Advertise on podcast: The Climb Higher Podcast

Send us Fan Mail After a relationship ends, it’s easy to become consumed by the things you wish you had done differently. You replay conversations, examine your failures, and catalogue every mistake—believing that enough analysis will eventually bring relief. In Episode 26 of The Climb Higher Podcast, Coach Michael explores the important difference between honest accountability and ongoing self-punishment. Accountability helps you understand your mistakes, change unhealthy patterns, and become wiser. Self-punishment keeps prosecuting you long after the lesson has been learned. Forgiving yourself doesn’t mean excusing your behavior, avoiding responsibility, or pretending your choices had no consequences. It means applying the same fairness and compassion to yourself that you would offer someone you love. You can acknowledge where you fell short without allowing those moments to define you. You can carry the wisdom forward without continuing to carry the sentence. Support the show About Climb Higher Life doesn't always go according to plan—but your story isn't over. Climb Higher is a weekly podcast hosted by Michael Temple, where relationships, resilience, personal growth, and emotional recovery take center stage. Through practical insights, powerful stories, and thought-provoking conversations, Michael helps listeners navigate life's toughest seasons while building a stronger future. Whether you're healing from heartbreak, rebuilding after loss, strengthening your mindset, or simply looking for encouragement to keep moving forward, each episode is designed to challenge, inspire, and equip you for the journey ahead. Follow Michael on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Michael To The Max. Ready to take the next step in your healing journey? 👉 Coaching, courses, and resources: https://stan.store/michaeltothemax

Send us Fan Mail The Comparison Trap Comparison can quietly convince you that you’re falling behind in your recovery—especially when your ex appears to be happy, moving forward, or already involved with someone new. In Episode 25 of The Climb Higher Podcast, Coach Michael examines why comparing your internal struggle to someone else’s outward appearance will almost always leave you feeling inadequate. A social media post, secondhand update, or carefully presented snapshot cannot tell you what someone is genuinely experiencing. Your ex’s apparent progress is not a verdict on your value, the significance of the relationship, or the pace of your healing. You are navigating a different experience with a different emotional landscape. There is only one comparison that can accurately measure your progress: you versus you. When you stop looking sideways and begin recognizing how far you’ve come, you may discover that you aren’t failing your recovery—you’ve simply been measuring it against the wrong standard. Support the show About Climb Higher Life doesn't always go according to plan—but your story isn't over. Climb Higher is a weekly podcast hosted by Michael Temple, where relationships, resilience, personal growth, and emotional recovery take center stage. Through practical insights, powerful stories, and thought-provoking conversations, Michael helps listeners navigate life's toughest seasons while building a stronger future. Whether you're healing from heartbreak, rebuilding after loss, strengthening your mindset, or simply looking for encouragement to keep moving forward, each episode is designed to challenge, inspire, and equip you for the journey ahead. Follow Michael on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Michael To The Max. Ready to take the next step in your healing journey? 👉 Coaching, courses, and resources: https://stan.store/michaeltothemax

Send us Fan Mail After a breakup, divorce, or significant loss, something subtle can happen: what happened to you can slowly become how you define yourself. You stop seeing it as one difficult chapter and begin treating it as the summary of your entire story. In Episode 24 of The Climb Higher Podcast, Coach Michael explores how identity becomes tangled in loss—and the important difference between owning your experience and allowing that experience to own you. What happened was real. The pain mattered, and it may have changed you. Still, you are more than the person who was left, betrayed, rejected, or whose relationship ended. Your story is still being written. New chapters can take shape, your identity can be reclaimed, and the hardest thing you’ve experienced does not have to become the defining truth about who you are. Support the show About Climb Higher Life doesn't always go according to plan—but your story isn't over. Climb Higher is a weekly podcast hosted by Michael Temple, where relationships, resilience, personal growth, and emotional recovery take center stage. Through practical insights, powerful stories, and thought-provoking conversations, Michael helps listeners navigate life's toughest seasons while building a stronger future. Whether you're healing from heartbreak, rebuilding after loss, strengthening your mindset, or simply looking for encouragement to keep moving forward, each episode is designed to challenge, inspire, and equip you for the journey ahead. Follow Michael on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Michael To The Max. Ready to take the next step in your healing journey? 👉 Coaching, courses, and resources: https://stan.store/michaeltothemax

