Locked In with Ian Bick - How I Went From An FBI Arrest & Drug Addiction To Signing Magic Johnson | Darren Prince

Episode Date: March 28, 2024

Darren Prince is a celebrated entrepreneur, author, and advocate for addiction recovery, known for his transformative journey from the heights of success to the depths of addiction and back. With a client roster boasting names like Magic Johnson, Hulk Hogan, and Dennis Rodman, Darren rose to prominence as a sports and celebrity agent, orchestrating groundbreaking deals and cementing his reputation as a powerhouse in the industry. Yet, behind the glitz and glamour, Darren battled his own demons, struggling with addiction that threatened to consume him. His gripping memoir, "Aiming High: How a Prominent Sports and Celebrity Agent Hit Bottom at the Top," offers an intimate look into his harrowing journey toward redemption and sobriety. Today, Darren Prince serves as an inspiration to millions, using his platform to advocate for addiction recovery and empower others to overcome adversity. Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ Connect with Darren Prince: https://www.instagram.com/agent_dp/?hl=en https://www.princemarketinggroup.com › about-us Creative direction, design, assets, support by FWRD: https://www.fwrd.co Buy Merch: https://lockedinbrand.com Use code lockedin at checkout to get 20% off your order Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:04:30 - The Opportunity for Rejuvenation and Self-reflection 00:08:53 - Impacting Generations with Addiction Recovery 00:13:26 - Owning Your Mistakes and Embarrassing Moments 00:22:08 - Relationship building as a superpower 00:26:40 - From Baseball Cards to Entrepreneurship 00:31:06 - Lessons Learned from Past Mistakes 00:35:38 - The FBI Investigation and Charges 00:39:49 - Life is about who you know 00:44:11 - Connection and Relationships in the Entertainment Business 00:48:32 - A Chance Encounter with Magic Johnson 00:53:01 - Learning from Past Mistakes 00:57:36 - Rock Bottom and Rebuilding 01:02:07 - The Ultimate Comeback Story 01:06:28 - The Keys to Recovery and Spiritual Transformation 01:11:05 - Interactive Podcasting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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I wanted to get involved in autograph signings. I thought that was so cool that different athletes, we'd go to these conventions and hundreds or thousands of people would wait in line for their autograph for a photo with them. And it kind of made me feel like cooler if I can like be around celebrities and booking these type of signings and get to know them versus like baseball cards. And so I sold prints of cards, got into that,

did that about five years, got to the top of the private signing industry except for one mistake that I made. And I was selling Michael Jordan autographs that were authenticated by a forensic document expert from the FBI. And a lot of people in the industry thought they were good. And I sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth until one day. I get a call from the FBI in Chicago. Welcome back to the Lockton with the InBIC podcast. On today's episode. I have another guest who I got to interview while I was at Spotify Studios in Los Angeles last month. Shout out to Spotify for giving me access to their studio. It's an incredible studio and I was so excited to be a part of it and use it to interview some amazing guests. One of those guests is

celebrity agent Darren Prince, who has represented individuals like Magic Johnson, David Gaggins, Evil Knievel, Chevy Chase, and a huge list of many, many more stars. that we all know and love. On today's episode, we dive in to Darren's upbringing and his start in the entrepreneurial world, how he had eventually led him into some hot water with the FBI. We learn about how Darren ultimately fell into a battle with addiction, and we learned how Darren was able to overcome his struggles

and create a successful life for not only himself, but for the others he surrounds himself with. Darren's journey is inspiring, it's motivational, and I'm so excited to share it with you guys today. And I want to shout out to all the listeners who tune in on Apple and Spotify for all three of our episodes every week and the viewers on YouTube who watch this show religiously. It means the absolute world. And we would not be here without you guys. Now, I hope you guys sit back, relax, and get ready to lock in with Darren Prince.

Darren Prince. Welcome to Lockton. Man, we're at Spotify Studios. A new studio for this episode. Very exciting. We have our dear friend Patrick Anino in the room. You know, the legend. Yeah.

And you're on your way to becoming one, man. This is what happens. You know, you put good energy out into the universe. The blessings come, and now you're getting on the center of world stage. Well, I got a long way to go, but with some help of you guys, and, you know, I'm grateful for the help. And it's an honor to be here, you know, celebrity sports agent, bestselling author. You've overcome addiction of your own and trials and failures. And I feel like you and I kind of have a similar story in a way where we were very successful,

young, experienced massive failure, kind of was around like prominent figures and then re-found success and created like a second act. And I listened to your episode with Jay Shetty, who I love Jay Shetty, listen to him every week. And that was a great episode. That was the first episode he put me onto. He's like, you got to hear it. And it wasn't because of you was because Jay shouted about in the first. How much he loves Patrick. Yeah. He's like every time I see you're with Patrick. I love Patrick. Yeah. He's like, you got to, you got to. You got to. You You got to listen to it, but just the first part. You hear it?

