Welcome to the Drop the Needle Podcast, your backstage pass to the mystical realm. I'm your host, Jim Alstatt. And here, gifted souls step up to the mic, sharing their spiritual journey. We're hitting the high notes and the low notes of their awakening, creating a symphony of enlightenment. This isn't just another interview show. This is where divine insights are channeled and universal truths are revealed. So crank up your stereo and sit back, because who knows? This just might help you compose the next transformative chapter of your soul's purpose. Are you ready? Let's go. Hi, everyone, and welcome back to the Drop the Needle Podcast. I'm your host, Jim Alstatt, and I'm so happy you all decided to join us. I'd like you all to picture this. An ICU nurse practitioner who spends his days saving lives in the most critical moments, then clocks out to deliver messages from the other side. Nick Lodato discovered his psychic abilities. As a kid. He thought it was anxiety. Turns out it was spirit knocking on his door. At 17, he trained with Pat Longo, the same mentor who trained the Long island medium, Teresa Caputo, Kim Russo, and many, many more. Now he's several years deep into helping people understand that sometimes that what we call anxiety is actually our intuition trying to get our attention. So if you've ever wondered what happens when medical science meets mediumship, let's dive in and find out. Welcome, Nick Lodato. Hey, Nick, how you doing? Hey, what's going on? Jim, thanks so much for having me here. I'm super excited. Well, I'm happy you're here. Nick and I actually met in person in early November. We were at a retreat together, the All Souls Retreat. And Nick was a presenter who gave gallery readings as well. I think he also did some individual readings when he was there. But I gotta tell you, Nick stole the show. And I know it's not a show or anything like that, but I gotta tell you, he was on fire when he was there. And I know he's very humble, so he's not gonna talk about that, but it was really, really cool. So that was my first in person exposure to Nick. But what I'd like you to do, if you're okay with this, Nick, is take a moment to let everyone know a little bit about your background. Yeah, sure. And thanks for saying that. It was definitely a fun retreat and it was a lot of fun meeting you as well. But, yeah, for myself. So I am a nurse practitioner now. Like you prefaced, I worked in the ICU for a long time as a Nurse dealing with a lot of death and trauma. I actually worked in, you know, surgical trauma icu. So I was hands on with a lot of, with a lot of death. I worked through Covid. So again, I'm based in New York, so I'm sure, as people know, a lot of, a lot of death with that as well. As far as the spiritual side, as you mentioned too, I got into that around 17, I met Pat Longo. And before that my childhood was kind of just plagued with intense anxiety, fear, panic, I often say. I'm sure people who have had traumatic childhoods can kind of relate to. You almost don't remember a lot of your childhood. I, I, I would often say, oh, I didn't have a childhood because it was just, it was almost like I was born into this realm and I just felt everything immediately and it was so dense and it was a lot. But again, you know, meeting Pat never, I never imagined I'd be reading people in a psychic medium format, but it just kind of turned into that. And I think, you know, it was around the time too, I was, you know, going for nursing and my nursing career and my psychic mediumship kind of paralleled one another, which was nice for me. I mean, I had one foot in the scientific world and one foot in the spiritual mediumship world. And I feel like that's very important, at least for me personally. It keeps me grounded and, you know, through my early 20s as I became a nurse in my professional career. And then the reading started picking up around that time as well. And since then it's just been tons of beautiful experiences connecting with amazing people, you know, including in Wisconsin at the retreat. So I've done a lot of things like that. So it's, you know, here I am today, I'm, you know, practicing in medicine and I'm practicing as a psychic medium. So it's really interesting. That's very cool. And you know what? I think a lot of people are like that. And I'm talking about the scientific basis and for medicine. You're in the medical field, but there's something about when you bring science into the equation, it almost lends instant credibility, right? Because otherwise it's this fanciful, make believe, woo, woo, whatever you want to call it. But I would imagine especially in the position that you, you held for many years in the icu, you would get a reality check pretty quickly when somebody comes in and there's an issue, and it's quite literally life or death in those instances. It's, it probably didn't give you Much time to, to think about, oh, well, how is this going to connect spiritually or anything like that. It just started rolling in on you or something? No, exactly. And that's something. It's funny you use the term woo woo. I say that a lot and I think I've just realized working with people on the spiritual side, people are averse to that. Not everybody, everybody has their own flavors that they're drawn to. But right when I try and really even approach my readings from a very scientific standpoint, I say to people, you know, look, I believe we live in the matrix. Quantum physics tells us that we are made up of atoms and particles, that it's in everything. And energy, you know, cannot be created nor destroyed. So as the soul, you know, being energy moves out of the body, it's just energy in a different, you know, in a different format. It's how I explain to people that, and I really try and dumb it down because something I don't jive with is, you know, any psychics or mediums. This is nobody even in, you know, particular. I think this is more of an old age thing. They would almost act and read as if I know all the answers and you don't, you know, and I never, I wanted to encourage people, you know, that, that look, this is what I'm doing is not that crazy because look, I have a professional career. I'm a real person. And you're absolutely right. You know, when it comes to the medical side of things, you know, dealing with, with people in acute illness, you know, we need western medicine to save these people's lives. And I also believe in more of the holistic side to kind of bring up a spirituality. But, you know, being able to see both, it's so interesting. I usually would say that the spiritual healing is needed for the families left behind. Right. You know, that the soul that had departed, is it really? The spiritual healing is needed for the, for the families left behind. That's where I would feel the most pain. Not so much from the soul crossing over in, in the, in the death setting, but more the family. So I, I, that's how I kind of would bridge them. Gotcha. So in your time in the icu, I'm sure you had some experiences where you saw that soul leave a person. Do you have any stories that you can tell or experiences you can share? Definitely. You know, without obviously compromising anyone's history? No, it's, it's interesting. I would say this, I think I've been in unfortunately, you know, or fortunately, I don't know how you look at it. I've been in many rooms, you know, situations where I'm around people who are dying and have died, you know, in the moment. And it's really always like, a really interesting feeling. And I shared a little bit about this at All Souls. It's. It's a feeling at which. Like, you know, when I kind of tune in and feel the soul leaving the body and, you know, this could be xyz. There could be plenty of things, especially when somebody has a trauma, plenty of things that could happen to them, you know, whether it be an accident or they're bleeding out, whatever it is. That's. Be