Overcoming Adversity to Elevate with Nick Regina

There is a spiritual war happening on planet Earth, you know, and we've talked about this, and we're living through a very important time in human history where never before has the darkness been more prevalent, you know, and never before have more people been divided, you know, and there's a lot of people who are living very unconscious, unintentional. And if you're not aware of your energy, you're not aware of your habits, you're not getting. Getting up, doing your morning practice, praying to whatever God, source, universe you pray to, if you're not connected to a higher power right now, you're at risk. Welcome to the Path to Purpose podcast, where I share incredible conversations with amazing humans who went through a pivotal shift in their lives that have put them on their path of purpose, profit, and impact. My name is Zaraq Fatah. I'm a serial entrepreneur and life coach. I went through my own 180 degree shift where I am now committed to living a life of inspiration, education, and empowerment. My intention is to share these conversations so they inspire you to also walk your path of purpose. So three weeks for the stash. That's what's taken.

We got to put a little warp spin on it. Yeah, of course.

Yeah. I told Nick yesterday he looks like a 22 year old, trying to look like he's 30. You know, you're trying to look a little bit older, like you got some game.

Yeah.

But, yeah, I mean, I think another couple of weeks, it'll come in a little bit more.

A little bit.

Yeah, yeah.

The wife. The wife walks in. As I was just telling you, I have the shaving cream on. I got the steam going from the sink, and I'm shaving the rest of what's there. And he's like, but what are you shaking? She goes, there's three hairs on your cheek.

Oh, man.

I go, I just like the feeling of it. I like the thought that I'm, you know.

Yeah, you're a man now.

You're a manifesting. Manifesting hair. You got to feel like it.

The hair is coming in. Oh, man, that's funny. My face is hurting already from laughing. All right, well, this is. This is a nice full circle moment, you know, getting to sit down and have this conversation with you. You know, we've. We've been on quite the journey together the last couple of years, and it's been beautiful to. To witness your evolution, to be a part of it, and just to see all that you're creating, you know, And I think you have a fascinating story you know, the other day when I listened to your podcast on mbh, even though we've worked together quite intensely the last two years, I learned a lot about you from that podcast. And, man, your story, your hustle, what you. What you created during your career. Starting as a waiter at 13 Year Bus Boy. 13 years old, rocking this suit again, trying to look older. I think there's a theme here, right?

Yeah.

You know, from, you know, being a. A busboy at 13 to I didn't know you were a bartender. Yeah. And then how you got into, you know, the promoting biz and all that. So, you know, obviously I'll leave it to you to share your story, but, you know, it's amazing to listen to and I really appreciate your vulnerability and just, you know, talk about the highs and lows, because people see you now, you know, I'm sure you get this too. People see you now, this current version, Nick, and they see you as CEO of this successful financial company, doing all the things you're doing, and then they see a post or a video from who you were five years ago, and they're like, what the what? Yeah, that's what you used to do. That's who you were. And it's amazing because unless somebody knows what you went through before and what you used to do, who and who you used to be to what you are now, they don't understand the full scope of it, you know, so I'd love for you to share that with the viewers and listeners on this podcast just to get a bit of understanding of who is Nick. Regina.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I really, really appreciate that. Beautiful words, especially coming from Coach.

Right.

So, yeah, and just about that, a little piece about the bartending side of things. Antoinette and Lori were the owners. They were my bosses, and they were like your two sisters. Yeah. You and. And Ralph's biggest fans.

Sometimes. All the time. Yeah.

Yeah. So that's what I worked for when I was there. But yeah, I mean, so in a. In a nutshell, as I like to say, right. There's a common theme there. The MBH podcast was kind of like my coming out story in a big, big way. And, you know, prior to that, I was working with you to really build the foundation for, you know, the platform in which now I'm operating off of. Right. So it's been beautiful, it's been wonderful, but there was a lot of, you know, figuring stuff out that I had to do prior to me wanting to come out and really, you know, just talk about it. Right. And again, shout out to those boys. They're great hosts. So in regards to the questions they were asking and how they guided the conversation, it really told the full story, right? So, yeah, with that being said, so came from the nightlife and hospitality business was working. Started when I was 13 years old as a busboy at a small restaurant downtown off of Dundas called the News Cafe. And I always get Dundas and Dupont confused, so it could have been one or the other. I'm bad with geography, but yeah. So the News Cafe, my cousin owned it and put me up to the bus boy. Bus boying job. Six bucks an hour. I used to go in the back, just wash dishes. But I used to like, you know, always go the extra mile because I was so excited to be there. So I'd have like a little dress shirt, a little blazer, and I'd be in the back and I'd made sure like I'd like really dry them nicely after they came out. So there was a certain shine to them and then I was proud of that shine. So I wanted to bring, you know, the gl. The glassware out to the tables and, and a lot of who the guests were were nightclub owners that would stop there before they'd go downtown to their clubs, right? Because my cousins and his buddies, they were cool guys, they do a lot of clubbing. So I guess just supporting collaboration and you know, these guys would have their girls with them or their boys with them, and I just thought like, oh man, these guys, these are cool guys, you know, Know, these are guys I just want to heal up and just be in front of. And you know, they see the shining glasses and they always had like cool things to say, like, hey kid, come over here, you know, or like, you know, thank you for that, or they'd give me tips, right? They'd. Yeah, it was just cool being in their presence. So I fell in love. That's where I fell in love with the industry and hospitality and from there, long story short, always stayed in the industry, moved on to be a promoter. Some all ages companies shout out Supreme Promotions. Marco Del Duca, Justin Calabretta, I think they used to do some parties with our mutual friends, right? This one. Small world. Especially in the all ages space. So yeah, I did some work for them again, continued to love it, right. Didn't even really care about the pay or making money. Just wanting to be surrounded by it. Right. I remember we used to go into like Loretto Abbey. So we'd be the younger promoters and we'd, we'd they'd drive us around and they'd be like. They'd bring us in front of all the all girls schools because we went to an all boys school or just other schools as well. And we'd have a huge box of flyers in the back to be like, all right, man, you know, like, let's go, let's hit it. Right? So we'd have to grab the flyers and literally run in another school that we didn't go to.

Yeah.

