The Tony Robbins Podcast: “The Truth About Happiness You Were Never Taught”

With Tony Robbins & Michael Singer

Release Date: February 13, 2026

Overview

In this transformative episode, Tony Robbins and Sage Robbins host spiritual teacher and bestselling author Michael Singer (The Untethered Soul, The Surrender Experiment) for an exploration into the real source of happiness, fulfillment, and spiritual liberation. Michael Singer challenges common assumptions about happiness being tied to external circumstances and delivers actionable insights for cultivating unconditional happiness—regardless of life’s ups and downs. Drawing from deep spiritual wisdom and real-life experiences, Singer shares practical techniques to “stay open” and let go of inner blockages, inviting listeners into a life of greater joy, energy, and connection to the divine.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Debunking the Myth: Happiness Is Not About Getting What You Want

• At 01:07 Singer reframes the spiritual path around enthusiasm for “every moment,” not just “special ones.”
  • “Some people say, find your passion in life. I say, find out why you're not passionate about everything.” — Michael Singer [00:00]
• Most people equate happiness with getting what they want or avoiding what they dislike, based on external circumstances.
• The “truth table of happiness”:
  • Getting what you want = Open/Happy
  • Not getting what you want = Disappointed/Closed
  • Getting what you don’t want = Unhappy/Closed
  • Not getting what you don’t want = Relieved
  • “If you believe the only way you can be happy is to get what you want, then you're going to go out into the world and try techniques to get what you want. But spirituality is deeper—it's about why the outside affects the inside.” — Michael Singer [06:19]
• The deep insight: The outside world “doesn’t have to” affect your inner state. The answer is inside, not outside.

2. The Real Work: Opening Stays Within

• Spiritual growth is not about manipulating life but about learning to remain open within, regardless of circumstance.
  • “Why is my natural state not completely open? Why, when something happens outside that I want, do I open? And why, when something happens outside that I don't want, do I close? That now starts to get spiritual as opposed to worldly.” — Michael Singer [05:19]
• Singer’s approach: Instead of searching for techniques to “open,” focus on not closing.
  • “You do know how to close. You do that very, very comfortably inside yourself very quickly. Can you learn not to close? That becomes the essence of all spirituality.” — Michael Singer [11:53]
• The “low-hanging fruit” of spiritual practice is using everyday irritations (bad weather, red lights, slow drivers) as opportunities to practice not closing.
  • “Is it worth giving up the joy, the enthusiasm of life because the light turned red?” — Michael Singer [14:11]

3. Learn to Relax through Resistance

• Tension and resistance are necessary to close down, so relaxation is Singer’s primary tool for staying open.
  • “Relaxation is a tremendously powerful tool… When you relax, you can’t resist.” — Michael Singer [15:19]
• Practice catching the urge to close, relaxing, and letting the difficult moment pass through you. Don’t start with the hardest problems—begin with minor annoyances.
• This practice is analogous to learning scales before playing Beethoven—start simple, build capacity.

4. Why Aren’t We Always Happy? Suppression and Blockages

• People accumulate inner blockages by resisting and suppressing upsetting experiences throughout life.
  • “You pushed away every single thing that ever bothered you and made a storehouse out of it, and now it keeps coming back up.” — Michael Singer [22:31]
• These mental and emotional “storehouses” prevent shakti—your natural energy, joy, and love—from flowing freely.
• The external world doesn’t “steal” your happiness; you do, by clinging or pushing away experiences.

5. Unconditional Happiness: Stop Adding to the Blockages

• Understand that every act of resistance adds to your internal blockages; every act of letting go brings you closer to your innate joy.
  • “The moment in front of you is not bothering you. You’re bothering yourself about the moment in front of you. Stop it.” — Michael Singer [35:16]
• You can’t eliminate blockages all at once. As you stop suppressing new irritations, “old” suppressed material will begin to surface—let it come and relax through it.
• The flow of energy (“shakti”) naturally returns as the blockages are released.