graphic. But when I feel that soul leave and the body exit, it's almost like I feel a release. It's a really, really interesting feeling. And it's this feeling of almost like a freedom. And that's why I mentioned, you know. You know, in my previous answer. It's. It's the family that I actually go to. It's the family that's left behind. That's where I feel and see the pain, where it's not so much with the. With the physical. With the physical body. And I could even bridge this to not only in the ICU because it's, you know, it's interesting. It's. It's at work. You're at work. You know, it's like it's the job. And I've kept it so separate from my spiritual side of things. So to me, it's like two different worlds almost. But the way I can kind of bring it in also is whenever I do channel and open up to the other side, even in a session, spirit. Spirit is usually so, so happy. That's the best way I could describe it. There's like this, you know, without, you know, no pun intended. There's this heavenly feel to them that is like this. This release. And that's how I kind of think back to, you know, the ICU days and, you know, even a lot of the nurses that I would talk to and people who weren't even, you know, spiritual or into this stuff, they. They would always say things like, oh, well, you know, at least they're not suffering anymore. You know, and that's something that is, I really believe is real. And then to connect with a spirit in a session kind of validates that for me, too, because I'm like, oh, wow. You know, whoever's stepping forward, your father, your mother, your grandfather, they're so happy. They're beaming with light. They're smiling. It's like, it's just so interesting to feel, you know, maybe the contrast of how sad we may feel in the 3D as humans, but then I was. How happy they feel in, in, you know, in their heavenly sense. Right. The emotional traumas that we deal with in 3D versus when you're ascending or transitioning, you don't have that, that baggage, so to speak. And I think, and I believe it's. It's very difficult again, and I do think it's part of our human experience in the 3D. It's. It's very hard for us to conceptualize what's next, what's coming. And I think that's why spirituality, you know, spirituality so, so big, right? It's the search, it's. It's filling the void. What is it that we, you know, where we go. And I think just again, I guess I don't like to refer to it as having an ability because again, I think everybody can kind of tap in, but I think to be able to feel the soul on the other side and then you actually feel this, you know, again, heavenly energy. It validates a lot for me being in the present. And it's made my medical career kind of even more rewarding because it makes you kind of realize that, yes, you're caring for a patient, but there is, you know, more to this. You know, you're caring for the family, the patient, but also what goes on in the afterlife too. That's kind of how. I think. I was going to say light at the end of the tunnel, but that didn't sound quite right. Seriously. Oh, just so you know, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Right? Right. That's so bad. And that's, and that's what I mean when I say, you know, I've kept it so, you know, because again, I respect, you know, Western medicine and my hospital career and that thing. And I keep it so separate then from the readings and, and because I. I truly believe too, you know, and this is going back to what you, what you said about like the woo woo and, and maybe non believers. I always put it out there. Whoever's meant to find me for a reading is meant to, you know, and I'll entertain it when they come. And I never was one that believed in, you know, pushing readings on people or even really advertising. I'm very under the radar with that because I just believe it's, it's what's meant to be. You know, if, if somebody is on their path and they're meant to have A medium or psychic experience, then it'll happen. You know, I, I think it's ill perceived when you kind of push it on somebody, if that makes sense. Yeah, because then it seems like you're selling something rather than offering some, some, I don't know, answers. I was going to see, say, some relief because it's typically someone that has something going on, that feels a pain from somewhere or from something, that seeks out a session with a medium, whether it be someone who's passed on or they're looking for some direction in their life. That's been my experience with it. And you know, I use a term like psychic therapy and that's how I describe it to some people because it's so interesting. I always, you know, have the mantra and this is something that, you know, Pat Longo, my mentor, who I really looked up to, she is the reason why I do what I do today. But she would always say this to me. You know, when you find somebody at the beginning of the hour, you want to leave them better than how you found them at the end of the hour. And I really think there is an art to that in the sense of like therapeutic communication and delivery of, of messages. And, and I, it's interesting because there's a local university in New York that I kind of do like an adjunct professor spot at for it's called the Art of Healing. And I cover this, the psychic healing portion. And it's just interesting because I get to talk about, you know, with these young, like 18 to 21 year old kids. It's interesting to talk about, you know, what, what a medium is doing, what a psychic is doing. Why do people seek these, I answer these questions exactly. Why do people seek out. Because I think again, some people just think, oh, the psychic's gonna tell me who I'm gonna marry and how many kids I'm gonna have. Right. You know, and, and that's. Look, you know, will you be told that I don't know in the traditional sense? I think that's what people think it is. I like to go much deeper than that. You know, like I like to talk about life purpose and karmic cycles and all that good stuff. But to me it's a, it really is like a psychic therapy. That's how I like to think of it. That's actually a great term to use because I think after someone has a session, I guess it really depends on the medium too, right? For someone that is coming or offering their gifts and coming from the right perspective, that I'm of Service and coming from the light, just that, that side rather than a revenue stream. You, you see so many things. I, I guess watching people leave sessions, sometimes it looks as though they're lighter. Oftentimes like they're, they've, they've shed some, some of the weight or the burden, which is usually guilt or shame that accompanies in those instances, or sometimes it' joy because they get to hear from someone that departed, didn't departed and kind of reassures them or comforts them in that. Hey, don't, don't be sad. Don't be sad. I'm always here. You can, you can always talk to me. I'm, I'm probably closer now than I was before, you know, so I, I, I love seeing that. And sometimes you see people that are just broken down crying, and you don't know why, and you just give them their space. Right. But so you had mentioned, really two different lives. How does that work for you? I mean, do people you work with know that you have these gifts? I would say some, some people, again, you know, like I was saying, I don't really put myself out there a ton in the sense of advertising and whatnot. So I do kind of leave it up to God and I say whoever is meant to find me will. So, you know, being from New York, it could be a small place at times. So of course I've read people's family members who I didn't even know were family or I've read people's close friends. So it's very, A couple people definitely, you know, are always interested and they approach me, oh, I heard this is this, you know, and I really, again, try and keep it so separate just because I care about, you know, like from the medical side