You hear it? That's all I cared about. He got his shout out on there a couple times. Yeah, but it's great to finally sit down. We've been talking about doing this for months. And, you know, it's funny when you get into the space to talk about addiction and prison and everything, how many people were actually affected by it. And, you know, someone like yourself who works with big figures on a daily basis, you would never expect someone like yourself to go through that. And it's hit you personally.

So it's interesting how kind of paths cross over in that way. Yeah, I mean, I tell people it doesn't discriminate, you know, addiction, mental health. It doesn't care if you're from Park Avenue or Park Bench or Yale or jail. And, you know, I've spoken to many inmates. I've actually been to a couple prisons in New Jersey. I did a Zoom talk about six weeks ago. and there's something really special about having that opportunity because when they know there's going to be a point where thank God they are getting out and they're in that rejuvenation,

self-reflection, be a better person. You get like all that energy and that attention of them just really taking it all in knowing that, look, they're not lifers or whatever, you know, it could be three years, five years, whatever. they are going to have that opportunity to come out and create the life that they've always wanted and do things right. And that's what recovery and I think life in general is about none of us are perfect. We all make mistakes. I still make them at 54 years old, but they're better quality of mistake because I'm spiritually aligned now to the person I was always meant to be. But I had to work my ass off to get here and I got to do it every single day. You know, what I did yesterday is

stay spiritually sober has nothing with my spiritual journey today. It's got no commonalities whatsoever. It's a complete repeat and putting that energy out there. And just being with you and start my day with this, I know you're starting to build a massive following an audience and we're going to help people. It's about. You know, the business is secondary. Like what I do, I say it often. I career the whole super agent bullshit. Like I don't pay attention to that because what am I really super at? You know, they're the icons, they're the global figures, you know, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Hulk, Hogan, Rick Flair, Chevy Chase,

Charlie Sheen, Carmen Electrow, all the iconic, you know, names Jerry West and the list goes on. Like, they're the ones that put in the roadwork as, you know, my late client, Smokin' Joe and Muhammad Ali used to say, you know, they often would say something to the fact that if you don't put the work in the dark, it's going to be revealed under the bright lights. And that's the way I look at my recovery journey. Because like I said, I'm not perfect. I still make mistakes. I got ex-girlfriends and ex-fiance. That can tell you that. Co-workers probably. But it's learning each and every time.

Because if you make the same mistake two, three, four times and you don't learn, that's not living. you know that's just staying in the sense of selfish selfish reasons and I don't want to be that person I want to continue to strive and thrive to be better and most importantly like this opportunity we're going to touch a lot more than one live today and I want better than that you know the business is great and all that

like it allows me to provide for people but it doesn't define who I am you know what I do one day at a time to keep this gift and give it away to other people that are in need of it. That's me. That's my legacy. Yeah. And I think that's something like I've learned and that hits home for me, even in the past year, even in the last six months because Patrick, and I'm not even just blowing smoke out for him because he's in the room right now. But he's taught me a lot about like focusing on the bigger picture and focusing on like what ultimately your purpose is and

who you're helping. And for so long, like, I'm sure you get people that come to you and they're like, I want the book deal. I want this. I want that. And that was me because I have an interesting story. and I thought like that's what was going to propel me. And then now that I have this, my job and my purpose is to showcase the light onto other people who don't normally get their stories out there. And I think when individuals see a story like yours, who is a prominent figure and who has experienced massive success,

but you've also been through massive failure, and you've hit rock bottom. And it's important for the average person to see that so they know that they're not far off from where you were too. Yeah, and it's anybody in life. you know, if you can take a bottom or your bottom and make it a brand new beginning and come out of the dark into the light, I almost feels like you have a debt of gratitude into society to share that. And I just think, you know, with addiction, mental health, some coming out of prison, obviously,

I think there is just a stigma of kind of wanting to keep that like. But I think the real rewards and the real blessings come when you open up about your struggle. You had to go through everything you went through to be sitting here with me today, just like I do, to be sitting here with you. Yeah. And in that time and that moment, it seems like the worst thing ever. But, you know, we talk about one day at a time in the program. I'm sure you're sitting there probably inside your own head. Like, I can't believe this.

