Transcript

Sage Robbins (0:00)

She had red lipstick. She was wearing a beautiful necklace. And that girl, she's beautiful.

Byron Katie (0:08)

Bring it.

Sage Robbins (0:08)

I want my mama to feel safe, to feel loved, secure, and to simply know she's taken care of.

Byron Katie (0:14)

Is that true?

Sage Robbins (0:16)

No.

Byron Katie (0:16)

Oh. What did you see?

Sage Robbins (0:17)

What I was wanting. She already is.

Byron Katie (0:20)

Yeah. So live the advice you want your mother to live, to be happy in

Sage Robbins (0:27)

that situation, I need me to be okay, to be okay with where my mom is and to feel the incredible love surrounding her.

Byron Katie (0:36)

It wasn't your mama. We learned that. It was what you were thinking and believing about your mama.

Sage Robbins (0:42)

I am terrified. I'm sad, and I'm confused. And I'm the one overwhelmed. I see that so deeply right now.

Byron Katie (0:49)

All fear belongs on paper, and it doesn't mean it's not valid.

Sage Robbins (0:53)

What I was believing and thinking upon my mama, it was all me.

Byron Katie (0:57)

Our mothers are no more or less than who we believe them to be when we're believing them to be that. She's like all of us. We're doing the best that we can, and we get by with a little help from our friends and family.

Tony Robbins (1:09)

Hey, everybody, it's Tony Robbins. Welcome to the podcast. Listen, I'm really excited about today because we're joined by one of our dearest friends, a woman who is probably one of the more extraordinary human beings that we know. Byron.

Byron Katie (1:21)

Katie.

Tony Robbins (1:22)

If you don't know Katie as she's known, then today is going to be a very special treat. Now, I don't usually do this, but I want to give you a little context, because Katie's story is unlike most stories you've ever heard. This is a woman who went through a complete breakdown that turned into the most extraordinary breakthrough you can imagine. She spent close to a decade in depression that was so heavy she could barely leave her own bedroom. And then One morning in 1986, she woke up on the floor of an attic, and she just felt like every belief she'd ever known just simply fell away. That was her description. She said she didn't find a new belief. She just discovered that none of her old beliefs had any truth in them. And from that single moment, she went on to help millions of people in every corner of the world. Now, Sage and I have been friends with Katie and her husband, Stephen for more than 20 years now. And like us, Katie believes in the power of questions, the power of inquiry. I know you've heard me talk about so many times that questions are the answer. You want better answers, Ask better questions, and the only way you can hold on to a limiting Belief is if you don't question it, you just accept it. And she's developed a four question format that she calls the work. And it's powerful and it's incredibly effective. She's truly a force for good. She's a force for God. She's one of the most enlightened human beings walking the earth. And Sage has studied her work extensively for years, as have I. So for today, we're going to do something really special. Sage is going to do a session with Katie. We're not just going to interview, but she's actually going to do a process with Katie. It's a process that I think is going to really touch your heart because it's dealing with an issue that so many families are navigating today and one that I think you'll be moved by. And as Katie works with Sage and takes her through this process, you might find yourself going through the process as well and that'd be very powerful. So we're going to do a little different format today. And so without further ado, I'm going to step aside and I want you to meet two of the most brilliant, loving, two of my favorite people on earth. Of course, my wife, Sage Robbins, and the one and only Byron. Katie.

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Tony Robbins Channel

Episode Title: Byron Katie: The Simple Practice That Ends Emotional Suffering
Date: May 10, 2026
Host: Tony Robbins
Guests: Byron Katie, Sage Robbins

Episode Overview

In this special episode, Tony Robbins introduces listeners to a deeply moving live session between his wife, Sage Robbins, and renowned author and spiritual teacher Byron Katie. Rather than a traditional interview, Sage publicly walks through "The Work," Byron Katie’s transformative process of self-inquiry, using a real and challenging situation involving her mother, who is living with dementia. The episode offers an intimate demonstration of how four simple questions can dissolve emotional suffering, especially concerning loved ones. The goal: to model how anyone can use inquiry to find freedom, presence, and compassion, even in difficult family situations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Byron Katie’s Background and The Work

Tony Robbins sets the context by recounting Katie's story of profound depression and subsequent awakening in 1986 (01:09–01:22).
The Work is introduced: four questions plus a turnaround, offering a clear, repeatable path to end suffering by questioning stressful thoughts (01:24–05:05).
Katie emphasizes:
"All war belongs on paper. The war with the self, the way we see the world... it belongs on paper. War is war." – Byron Katie (05:13)

2. Applying The Work: Sage’s Experience with Her Mother

Situation: Sage describes her visit to her mother in a dementia care facility. Her mother becomes agitated upon recognizing her, and Sage feels she is the cause (07:00–09:08).