of things. I care about that career. And I, and I love it and I'm there to do a certain job. But it's always interesting because I think what I find, and this is going back to your previous point, is there's such a psychological connection to spiritual readings. And I like to think of it again, using the term, building on the term psychic therapy is, you know, when those people are interested in it and, and they maybe have never gotten a reading before. And they're, some people just, most people are just, they're just curious and I think as a psychological kind of phenomenon, you, we want to all explore the unknown or explore what we don't understand. And it's nice when people are open enough and not judgmental enough where they can kind of say, okay, is there something to this, like, you know, what's going on. And I think on a psychological, you know, standpoint, if somebody has had a reading, like you said, I guess they do leave with this, this kind of elevated soul. I'm not sure exactly. It's so interesting. As the reader, I don't, you know, I just kind of step into the hour. I put my kind of mantras out there. I connect with who I have to connect with, and I just give them all the information and then I, for my own protection, insanity kind of close it down. I, I basically disconnect from the person. So it's always so fascinating to you when people come back six months later or a year later and they tell me, oh, you told me this, and you told me that, and this helped me in this way. And I always just, I'm like, oh, wow, I didn't even. You don't even realize it, but I kind of connect that to just like the psychological healing that can take place from it. And again, kind of putting the mantra out there where it's like, if there is somebody who knows what I do, you know, and if they're interested in approaching me or talking about it in some way, then it'll happen naturally. That's kind of how I, how I manage that. Yeah. So I think I, I derailed us a little bit on the story or the experience, which is a typical fashion of my ADHD brain, going, hey, he said this. And then I go down that road. I could do the same thing. I, I could, I could talk down different. Especially spirituality. I have a, you know, I love talking about it, so. Me too. I, that's one of those things. And this topic in particular is one that I could spend the ent discussing because there's so many different facets and so many different circumstances and ways of going about tapping in, which will maybe hopefully hit on here in a minute. But if I, if I can remember. But why don't you share one of your, your stories or your experiences with us where you were able to. Well, maybe I should ask, were you ever able to help someone in a transition when, While you were at work, unbeknownst to your co workers? Truthfully, I, I think, and this is just. I'm going to bring this to kind of thought process and perception and thoughts becoming things. And what I mean by that is, you know, I truly believe, even when we're around somebody, and I'm not offer this in this way, you know, if you have a loved one at home who's transitioning. Right. I truly Believe it's all about the environment you set up for them. It's about the comfort, it's about the people around them. It's about the love around them. So I always tell people, I say, you can. And this is because this is. This is kind of from my point of view, this is what I've done. You know, you can send these, your loved ones, whether it be your mother, father, grandparent, you can send them love again. If we go back to. Not to get all crazy and deep, but quantum physics, you know, there's something to the energy that we are sending out and thinking about in our head. Right. If you have a. A thought about something, it does become a thing. How that happens, we don't really know. Right. But our brains are powerful. That is without a doubt. So I truly believe just being around somebody and sitting and being in deep love and transmuting that in some way to them, whether it be through physical touch, whether it be through thought, you know, I truly believe there's something powerful to that. So that's kind of how I have always, you know, operated myself. And truthfully, I kind of do that for everybody that I'm around or people that I kind of come in contact with. I think you do that through communication, right? Through. Through, you know, your words and your. And your voice. You know, that's a big healing sense. And that's kind of what I teach people because I think there's a lot of. It's funny you brought up guilt and shame. When people do come to me as clients, they always think of, oh, could I have done more? You know, are they. Are they mad at me? Blah, blah. And it's always the same messages like, no, no, you were present, you were there, you were sending me love. You made me comfortable. You made me, you know, and even if the passing was quick and there wasn't maybe closure, I still always tell people. Yeah, but you were in communication with them, right? Like you had spoken on the phone with them the day prior. You were sending them a text. And that's why I encourage people. It sounds so cliche, but it truly is. You know, you never know when it's somebody's time. So I always tell people, you should. You should, you know, always try and be kind and look again, we're human beings, so we have our days, right? So. But I just truly believe, you know, we should always capture, you know, that. That essence of love towards other human beings. Because why not? You know, everybody's going through a hard enough time, right? No, I. And I Love that, because you're absolutely right. I'll give you just a brief aside. In April of April 11, 1994, my mom passed and she had called me a half hour beforehand and I talked to her and said, hey, I'm sorry, I'm slammed, busy here, can we talk later? And she said, yep, just called to say hello and I love you and I'll see you later. And that was it. That was the last time I spoke with her. And yeah, you're right about that. Did I, did I do enough? Did I talk enough that, you know, and you're also right that life was there too, you know, and you're, you're at work. And had I known that that was going to happen, I would have turned off all the lights in the, in the showroom, had everybody leave and given her my undivided attention. But you don't. So I am a big proponent and subscriber to that. If you're thinking of somebody, text them. If you're. Or call them, leave a message. Even if they don't answer, just let them know. And because you don't know when it's going to be the last time here, but kind of to your point too, we can always be in touch. Everyone has that ability on some level. It's just how it is. Gets refined, I suppose. Yeah. How it manifests in you and, and that's, that's an incredible story. And again, you know, I'm sorry for that, that loss of yours, but maybe this is why we talk about this, you know, just to kind of COVID this topic. It's, it's a. I think it's something everybody can relate to and I definitely think, you know, even just, you know, because I understand, like my life may be interesting to people with doing two different lives, but then really what I explain is everybody's life is kind of like that because like you just. Yeah, yeah, you just brought up the duality of, of human life. You know, again, this is such a 3D emotional experience. We're feeling so much. There's so many impulses. Even now with like social media, texting, it's almost, you know, as connected as we can all be. It also creates this, this insane over stimuli. So I truly believe we live in that world, right. Where it's like, you know, we have to, we're at work, we have to get stuff done, we have to get a paycheck and you know, we're all trying to save money. Right. So we're doing this. And then on the other side is like Our human connection and the love essence and the, the kind of TLC for your own soul. And