Cover Story

What can a billionaire get away with these days? A secret bat cave? A harem of women? An international spy operation? Stealing the soul of a small town in Montana? A Silicon Valley venture capitalist was accused of running a massive sex-trafficking operation by his best bro friend. And we unravel the truth about both of them - their business, their break-up, their lies, and their embarrassing text messages. The story of a billionaire with a hero complex, the ex-spy who turned his life inside out, and us, the reporters who got caught up in their macho drama. Cover Story is an investigative podcast series featuring original reporting from New York Magazine. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. New episodes every Tuesday.

Episodes

Introducing Cover Story: Power Trip

November 10, 2021 • 1 min

Mind. Body. Control. Uncover the dark truth in Power Trip, the first season of Cover Story, a new investigative series from New York Magazine. Hosted by iO Tillett Wright. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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1. I See a Sh*tshow

November 30, 2021 • 31 mins

After years of experimenting with drugs, Lily discovers the psychedelic underground. It’s a world of shamans and guides - people illegally practicing psychedelic therapy to treat trauma. Their secret mission is make this treatment more widely available in order to “promote the evolution of humankind.” But what will they overlook to get there? Credits Cover Story is a production of New York magazine. Power Trip is co-created, produ...

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2. That's an Old Story

December 7, 2021 • 38 mins

Lily visits the Ecuadorian Amazon to work on a project when something terrible happens to her. She barely escapes and makes it home alive. But it’s what happens next that really sets the course of her life. Meanwhile, the psychedelic renaissance is really starting to take off. Credits Cover Story is a production of New York magazine. Power Trip is co-created, produced and reported by David Nickles and Lily Kay Ross. Hosted and pro...

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3. I Am the Wolf

December 14, 2021 • 51 mins

We cross through the portal to the underground where “Susan” goes through the training to become a psychedelic therapist. Her mentor Eyal crosses way too many boundaries. (Is he the wolf?). And we finally meet Francoise Bourzat, honey-voiced trainer of trainers. In an earlier version of episode 3, we misidentified Eyal Goren as a “licensed therapist.” He became a licensed therapist in the State of California in November of 2019. W...

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4. Bad Hug

December 21, 2021 • 37 mins

We go to the source - a Mexican psychotherapist named Salvador Roquet, who is known as a “master of bad trips.” It starts to dawn on “Susan” that the problem is not her one rogue mentor. What if boundary crossing is baked into the psychedelic guide training, and implicates Francoise Bourzat and her husband Aharon Grossbard? Credits Cover Story is a production of New York magazine. Power Trip is co-created, produced and reported by...

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5. House Full of Sh*t

December 28, 2021 • 53 mins

Stories of transgressions multiply. Psychedelic therapists are meddling in marriages, dating their clients, and worse. Francoise Bourzat herself tells us what she thinks is going on, and how her psychedelic community has handled complaints in the past. Credits Cover Story is a production of New York magazine. Power Trip is co-created, produced and reported by David Nickles and Lily Kay Ross. Hosted and produced by iO Tillett Wrigh...

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Introducing Cover Story: Power Trip, Part II

February 23, 2022 • 2 mins

Cover Story is coming back March 1st! In Part II, we move from the psychedelic underground to the above ground—the world of labs and clinical trials and accredited institutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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6. Open Heart Surgery

March 1, 2022 • 58 mins

We talk to participants in the most advanced clinical trials on MDMA as a treatment for trauma. On paper, they are success stories. In reality they are a mess. And one of them was put in a terrible bind by her trial therapists. CREDITS: Cover Story is a production of New York magazine. Power trip is co-created, produced and reported by David Nickles and Lily Kay Ross. Our senior producers are Marianne McCune and Whitney Jones. Als...

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7. Political Science

March 8, 2022 • 62 mins

Meaghan gets a hold of the clinical trial data and she and Dave and Lily pull it apart. Why are the studies so small? What actually happens in the black box of therapy? Why can't the trial participants find their actual experience reflected anywhere in the published data? We look to MAPS for answers. CREDITS Cover Story is a production of New York magazine. Power trip is co-created, produced and reported by David Nickles and Lily ...