And the all girls schools, those were the funny ones. Right, because we just. We just flyer the halls and then we'd throw flyers in the classrooms down the stairwell so we flooded. There'd be like two or three of us, and it would just cause all this pandemonium. Right. And the girls would be screaming. It was like a scene. Right? And. And it worked. It worked, man.

Like guerrilla warfare.

He literally. Yeah. And.

Yeah.

So then we'd run back in the truck and boom, off to the next school. So anyway, then. Then, you know, you show up the parties, host, have fun, then went on to bartend. At 18 years old, I'd eat my martini again, shout out, Antoinette and Lori, they're awesome. They gave me a shot. Remember, I interviewed at 18, and literally was walking out of the interview, and it was like 15 or 20 minutes. And they called right after, like, yeah, hey, listen, if you're down to work, like, we'd love to provide the opportunity. And I was so excited because I didn't have friends or family in the industry that owned venues and operated them, so I was literally walking down college that day with, like, I had my resumes printed out, and I was just like, going into these restaurants, just cold. Like, hey, man, like, if, you know, you could pass that on to your manager, that'd be cool, you know, like, I wasn't even doing it right, you know, going to the owner of the manager. I was shy. I was almost like, you know, I was intimidated. And yeah, I remember walking back to the car, I was literally not even in the car yet, and she called. I was like, oh, yeah. Like, I'd love that opportunity. Right. Okay, what's your availability? We go over it. And mostly weekends I'd work, but yeah, just really, really was. Was passionate about it. We had the biggest martini list in all of Canada, over 140 martinis.

Wow, that's a lot to learn. Yeah. Mix up.

Yeah. Yeah.

Having a former bartender, you know, I could relate.

Yeah, exactly. And it was. It was like, again, love the job, love the atmosphere, love the surrounding. I'd invite A lot of my friends, my family, I'd get to know a lot of clients there and I was creating a little bit of a buzz, right, in regards to, you know, when I'd bartend and you know, guys would like when I'd bartend and I'd grow relationships with them because I'd always have conversations with them or I'd make it out to their tables or I'd go have a smoke with them outside and make them laugh. And then I even grew and built relationships outside of that from Imam Martini. So I was like, hey man, like this promoting thing, like it's, it's calling, it's calling me back, right? Because I, I pulled numbers and I did good when I was doing the all ages stuff too. And, and I was like, you know, I'm gonna take a shot. This over 19 thing, right, like, because I just so passionate. But I guess that that's something that can evolve into something bigger if I do it right. So that was when NRG was born, right? In the fourth year I was bartending.

You know, one thing I just caught on to the other day when after NRG was that like, Nick, Regina. Yeah, okay, there you go. Yeah, exactly.

Yeah. And actually such a cool story. So my best friend Sam was the one who was like, you know, like, call it this because like it's, it's like a lot of people gravitate to you. Like a lot of people just want to like. For your energy, right? Yeah, for your energy.

Yeah.

Right at that time I didn't understand energy or that or like, want to give myself that credit, I'd, you know, dim the light if I, if I had to, just because I'd feel awkward or weird about it. So, you know, he, he said no, he put his foot down. He's like, no, man, like you got to name it that. And he was djlrs. He was already in the scene. He was doing some live to airs. He was doing big things. So I was like, I was taking his advice cuz he, he had had the experience in the industry. I was like, all right, cool, let's do it then, man. And before Weekend blew up, the weekend designer actually designed the NRG logo.

Oh, really?

That's why I never changed it because I thought that was, it was shortly after the weekend blew up. I thought that was the coolest story. The guy's name was Martin, I think. Or yeah, I think it was Martin. He was doing a lot of the graphic work for Weekend and then it came to a point where he didn't want to take on any work because I guess he was so busy with the weekends profile. But anyway, yeah, that was nrg, the branding side of it. But, yeah, so started it up. And the first party I threw was across the street from Meet My Martini at a venue called Callisto, and we hit the ground running, right? Like, I put together a big crew, different, you know, divisions. We started off with, like, probably two, 10 guys, right, and that would, like, you know, have different demographics covered and. And different areas and shout Out. My brother was. Was by my side with that in a big way and rallied up his boys. And, yeah, we. We hit the ground running. We started slamming these joints from the first party. We never. We never didn't slam, right, and made our way around College street, worked our way up to the biggest venue on college, which was Revival Slam. That too. That was for in and around probably a year, year and a half. We were hovering on college, then doing one offs, and then we'd always, like, hype. The downtown scene is like the big leagues. We're like, oh, we're gonna enter the big leagues. We got to come correct. We got to make sure that the squad's bigger. We got to make sure our numbers are there. We got to make sure, you know.

Message zrf, you know, you gotta come. Come strong.

Exactly.

Yeah. No.

And so it was. It was so cool because everyone on the squad was like, all right, you know, that, like, they were getting rallied up for it. And like, the. The. When we entered, you know, downtown, it was. It was almost like, you know, really, really cool because the same thing started to happen, right? Like, we hit the ground running. We were pulling heavy numbers. Hundreds and hundreds of people on the guest list, like 10, 15, 20, 25 booths a night, like, consistently week in, week out. And in a very short period of time, you know, we were able. I was able to leverage that volume and gain, you know, ownership of these venues right through bringing that. That layer, right, of promotion and marketing and programming and, you know, a bit of talent booking as well. So, yeah, it was shortly after that. I owned and not operated clubs on the operation side more so the marketing, the programming, the talent booking and the promotion. And then I always had an operational partner that would take care of, you know, the liquor orders, the staffing, the lease, making sure it was. It was set up and ready to go for all the people to come in. And, yeah, I mean, that was at 25. My first club I owned was at 25. Started NRG when I was around 22, 23. So it was shortly after that I was able to. To leverage because we were doing really, really well. And I blame its success on the crew. The army that I had behind me who I was surrounded by these guys and girls went hard day in, day out. It was, it was truly one big family. So when, when I'm referring to it as I leverage or you know, it's, it's we. Right. We did great.

Well, you had the vision and then you were able to delegate and create the structure.