it's like, how do you balance that? You know, where do you find the middle ground? So. Right. You know, it's just interesting because that's what I thought of with your stories. I actually think it applies to everybody. And I encourage people. We have to be in the human side. We have to make money, we have to work. But then at some points we need to have a yin and yang and a balance and you have to move towards, I call it, you know, just the love essence. You have to do the things that either, you know, you love doing. It's self care, it's self love like that I, I believe in. I, I'm a big believer in duality. And I think even with like, you know, people's. People always ask me as, you know, doing this work, they always talk about, you know, like darker entities or darker spirits. And we had deep conversations about this at all Souls, which I thought was so interesting because I'd say to people, yeah, like, there's duality in everything and everyone, you know, and I think it includes spirits as well. Like there's just duality in life. I agree. Because there, where there's light, there's dark, and there, there's some people that say that there is no dark and you are the light. And, and, and I get that, I really do from their perspective, and I honor that. But I just, Yeah, I just think that there are equal opposites. You know what? I think there is too. I think, and we had this discussion privately a little bit beforehand. It's about, you know, we're a culmination of the energy around us. Right. And that includes people, things we do, things we believe. Again, I'm a big believer. Thoughts become things and our behaviors, our habits. Right. So I think there's, there's a saying again, this is. I learned a lot of this from Pat. You know, when you engage in dark, you attract dark. You know, it's, it's, it's, it's like battery. It's a battery. So when I've worked with people who maybe have, you know, heavier energy, you know, something I try and do in my sessions. And this is just how I connect. You know, when I'm raising my frequency, I have to kind of connect to the God inside them. And as a soul, I truly believe we all have God inside us. Right. Or a piece of the universe, however you feel comfortable thinking about it. And I try and connect to that piece then. But some People, I always say, like some people have muddier waters, right? Right. So people who may be more dense and in darkness, I'll say, you know, they may be drinking a lot, drugs, you know, gambling, any type of addictive behavior, really, in toxic relationships, even, you know, toxic thought process like mental illness or something like those things left unchecked can kind of spiral and make you attract the negative things in life. You know, it's. I truly believe when you live in darkness and some people always ask me to say, oh, you know, I feel like all these bad things are happening to me. Why are all these negative things happen to me? I usually say to people, well, one break that thought process, right? You have to get into the first, the first step of turning any ship around in that, in that scenario is to just change your thoughts, change your mind, change your thought process. Right? Replace every negative thought with a positive thought. That's your first step. Then the second step would be to look at your life from an observational point of view. You know, who is in my life? You know, who are the people I'm connecting with? Do I have good friends? Do I feel good around these people? You know, some things you can't change, like a workplace or a job change. Right? Like, you know, okay, maybe we can try and change our perception with that. Not so much the physical place itself, if that's not available yet. And then it's, you know, what are my behaviors? You know, do I have a good self love care regimen for myself? Am I meditating? You know, and I'm not somebody that says, oh, you need to sit down like Buddha every day and meditate. Right. But you should have, you should have some type of, I call it, like there's active and passive meditation. You know, I'm, I enjoy going to the gym as a form of meditation. You know, you should have something like that. It could be, you know, your yoga class, whatever it is, even journaling. Do you have a good energetic plumbing system? Right. Like, how do you get this energy out of you? So I always, you know, yeah, I didn't expect to go this direction. I apologize. But this is how I'm kind of how I help people get out of that darkness place, you know, Because I truly believe, coming back to my point, which is we all are pieces of the universe, we're all a piece of God. There is a lightness to us. We just have to find it and we get lost. That's. It's just again, going back to the duality. We just get lost sometimes. It's normal. It's okay. It doesn't mean you're bad. You just got to get back on track. Right? So I have a. A question for you. A couple of them, actually, as it relates to your gifts. A lot of times you hear people talk about their gifts turn on because of some experience, whether it be near death or traumatic or anything, you know, things like that. Did anything like that happen to you? No. I often joke. I say I think I was just born with like a strange factory settings. It's like, you know, it was like there was no way to reset my iPhone for me. It was like I said I could. Just from my personal experience, I was just kind of born with just this intense anxiety. Like I was terrified of everything. I just felt everything so much. I was like my childhood, like I said, was really riddled with like panic and fear. Not like, like, not normal fear that a kid would have. And I was worried about everything. I remember always. Was that always or in your teens? Always. Always since I was. Yeah, yeah. I was in like, my, you know, my mother works in the medical field as well, and she, you know, took me to like, therapy at a very young age just to, you know, help me emotionally. And I was fearing things that were just like, kids don't fear. Like, I was fearing death, but not for myself, for like my family members. Like, it was very intense, dark things. And now, you know, some people are big believers in past lives. People could say, oh, I, you know, had something from a past life. I'm not sure. I just know that that was my reality. I was terrified of a lot of things and it really limited me in my childhood, in all honesty, with friends, with sports, you know, I was very athletic, but I couldn't really actually go because I was just so panic stricken. And truthfully, my teenage years were actually more about the voices that I started. You know, it actually started for me. I don't know the exact age, probably around 12, 13. I started hearing my name being called all the time. And to me it was, yeah, of course. I remember having that thought, like, am I schizophrenic? You know, somebody, you know, I've grow. I grew up in a household that was again, my. My mom, My dad's a business guy. My. My mom's in the medical field. So it was very, you know, we're based in reality type of, you know, family. And I remember thinking like, okay, something's going on, something's not right. And it just kept occurring at different stages. Some, some days it would be more. Some Days would be less. My nighttime was like. I would feel people like in my bedroom. And I'm like, okay. You know, when you go through that whole process, you're like, okay, I'm making this up. This is just my fear. But I. But it was real to me. And, you know, as I got older and understood, like, mediumship and understood how to connect with spirit, it really does feel as if when a spirit's around you, it really does feel as if there's somebody in the room with you and you just can't see them. But you feel it. It would be the similar, you know, so it's. It's again, kind of hard to maybe conceptualize for some people. But again, like I say, a soul is a soul just outside the body. You