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8. Who Am I Fooling?

March 15, 2022 • 51 mins

Since the publication of Michael Pollan’s bestseller, How to Change Your Mind, more people than ever have gotten comfortable trying psychedelics. And a few of them have died. We look into two cases and ask, who’s responsible for warning people about the dangers? And we explore one important motivation for keeping quiet about them: money. CREDITS Cover Story is a production of New York magazine. Power trip is co-created, produced, ...

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9. The Complainers Group

March 22, 2022 • 53 mins

So. Should YOU do psychedelic therapy? In the last episode of Power Trip, we get a lot of different answers to this question. Plus, we catch up with some of the people we met throughout this season who fight like hell to get people and institutions to acknowledge what happened to them. And make it less likely to happen to YOU. In an earlier version of episode 9, we stated that as part of an agreement Meaghan Buisson signed with MA...

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Introducing Cover Story: Seed Money

October 18, 2022 • 2 mins

A billionaire. An ex-spy. A lot of women. Too many lies. Cover Story, Season Two: Seed Money. Hosted by Hanna Rosin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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1. Mind Your Own Business

October 25, 2022 • 42 mins

In a cabin in Whitefish, Montana, two ex-spies tell us an outlandish story: right here in town, a billionaire philanthropist is allegedly running a sexual enterprise, importing young women into safehouses. One of the spies knows this because he was the billionaire’s right hand man, and best bro friend. He claims to know a shocking amount about this billionaire’s affairs, personal and professional. Learn more about your ad choices. ...

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2. They Were Relationships... Nothing Yucky

November 1, 2022 • 44 mins

The billionaire is into…Batman. Is that because he’s an actual hero, or because he’s using showy philanthropy to cover up his bad deeds? We track down some women he’s paid millions of dollars to. And we talk to the billionaire about his hero complex. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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3. Mission Creep

November 8, 2022 • 38 mins

We dig into the billionaire and ex-spy’s bromance and business partnership – which means a detour into the world of spies for hire. The rich cozy up with former intelligence personnel and try to, for better or worse, carry out missions the government can’t seem to do on its own. We are guided by a powerful female ex-spy who was in Matt and Mike’s circle and who explains, “it’s all about the size of your freaking penis. It’s true!” ...

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4. Baby, You’re Fine With Me

November 15, 2022 • 53 mins

Where does sex with a billionaire land you? We talk to three women who soured on Mike, at different points. We examine a court case, a police investigation, and one woman’s memories. We weigh the question: if none of it adds up to a crime, what does it add up to? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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5. I Am the Victim

November 22, 2022 • 47 mins

The ex-spy is under arrest for fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion. And, in a surprise move, he pleads guilty to all three. What? We start to closely examine his dealings with the billionaire to figure out what really happened between them and the threads start to unravel, and keep unraveling. By the end, one person stands up in court and declares, “I am the victim.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/a...

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6. All the Voids

November 29, 2022 • 34 mins

An episode of reckoning. We catch up with Matt in prison, Mike in Whitefish, and everyone else – wherever they’ve scattered. Both of the men's wives have surprising news. And we add our final touches to what has turned into an uncomfortably intimate portrait of a modern billionaire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Cover Story

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Introducing Cover Story: Power Trip

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}1. I See a Sh*tshow

2. That's an Old Story

3. I Am the Wolf

4. Bad Hug

5. House Full of Sh*t

Introducing Cover Story: Power Trip, Part II

6. Open Heart Surgery

7. Political Science

8. Who Am I Fooling?

9. The Complainers Group

Introducing Cover Story: Seed Money

1. Mind Your Own Business

2. They Were Relationships... Nothing Yucky

3. Mission Creep

4. Baby, You’re Fine With Me

5. I Am the Victim

6. All the Voids

Popular Podcasts

Introducing Cover Story: Power Trip

1. I See a Sh*tshow