people I met at restaurants, hotels, even in taxis. That's the power of Rosetta Stone.

Speaker 3 Quick, effective lessons that turn into real connection wherever summer takes you. Rosetta Stone, learn a language, make a connection.
Don't wait. Unlock your language learning potential now.

Speaker 3 The Mel Robbins podcast listeners, that's you, can grab Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership for 50% off. That's unlimited access to 25 language courses for life.

Speaker 3 Visit Rosettastone.com/slash Mel to get started and claim you're 50% off today. Don't miss out.
Go to RosettaStone.com/slash Mel and start learning today.

Speaker 3 So I visited daughter Kendall in Los Angeles this past week. You want to know what wasn't in my suitcase when I got home? My favorite pajamas.

Speaker 3 She stole my pajamas, my bamboo pajamas from Cozy Earth that I wear every single night. Why? Because they are the most comfortable pajamas in the world.
So you know what I'm doing?

Speaker 3 I'm going to give a gift to myself. I know you're thinking about gifting to other people right now.
Maybe you should give yourself a gift. Bamboo pajamas from Cozy Earth would be top of the list.

Speaker 3 Trust me when I tell you, they are so good, you got to hide them from the people that you love.

Speaker 3 That's why I'm gonna put Cozy Earth bamboo pajamas on my list for everybody this year so they stop stealing mine. Black Friday has come early at Cozy Earth.
And check out this offer.

Speaker 3 Right now, you can stack my code Mel Robbins on top of their site-wide sale, giving you up to 40% off in savings. These deals won't last, so start your holiday shopping today.

Speaker 3 And if you get a post-purchase survey, be sure to mention you heard about Cozy Earth right here on the Mel Robbins podcast. Wrap the ones you love in luxury with Cozy Earth.

Speaker 3 Welcome back. I'm Mel Robbins and today we are coaching listeners who have experienced betrayal.
And unfortunately, as you're learning, this is a topic that I have a lot of experience in.

Speaker 3 And we were just talking with Jen, and I was explaining the fact that one of the most important steps that you need to take is you've got to start telling yourself a different story about what happened.

Speaker 5 Right.

Speaker 3 And so here's one, Jen, that I want you to start telling yourself. It happened because he's an asshole who has a lot of trauma, who doesn't want to face it, and who's been avoiding it.

Speaker 3 And we also know who will likely do the same thing to the next person if he doesn't face it now.

Speaker 3 Because people who avoid the hard things, the pain they're feeling or the trauma that they experienced when they were little.

Speaker 3 When people use avoidance as a coping mechanism, guess what they continue to do? To avoid. And again,

Speaker 3 this is where it comes down to the fact that this betrayal has nothing to do with you. And I know that's hard to grasp.
I really do.

Speaker 3 But I want you to start to tell yourself the story that this has nothing to do with me.

Speaker 3 This has to do with his shit. This has to do with him not having the coping mechanism to face his pain.
And this is a wake-up call. That's what this is.
It has nothing to do with me.

Speaker 5 I do want to be clear that he is trying to own his crap. It's just me living in my head.
And

Speaker 5 like, I know that part of me knows that it's not my fault, that it's not that I'm not good enough. And all of the things that you said, it's just

Speaker 5 like I'm a highly sensitive person. I'm an empath.
I'm 88, like all of those things. And I just,

Speaker 5 it's, it's me trying to overcome those things for me.

Speaker 3 Then let me give you a different interpretation and a different story.

Speaker 3 Because

Speaker 3 you two are trying to work together through this. Yeah.
Great. And let me tell you why I think that's great.

Speaker 3 I don't know a single couple

Speaker 3 that has gone through something. horrible.
And look, Chris and I have gone through horrible stuff. I don't know a single couple

Speaker 3 who spends time in therapy

Speaker 3 and

Speaker 3 works through it, who doesn't come out on the other side and say, I wish I hadn't worked on it.

Speaker 5 Right.

Speaker 3 But I do know a number of people that have gotten divorced that wish they had tried to work through it.

Speaker 3 And so working through it matters, not so you can stay together,

Speaker 3 but it matters because if you don't stay together, you will be better co-parents and friends.