feel the energy, you feel the same way. So that was more my teenage years of. So. So when I. When I found Pat at 17, I got very lucky again. My mom was trying holistic things for me, and she actually took me to a psychic. Her name was Diana. She's since passed on, but she was an amazing, amazing soul as well. I knew her pretty well. And Diana was trained by Pat. And she said to me, oh, wow. Yeah. Just so happened to be. And she said to me, you have to go see Pat. You know, you have these. These gifts, and you're just very open. And at that point, I remember thinking, like, well, I'll see anyone. Like, I'll, you know, make this pain. Yeah, exactly. I will go anywhere, I will fly anywhere if you can tell me that I can just control this. And I remember just thinking, I wanted to be in control of my life so bad, and I to wanted wasn't. So that's kind of where I learned my tools and resources from Pat of really just how to control my energy. And it just all made sense to me. And I think being so young and being so open to it, I just kind of applied it to my life right away. And it just worked. It worked for me. And I'm like, oh, wow. Like, I. I can understand energy now. Now I understand, like, what I feel like and what somebody else feels like, you know, it was a really interesting process. That's so cool. Now, so you mentioned tools. Let's talk about your spiritual toolbox. What. What type of gifts do you rely on day to day or in readings or what have you? Yeah, it's. I think every psychic medium probably has their own process. And for myself, the way I was taught was there's a method that has. It's called Surround Ground and SHIELD method. So it's all within your mind's eye. Again, thoughts become things, but it's also the way I think of it is just you're protecting your energy, right? So you put. You put yourself in a bubble, Right. I literally picture myself in, like, this impenetrable bubble. Right? And then I have my feet grounded in the earth, so I'm keeping myself in this realm. A lot of times, people who are sensitive, people who are even emotional people are empathized. Right. Not grounded at all. Correct. And you're. You spend a lot of your days up here. It's funny, you could actually feel that, like, when I meet with somebody, I could feel all the energy up here. And I'm like, you need to, like, really, You're. You're. You're head heavy. I said you're. You're a thinker. So that's. The second process is you just grounding yourself. You're keeping yourself in the. In the present moment, which is very, very hard to do. But I remind myself of that, you know, multiple times a day. And then I'm shielding myself, and the shield is kind of, again, reinforcing that bubble. But it's the having that perception and thought process of like, okay, my energy is my energy, and his energy is his energy. And you kind of keep it. You keep it separate. And to me, this was. It sounds very simple. And I teach it to a lot of people and in Pat's books, you know, Pat has a really good book. You know, the Gifts beneath your Anxiety. And yes, to me, you know, I always kind of plug that book because it's the same tools that changed my life, you know, and it changed a lot of people's lives. I know personally who knew Pat. So with that simple kind of fix, I think really what it did for me is just solidify and protect my own energy. And again, if we think of it like we live in the Matrix, again, it just made sense to me. I'm like, okay. Like, I'm just shielding myself from all the energy and the emotions around me. And then once I did that, you know, again, I, like, I say this all the time. I never wanted to read people, but it just kind of developed, I think, into maybe an ability to see. Like, okay, this is not mine. This is yours. But I could tell you what it's telling me, if that makes sense. That's kind of how I developed it. Well, because I think through your practice, you are able to identify and differentiate between what's yours and what somebody else. And when it's not your energy pattern or energetic pattern. You go, oh, well, that's not me, that's you. What does that mean? What is that saying to me? So that, that does make sense. It. To me, it makes sense. Yeah. So it was interesting that you brought up Pat's book because you are in that book quite a bit. So, I mean, how did, how was that, knowing that you were in the book, how did, how did that make you feel? Oh, it was awesome. I actually remember the process. It felt so cool at the time. It was, you know, Pat had had, you know, whoever it was, I guess an editor or something, and, you know, had to reach out to me and I had to, like, sign off on, you know, my, my story, you know, being okay to be used in the book. And I just remember honestly thinking, you know, again, Pat was like family to me, really, you know, and today is actually her heavenly birthday. So. So, yes, happy birthday. Yes, happy birthday, Pat. So I just truly remember thinking, you know, if my, like, suffering in childhood could help anybody, you know, it's, it's, you know, appropriate for me to do this. So I didn't have any hesitation about that. And I remember even they, they had asked me if they wanted to use like an anonymous name, and I was like, no, you could use, you know, my first name, Nick is fine, you know, to use just to kind of identify and connect, you know, with it. And I send it. I really. Yeah, right, right. And I, I wanted it to be personable. And I think I send it to a lot of my clients. And it's not like I tell people, I'm like, It's not like I get royalties from the book. Right. I'm genuinely sharing this because I do think it could be life changing for people. No, and I agree. And some of the things she discusses in there is really eye opening, especially for children or teens where they're misdiagnosed oftentimes. I think she, she said schizophrenic or bipolar and. Yeah, that's. That's really interesting. Yeah. And that's something that's. Again, it's, it's a tough thing and it's, it's a, it's an interesting line to walk in the spiritual world because again, as a believer in the medical space and, and Western medicine. Right. And then also believer in spirituality and understanding that really, the spirituality. What I say is, it's like I accept and I understand that we don't know exactly everything our brain can do and what our soul is or what it's made up of, you know, I always say if people tell you exactly what happens where we come from and what happens after we pass away, they're lying to you because nobody knows 100. Right. But yeah, with the mental illness thing, it's just so interesting because I do believe, you know. Yeah. Even though, of course, sadly, there are cases of true mental illness requiring, you know, medication, it's still, I think, I think feasible for people to at least try some type of spiritual route as well if they are, you know, young and suffering. And it's interesting too because I've met people from all ages who are either just opening up. And you brought this up earlier and I wanted to touch on it too. When people go, somebody may go through a, a trauma in life, a tragedy, a near death experience, and then they open up even more. You know, I've felt that from people. It's so fascinating. I don't know quite how to explain it again because I can't profess to know everything, but I will sit with people sometimes and I'm like, I, I have to ask them, I say, you know, did you have a near death experience? Because your relationship to the other side, there's like a less of a veil. I'm not sure how to explain it. Yeah, it's almost as if like they've been there before and it lessens the barrier. Sure. So it's, it's very interesting. Even it's happened to a lot of people that I know personally as well, where they had like a very close relative pass away or a very close friend. And it's almost like the way I explain it and the way I kind of have theorized it is I say, okay, I