The Microshift Project Podcast

Everyone talks about the moment you decide to get clean. Few talk about what comes next.

Recovery isn’t a finish line — it’s the start of a whole new life you have to build from the ground up. After addiction, the real work begins: creating a new community when your old circles pull you back, forcing structure into days that used to be chaos, and facing the loneliness of rebuilding while family and friends expect instant results you...

There are moments in life that cut through all the noise—the ones where someone tells you the truth you’ve been avoiding. For me, that moment came at exactly midnight on Valentine’s Day, 2005, when I walked into the Rescue Mission at 21 years old. I was broke, homeless, and addicted, and Frank—the man on duty that night—looked me in the eye and asked a question that stopped me cold:

“What are you doing with your life that at 21 year...

Some stories never leave you. For me, one of those is Larry Sweeney.

Larry was a force of nature—charismatic, talented, and the kind of guy who lit up a room. We brought him into our wrestling company back in the mid-2000s, and even then, you could tell he had something special. But behind the energy and the showmanship, he was fighting battles most people never saw.

I wanted to save him because I saw so much of myself in him—his str...

Sometimes it takes someone else seeing greatness in you before you can see it yourself. For me, that person was Tony Lariccia.

Tony was a philanthropist, a businessman, and a Youngstown legend. But to me, he became something even more important — a mirror I couldn’t ignore. When others doubted me, Tony stopped in the middle of a conversation one day, turned to the room, and said, “Did you know Nicky used to be a drug addict? Be prou...

Every journey has a starting point. For me, it began in a place I never thought I’d be—rock bottom. This first episode is my story, told in full. The early losses, the bad decisions, the years I almost didn’t make it through… and the small, steady shifts that brought me back.

I’m sharing the experiences that shaped The Microshift Project—why perseverance matters more than quick wins, and how micro changes can create a life you’re pr...

Sometimes the people who change our lives aren’t the ones we’ve known for years. Sometimes, it’s someone we’ve just met — or barely know — who sees us in a moment when we can’t see ourselves.

In this episode, I share the story of a stranger who gave me hope at one of the lowest points in my life. It wasn’t a grand gesture. It wasn’t a motivational speech. It was a simple, human moment that reminded me I wasn’t invisible — and that I...

Not every turning point comes from someone close to you. Sometimes it’s an unexpected interaction that stays with you for decades.

In this episode, I share the story of a police officer I met during one of the lowest points in my life. I was braced for judgment, criticism, or indifference — but instead, I was met with respect. That moment didn’t erase the challenges I was facing, but it reminded me that I was still a person worth se...