6. Practical Journey: Letting Go in Daily Life

• Letting go begins with small daily moments; it becomes a deeper process as triggered pains and traumas arise.
• Relax and allow even painful memories or emotions to pass through, rather than suppressing them again.
  • “When the garbage starts coming up, you'll apologize to it… You'll give it compassion, you’ll give it love. That’s the pain of soul birth.” — Michael Singer [46:41]

7. Higher Dimensions: Realizing the True Self

• As letting go becomes consistent, you begin to identify less with thoughts, emotions, and ego, and more as the “consciousness” witnessing it all.
  • “I’m the consciousness watching this happen. I’m watching myself relax, I’m watching myself be blocked… You start relating to yourself as the consciousness that’s watching.” — Michael Singer [51:29]
• The result: expanded awareness, greater clarity, increased love and compassion—without the need to “get” anything from outside.
• “You're not a human being. That's a joke, right? You're a being of tremendous power, tremendous energy. Christ blushes when he looks at you.” — Michael Singer [49:25]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Singer’s Core Teaching:
  “Some people say, find your passion in life. I say, find out why you’re not passionate about everything.” — Michael Singer [00:00]
• On Happiness:
  “The world is not stealing your happiness. You are.” — Michael Singer [00:23, 41:28]
• On Letting Go:
  “Don't close.” — Michael Singer [12:53] “The moment in front of you is not bothering you. You’re bothering yourself about the moment in front of you. Stop it.” — Michael Singer [35:16]
• On Facing Pain:
  “The pain is the pain of soul birth, not childbirth… Are you willing to go through what it feels like to let go of this stuff as it comes up inside?” — Michael Singer [46:46]
• On the Spiritual Path:
  “There’s no way out except through.” — Michael Singer [48:19]
• On the Result:
  “You are eternal conscious ecstasy.” — Michael Singer [57:48] “When you no longer need anything, you’re whole and complete within yourself.” — Michael Singer [59:13]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |:-------------:|:-------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Opening wisdom: Passion for life | | 01:07 | Singer defines true happiness and joy | | 06:00 | The external vs. internal reality | | 11:53 | The discipline: Not closing | | 14:11 | Everyday spiritual “practice” | | 15:19 | Relaxation as spiritual practice | | 22:31 | The storehouse of blocked emotions | | 35:16 | Signature quote: “Stop it” | | 41:28 | How blockages suppress inner energy | | 46:41 | Pain as soul birth; compassion | | 49:25 | Universal self & divine consciousness | | 51:29 | Witness consciousness | | 55:40 | Applying surrender in business | | 62:39 | Singer on facing his legal ordeal | | 67:08 | Sage Robbins’ gratitude and practice |

Real-World Examples: Letting Go in Business/Life

Michael Singer’s “Surrender Experiment” in Practice ([55:56])

• He never set out to make money or run a business; opportunities found him as he learned to “let go of himself” and surrender to what life brought him—leading to great business success.
  • “First let go, then do your best at what the universe put in front of you. That was the surrender experiment.” — Michael Singer [60:57]
• Even amid massive challenges—including a six-year federal investigation (all charges dropped except against the real perpetrator)—Singer relied on surrender, letting go, and trust in life.
  • “How do I use it to go to God? ...No matter what happened, I was going to let go of Mickey.” — Michael Singer [64:46]

Final Reflections

• Happiness is not a reward for manipulating external circumstances but a condition that arises when you stop blocking your natural flow of joy, love, and energy.
• Each moment—pleasant or not—is an opportunity to “not close,” to let go, and to relax into your deeper being.
• True fulfillment comes from expressing the abundance that is already within—not compensating for a sense of lack.

Useful Reminders & Practice Points

• Catch moments of resistance and practice relaxation, not suppression.
• Let past pains or traumas surface, so you can compassionately release them.
• View yourself as consciousness, the observer of thoughts and emotions—not merely the ego or its storylines.
• Explore letting go in all parts of life: relationships, business setbacks, daily frustrations.
• Reframe every challenge with Sage Robbins’ mantra: “…and this too.” [66:58]

Further Reading/Listening

• Michael Singer, The Untethered Soul
• Michael Singer, The Surrender Experiment
• For those in business or facing life’s challenges: “First let go of yourself, then do your best at what the universe put in front of you.” — Michael Singer [60:57]

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