Speaker 3 And that's important.

Speaker 3 But the likelihood is if you're both willing to come to the table,

Speaker 3 and he in particular is willing to do the work,

Speaker 3 then the odds are in your favor

Speaker 3 and you will come through this stronger. So, the story I want you to tell yourself is: this:

Speaker 3 What if

Speaker 3 He

Speaker 3 did this because it was the only way he could stay in the marriage.

Speaker 3 Because he was feeling so lost and so depressed and so whatever

Speaker 3 that he

Speaker 3 was the one who didn't feel good enough.

Speaker 3 And it's not about you or the other person being thin or whatever else, that he was at a point in his life that he lost who he was.

Speaker 3 And he might as well have been having sex with a freaking dinner plate for crying out loud, because it's not about the other person.

Speaker 3 It's about him chasing an old version of himself. And if there's a dynamic in your relationship where he thinks he's failing or he thinks he's not good enough, that's what this is about.

Speaker 3 It's not about you not being good enough, about him not measuring up for you.

Speaker 5 Yeah, I like that story a lot better.

Speaker 3 And you know what else I like a lot better? That it was sex or an emotional connection and not heroin.

Speaker 5 I don't know, I'd kind of prefer the heroin, I think.

Speaker 3 Right now you would.

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 3 Because we want to make this stuff about us. Of course it hurts you.
Of course. It's devastating.

Speaker 3 And one of the biggest things you will learn from this, if you allow yourself to, is you'll learn that forgiveness only happens when you stop wishing things were different.

Speaker 3 And that you can love somebody profoundly

Speaker 3 and at the same time do shit that hurts them profoundly.

Speaker 3 And that

Speaker 3 through

Speaker 3 the act of understanding

Speaker 3 what happened

Speaker 3 and really allowing yourself

Speaker 3 to be in a space where you can hear how broken, hurt, lost, whatever, regretful,

Speaker 3 whatever the feelings are,

Speaker 3 you will truly connect with this person at a level you never have.

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 3 And this is not easy.

Speaker 3 It will be worth it regardless of what happens.

Speaker 3 And the more you tell yourself, this is nothing to do with me, this is about him being broken.

Speaker 3 It's about him not measuring up. It's about him

Speaker 3 needing to escape these feelings instead of dealing with them.

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 3 And it takes a lot of courage on both of your parts

Speaker 3 to face this.

Speaker 3 And if you guys can get to a point where you understand what happened

Speaker 3 and you keep the lines of communication open and you keep going to therapy, you'll have a stronger marriage than 99% of the people out there.

Speaker 5 Yeah, I keep hearing that. That's what I'm holding on to.

Speaker 3 Yeah, you got to, you got it. You got it.
You're on the bridge. I love using this metaphor that all change is a bridge.
And this happens to be one that's about as long as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Speaker 3 And it's a suspension bridge, which means when the winds pick up, it blows.

Speaker 3 And

Speaker 3 it will get better.

Speaker 3 And it will get in the rearview mirror. And

Speaker 3 by going to therapy together, whether you stay together or

Speaker 3 it ends up not being what you want.

Speaker 3 You will have such a better understanding of yourself and an understanding of what happened that you won't carry the resentment and the self-blame because it's not about you.

Speaker 3 It has nothing to do with you. In fact, in the best of all scenarios, what you're going to learn is that when somebody feels inadequate or that they've failed you,

Speaker 3 it has more to do with how much they love you.

Speaker 3 As screwed up as that sounds.

Speaker 5 That's hard for me to follow.

Speaker 3 Ask your therapist. Yeah, yeah.
Oh, I will. I don't know the details of what happened, but I just am trying to tell you

Speaker 3 that if he didn't love you, he would have left.

Speaker 5 Right.

Speaker 3 When you look at what the experts say about affairs, psychotherapist Esther Perell, she's a New York Times best-selling author.

Speaker 3 She is the expert on why people cheat, even people who are still in love with their spouses.

Speaker 3 And what Esther says over and over again is that affairs are often people searching for parts of themselves that they feel that they've lost. That's what they are.