Send us Fan Mail What does real strength look like when you’re hurting? Many people become experts at appearing fine. They keep working, keep functioning, and make sure no one sees how much they’re struggling. That may look like strength from the outside, but maintaining that performance can become more exhausting than the pain itself. In Episode 23 of The Climb Higher Podcast, Coach Michael explores the difference between genuine strength and emotional suppression. You’ll learn why buried emotions don’t simply disappear, why asking for help isn’t weakness, and how being honest with one trusted person can become an important step toward healing. Real strength isn’t pretending the pain doesn’t exist. It’s acknowledging what you feel while refusing to let those feelings control your choices. If you’ve been silently carrying more than anyone realizes, this episode is for you. Support the show About Climb Higher Life doesn't always go according to plan—but your story isn't over. Climb Higher is a weekly podcast hosted by Michael Temple, where relationships, resilience, personal growth, and emotional recovery take center stage. Through practical insights, powerful stories, and thought-provoking conversations, Michael helps listeners navigate life's toughest seasons while building a stronger future. Whether you're healing from heartbreak, rebuilding after loss, strengthening your mindset, or simply looking for encouragement to keep moving forward, each episode is designed to challenge, inspire, and equip you for the journey ahead. Follow Michael on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Michael To The Max. Ready to take the next step in your healing journey? 👉 Coaching, courses, and resources: https://stan.store/michaeltothemax

Send us Fan Mail Why did they do it? Did they ever really love me? What did I miss? What could I have done differently? If you’ve spent hours replaying conversations, analyzing old messages, and searching for the one answer that will finally make everything make sense, you know how exhausting overthinking can become after a breakup. In this episode of The Climb Higher Podcast, Michael Temple explains why your mind keeps returning to questions it cannot answer—and why trying harder to “figure it out” can actually keep the cycle going. Your brain is remarkably good at solving problems. The problem is that heartbreak often gives it questions that thinking alone cannot solve. The other person’s thoughts aren't available to you. The past can't be changed. Yet your mind keeps searching because it believes resolution might be just one more thought away. That’s the trap. Michael explores the difference between productive reflection and rumination, why more analysis often strengthens the loop, and how learning to interrupt that loop can help you regain control of your attention. Because sometimes the way forward isn't finding a better answer. It’s recognizing that the question is no longer taking you anywhere. You don’t need to stop being a deep thinker. You need to learn when your thinking is helping you—and when it’s holding you hostage. If you’re exhausted from trying to think your way out of heartbreak, this episode is for you. Remember: the higher you climb, the better the view. Support the show About Climb Higher Life doesn't always go according to plan—but your story isn't over. Climb Higher is a weekly podcast hosted by Michael Temple, where relationships, resilience, personal growth, and emotional recovery take center stage. Through practical insights, powerful stories, and thought-provoking conversations, Michael helps listeners navigate life's toughest seasons while building a stronger future. Whether you're healing from heartbreak, rebuilding after loss, strengthening your mindset, or simply looking for encouragement to keep moving forward, each episode is designed to challenge, inspire, and equip you for the journey ahead. Follow Michael on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Michael To The Max. Ready to take the next step in your healing journey? 👉 Coaching, courses, and resources: https://stan.store/michaeltothemax