think maybe that soul was so connected to you and there's such a tether between the two of you that to maintain the relationship and keep that love essence, it's almost like the both of you have lessened that barrier between, you know, heaven and earth, really. You know, so it's almost like it's very normal when people really open up after stuff like that. So I've, I'm gonna bounce back here just for a moment with your, your tools. Now are, are you considered to be an evidentiary medium or what? What are you classified in any particular. Yeah, I don't really even know what that means. Me either. Yeah. It's so interesting. I'm not sure. Sorry. Yeah, no, that's right. You're all there. All of a sudden it said, oh, you're. Yeah, I don't see you. I just see a Black square. Yep. Me too. Heads up. New recording created. Okay. Sorry. Doesn't surprise me with the energy and the conversation. Me either. You can turn off the camera while recording, but you can't switch. I wonder why that is going on. Let me do this. I'm sorry to do this. Let me hop back in and I'll have to merge these together. No worries. Want me to stay put? Yeah, stay put. Let me see. And if you don't see me come back, then it means you have to log out and log back in, so. No problem at all. I'll be right back. Pop back up. There we go. There we go. Yeah, sorry about that. That was, that was a first. Yeah, no, it's, it, hey, look, it happens. Like I said, I, I swear at least once a week my, my calls will drop and I, and I do my readings from the same spot. So I don't know. Spirit, I think has some influence on technology, I'm sure. Yeah, I, I'm a firm believer in, in that because it's, I've had a couple of shows or in guests that essentially were sabotaged from the other side. Couldn't get into to do this. So now I have to try to remember the question I wanted to. Oh yeah. With that evidentiary media. Oh, right. What that even is. And kind of hoping that you did. But no, it's just, it's interesting, I think. Honestly, you know, I'm not sure. I think it may kind of just be like a advertising way to kind of label yourself. I, I, When I, when people ask me what I do, I usually say I'm a psychic medium. And the, sometimes I even will kind of deduct it even further and say, look, I just read energy like, you know, that's, that's kind of how I explain my readings to people on a deeper level. Because whether I'm going to be connected to a soul on the other side or I'm going to be connected to something that's going on in your everyday life and, and you, your essence and your being, it's all, to me, it's all part of the same thing. That's how I was trained from Pat. It's like the theory, at least in the. As among the Pat Longo readers, what we say is whatever you're, you're meant to receive is going to come through. You get what you need to hear, not what you want to hear in the reading. Right. Right. So I think it's all, it's all great and dandy, you know, as a to be, I Guess just like an evidentiary medium. I'm not really sure what that means, though, you know, I guess are you probably bringing forward evidence from the other side, but that should be coming forward in sessions anyway? Kind of. So it's just. Yeah. I'm not sure what exactly. No. So. So that's interesting because you may be onto something as it relates to the marketing or more for the perception, so people can. Oh, so they're going to provide me with some evidence before we get rolling. And it does happen with. With every, well, reading that I've been involved with, where somebody says, yeah, you lost somebody. Yeah, yeah. Right. And I think it's interesting. It's. I. Everybody identifies themselves differently in this space. And Pat would always say this to us too. Right. We all have different fingerprints, obviously. So I think even in the psychic mediumship world, we all are going to interpret energy in our own ways. So I never shame anybody. Whatever you want to call yourself, you call yourself. But for just me personally, I never really jived with that term, like, well, I'm an evidentiary medium. I just never. I never really understood what it meant. So I don't really say that. Yeah. And. And I think the reason I brought that up was because thinking about your gallery reading, how you would start with, you know, just an example, somebody that was there. There was a woman in the audience who said, I'm getting a male presence, husband. And it was the Santa Claus. You talked about holiday. Love, the holiday season. I remember that one happens to be a little bit on the large side. And, yeah, that was so awesome because she lit up immediately and she knew exactly who you were referring to. And the house being. He didn't want to leave the house and the people left after a short period of time. Yes. Yeah. Yeah, he was. He was. I. Okay, I remember that one. It's so funny, I. I don't remember a lot of my readings, but of course, some of the galleries stuck out to me, and that was very. Spirit can be very humorous. And that's something I try and do in my readings. I try and I try my best to capture the personality of the spirit coming through, you know, because it's great, you know, to get a name. You know, sometimes I'll get names, sometimes I won't, truthfully. And I share that because I think a lot of people get stuck. Stuck on that. It's like you don't really need. But you don't really need a name to capture personality or the essence. Exactly. And I think a lot of the times, too, I There's a lot of symbolism that comes through. Right. So, you know, whether it's like a. I just actually had this the other day of reading where I said something about something. I think it was something about butterflies, which is very, you know, maybe cliche or something, but it was about a really intense butterfly connection. And this woman always kind of collects butterflies of different, you know, artwork. And she. It reminds her of her sister who passed away. And, you know, to me, I'm like, okay, like, this is. Her sister is choosing to come through via the butterfly path, and then from there, I can kind of, you know, channel and communicate and get more, you know, messages from her. So that's kind of how. How I do it, or I should really say how, you know, spirit communicates with me. But, yeah, a lot of times I love when spirit, especially in the gallery formats, you know, I try and be. I. I try and be lighter in some way. I don't know how to describe it. I try. And you want to make people laugh, you want to make them smile, you want them to have fun. Yeah. Comfortable. And that. That reading in particular, that was very funny. I remember the. The spirit was saying that he more or less, like, haunts the house, and then the woman said the people who bought it from. From her moved out right away. So that's very. That was very funny. That was a. That's. That was awesome. I was laughing and then trying not to. To be disruptive by laughing so hard, but it was so, so great. And that's when I was just like, oh, he's on fire. That was so. That was. That was a fun. Yeah. I think. You know what? I actually would attribute that to just. Just being in that energy. Right. And I'm such a big believer in community, and I. I really believe. I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for the. The psychics and mediums that I came up with. And Pat's like, weekly spiritual classes. Like, it really. It really, really helps your. You know, it's the same thing. I use this process just because I used to play sports, but I say it's like. It's like being on a baseball team with a bunch of studs, right? Like, everybody is really good. The pitcher is throwing 95, and you have to hit the ball like you. You. It forces you to get better. And I think it's the same thing with the spiritual world. It's a psychic muscle. If you're around people who do this work and they do it professionally, even in different ways, you can always learn from them. And