How to Move On, Let Go of Past Mistakes, and Reinvent Yourself

The Mel Robbins Podcast

SiriusXM Podcasts

Education, Mental Health, Relationships, Self-improvement, Society & Culture, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 10.6K Ratings

🗓️ 24 July 2025

⏱️ 66 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today’s episode is a deeply honest conversation about what it takes to let go of mistakes, forgive yourself, leave your past in the past, and create a new version of you. In this moving episode, Mel sits down with her friend Carl Lentz, a former megachurch pastor, who watched his life implode in real time. Carl doesn’t dodge the truth: His actions shattered trust, cost him his career, and nearly destroyed his family. But this is not a story about scandal. It’s about what you do after the worst moment of your life. It’s about the courage to face what you’ve done, to stop running, to forgive yourself — and to rebuild something stronger from the wreckage. Carl doesn’t pretend to have it all figured out. What he offers is honesty without excuses, wisdom forged in pain, and a raw invitation to stop letting your past dictate your future. If you’ve made mistakes, if you’re struggling to forgive someone, if you're trying to put the pieces back together, this conversation will meet you right where you are. Because you are not your worst moment. And your next chapter is still yours to write. For more resources, click here for the podcast episode page. If you liked this episode and want to know more about how to write that next chapter, listen to this episode next: How to Find Your Purpose & Design the Life You Want Connect with Mel: Get Mel’s #1 bestselling book, The Let Them Theory Watch the episodes on YouTube Follow Mel on Instagram The Mel Robbins Podcast Instagram Mel's TikTok Sign up for Mel’s personal letter Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes ad-free Disclaimer

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast.
0:08.6	Are there things from your past that you're trying to outrun for a chapter of your life that you just don't want to talk about or think about anymore?
0:16.7	A moment you regret so deeply. Maybe it was a lie, a betrayal, a decision you can't undo.
0:25.2	Maybe you hurt someone, or maybe the person that you hurt was yourself.
0:29.6	Whatever it is, I'm going to tell you something, you can't outrun it, outdrink it, out-ignor it,
0:35.7	and if you're tired of feeling the way to shame or guilt or just
0:38.9	unsure, if you'll ever feel happy again, let's talk about it. Let's talk about what it actually
0:45.3	takes to forgive yourself when you mess up. And I'm not talking about like a oops I made a mistake
0:49.7	kind of way. I'm talking about the real gut wrenching, I hurt people I love kind of way. This conversation
0:58.4	today is about those moments that split your life into a before and after. Here's the truth.
1:06.9	You can't heal what you won't face, and you can't move forward by pretending the past never happened.
1:13.5	Today, you and I are going to dive deep into the heart of what it means to own your mistakes when you know what you did was wrong, and finally forgive yourself and move on.
1:41.5	Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast. I'm absolutely thrilled that you're here. And it is always such an honor to spend time with you and to be together.
1:45.7	And if you're a new listener, I also want to take a moment and personally welcome you to the Mel Robbins podcast family.
1:51.9	Because you made time to listen to this particular episode, I know you're the kind of person who truly values real, deep conversations that make you think
2:02.4	differently about yourself, about your life, and the conversation we're about to have today,
2:08.6	oh my gosh, it is going to be incredible because we're going to be talking about what do you do
2:14.8	after you truly, royally screw things up? Is forgiveness even possible?
2:22.2	See, in our Boston studios today, I have the perfect person to help you and me think about
2:27.3	forgiveness and how you rebuild after making so many mistakes. And the reason why he's the perfect
2:33.3	person is because he's had to do this
2:35.4	himself. I'm going to introduce you to a very good friend of mine. And when you hear who this person is,
	...

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