Send us Fan Mail You’ve been doing better. You’re sleeping again. You’re thinking about them less. Life is starting to feel normal. Then a song plays. A date on the calendar arrives. Someone mentions their name. Suddenly, the grief comes rushing back and you find yourself thinking: “I thought I was past this.” In this episode of The Climb Higher Podcast, Coach Michael explains why those difficult days don't necessarily mean you've lost your progress—and why healing rarely happens in a straight line. Recovery often looks more like a spiral. You may encounter the same memories, emotions, and triggers again, but you're encountering them from a different place than you did before. Michael explores how emotional triggers work, why a painful day can feel so much like regression, and one of the biggest mistakes people make when measuring their recovery: comparing today's difficult moment to their recent best days instead of looking at how much their overall baseline has changed. You’ll also learn why the duration of a setback can tell you more about your progress than the intensity of the emotion itself. Most importantly, remember this on the hard days: This is not where I live anymore. It’s just where I am right now. Don't make permanent decisions based on temporary pain. Don't assume one difficult day has erased months of growth. Sometimes the fact that a bad day feels so unusual is evidence of just how far you've already come. Healing is quieter than we expect. Sometimes you have to look back to see how much your ordinary has changed. Remember: the higher you climb, the better the view. Support the show About Climb Higher Life doesn't always go according to plan—but your story isn't over. Climb Higher is a weekly podcast hosted by Michael Temple, where relationships, resilience, personal growth, and emotional recovery take center stage. Through practical insights, powerful stories, and thought-provoking conversations, Michael helps listeners navigate life's toughest seasons while building a stronger future. Whether you're healing from heartbreak, rebuilding after loss, strengthening your mindset, or simply looking for encouragement to keep moving forward, each episode is designed to challenge, inspire, and equip you for the journey ahead. Follow Michael on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Michael To The Max. Ready to take the next step in your healing journey? 👉 Coaching, courses, and resources: https://stan.store/michaeltothemax

Send us Fan Mail Being alone and being lonely are not the same thing. After a relationship ends, though, it can certainly feel that way. The house is quieter. The weekends feel different. The routines you shared are gone. Suddenly, you're spending time with a version of yourself you may not have known for years—or perhaps have never really known at all. In this episode of The Climb Higher Podcast, Michael Temple explores why learning to be alone may be one of the most important parts of rebuilding your life after a breakup or significant loss. You’ll discover the difference between solitude and loneliness, why the end of a long relationship can leave your identity feeling unsettled, and how the fear of being alone can cause people to choose their next relationship for company rather than compatibility. Because the goal isn't to find someone as quickly as possible to fill the empty space. The goal is to become someone who chooses a relationship from a place of wholeness rather than need. Learning to enjoy your own company doesn't mean choosing isolation. It means becoming comfortable enough with yourself that you don't need another person's presence to make you feel complete. If the silence after a relationship has been difficult—or you're tempted to rush into something new simply because being alone feels uncomfortable—this episode is for you. Sometimes solitude isn't the problem. Sometimes it's where you finally begin discovering yourself again. Remember: the higher you climb, the better the view. Support the show About Climb Higher Life doesn't always go according to plan—but your story isn't over. Climb Higher is a weekly podcast hosted by Michael Temple, where relationships, resilience, personal growth, and emotional recovery take center stage. Through practical insights, powerful stories, and thought-provoking conversations, Michael helps listeners navigate life's toughest seasons while building a stronger future. Whether you're healing from heartbreak, rebuilding after loss, strengthening your mindset, or simply looking for encouragement to keep moving forward, each episode is designed to challenge, inspire, and equip you for the journey ahead. Follow Michael on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Michael To The Max. Ready to take the next step in your healing journey? 👉 Coaching, courses, and resources: https://stan.store/michaeltothemax

