The Mechanic

THE BLURB: My friend John Kiriakou might just be the best known spy in the whole world. A former CIA officer, during america's war on terror, John led the counter-terrorism force that captured Abu Zubaydah, the man we thought was the Number 3 at Al Qaeda. When John learned later that we had tortured Abu Zubaydah, he ratted out the CIA's illegal torture program and spent 23 months in federal prison for having done the right thing. SHOW NOTESIf you enjoy this podcast, please check out our other podcasts at Costard & Touchstone Productions!

THE BLURB: Finding the right drug counselor or sober/therapeutic companion can make a huge difference in whether or not an addict conquers their addiction. My friend Phil Hamburger isn't merely a good substance abuse professional, he's a great one. You'll hear what makes him so special - how he helped Nick - and how his life experience and professional experience have made him the go-to guy when the NHL or MLS want to help players with substabnce abuse and their behavioral health.SHOW NOTESIf you enjoy this podcast, please check out our other podcasts at Costard & Touchstone Productions!

THE BLURB: Addiction Recovery Specialist Lance Wright goes way beyond the normal models of addiction treatment. Lance founded his company Life Over Addiction to help people understand that addiction isn't simply a substance problem. His approach invites addicts to think differently about their addictions with tremendous results. As most addicts can tell you, how they think about themselves and their addiction is part of their addiction.  SHOW NOTESIf you enjoy this podcast, please check out our other podcasts at Costard & Touchstone Productions!

THE BLURB: Dealing with the legal system is always a nightmare. Dealing with it while facing serious drug charges? A nightmare on steroids. Good thing Nick found Vicken sss - truly his legal eagle. In this episode, Nick talks about how he found Vicken and then how Vicken skillfully helped Nick navigate this nightmare, reducing what could have been some serious time in some serious places to a couple of months (plus lengthy drug treatment and time in halfway houses). In this episode, we'll explore the darker side of Nick's story.SHOW NOTESIf you enjoy this podcast, please check out our other podcasts at Costard & Touchstone Productions!

THE BLURB: We all know that good help can be hard to find. But my long-time friend Jonathan Rosenbloom wasn't just "good help", he was great help and became my assistant at The Agency. We'll talk about the good ol' days of deal-making, high-living (literally and figuratively) and all sorts of Hollywood craziness. Also we'll talk about some of the aftermath of all that craziness and the process of recovering from it.SHOW NOTESIf you enjoy this podcast, please check out our other podcasts at Costard & Touchstone Productions!

THE BLURB: In this episode, Nick introduces you to his longtime buddy, actor Patrick Warburton. In part one of their hang, you'll hear how Nick and Patrick began their friendship while Nick was a young agent trying to make an impression. There are wild stories about wild times, but stories about growing and growing up, too. This is an intimate view of a multi-talented performer - and a dynamite human being - that you won't find anaywhere else! SHOW NOTESFor more great podcasts, please visit costardandtouchstone.com!

THE BLURB: Nick picks up his "Genesis story" where he left off in episode 1 - with his arrest for dealing drugs. While Nick thought he'd hit bottom, as he'd learn, addicts don't actually have one rock bottom; they have many and he had many more to experience. But, everything Nick had learned in order to navigate Hollywood would serve him well while he was behind bars and dealing with the legal system. But, it would take a while still for Nick to reach that place internally where actual recovery was possible. How he got THERE is also part of this story.SHOW NOTESFor more great podcasts, please visit costardandtouchstone.com!

THE BLURB: In this episode, meet NICK MECHANIC, not your usual mechanic. In fact, Nick was a successful, young turk Hollywood agent who made all kinds of huge movie and TV deals for his actor, writer, director and producer clients. Nick's fast-paced, high stakes life was great! But, at the same time, Nick was making drug deals, too. Eventually, Nick became the target of three different police departments who busted him. How a succssful Hollywood career careened off the rails spectacularly. And that's just part one!SHOW NOTESFor more great podcasts, please visit costardandtouchstone.com!