Yeah, yeah, yeah for sure. And then yeah, man. I mean Gravity Sound Bar was my first club. Moved on to then come down to King street which was Bloke and then same shortly after two down in Miami, SQL and Thrift Shop and then we switched over Bloke to Cure and same to Juliet and yeah exited. So seven nightclubs total that we owned and operated. We had a portfolio. So there was the promotion arm which was nrg. The. The venue arm which was the, the club ownership. We had a small boutique marketing agency that would service the, the book and, and other accounts and we had some big scale events. So Countdown Liberty grand after you and Ralphie had. Had done your thing and really built it up. We had continued with that myself and Massimo who brought me into it. So grateful for that. And then a bit of the monster mash as well. Right on the tail end. But Mass again brought me in on that. Right. And it was a big skill event. So yeah, we had, we had as I like to call them, the verticals in the portfolio and we, we had.

A real kind of a corporate approach. But you had a true structure. You had a vision and you, the way you had lined up your company with the departments and the multiple verticals, you know, you had a very intentional way of running things which in nightlife industry even speak for my own example of open up a bunch of businesses just because hey, the opportunity was there. Yeah, I didn't have that overall vision with the, you know, the shared partnership, you know, as you did. So you know, props to you for that.

Thank you.

Yeah. And I still remember when, because at one point I think it's before you guys bought in, Bloke was kind of our rival, our kind of a competition with Century Room because we had been open for quite a few years. We weren't the hottest place on Kingster anymore. And then Blue Bloke opened up and then Bloke had a Tuesday as well. So we were kind of competing on our Tuesdays. And then I remember when Steve and Reza and the gang or whatever they were they bought efs and they sold you bloke or whatever. I remember when I heard Nick Energy bloke, they turn into a real bar. Like, what's going on? You know, I knew you from Cobb street, and like, you know, your clientele, let's call it what it is. Yeah, predominantly, yeah. I knew of you, but we didn't really know each other. But when I heard bloke energy, really Nick, Regina, okay, whatever. But then you guys start crushing it and you guys start kicking ass, I was like, okay, all right. Yeah, yeah.

And I feel like, you know, guys like yourself, guys like Ralph, guys like Maddie, guys like Charles, like, you guys are the guys that, like, I really looked up to. You know what I mean? And you paved the way and like, the. The venues that you guys built out and operated, like, the. The way that you'd provide experience was on a whole other level. Like, I feel like it's very Vegas, Miami, ish. The closest thing in Toronto to it was, was the way you boys rock. You know, ZRF was massive in yourself. And that perfectionism, you know, that you guys had was. Was something that I was always like, just hailing up, you know, and I appreciate that. You know, I appreciate guys like you carving the path that. That you did for the younger bucks like me, because it put such a good name on Toronto nightlife and it. And you guys really added this cool factor to it that, you know, made it a lot easier for the guys like us, right? And. And let's face it, we didn't reinvent the wheel. We just simply took from what was already done.

That, you guys, there's a bit of a template there. And. Yeah, because when I moved back from Miami in 1999 and I discovered what a promoter was in Miami, and I saw the theme parties and different DJs and all the stuff, I'm like, Toronto's boring. Like, what is going on? And I came back to Toronto and I'm like, okay, we got to change this up. And that's when, like, you know, I started my Sunday nights at Fluid with a whole Sunday in South beach theme with a Delo Martino martini and flower petals all over, and everybody's wearing white. I mean, anybody listening from Miami right now is going to be like, what sounds so cheese? But in 1999, in Toronto, when I moved back from Miami, it's like, I just moved back from Mars. People are like, what do they eat down there? Like, what are they doing? You know, I was 24 years old, living in Miami, and I thankfully, you Know, both Ralph and myself had traveled to many different places. You know, Ibiza, Miami, L.A. vegas, London. And we came back with these ideas that just hadn't been done in Toronto before. So we were having a blast being able to introduce new concepts and ideas that nobody had seen before. That's why when people ask me, like, you know, do you miss your nightlife career? Like, would you ever want to go back to that? I said, I miss what it used to be. When everything was new and exciting and social media didn't exist back then, people actually went out to, like, have a few drinks, dance, socialize, flirt. It wasn't about swiping left or right and reels and TikTok and all that. It was about people actually went out to have a good time. So would I like to go. I'd like to maybe live a month of like, you know, 2008 again or something like that, just to experience it when nightlife was just a little bit more pure, if you can call it a bit of an oxymoron. But, you know, like, it. It was more about the music and the vibe than it is now. So, you know, and then for you guys coming up as a second generation, let's say, yeah, there was already, I guess, kind of a. An imprint or Toronto had started to gain momentum in that sense because, you know, it was called the Hollywood of the North. It still is. You know, celebs would come up, they'd be like, oh, my God, this city's cool. You know, and we, Yeah, I would say, like, you know, of course, Charles, Ralph, myself, Maddie, you know, there's definitely some innovators who brought concepts to the city that gave us a little bit of that vibe. And one thing I want to mention that's interesting is, you know, I noticed that with, like, bartenders and promoters and people in the hospitality industry, they've evolved out of the industry, and they've either come Realtors or they've gotten into wellness space, or they're doing something that is very much social in the sense that they're able to utilize their emotional intelligence that they've developed through dealing with hundreds and sometimes thousands of people a week. You learn to read people, you. You become a bit of a chameleon, but at the same time, you know, how to, like, you understand energy and vibe and different personality types and how to navigate that. So now when you're selling real estate, you're dealing with a mortgage deal or, you know, for myself in the coaching business, always being able to interpret and adapt, to be able to be of service, you know, so that seems to be a common theme, because I even see it in Miami, you know, my boy Marco, that I introduced you to one from being one of the biggest promoters in Miami to now he's selling real estate, you know, and.

And doing well at it.

Yeah, I do very well. Yeah. So seems to be a common trend. I just want to identify because it's interesting. And, you know, Brad Lamb, a lot of his agents he would hire would be the bartenders that used to serve him drinks.

No way.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And he'd bring him up.

Oh, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. Like Bruno and Bruno and Carlos, Carlito, you know, and a bunch of the people that were on his team are from the nightlife industry. Yeah, that's cool, Scotty. I think even. Yeah, I like that.