that's why I say, you know, I, you know, I'm just the vessel. Pat would always say that. Like, you're just. I'm just the vessel. I think my only job is to just make sure I'm in a good frequency so I can bring through the, through the messages. And I think, you know, to. And I'm just using the retreat as an example, but I think anytime I do anything like that, I just, if there's good people around, you know, I was with you during the day. I think you helped me, you know, you helped get my frequency where it needed to be. To me, I think that's what like, you know, elevates to me to, you know, to maybe be able to do that. That was very cool and very kind of you to say that too. Yeah. I'll tell you, in my conversation, it was so nice. We sat there for probably a couple of hours and just chatted. And Nick would frequently say, well, you. You know what I mean? You know what I mean? I'm like, no, no, no, sorry, don't know what you mean. Well, yeah, you know what? Like, no, not me, I don't. And he was very kind and very inclusive in that. But so one of the things that I, you know, obviously Pat is such an important person in your life and so many others, and she was an amazing teacher and mentor. Have you given any thought to going on in that direction as it relates to the teaching, the classes, the mentorship? And I do know that you mentor young mediums or younger people coming into this world, but something along the same lines is what Pat had done. Yeah, I think, you know, of course, it could only be one. One Pat Longo for sure. Something that I say is I definitely want her teachings to live on, so. And I must say, I definitely feel. So do I, by the way. Yeah, of course. I think it's important. 100. And I think, you know, I feel very fulfilled and whole when I, you know, connect with some of the younger people in the space who have also come up through Pat. And I'm, you know, friendly with them and I help them in any way I can. I just offer to be their resource. I think I really do love doing that and I have, you know, started doing some small, you know, get together classes like here locally. So I'm gonna continue with that. And I think as far as building on, you know, maybe doing some type of zoom class, I think that's hopefully in my future. I definitely want to move in a more mentorship. Slash educational type way. Because like I was saying earlier, I think it's so important that people, you know, get taught how to, you know, I guess the saying as it goes is you want to teach somebody how to fish. Right. You know, and I think that to me is such an important process, you know, not just relying on the psychic medium, you know, to get all your answers, you know, you want to make sure you can build up your own intuition as well. So, so I definitely, yeah, I definitely want to move in that space because I'm a big believer in community too and just having a, you know, having a like minded group of people I think would be awesome. I, I couldn't agree more. And I think at least in my opinion that the more it gets out there and becomes, you know, let's just say demystified, the more normal it is. And there's no longer that, oh, is that guy, you know, is that one of those. And there no longer a label. Right? Because that's, that's the tendency that when people are afraid of something and it's usually because they don't know about it, they have the tendency to label it. So. Oh yeah, yeah, that's, that's a normal human, I think, psychological processes. And that's why I say to people a lot of times when people come to me and I always ask them, I said, you know, hey, have you been read before? And the reason, really the reason, reason why I ask that is I just don't want them to be scared. You know, I try, I say to them, I make a joke, I say, look, I'm not going to tell you when you're going to die. Don't worry. That's something people always worry about. But you know, for me I just say to them, hey, just be open minded, you know, whatever you're meant to hear, you're going to hear. I think that that, that kind of term, just be open minded, I think is, is interesting. And look, like I said, I never fault people when they're like, ah, like it's crazy. I don't believe that. Like I, I'm not, I always say, look, like I'm not, I'm not here to convince you. I really don't care, you know, because it's either on your, it's on your path or it's not on your path, you know, so that's just, it's just what it is. Yeah, no, I, and, and I appreciate, I appreciate that very much because you're right. You can't force anybody to do it or Believe it. And quite frankly, it's not your job. Not my job. Right. But what my job is, especially in the. The podcast, is to get it out there, to normalize it, make it so it's not as much of a mystery or something to be afraid of. So that's. Yeah, bring. Bring education to it. That's how I, you know, and that's why, you know, I talk about, like, the matrix and quantum physics and energy, because I really think it actually solidifies in a way where it's like, you know, hey, like, we really don't know what goes on around us, and you can't. You can't sit here and profess that you know everything because it's just not true. So that's, like, my answer usually for the science community. You know, I'm like, yeah, well, we don't know everything. You know, it's. You know, there's different takes on it, so. Absolutely, absolutely. We need to move along to our musical questions section, if you're cool with that. Yes, let's do it. I know we were. I know we could both talk about spirituality. I know. Which is the dangerous thing about this as far as times goes concerned, but. So we're just going to dive on in. What was the first song you fell in love with from the radio or one that you heard and can remember? Man, I. I can't wait to hear that song again. Yeah, it's. It's so interesting. So I. I definitely was thinking of a couple. Yeah. I kept thinking about, like, my parents and what they liked and what I would listen to, because, you know, when you're a kid, you have no say on what's right. You're just playing. It's like, nothing for the ride. Yeah, but I remember hearing Drops of Jupiter was a big one. Oh, train. Yeah, train. And also to stay on the train, also Calling All Angels. Oh, that was a big one for me. And that's. I don't even know what year those came out, but I was probably in, like, that formidable age where I could, like, understand and process music, and I really. I connected to those songs. I remember thinking, like, whenever they came on, it made me feel something. Yeah, yeah, no, I. I get. And good, good songs. As a matter of fact, you're the first one that has mentioned either one of those, so. All right. Way to go. And look, I could probably think of others, I'm sure, but those are, like, some of the first two that came to my mind, but. Cool. No, I love it. I appreciate it. Did your family have a Song that everyone would belt out on road trips or vacations. Or it could be even on a road trip with friends going to Padre island or Florida or something like that. Yeah, it's. This is probably more of a funny one. My. My family listens to, like, an array of music. You know, my mom was more like the train girl. My dad listens. He listens to hip hop, rap, to country. So he covers everything. So I remember. And I just have this such a specific memory. We were driving upstate to a vacation and belting out Shaggy. It wasn't me. Ah, that's so cool. So it was me. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it's so. That's awesome. That sticks out to me. That's very cool. So I love that. Holy shit. So what was the favorite song that you and your friends would belt out your senior year in high school? You know when you roll down the windows and you're just. Yeah, yeah. So that's deeper into high school. I was much more into, like R B, hip hop, but what was big. It came out a little bit earlier, but. Empire State of Mind, Jay Z. Okay. So it's like, all about being from New York. Yeah, you know, it's. It was like. That was such a. I remember just going through high school like that every major event that song was playing. That was like a really big song because I think around that time the Yankees had won the World Series. So it was a lot of. Yeah. New York. An anthem. It was. It was. It was a big anthem. It was. It was a. So I remember, like, that's just like a feel good song. Awesome. That I connected to. I remember in high school. Yeah. Well, you talk about getting an entire city and state together in something like that. That's the song. And. And that's one of the. The things that I always talk about. The tie that binds that song in a. At a Yankees game or something. Or if you're at a concert beforehand or whatever, that gets everybody right then and there, right in that moment in that same frequency. And it's. Yeah. Especially if you're amazing. Especially being, you know, from New York and, you know, growing up here, it makes everybody. Yeah, it's like almost like that brings everyone together type of feel. Yeah, I love that. So is there a song that gets the positive juices flowing for you? Yeah, so I would say I'm a big Drake fan, so I don't know if you're familiar with any of Drake's work. So to me. Yeah, so to me, there's a song and it's so funny. Actually, my dad likes this song a lot too. It started from the Bottom by Drake. And it's actually a song about. If you haven't heard it, it's actually about like it says starting from nothing and getting to where you're going. Right. So it's, it's a, it's a big kind of zero to 100 songs. That's cool. So. And it, you know, it. That song probably came out around 2013, I think around there. So to me it also brings me back to that like post college. Yeah. You know, vibe thing. But it's. I, I tend to go towards those songs where it's more not so much hip hop rap about, you know, like harming people. Yeah. It's more like motivational, you know, coming from nothing type of, you know, energy. Yeah, I like that. Do you have a guilty pleasure song? Yeah. So any of my guilty pleasure. Now, I don't even know if this counts as guilty pleasure, but it's Justin Bieber. Yes, it would. Yes. To me, I know he's been, he's been making, I think like less girly songs lately, but Justin Bieber, like, even like his, his more recent album Daisies Yukon, like those songs. I really, I like his, his style and his music a lot that. So when you said Justin Bieber, it reminded me of my three year old. Two, two or three year old youngest son in the backseat singing. He would. We. I. Whenever we'd get in the car and he was my pic. He'd go everywhere with me and we'd always have to play Justin Bieber. And I knew he was like, what, what do you want to listen to? Oh, and he'd tell me and he would be back there, he would sing and he was doing the robot in and I have a video of it and it was me driving, literally. So talk about not being the best dad in the world there. But I was driving and I, I saw it and was able to hit the rear view mirror with the camera lens and tape. That's awesome. That's awesome. Yeah, it'll be, it might be on a loop for his high school graduation for sure. His wedding, when that, when that comes up, you have. You're gonna have to do that. Oh, hell yeah. That's absolutely. I am not beyond that. So what's a song that you believe could change the way people think about the world around them positively if they just listen to the lyrics? I think I'll stick with the whole uplifting hip hop rap. There's J. Cole is a, is an Artist who he actually. He went to St. John's University, so he's a. He's a New York, Queens connection. But there's a song called love yours and what it's all about, if you were to read the words, it's basically about how no one's life is better than yours. You have to love your life and love your circumstances and love that. I think in this day and age of comparison, you know, with social media. Yeah, like, you know, comparison is a thief of joy. I always say it's so hard not to, like, look at someone else and compare yourself and say, oh, my gosh, you know, this person has this, this or that. And it's just a really interesting song because it has, like, a really cool beat to it. And it's very. Just like, you know, your life is not better than, you know, anyone else's, and no one's life is better than yours. It was really interesting song. You know, people are gonna love this playlist. I'm gonna tell you right now. People are really gonna love this. I was a little worried coming into it because I said, you know, I'm so. Even though I may started out as, you know, more. More open, I kind of. As I got older, I did more like hip hop, R B and rap type of music. I was kind of drawn to, I think, because I really am into, like, the beats and stuff. And sometimes too, it's in music makes me so emotional and raises my frequency so much that sometimes if I actually listen to, like, for example, calling all angels, I really, like. I can't really listen to that song. Like, it'll make me very emotional and, like, I don't want to. Sometimes I don't want to be in that space, you know, so it's. I have to use music like. Like a. Like a medicine like that, you know, I do the same thing where I'll have to skip a song. Yes. I don't want to be in that. I'd be like, just push the button and move on. Yes, exactly. So I'm gonna go to my favorite song, favorite song, favorite question. Okay. Which is sometimes there are songs that you hear that ring so true that they can stop you in your tracks. And the song's lyrics sound like they were either written specifically for you or by you. What's that song? Yeah, this one. So there's a song by Drake. It's called look what you've done, and it's actually about his mother. It's all about his mom. And it's about, you know, you Kind of took me from the basement to, you know, to this place, to that place. You would take me to the studio and it would just speak to what she did for him. And to me, I always just connect this because my mom, I always feel like really did save my life, you know, with what she had did for me as a kid. Instead of, you know, maybe putting me on any type of medication, you know, we went the holistic route and we found answers in the spiritual sense. That saved me, really. So that song, look what you've done is very connected to me in that way, like, like a deep personal level. So that's. I have to kind of bridge my mom in with that one. I love that. And thank you for sharing that. Thank you for sharing all your. Your songs. Of course. I appreciate that. Well, it's just about time to cue the music for today's episode, but don't forget to, like, comment and subscribe to the Drop the Needle podcast to stay up to date on our latest episodes. I'd also like to take a moment to thank everyone again for tuning in today and I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Drop the Needle podcast. I'd also like to thank our special guest, Mr. Nick Lodato for being on our show today. Nick, could you do me a favor? Could you please let our listeners know how to get in touch with you? Yeah, definitely. Sure, Jim. Thanks so much for having me on the podcast. Firstly and secondly, accessible via email nickspiritual1, that's the number1mail.com. So as long as you give me a couple days to respond, I'll get back to you on email. Awesome. I appreciate that. I invite you all to head on over to our show Notes where there's going to be a link to the playlist from today's episode which will be your all time favorite, as well as how you can get in touch with Nick. All right, my Drop the Needle posse. Like Billy Joel says, from the highs to the lows to the end of our show, this is the end of our show. Until next time, this is Jim Alstott wishing you infinite health, happiness, and the perfect playlist for your life. Thank you again for being the best part of us. Catch you next time.