Send us Fan Mail Episode 19: Stop Waiting for Closure How long are you willing to put your healing on hold while you wait for someone else to give you closure? Maybe you're waiting for an explanation. An apology. One final conversation. Something that finally makes what happened make sense. The problem is, that conversation may never come. Even if it does, it may not give you the peace you thought it would. In this episode of The Climb Higher Podcast, Michael Temple challenges one of the most common beliefs that keeps people emotionally attached after a relationship ends: the idea that closure has to come from the other person. You’ll discover why waiting for closure isn't emotionally neutral, how it keeps part of your attention invested in the past, and why an explanation from your ex may never resolve everything you're hoping it will. Most importantly, Michael offers a different way forward: Closure is not something another person gives you. Closure is a decision you make. You can acknowledge that the relationship mattered. You can wish you had answers. You can even hope that someday an apology or explanation comes. Your healing simply cannot depend on it. If you've been waiting for one last conversation before you finally allow yourself to move forward, this episode is for you. You don't need their permission to heal. Remember: the higher you climb, the better the view. Support the show About Climb Higher Life doesn't always go according to plan—but your story isn't over. Climb Higher is a weekly podcast hosted by Michael Temple, where relationships, resilience, personal growth, and emotional recovery take center stage. Through practical insights, powerful stories, and thought-provoking conversations, Michael helps listeners navigate life's toughest seasons while building a stronger future. Whether you're healing from heartbreak, rebuilding after loss, strengthening your mindset, or simply looking for encouragement to keep moving forward, each episode is designed to challenge, inspire, and equip you for the journey ahead. Follow Michael on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Michael To The Max. Ready to take the next step in your healing journey? 👉 Coaching, courses, and resources: https://stan.store/michaeltothemax

Send us Fan Mail What does it actually mean to “let go”? For many people, letting go feels like forgetting. Like admitting the relationship didn’t matter, excusing what someone did, or somehow erasing an important chapter of your life. That isn’t letting go. In this episode of The Climb Higher Podcast, Michael Temple explores the difference between holding a memory and being held by it—and why moving forward doesn’t require you to deny what happened or forget what you lost. You’ll learn why letting go is less about erasing the past and more about releasing your grip on an outcome that is no longer coming. Michael also shares a personal lesson from his own life after heart transplantation and explains why healing often happens through small, deliberate decisions about where you place your attention. You don’t have to erase the past to build a future. Hold the memory. But don’t let the memory hold you. If you’re struggling to release a relationship, a loss, or a chapter of life that ended differently than you hoped, this episode is for you. Remember: the higher you climb, the better the view. Support the show About Climb Higher Life doesn't always go according to plan—but your story isn't over. Climb Higher is a weekly podcast hosted by Michael Temple, where relationships, resilience, personal growth, and emotional recovery take center stage. Through practical insights, powerful stories, and thought-provoking conversations, Michael helps listeners navigate life's toughest seasons while building a stronger future. Whether you're healing from heartbreak, rebuilding after loss, strengthening your mindset, or simply looking for encouragement to keep moving forward, each episode is designed to challenge, inspire, and equip you for the journey ahead. Follow Michael on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Michael To The Max. Ready to take the next step in your healing journey? 👉 Coaching, courses, and resources: https://stan.store/michaeltothemax

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever looked at your life and thought, "I'm starting over"?  After heartbreak, loss, or unexpected change, it can feel like everything you've built has disappeared. In this episode, Coach Michael challenges one of the most discouraging beliefs people carry after a major setback and offers a perspective that can replace hopelessness with confidence. Your next chapter may be closer than you think. Support the show About Climb Higher Life doesn't always go according to plan—but your story isn't over. Climb Higher is a weekly podcast hosted by Michael Temple, where relationships, resilience, personal growth, and emotional recovery take center stage. Through practical insights, powerful stories, and thought-provoking conversations, Michael helps listeners navigate life's toughest seasons while building a stronger future. Whether you're healing from heartbreak, rebuilding after loss, strengthening your mindset, or simply looking for encouragement to keep moving forward, each episode is designed to challenge, inspire, and equip you for the journey ahead. Follow Michael on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Michael To The Max. Ready to take the next step in your healing journey? 👉 Coaching, courses, and resources: https://stan.store/michaeltothemax