Emotional intelligence, for sure.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, That's. And that's. That industry definitely, you know, develops that for you. You can't learn that in school, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Awesome.

You know, it's funny, people you said, because I'd never had TV in my house for years and years. Still don't. And people say, well, you don't.

You.

Wow. Tv. I'm like, well, I go to work. I got Sopranos, I got Desperate Housewives. I got Entourage. I got. I got all the episodes at work. I see it every night. I don't got to turn on my TV for it. You know.

The real life.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, you know, yeah, successful come up. Lots of businesses, lots of perks that come with that. You know, all that stuff going on. And then there came a time where you just said, you know, what? Time for a different path. Time to make some changes. So I'd love to hear you share about that.

Yeah, yeah. So, I mean, again, right, like, at the pinnacle of the career and like, two. Two clubs in Miami, two clubs in Toronto at the same time. Operating energies won the award nine times in a row at the Toronto nightclub awards for best promoter. The last three years, I won club owner of the year, Right? Like, it's at its. It's at its peak, right? And that was when I was at my lowest. Right? So it's almost like. Talk about smoking mirrors, right? Talk about, like, holy smokes, I would have never guessed kind of vibe. That's exactly what it was, Right? And. And, yeah, I had. I had. I had been in a really, really bad headspace for a couple of years, and it got really toxic. It got really bad, and there was, like, a real big downward spiral that you know, I needed to pull myself out of. Right. And a few years prior, it got bad as well, and I went to rehab. And in rehab, I picked up a lot of tools there that I was able to apply to learning how to curve the addiction and how to deal with it at one day at a time. A couple addictions, actually. And it worked. I came out, I had a lot of clean days under me. I was feeling good, I'd lost a lot of weight, I had changed my ecosystem, but I'd went back into the industry. So long. Long story short, it's a slippery slope down. They like to say in recovery if, when you do relapse and I hit that rock bottom again, I hit that rock bottom. And when I hit that rock bottom, the story was, you know, I, I, My nunna, I love my nunna so much. And, and I went to her viewing and the night before, I had went out and I had went hard. Like anything I did, I always, you know, I had her six gear pinned, as I like to say, right? So, yeah, I went, I went super, super hard. And, and I remember looking at the casket. I remember. And, and like, I don't even really remember her face or what happened there. That's how like, blasted I was, right? And like, I love my Nona so much. Like, we had a really special relationship. She just really understood me, you know? And yeah, I remember just thinking like, man, like being there, the one thing I do remember was just like, man, this is so wrong, bro. This, this has went so far. This has gone way too far. Like this, man. You know what I mean? I gotta deal with this asap, right? And there's no more, you know, and, and that, that was. And I remember, you know, but at the time, my wife had two kids. She was pregnant with Nico. And I'd walked in and the house and it was just like, yeah, this is, this is the day I'm going to deal with it. And I had went to bed that night. I was so drained from what had happened that day. And the next morning I just, I fell to my knees, right? And I was crying and I was just like, you know, whoever you are, whatever you are, if you're there, you know, I need, I need you. I can't do this on my own, you know, looking up and. Yeah, something just came through me, man. I had these shivers in my bones and this feeling where I was just like something, you know, happened and came in me. And, and from that day on, you know, I had a spiritual awakening and, and things just Started to line up, certain thoughts started to get connected, things started falling in my lap. And I was a big fan of the Money Buys Happiness podcast with Ernesto and Anthony. And I was. I loved their work ethic. I love what they were doing. I love their relentlessness and how they kept on pushing through and. And I was a big listener and watched their videos and remember one night, late night, because my habits and routine, they were still awful. I didn't know what to do. Didn't have anyone, you know, helping me at the time, but I was, I was kind of white knuckling it and pushing through. So late night, one night at like 2 in the morning, and I watched the podcast with you, right? And I watched the full thing and I was like, holy smokes. I said, I gotta reach out to Coach. I gotta reach out to Zarek tomorrow. And what you were talking about, what you said, how you were handling yourself, the energy, the aura around you. And again, the boys doing a great job, hosting and pulling the most that they could out of you, I was just like, so inspired, bro. And I was like, this guy was a huge inspiration for me in nightlife and hospitality. He was as deep in it as I was and for longer and did way more than I did, right? And, you know, he made the transition. I was like, and now from the sounds of it, you know, and looking at your pages and seeing what you're up to, I'm like, he's doing it again and it's in another space, right? And that, that's special, you know, that you're able to make that jump and go into a world that's the polar opposite and just rock it as much as you did, you know, in nightlife and hospitality. And not only that inspired me, but the words coming out of your mouth, you could tell there was, there was, there was a lot of knowledge, there's a lot of wisdom. There was a lot of. This guy did the work behind it, right? Because you can call bullshit from a mile away, you know, and especially with. With that stuff in that space. There's a science to it, you know, it's not just common sense, what you've learned, right? So I was like, yeah, I'm going to hit him up and, you know the rest of the story, right? And, and now today, I'm so proud to call you Coach, right? And you helped me out of that rut, I like to say, you know, MBH saved my life. And, and they provided the platform for you to hop onto it. And then, you know, you were, you were A massive part in saving my life. And, and you know, I've sent you, dude, I've sent you screenshots from the wife. I've sent you messages that, you know, it's genuine, you know, it's true. So, you know, I kind of get, you know, emotional and choked up with that because people don't know those dark places that you go to in your mind and what you're thinking and, and how it's just. It's tough. So I know that, you know, without you, I wouldn't be where I am today. And I'm so proud. I'm so grateful as to where I am today. And I don't ever want to go back because it's scary over there. Right. And I know that you're not going.

To let me, you know, and you're never going back. Yeah.

And yeah, just put in the work. I'm doing my best. One day at a time.

Yeah. And you're doing a great job.

Yeah. And I can't go any harder.

