There are some guests you expect. And then there are guests who make you pause for a second and think: wait… how did we get here?
This episode is the second kind. It’s part of my broader exploration of the spiritual realm on Causes or Cures, which is bound to take us to interesting, and perhaps, unusual places.
I sat down with Master Nick Eagle, who, depending on when you encountered him, you might know by a very different name.
Before spirituality, earning a PhD, meditation, and teaching, he was Nick Hawk, the star of the Showtime series Gigolos. I can’t say I watched the show, but I read that it was quite popular.
His life was built around performance. Confidence. Masculinity. Image. He moved through worlds that were loud, physical, and very visible: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, nightlife and entertainment, writing for Penthouse and endless media attention.
Penthouse even labeled him “Confidence Man.”
And then, at some point, that version of things… stopped fitting.
Reinvention is rarely clean
Today, he goes by Master Nick Eagle.
He teaches meditation. Runs retreats at a cool site in Arizona. Talks about awakening, energy, and something deeper than the life he used to lead. Which raises a question that is less about him, and more about all of us:
What happens when the identity you built no longer feels like your own?
We talk about that shift. Not in a polished, before-and-after way, but in a messy way.
We talk about how he defines masculinity now vs then and what pushed him to change directions and what it means to step out of a life that worked for him, at least on the outside.
Where spirituality meets skepticism
This is not a typical Causes or Cures episode. I’m not interviewing a seasoned researcher or anything like that. Instead, we get into meditation, Reiki, Kundalini and spiritual awakening…concepts that don’t sit neatly inside evidence-based anything.
And that’s part of the point. This podcast is part of my larger exploration of the spiritual realm on Causes or Cures.
Not everything people turn to for meaning or healing fits into an evidence-based framework firmly rooted in the material world. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t shaping how people think about their bodies, their suffering and their sense of self.
A quick pause
Because it matters here.
This conversation touches on spiritual and metaphysical ideas that are not evidence-based treatments. I’ll remind folks that the podcast is not medical advice or public health guidance. It’s a conversation!
The more interesting layer
Underneath all of it is something more familiar. Not enlightenment. Not energy work. But identity.
The idea that you can build a life, become known for it, succeed in it, and still feel like it isn’t yours anymore. And then what do you do?
Do you stay where you are or do you shift gears?
If you’ve felt that tension, or something like it, you’ll enjoy this one.
You don’t have to agree to listen
You might not agree with everything in this episode. You might not agree with most of it. That’s fine. The value here isn’t in agreement. It’s in seeing how people shift, reinterpret their past and build something new out of it. Because whether it’s spirituality, career, relationships or something quieter, reinvention is something most people circle at some point. The interesting question isn’t whether it’s real. It’s what makes it real enough to change your life.
Tune in to the episode here.
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