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever looked at your life and thought, "I'm starting over"?  After heartbreak, loss, or unexpected change, it can feel like everything you've built has disappeared. In this episode, Coach Michael challenges one of the most discouraging beliefs people carry after a major setback and offers a perspective that can replace hopelessness with confidence. Your next chapter may be closer than you think. Support the show About Climb Higher Life doesn't always go according to plan—but your story isn't over. Climb Higher is a weekly podcast hosted by Michael Temple, where relationships, resilience, personal growth, and emotional recovery take center stage. Through practical insights, powerful stories, and thought-provoking conversations, Michael helps listeners navigate life's toughest seasons while building a stronger future. Whether you're healing from heartbreak, rebuilding after loss, strengthening your mindset, or simply looking for encouragement to keep moving forward, each episode is designed to challenge, inspire, and equip you for the journey ahead. Follow Michael on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Michael To The Max. Ready to take the next step in your healing journey? 👉 Coaching, courses, and resources: https://stan.store/michaeltothemax

Send us Fan Mail We often tell ourselves we know what's holding us back. What if we're wrong? In this episode, Coach Michael uncovers one of the most overlooked fears that follows heartbreak and explains why recognizing it may be the first real step toward moving forward.  Support the show About Climb Higher Life doesn't always go according to plan—but your story isn't over. Climb Higher is a weekly podcast hosted by Michael Temple, where relationships, resilience, personal growth, and emotional recovery take center stage. Through practical insights, powerful stories, and thought-provoking conversations, Michael helps listeners navigate life's toughest seasons while building a stronger future. Whether you're healing from heartbreak, rebuilding after loss, strengthening your mindset, or simply looking for encouragement to keep moving forward, each episode is designed to challenge, inspire, and equip you for the journey ahead. Follow Michael on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Michael To The Max. Ready to take the next step in your healing journey? 👉 Coaching, courses, and resources: https://stan.store/michaeltothemax

Send us Fan Mail Episode 14: The Difference Between Existing and Living After heartbreak, loss, trauma, or disappointment, many people continue going through the motions of life. They go to work. They pay the bills. They keep showing up. But deep down, they no longer feel fully alive. They're existing—but they're not really living. In this episode of The Climb Higher Podcast, Coach Michael explores the subtle but powerful difference between surviving and truly engaging with life again. Drawing from his own experience following a heart transplant, he shares why surviving a life-changing event doesn't automatically teach you how to live—and why so many people remain stuck in survival mode long after the crisis has passed.  You'll learn how heartbreak and disappointment can cause people to build lives centered around protection rather than participation, and why avoiding pain often means unintentionally avoiding joy as well. Through practical insights and encouraging challenges, this episode offers a roadmap for moving beyond merely getting through the day and rediscovering what it means to feel excited, hopeful, and engaged with life again.  In this episode you'll discover: The difference between surviving and truly livingWhy many people remain stuck in survival mode for yearsHow psychological flexibility contributes to life satisfactionWhy motivation often follows action—not the other way aroundHow to begin participating in your future instead of protecting yourself from your pastMost importantly, you'll be challenged to ask a different question. Not, "How do I protect myself?" but, "How do I live?" This week's challenge: Ask yourself, "What is one thing that would make me feel more alive?" Then take one small step toward it. Because life rarely changes through intention alone—it changes through participation.  Support the show About Climb Higher Life doesn't always go according to plan—but your story isn't over. Climb Higher is a weekly podcast hosted by Michael Temple, where relationships, resilience, personal growth, and emotional recovery take center stage. Through practical insights, powerful stories, and thought-provoking conversations, Michael helps listeners navigate life's toughest seasons while building a stronger future. Whether you're healing from heartbreak, rebuilding after loss, strengthening your mindset, or simply looking for encouragement to keep moving forward, each episode is designed to challenge, inspire, and equip you for the journey ahead. Follow Michael on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Michael To The Max. Ready to take the next step in your healing journey? 👉 Coaching, courses, and resources: https://stan.store/michaeltothemax