And, you know, that's why for me, it's so important for you to have, have you share this story because just like my story inspired you and put you on a different path, a different trajectory to become the man you are today. People who watch that MBH podcast that you were on this podcast, someone's going to hear your story and be like, wow, look at what Nick did. I want to change like Nick, you know, and that's why we've had many conversations about this. It's like, we don't. We do this work for us, but then we do this work for who's around us and who gets to, to experience our vibe, our. Our message. And you are such a light. You know, you walk into every room and, you know, people are just excited to see you. And that's why for me, like, you're such an important part of my journey because you are really the embodiment of why I do what I do. You know what I'm saying? Like, when I first hosted my retreat and I decided to close blowfish after 15 years, it's because I saw that these 10 humans on this retreat, they're going home a different person because of what I was able to share with them. And that's what gave me the courage to leave a 25 year career so I can do this. So when I hear you share your story, when I see the work that you're doing, when I see you playing with your kids and the messages you send me from your wife, like, that's worth more than any Maserati, any money, any hottie, any of this stuff that I used to, you know, desire. Like you, Nico, Mila, the other one. Hold on, Hudson. You know, they're a part of my legacy because they're going to live on and they're going to be different humans as a result of who you are because of what we've done together. And you know, why I love your story and why I want people to hear this is because there is. There is a spiritual war happening on planet Earth, you know, and we've talked about this and we're living through a very important time in human history where never before has the darkness been more prevalent, you know, and never before have more people been divided, you know, and there's a lot of people who are living very unconscious, unintentional. And if you're not aware of your energy, you're not aware of your habits, you're not getting up, doing your morning practice, praying to whatever God, source, universe you pray to. If you're not connected to a higher power right now, you're at risk, you know, and we can connect to that higher power within us when we get up every day and we choose to do our work. You know, that's why I say you're never going back. You're never going to be that old Nikki that you were back in the day because you're connected to God, you know, and you have found God within you and you are the embodiment of the work, you know what I'm saying? You've up leveled too far to ever go back, you know what I'm saying? So your story and who you are now for your team, you know, thankfully, you know, being able to coach, spark and walk in that office and seeing the difference in your team from who they are today to who they were a year ago, like, that's because of you. That's because of you and Mike for doing the work, you know, And I know that I told you before, you're going to be the next Grant Cardone. You know, I see you on stage, I see you inspiring people with your story. Because look, man, it takes a lot of vulnerability, a lot of courage, a lot of humility. You know, there's a lot of people who are in the position of old Nicky who are going to stay like that their whole life. But, you know, whether it be your Nona, whether it be your three kids, your wife, something, you found your why, you found your why. You connected to that. And no matter what, you knew how to do it. You're going to figure it out, you know, and you have, you know, and it's beautiful because a lot of men are resistant to doing this work. You know, a lot of men, like, tough, toughen up, push through it. You know, I'm a grind. I'm just going to, like, keep going rather than ask for help, rather than say, you know what? I. I can't figure this out on my own. And. And I need that support. And I'm thankful that you did. And I know that you are now being that person for others. Like, you're taking people to the Elemental, but Elemental has their new spot that they're opening. So now you're even getting into the wellness space as well. So I'd love to hear if you talk like, obviously beyond the work that we've done together and who you've evolved and come like, how are you now sharing this work, spreading the light from what you've discovered within yourself with other people now?

Yeah. So beautiful question. And, and it comes from the spoke on your wheel of life called contribution and purpose. Yeah. So part of my job, you know, in the recovery, in the program, in, you know, your coaching, family and community is to give back, you know, so the philanthropic. I said that, right? Bees. Right, I did. Okay, yeah. Philanthropic. Now it's philanthropic things that I do, like annually. Last.

Philanthropic.

Philanthropic is. Well, he was on the same page as me, so, you know, I feel that.

Really feeling. I don't know. We have I got lips, so I it up anyways.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's all good. I've said that many times in public, so I look even stupider. But yeah, so like, giving back is. Is. Is a part of this book in the wheel of life and, and tending to that wheel.

Right.

I have injected it into my calendar, time management, another big piece that I learned from your program and allocating a certain amount of time throughout every week, throughout every month, throughout the year that's focused on each of those spokes. So the contribution in purpose spoke, I bake it into my personal life and my business. So for the business side of things, like last year, I wore a shirt for 30 days and I couldn't take it off only at night sometimes for sanitary purposes. The wife was breaking the balls and wanted to watch it and wash it as she should have. You know what I mean? And I did like, you know, just above $9,000. We raised for it. Right. And it made like a. A pretty cool stink on. On the socials. Right. And a lot of people got behind It. And you give them a platform to give back, and then they feel good about it, you feel good about it. The person on the receiving end feels good about it. It's just good all around. Right. And. And, you know, this year we did the Green Blazer, right, Which we got to go back to the office for after this and present them the check. We did 23 grand for that three. That green Blazer. And thank you for your contribution. I was very generous. And, yeah, like, you know, so there's little initiatives like that. Our. Our events annually.

There's always.

Yeah, there's always a charitable donation that, you know, we attach our events to. So whatever we're doing, if it's making noise, if it's loud, we're giving back to it.

And.

And again, it's not just for us to feel good about giving back. It's for other people that plug into it and give back as well. And. And a rising tide lifts all ships. And as I. I love that quote, and I like to say all the time, and it's like together in numbers as an army, you know, that we talk about the battle against good and evil. We could. We can make a difference, you know, so, yeah, that. That's been really, really nice. And, you know, opening myself up for conversations with everyone and being vulnerable and being like, hey, man, like, you know, throw them a line is. Is what I like to say, right? Like, if I got to throw a guy line because he asked for it. You know what I mean? And he wants to have a conversation and learn a little bit more about the ecosystem that I've developed in the personal development space. It's like, hey, this is doc Shout out Dr. Gold, right? This is Coach. This is how I got started. And I have my whole ecosystem here's Elemental. Come with me. Let's get a cold tub and sauna, and you can get my undivided attention for a solid hour, hour and a half sometimes just to talk shop about where you're at and what you need help with. And me just to throw you some bones. I'm no expert, and I'm no coach, and I. I don't claim to be, and I don't. I don't want to be. That's not what, you know, I want to do. I just want to be, like, a promoter of the space because that's naturally what I feel I'm really aligned with and good at, is. Is that at my core. And then forward them over to experts like yourself, right? That you could then take it further, too, and the, the difference that I've seen, you know, and, and, and people that have been involved in your program and what you've done for me and you do for them, you know, they're forever grateful and thankful for with me. And I'm on the receiving end of those messages. Maybe not as many as you, but they never, ever forget where that original dot was connected. And that, for me, makes me feel amazing that I was able to make that difference. Right. So, yeah, there's that too. So it's like, hey, let me, let me show you what I'm up to. Come, come along for the ride. Let me introduce you to my ecosystem. Let me give you all the knowledge that I do have and not, not, you know, put my foot in my mouth for things that I don't know. And that's why I say let the experts take it from there. Right? So it's just, it's just a part, it's a part of giving back, right? It's a part of, you know, again, I don't mean to, to sound redundant here, but that, that big spiritual war that's going on. Good, good versus evil, we're the good guys, right? And we got to convert one person at a time at a time at a time and bring them on our side, right? Because it's getting ugly out there, right? And we can't have that. We got to stand up, we got to make the change and it starts with us, you know, so I'd be, I, I, I actually feel that if I wasn't doing as much work of giving back as I am, I'd feel guilty because of me being conscious now and knowing what's going on and, you know, that that's what it's all about. You know, I looked at the, the, a Denzel Washington clip yesterday. I posted it on my Instagram. He's like, man, do you ever see a U Haul following a hearse?

