By: Tyler Roberts

“Loving her is the easy part. The challenge is liking her all the time.”

That’s how Mike Moore—co-founder of Couples.Solutions—opened his recent conversation on the Love Your Wife Podcast, offering a glimpse into the kind of honesty that has characterized his 30-year marriage with Robin Temple.

In an era where the average marriage lasts around eight years, Moore and Temple have built not just a relationship—but also a curriculum, a business, and a mission—around helping couples stay connected and in tune. Their story, shaped by both deep loss and notable resilience, includes a tragedy that could have ended everything—and instead became the foundation for the work they now share with others.

When Love Isn’t Enough

Mike described the early days of living with Robin as “shockingly difficult.”

Despite five years of emotional connection before becoming a couple, the reality of blending two families proved challenging. “We were really incompatible,” he said. “We had really different ideas about how to raise kids.” The adjustment nearly caused them to separate.

Then came the unimaginable: Robin’s 10-year-old son tragically died in a biking accident just two months after they moved in together.

Mike stayed. “For me, Dennis, it was clear that I couldn’t leave and continue to hold any self-respect,” he explained. He committed to enduring the grief with her. “It was one of the hardest emotional experiences I’ve ever been through—by far.”

They spent two years “in emotional turmoil,” but continued to move forward. What helped? “Robin grieved,” Mike said. “She didn’t avoid it. And that’s the work. You have to grieve. There’s no way around it.”

When the Marriage Almost Ended

Seven years into their relationship, Moore found himself emotionally drawn to someone else. “It felt like a warning sign,” he admitted. Rather than hiding it, he brought it to Robin and suggested they reconsider their wedding vows.

“We looked at them and realized there were things we were doing well—and things we could improve on.” That moment led to a significant decision: “We agreed that we were no longer married—not legally, just between us—until we could reach a place where neither of us had ongoing grievances about the other.”

The new standard was simple: Can we like each other without unresolved resentment?

Years later, Mike says they’ve reached that point. “I have grown to accept all of her exactly as she is. That’s taken many years of attention and effort.”

Not Rules—Practices

Today, Couples.Solutions offers retreats, coaching, and workshops based on years of learning and practice. Mike, who began as a land surveyor and later became a curriculum developer, joined Robin in training other professionals in relationship work.

They emphasize practical tools over abstract theory.

One example? Gratitude. Mike and Robin practice daily expressions of appreciation—specific actions, clearly stated impact, face-to-face. “It’s one of our core practices,” he said.

Another is Positive Intelligence, a mental fitness framework that helped Mike reduce emotional reactivity. “The part of my brain that ruminates—making a case against Robin during the day—I’ve learned how to replace that with sensory awareness,” he said. “It’s been a significant change.”

Marriage Is Still Worth It—If You’re Willing to Grow

After three decades, Mike Moore says there’s no clear finish line—just the choice to keep showing up.

He admits he still has to manage his own patterns, especially emotional reactivity. But he’s seen real progress. That shift didn’t come from luck. It came from daily practices—like mindfulness, gratitude, and learning how to listen without defense. And perhaps most importantly, from accepting an important truth:

“The most important thing I can do for my relationship is being healthy and well myself.”

Moore is clear: real connection takes courage, effort, and personal responsibility.

That’s the work. And for couples willing to do it, he believes the reward isn’t just staying together—it’s growing and improving together.

For information on Mike and Robin’s transformative course, Tools for True Love, go to www.Couples.SOLUTIONS.

 

 

 

 

Published by Liz SD.