The Four Questions Applied (“Judge Your Neighbor” worksheet):

1. Is it true?

"You terrified your mother. Is it true?" – Byron Katie (09:08)
Sage responds yes, then explores her feelings of guilt, fear, and sadness.

2. Can you absolutely know it's true?

Sage admits she cannot absolutely know she terrified her mother (12:42–13:48).

3. How do you react when you believe that thought?

Sage describes physiological stress, withdrawal, and disconnect from her mom (10:03–10:58).
- "I wasn't present with my mom... my face told that story." – Sage (10:27)

4. Who would you be without the thought?

Byron Katie guides Sage to re-examine the moment, noticing her mother's smile and apparent well-being, which Sage missed in her anxiety (15:04–16:27).
- "My mom is not terrified. She was smiling and I missed that." – Sage (16:01)

Turnarounds:

Sage recognizes that it was she, not her mother, who was terrified and overwhelmed (16:31–17:06, 46:23–47:17).
Lesson: The suffering came from Sage’s beliefs, not from her mother’s reality.
- "It wasn't your mama... it was what you were thinking and believing about your mama." – Byron Katie (36:53)

3. Revisiting Core Beliefs About Caring

Sage realizes her wish for her mother to "feel safe, loved, and secure" was more about her own need for reassurance than her mother's (19:49–20:22).
Recognizes that her mother was already surrounded by love, community, and care (26:27–27:12).
Katie affirms:
"Some of us are taught to be... like being upset and concerned is love. But you are that presence when visiting your mom, not the mom you fear her to be." (27:19–27:55)

4. Insightful Moments and Quotes

Compassion and Humanizing Care:
- "Our mothers are no more or less than who we believe them to be when we're believing them to be that." – Byron Katie (52:13)
Self-Reflection:
- "I see so deeply how much I missed in that moment." – Sage (33:12)
Letting Go of Control:
- "To be happy, I need me to be okay with where my mom is and to feel the incredible love surrounding her." – Sage (42:09)
Relief and Presence:
- "It's freeing to sit with you and to really reflect and notice what I missed. I had so many stickies over my mama that day." – Sage (53:45)

5. Overarching Lessons

Freedom from Suffering: The practice of self-inquiry can release loved ones (and ourselves) from the stories we project onto them.
Staying Present: Much distress arises from being lost in past or future worries, instead of seeing what is real in the present (38:24–40:48).
Universal Application: “The Work” is accessible to all via worksheets at thework.com, and regular free sessions (57:04).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

"All fear belongs on paper, and it doesn't mean it's not valid." – Byron Katie (00:49)
"I missed my mom's joy and her natural way of being." – Sage (19:00)
"She's actually very clear and moving along... she was having ice cream when I walked up." – Sage (25:37)
"Medicine can be this work. The shift in my physical [at age 83] is radical." – Byron Katie (35:50)
"To give ourselves what we want to give to our mama, and to the people in your life." – Byron Katie (35:31)
"Thank you, mama. Thank you, Katie." – Sage (53:06)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic/Section | |-----------|---------------| | 01:09–05:00 | Tony introduces Byron Katie and “The Work” process | | 07:00–09:08 | Sage presents her situation with her mom | | 09:08–19:00 | Byron Katie guides Sage through the four questions | | 19:49–27:12 | Exploring Sage’s beliefs about wanting her mother to feel safe/loved | | 33:12–42:24 | Seeing what Sage missed—turnarounds and relief | | 46:23–47:17 | Deep realization: suffering is self-created through belief | | 53:06–57:04 | Closing reflections, gratitude, and resources |

Resources Mentioned

The Work — Byron Katie’s foundational method, available for free at thework.com.
Judge Your Neighbor Worksheet — Downloadable tool for inquiry.
Recommended Books:
- Loving What Is
- A Thousand Names for Joy
- I Need Your Love—Is That True?
- A Mind at Home with Itself

Tone & Atmosphere

The episode is gentle, intimate, vulnerable, and profoundly compassionate. Both Sage and Katie model self-inquiry with humor, openness, and care. Listeners are encouraged to witness their own stories and suffering with the same loving presence.

Final Reflection

This episode offers a living demonstration of “The Work,” showing not just how suffering can end, but how love and connection can deepen through self-inquiry. Listeners are invited to apply these questions in their own lives—especially in complex or painful relationships—to discover freedom and presence beyond habitual beliefs.

For more information and free resources, visit thework.com.