Yeah.

He's like, you're not bringing anything to the grave with you, so whatever your God given talent is, share it, you know, and if this is something that, you know, I, I've, I've gained a little bit of knowledge and experience for, and it's one of my God given talents. Talents now.

Right.

Then I'm going to share it, you know?

Absolutely. Yeah. You know, it's one of the questions I always ask people who I start working with is at the end of the day, when all said and done, you know, and you've transitioned to the next dimension, what do you want people to say about you, you know, your time on earth, the impact that you made, like what do you want to be remembered for? Because I believe each and every one of us has a chance to create a legacy. And that legacy could be just raising three amazing children, could be starting a non profit, it could be, you know, you take care of animals, whatever it is, right. We all have that opportunity to make some sort of impact even on smallest level. And you know, just to share with you, because I heard something that really made me proud. You know, I was speaking to a woman who you're working with and she told me that she did her first ice bath, you had taken her to elemental and she's going through a very challenging time in her life and she said that for the first time in so long she felt like she could actually feel safe to open up and share. And it was, she said it was a once, it was a first time life experience for her doing the ice bath and sauna and just that conversation with you truly impacted her on a profound level. You know, and listening to her say that, I was like, wow, that's amazing because it's just that going back to why do what I do is so that you and the other people who are in this work can go out and shine their light for other people. And that's how we, you know, that's how we illuminate the darkness to help people see that there's a path out of the dark spot that they're in, you know, because you know, I had a conversation with a gentleman yesterday who's known me for a long time and, and he said, yeah man, I'm in a dark place. And to be honest, I've been having dark thoughts and if it wasn't for my family, I don't know that I'd be here. And for someone to be in that position to reach out to me, it's like, okay brother, don't worry, I got you man. Like, I got you. Like there is a way out and I'm gonna show you the path and we are going to, we're going to walk together.

Yeah.

And, and unfortunately, you know, a lot of men don't reach out. A lot of men don't ask for help. And that's why suicide amongst men over the age of 40 is a very like one of the largest those categories, you know, and it doesn't have to be that way. And that's why you being a guy that people look up to, you know, your cool father, loving husband, successful businessman, you know, you're fit, you Love to do push ups. You know, the. The fact that you are doing this work and making a difference and being so open and vulnerable about it, you know, that. That's. That's powerful, man. That's part of your legacy, you know? That's why I say you're gonna be the next Grant Cardone.

Yeah. Appreciate that. It's big shoes to fill, man. I love the way Grant rocks, but thank you for that. And so well said and so well put. Right. Like, it's been. You know, the funny thing is, is that, you know, you don't like the way. The way I talk to you about is like, hey, coach, I got a few more that, you know, I'm prepping right now, making sure that they're ready. And those conversations we don't really talk about that I have with them, and I keep a lot of things in private for their sake. Right? And. And then, you know, connect them to you and you take it to the line. But some of those conversations have to do with, like, them telling me their stories and, like, you know, my stories, you know, a lot of other people's stories. And. And sometimes when they tell me the stories, like, bro, I have a. I have a bad habit of just laughing because I feel like shit's funny and I don't have a filter there, right? So, like, when they tell me the stories, I laugh. I'm like, bro, that's soft, bro. Not for any angle, you know, the coach deals with. Bro, I go, I feel like telling you my stories. I go, because that's some junior Kenneth. I go. And I go, like, don't worry, bro. You're good. And then you. You see, like, their tone change, you know, and it's not strategic. It's just genuine. I'm like, listen, everything under this sun, it's happened before in this life. Your skeletons in your closet and what you've done, what you think you're bad. Like, bro, that's soft.

Yeah.

You know what I mean?

Like, that negative self talk and their harsh judgment of themselves and beating up on themselves.

Yeah. And that's the scary part, right? So it's like that laugh and that pulling them on, that throwing that little joke in the. That connection is just like, that's what brings them up. And, you know, and. And you know, that. That is the scary part, though, is there's so many people that they don't open up about it. They don't have someone to plug into. And that's why I said, like, throw them a line kind of vibe, because you Just get in your head and then it's this vicious downward spiral and then you look in the mirror and you just think you're the biggest piece of that ever walked the earth. But that is far from what, what, what the truth really is. You know what I mean? And we're all humans, you know, we're spiritual beings having a human experience. I learned that the last retreat with you. And, and that's something that, you know, it's, it's special, right? So, yeah, I can only imagine that the combos that you know you have and what you're dealing with and like, like I keep private their convos. You keep their stuff private as well. And, and, but just from my experience, experience alone and what you know about me, you know, it's incredible how you're able to take that and then make me, you made me feel so comfortable, so cool like that. I just sit with these things and, and I work through them, you know what I mean? And before I didn't even want to think of them, right, because it just, the thought of it would bring on so much fear. But just that comfort, you know, level that you provide through, you know, your program and your expertise, it's, it's, it's unique, it's special, it's on a whole other level, right? So I know that through that experience that I, that I've gotten and those problems that I were able to sit with and then not only sit with, but then go to work on and you know, admit to and make amends with and, and further, you know, develop them. I'm just like bamboozled to say it's like, whoa. And then that excites me to be able to just know that this guy, this girl is going to get, get that too. And that's the real medicine, right? So you, you have a God given talent.