Send us Fan Mail Episode 13: You Are More Than What Happened To You At some point in every healing journey, the focus has to shift. The question can no longer be, "What happened to me?"The question becomes, "Who am I becoming because of it?" In this episode of The Climb Higher Podcast, Coach Michael explores how painful experiences—breakups, divorce, betrayal, loss, failure, and even life-threatening events—can quietly become part of our identity if we're not careful. Drawing from his own journey through a widow-maker heart attack, clinical death, and a heart transplant, Michael shares a powerful perspective on the difference between being defined by what happened to you and choosing who you will become because of it.  You'll learn why painful events are chapters in your story—not the entire story—and how many people unknowingly become trapped in an identity built around their wounds. This episode introduces the concept of post-traumatic growth and explains how adversity, while painful, can become the catalyst for a stronger sense of purpose, direction, and meaning.  In this episode you'll discover: Why painful experiences are events, not identitiesThe difference between experiencing pain and becoming painHow purpose helps pull you forward when pain keeps pulling you backwardWhat post-traumatic growth teaches us about resilienceWhy rebuilding often comes before complete healingMost importantly, you'll be challenged to stop seeing yourself solely through the lens of what you've lost and begin focusing on the person you're becoming.  This week's challenge: Ask yourself one powerful question: If my pain was no longer my identity, who would I be? The answer may reveal the next chapter that's been waiting for you all along. Support the show About Climb Higher Life doesn't always go according to plan—but your story isn't over. Climb Higher is a weekly podcast hosted by Michael Temple, where relationships, resilience, personal growth, and emotional recovery take center stage. Through practical insights, powerful stories, and thought-provoking conversations, Michael helps listeners navigate life's toughest seasons while building a stronger future. Whether you're healing from heartbreak, rebuilding after loss, strengthening your mindset, or simply looking for encouragement to keep moving forward, each episode is designed to challenge, inspire, and equip you for the journey ahead. Follow Michael on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Michael To The Max. Ready to take the next step in your healing journey? 👉 Coaching, courses, and resources: https://stan.store/michaeltothemax

Send us Fan Mail Episode 12: The Day You Stop Waiting There comes a moment in every healing journey when you face a choice: continue waiting for someone else to decide your future—or start living your life again. In this episode of The Climb Higher Podcast, Coach Michael explores one of the most important turning points after heartbreak: the day you stop putting your life on hold. Not because you've stopped caring. Not because you've become bitter. But because you've decided your future deserves more than waiting for someone else's decision.  Drawing on psychological concepts like radical acceptance and emotional resilience, Michael explains why so many people become trapped in "what if" thinking and how waiting can quietly steal years from your life. You'll learn why acceptance isn't giving up, why moving forward doesn't erase the past, and why healing often begins when you stop asking what they're going to do and start focusing on what you're going to do.  In this episode you'll discover: Why waiting can become a hidden form of emotional paralysisThe difference between acceptance and approvalHow radical acceptance accelerates healingWhy moving forward doesn't mean the relationship didn't matterThe powerful mindset shift that helps you reclaim your futureMost importantly, you'll learn that healing isn't about forgetting someone. It's about refusing to place your life on hold while waiting for them.  This week's challenge: Ask yourself one powerful question: If you knew with certainty your ex was never coming back, what would you start doing differently tomorrow? Your answer may reveal exactly where your healing needs to begin.  Support the show About Climb Higher Life doesn't always go according to plan—but your story isn't over. Climb Higher is a weekly podcast hosted by Michael Temple, where relationships, resilience, personal growth, and emotional recovery take center stage. Through practical insights, powerful stories, and thought-provoking conversations, Michael helps listeners navigate life's toughest seasons while building a stronger future. Whether you're healing from heartbreak, rebuilding after loss, strengthening your mindset, or simply looking for encouragement to keep moving forward, each episode is designed to challenge, inspire, and equip you for the journey ahead. Follow Michael on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at Michael To The Max. Ready to take the next step in your healing journey? 👉 Coaching, courses, and resources: https://stan.store/michaeltothemax