Speaker 3 And they're not fair and they're not right.

Speaker 3 And you don't deserve this. And he's very fucking lucky.
that you didn't just end it because you both have a chance to grow from this now if you're willing to work on it.

Speaker 3 And you said that he is trying to own his crap.

Speaker 3 And that's a good thing.

Speaker 3 Because the other reason why people have affairs is they have affairs because of past trauma, because of addiction, and the affairs and the dopamine rush is an escape from a very painful life or a very painful existence.

Speaker 3 It's just like an addiction to drugs, to porn. It is a way to numb out.

Speaker 3 And so I am glad that he hasn't left. I am glad that he is trying to own his crap.
And I am glad that the two of you are going to turn toward each other and try to grow through this.

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 3 And that's a gift,

Speaker 3 even though it doesn't fucking feel like one you want to unwrap.

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 3 You're on the bridge.

Speaker 3 Just keep crossing the bridge.

Speaker 3 And trust that when you get to the other side,

Speaker 3 it's going to be way better than you can imagine.

Speaker 5 I hope so. Thank you.

Speaker 3 You're welcome.

Speaker 3 You're going to be okay. Just let yourself feel this shit, dude.

Speaker 3 Like, that's what you got to do. And the thing that I also want to tell you is,

Speaker 3 like,

Speaker 3 when you get get pissed like write it all out

Speaker 3 like you're probably past the lashing out part and screaming but maybe not i don't know but the most part yeah yeah like it just

Speaker 3 allow yourself to be a little human

Speaker 3 and now that you're kind of through that part keep steering yourself toward okay how do i understand what happened

Speaker 3 How do I create a space for healing? How do I forgive what happened? Like that's the North Star.

Speaker 3 Because whether you stay together, especially if you stay together, but even if it ends, I don't want you to carry this resentment or this lack of trust into what happens next.

Speaker 3 Heal this for yourself.

Speaker 3 And if the marriage is the right thing for you, you'll know.

Speaker 5 Yes.

Speaker 3 Thank you for being so honest with us and vulnerable.

Speaker 5 Thank you very, very much. Thank you.
You have no idea how much you have just helped me change my life. So thank you.

Speaker 3 You're welcome. And you're continuing to do it.
And, you know, I think sometimes too,

Speaker 3 this is happening because you're not supposed to have

Speaker 3 that kind of shit going on in your life.

Speaker 3 That is you

Speaker 3 level up. your own standards for yourself, what's amazing is all of the crap that's not working comes to the surface.

Speaker 3 And that's because you're not supposed to have a life that's out of integrity.

Speaker 3 That's not what you want. That's not what you stand for.
And sometimes bringing things into integrity

Speaker 3 means a lot of shit comes to the surface, and you got to get a shovel.

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 3 You are going to be just fine.

Speaker 3 You're not only going to be fine, you're going to be happy.

Speaker 3 And you're going to be stronger because of this.

Speaker 3 And you're going to have a deeper capacity for love.

Speaker 3 And you are going to surprise yourself.

Speaker 5 Yeah. Oh, I have.
I already have for sure.

Speaker 3 Name one thing

Speaker 3 that

Speaker 3 has surprised you about yourself or that you're proud of, because I I want somebody that's at the beginning of this kind of breakdown

Speaker 3 to hear somebody further across the bridge.

Speaker 5 I am

Speaker 5 very surprised. I had no idea how strong I really am.

Speaker 5 And you hear that all the time. You know, you don't know how strong you are until it's time to be strong.

Speaker 5 So, honestly, if there is anybody, just

Speaker 5 believe in yourself. Just it,

Speaker 5 you're stronger than you think. You absolutely are.

Speaker 3 Yeah. Is there anything else that surprised you as you've navigated this?

Speaker 5 Honestly, my ability to

Speaker 5 kind of

Speaker 5 try to be compassionate.

Speaker 5 Like I, I've always been, you know, of the mindset, you know,

Speaker 5 I won't stay in a relationship where there was infidelity. It's just,

Speaker 5 it's not how I'm gonna work. And then you're in the situation and it's completely different than anything you thought it would be.