No, thank you. You know, like to, to your point of holding space for someone and they feel safe coming to you because they admire you and they see your transformation. Like you're the proof of what they want. You are the inspiration for them to see like, oh, it is possible, right? And them just being able to be open and vulnerable with you and say the things that they're assuring, ashamed to talk about to anyone else. Just in holding space for people and saying, yeah man, tell them to me, okay, it's all good, bro, don't worry. You got like, yeah, it's not a big deal. It's okay. We all have our, we're dealing with just to be able to be that person for them, allows them to free up that. Those blocked, negative emotions that they're holding on to, you know, and that's why you don't got to be a coach to hold space for people. You just got to be. You have to have the intention of wanting to, like, actually listen.

Yeah.

And. And have the genuine, Genuine interest to help someone to heal and overcome. And I think that's, for me, like, I hate seeing people in pain and suffering. You know, like, what made me successful in nightlife was I love seeing people dance and laugh and flirt and party and have a good time. Like, whether it be in my restaurant, the spa, at the club. Like, I just love seeing people celebrate and enjoy life, which is why I got into the retreat business. I want to see people, like, really, like, open up and let go of their shit and have fun. So, like, what drove me in the nightlife industry, hospitality business, is what drives me now. I just want people to live a life that's fully alive, which is why I call my company the Alive Life. Because to be alive is to feel the full range of the human experience, which is the agonizing pain to the blissful joy and everything in between. But most people, they live between here. They. They never hurt too much, but they never love or laugh too much. They're almost a bit numb. And the more pain they experience, often the more they numb themselves to a point where it's like they're just numb. They never get excited about anything, but they never get sad or angry about anything. And sometimes they numb themselves emotionally or with alcohol or drugs and. Or with video games or porn or whatever it is. And that's not a life that's alive, you know, And. But in order to feel the full range of human emotions, you got to be willing to look into the darkness, to those painful memories that are going to cause that stuff to come up so you can be with it. Because if you can't feel the depths of the pain, you won't be able to feel the ecstasy of the joy. And that is the human experience. Experience.

Right.

That's why our souls chose to come down. Because up there, all there is is love and bliss. And we don't get the human experience of duality. And here is where we get to experience that. Right.

Right.

That's a whole other episode for itself, for sure. But you know what? I would love for you to share, you know, given that you've been on this path for a few years now, for someone who is hearing your story, who realizes it's time for Change. You know, given what you've learned through the journey of personal development, what tips or advice or suggestions would you have for anyone who's beginning to take those few steps along their path that you could share with them that would help them to navigate their journey?

Yeah, so, great question. So like a life coach, a therapist, the list goes on, right? Like when we're talking about the, the personal developments, these are people that are experts in those spaces. If you do the right research and development, you find the right people and, and there's, you know, a past and a history there, right? Because like every other sector industry, there's fugazi's in those industries too, that you got to avoid, right? So that shouldn't have it be that you rate that industry or you rate that space on a few bad apples, right? So find the right people people and work with them. They're the experts. Reach out to them. Don't think that you got to figure it out on your own. An analogy I could use is when you, when you know your plug doesn't work anymore, do you start, do you go in there, do you open it up, do you try to rewire it and you get blown out of your socks, right? Like you call an electrician, you know what I mean? If you're sick, you go to the doctor, right? The list goes on. So it's like when you need help to improve yourself, right, and develop, call people that you know are in that space that know, right? If, if it's, you know, some talk therapy with a therapist or if it's understanding life and you want to build that platform to activate off of, call a life coach, right? If it's, you want to, you know, get in shape, hit up a trainer. But more so than that, what, what I found to be, you know, this is a big, big, big tip over here. What I found to be a little bit overwhelming is the fact that looking at all these trades specifically and having to navigate and sort that why I would say find a life coach is because that coach is connected to an ecosystem. You put me in touch with my energy healer. You put me in touch with my breath work facilitator. You put me in touch and made me understand of elemental, right? You put. The list goes on, right? So you've surrounded me with these weapons, you know, you call them your avengers. And you've made it simple for me because you've explained, okay, this is what this person is going to do for you. These are the results that are going to come. This is how much time and allocate. This is how much time you have to allocate and how much discipline you have to apply. And then you make the introduction. But that introduction, you've already vetted that person, you've worked with them. You know, they're, they're an all star. So let's not forget about the due diligence that you have to do that I spoke about a little bit earlier on, who these professionals are. Because if we're dealing with our mind, our body, our soul, we want to make sure that we're in the right person's wheelhouse. So now you've, you, you being the expert, have vetted your whole ecosystem and you connecting those dots, they're already vouched for. So all of a sudden, you know, you, you kind of expedite that process and being involved in now what I like do to call this whole ecosystem. So reach out to a life transformational Coach Zarek. Right?

Give.

I gotta give him a plug. But, but at the end of the day, I genuinely, you know, mean that. You know what I mean, where it's like, reach out, be vulnerable, open up. Don't think you got to figure it out on your own. Right. Because like I said before, there's experts in every space, and this is a whole beast on its own.

Yeah.

Reach out.

And you know what I often tell people is find the person who's overcome the challenge you're going through. Because, yeah, I'm a great coach, but I'm not everybody's coach. You know, there are coaches out there who specialize in certain modalities or certain niches. Yeah. You know, there are people who specialize in money mindset, or people who specialize in addiction or whatever it may be, and do your research. And I think most importantly, be open. And what's changed recently, which I'm really grateful for, is the stigma of working with the coach has changed. People now see it as before, it's like you worked with a coach if something was wrong with you. And now it's. No, you work with a coach if you want to take your game to the next level. Because, you know, I'll share a story. And you know, Mireille Mansour, one of my best friends, after my 40th birthday.

She'S the one who plugged you in. She did, yeah, man.