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 5 But just to be able to

Speaker 5 overcome it, I mean, get like, I know I already said this, but like just the being, I'm so much stronger than I thought. And that's, that's how I get through my days.

Speaker 5 And like, I just, I grace gratitude. I say that to myself.
all day long, just learning to show myself grace,

Speaker 5 finding things to be grateful for and keeping my head down and just just

Speaker 5 keep bowing, go to the therapy, do the hard work.

Speaker 5 Yeah. All of the things: grace, grit, and gratitude.

Speaker 3 You're crossing the bridge in the fog in a rainstorm.

Speaker 5 Yep.

Speaker 3 And here's what I also want you to be proud of:

Speaker 3 you are compassionate because you have a very deep capacity to love.

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 3 And part of loving is also being able to accept

Speaker 3 and understand

Speaker 3 someone else. Now,

Speaker 3 that doesn't mean condone.

Speaker 3 That doesn't mean you're responsible for it.

Speaker 3 That doesn't mean that you're making excuses for it.

Speaker 3 But

Speaker 3 attempting to understand

Speaker 3 somebody else's pain

Speaker 3 and bringing compassion

Speaker 3 to something that

Speaker 3 somebody is dealing with, even though their dysfunction profoundly broke your heart,

Speaker 3 that's an act of love.

Speaker 3 That's why you're going to be okay.

Speaker 3 I love you.

Speaker 5 I love you. Thank you.

Speaker 3 You're welcome.

Speaker 3 Can we just take a minute and collectively send some positive energy and some gratitude at Sonia and Jen?

Speaker 3 I am just

Speaker 3 proud of them

Speaker 3 and I appreciate

Speaker 3 what it took to come and talk to me about this deeply personal thing. I mean, this is not easy stuff.

Speaker 3 This is what people are dealing with and not talking about. And so I so appreciate Sonia and Jen for sharing everything that they shared and being open

Speaker 3 to going even deeper than they thought they probably would.

Speaker 3 And if you had a light bulb moment, I hope that you will take whatever insight that you gained and you will find the courage and the confidence to apply the advice that rang true for you.

Speaker 3 And there may be somebody in your life who's going through something very painful right now. And it's been very hard for you to figure out what to say to them.
Don't worry.

Speaker 3 That's where your friend Mel Robbins comes in. I'm always here as your friend and theirs.

Speaker 3 I'll be here to give you a push, to share my experiences, my wins, my heartbreaks, so that you know you're not alone in this.

Speaker 3 I'll also tell you the truth and I'll probably give you a little bit more tough love than you're ready for.

Speaker 3 But that's why we do this podcast twice a week. It's not just just for listening, it's for doing.

Speaker 3 Because at some point, you're going to have to do something that scares you, or you're going to have to do something different to create a better life and the life that you deserve.

Speaker 3 And one more thing: in case no one else tells you, I'm going to be sure to tell you that I love you and I believe in you.

Speaker 3 And I believe in your ability to face the really hard shit that goes down in life, to call people out, or to silently, confidently just close the fucking door and move on and learn the lesson.

Speaker 3 Because it's in doing these things every day

Speaker 3 that you create a better you and you create a more meaningful life, a better life, a trusting life, a life that you love. Alrighty, I'll see you in a couple days.

Speaker 3 Oh, one more thing. It's the legal language.
This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes.

Speaker 3 It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional.

Speaker 3 Stitcher.

Speaker 7 There are millions of podcasts out there, and you've chosen this one. Whether you're a regular or just here on a whim, it's what you have chosen to listen to.

Speaker 7 With Yoto, your kids can have the same choice. Yoto is a screen-free, ad-free audio player.
With hundreds of Yoto cards, there are stories, music, and podcasts like this one, but for kids.

Speaker 7 Just slot a card into the player and let the adventure begin. Check out YotoPlay.com.

Speaker 3 Hey, it's your friend Mel. If you love the Mel Robbins podcast, you're going to love this.

Speaker 3 If you want to hear all the new episodes ad-free, subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or visit SiriusXM/slash podcast plus to start your free trial today.