Yeah. After my 40th birthday, she bought me the Landmark Forum. And when we sat down for coffee, she said to me, look, I have something I, I want to offer you. I bought you a gift. Now, you don't have to accept it, but I think it's gonna be really powerful for you. I'm like, okay, cool. What is it? You know? And by this point, like, I'm just so fed up on my own, you know, just turned 40, had my own awakening of, like, what the hell am I doing with my life? And she said, look, it's something that made a huge difference for me. It's. It's a program that's going to help you realize why you're still single, why you're still in nightlife, and, you know, why you're in the financial trouble that you are. And I'm like, okay, give it to me. And she said, I bought you the Landmark Forum. And at that point in time, I didn't really know what Landmark was, but right away, it's kind of like, wait a minute, like. Because she asked me, have you ever thought about working with a therapist or a coach? And I was offended. I was like, what are you saying? There's something wrong with me? Like, and the thing is, is you don't have to work with a coach or a therapist if something is catastrophically wrong in your life. It could just be you want to go from good to great.

Yeah.

You know, it's like you want to take things to the next level. And we. You know, like, we'll evolve to a certain point in our life based on what we know and what we've experienced. But for us to go from where we are to that next level, it's beyond our realm of expertise and knowledge because we don't know what it takes to get to that next level. And that's when either it's a coach or a mentor or somebody who has already walked that path and is ahead of you, who could put their hand down and pull you up, you know, like, at the moment, I work with three coaches. I got a health coach. Even though I'm in great shape, I work with a health coach, I work with an energy coach, and then I work with a coach to help me grow up my. Grow my coaching business. Even though I'm a SEAL entrepreneur, I've got coaches on coaches. Why? Because I just want to be the most efficient, effective, and integral coach that I can, because I know I'm dealing with life or death. Like, we're. We're going after the darkness, and I got to be fully prepared. You know what I'm saying? So. So definitely your humility, your vulnerability, and you reaching out and just saying, I'm ready. And that commitment, I think that's really the Ingredient. Because once you choose, once you begin this path, it's a never ending journey. You got to get up, you got to choose it every day.

Yeah.

You know, because as you said, there's no going back. Because once you get a taste of wow. Yeah. What life could feel like.

Sure. Yeah. And then, and then you being that beacon of light, that inspiration, because you will be, you know, and, and with your program and, and every. Any good life, coaches, Coaches, program to your point, right. You'd have more experience with who that looks like than I would. You're gonna, you're gonna be an inspiration for your, your sphere of influence at a minimum, you know, because they're gonna, you're, they're gonna see the difference in you. Right? And then once, once that, you know, starts to happen, you feel, you know, a sense of responsibility to continue on. Right. And when you've carved out all these new neurological pathways and brought on all these new habits in which then, you know, become a routine and routine, the lifestyle, you know, it's, it's hard to, to go to your point, to go back. Right. Because it's almost like these people are relying on you, but in a beautiful way. Not, not a way where it brings on a bad pressure. Right? So, yeah, no, 100% reach out, reach out, be vulnerable. Put the ego aside. I, I like every, Everybody has an ego. It's just as big as it, it, it's just as big as you feed it, you know, so if you feed it and you let it get big and, and you're not aware that it's there, right, Then you know that that could be something that really gets in the way. For me, it was, right? So it's like, put that ego aside, right, and control it. It's there every day. It comes out in every situation, right. And you got to be, you know, aware of that. And, and sometimes it really, you know, interrupts what a good decision, you know, could be made and, and, and, and a result from a good position. It spoils that because, you know, it's there saying, no, don't worry, you got this, or you're the, or there's nothing wrong with you, or, you know, he's going to think that or she's going to say that about you. It's like, that's the ego talking, man. Put that aside, right, and control it. It comes out every day, you know.

And what I always suggest is, are you speaking and choosing from the heart or from the head? Because the ego's in the head and the heart that's where. That's where love is. That's where intuition is, you know?

Yeah.

And, you know, trust and surrender. That's it. Trust and surrender. You got to remember that every day. Yeah. You know, been a pleasure having you on, having you share your journey. You know, I'd love to know, like with 20, 24, you know, just beginning, what do you. What, what's. What's Nick, Regina, most excited for this year? What do you got coming up that.

Yeah.

You know, you're super passionate about?

Yeah. So awesome question. So number one at the top of the list and it's tied with another number one. So there's two number ones. And then number two is spending as much time as I can with my kids, evenings, weekends, holidays. I want to get in front of them as much as I can. I want to take them to sports. I want to play chess with them. I want to have them make me coffees. I just want to laugh with them and be there, you know, lead by example. And then number two, which is still number one, I want to spend a crazy amount of time with my wife because she's a rock star and I love her and she's seen me through thick and thin and what she's been around for, you know, like, she's like, you know, the love of my life and, and I want to, you know, give back to her as much as I can. And her number one love language. Right. Is. Is quality time. Right. So, you know, I want to give her that time. And, and she's. She's my best friend too. She's so cool. Right? And then number two, and it's a landslide is the billion dollar vision with Spark Financial Group. I got an awesome staff. I got the best partners in the world. We're having a good time at work. As many, as many tough times as we have and as. As hard hardcore as we are some days on an overall, we're having a lot of fun and we were. Me and bees were talking about it earlier on, right. Is like every day is a movie now now, you know, like, look at the schedule and it's just like, whoa, this is so awesome what we're working on, right? And it's so high level and it's so like cool like because we've seen so much growth since we started till today and, and, and I know we're gonna hit that billion dollars and it's just a matter of time. So, you know, I just, I just look forward for whatever the day has in store for me when it comes to Spark. Because, yeah, man. Popped off and it's a movie now. And. Yeah, and I like. I like my PA Position in what I do with the company. So. Yeah, those are the three things.

You're the magnet. You're drawing it all in. Like you said, Manifesting. Right?

Yeah. Yeah, big time.

I look forward to witnessing all of the magic you're creating and what 2024 is going to bring into your life. For your beautiful wife and children and happy to be on this journey with you, my brother.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Thank you. Very grateful for your platform, for. For your network, for, you know, you being that beacon of light for so many people, and. And you're a leader of leaders, and that's someone that I inspire to be every day. And. And that's powerful, you know, and you are.

You already are.

Thank you.

Well, thank you for trusting me.

Yeah, for sure. So thank you for all the opportunities and the. The continued coaching, Coach.

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