But it eventually goes quick. You look back. You experienced what you experienced. You made the mistakes that you made. And every one of those moments led you to the opportunity that you're in right now. when you're just scratching the surface, the same thing I told Jay. You know, for me, I'm just so proud to see what you've accomplished and where you're heading because to find that at such a young age, you know, you can impact an entire worldwide generation.

And I never had that. I didn't get my gift until I was 38. And it took me a couple of years until I knew I had a solid foundation to start talking on social media. And the book didn't even come out aiming high until 2018. But I got it when I got it. At least I got it, you know. But at your age, I mean, there's so many people that you're going to be impacting, which is the best thing in the world. Everything else comes after that.

If you take your pain and turn it into your greatest purpose, life is at that point. And you have a little bit of patience, too. I'm a very impatient person, so I'm working on patience. Before we get into your story, though, since it's kind of encompassed on what we were just talking about, Do you see more celebrities being more open about their addiction, recovery, even prison in this world? Because I know years before, it was never really like that where they weren't speaking openly about it. Yeah, I mean, I think it was so, it was a taboo topic and it was embarrassing. And I think, you know, I just think there was so much shame to be a part of it.

And now it's just different. Now there's, you know, a lot of celebrities, Anthony Hopkins, Elton John. Danny Treo, you know, these guys talk about decades of sobriety. Bradley Cooper, I mean, there's so many of them. And I think that's important because we look at some of the greatest cultural icons and music artists of all time. Michael Jackson never got the gift. Prince never got it.

When Houston never got it. I mean, Winehouse never got it. Heath Ledger didn't get it. Bernie Murphy didn't get it. I can keep going. I mean, Matthew Perry. You know, and I think, For me, the reason I wanted to become more outspoken,

I just shared this a couple of weeks ago at a 12-step meeting, is I wanted that as an insurance policy. I wanted everybody that I knew I didn't know to somehow reach out for me on a daily, even if there's DMs on Instagram and Facebook messages or comments, to remind myself who I am, where I'm heading, and how far I've come. and I know a lot of people don't understand that

because it's again that shame and I don't care like I'm so comfortable talking about the uncomfortable right now because I see the payoff for other people and to get those blessings and seeing somebody able to press the restart button on their life that's how self-esteem got developed for me and it wasn't the cars and the woman and the business

like that's all just short term and just makes you feel good in that moment because as addicts, we have the disease of more and we love instant gratification. Like I said, there's still character defects that work on myself all the time. Patrick knows.

But, I mean, even the times we've been hanging, I'm sure he could see a bigger transformation. I mean, all of us in here, you know? That's what life's about. Yeah. You know, and we're never going to be perfect. We're always going to have flaws. but it's just being accountable and owning it.

And I think pointing the fingers at people and staying in that place of resentment and what's for all want them know. If it's a friend or a relationship, look at yourself. Look at us in the mirror and say, why did I choose that friend? Why did I choose that business partner that screwed me?

Why did I choose that woman or if a woman says that man to be in a relationship with the signs are all there? and I think the more we raise our energy and have self-awareness of who we are and develop that self-love, I think laws of attraction just start bringing the right people into our universe. Yeah, just like how I met him. It was so random in Texas randomly and then the world's collided and then he linked me with you and then now here we are. And I think on what you were saying too, it's so important to just own your mistakes and your embarrassing moments.

and I think like Brandon Novak's an excellent example of that. My brother. Yeah. He came on our show thanks to you guys and he spoke very highly of the both of you. And he's an example where he gives no fucks about what he did in his past. Like he'll share it, put it out there. The most thing, something that would be the most embarrassing thing to your average person. And he owns that and it makes him who he is and it makes it more power.

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Careful. I took the words out of that. It's just to say it's a super property, but it's sitting here and tell you my degenerate fucking drug addict, woman loving, overeating, you know, all that gambling, all that stuff, the disease of more that I've had over the years that now has been really kind of minimized to better quality of traits. It's always going to be me. And I need to remind myself of that because I'm not afraid of, you know, relapsing and dying. Like, that would be easy because if I go bad, my system's never going to be able to handle what I used to do.

I'm definitely afraid of relapsing a living. That's the hell. I wasn't in real prison. I was arrested four times of my early 20s and never spent more than overnight, but I was in prison in my own mind. And sometimes that's even a more difficult situation because the outside universe is looking at multi-million dollar sports and entertainment agency, private jets, you know, Super Bowl sideline, Like all the stuff that comes along with that. And I was just living this double life. And, you know, it just went on longer than it should have. But eventually when my God moment happened, I took advantage of it.

But I thought was the worst day in my life, July 2nd, 2008, turned out to be my very best. So let's jump into your story. Where did you grow up? Where are you from? I grew up in Livingston, New Jersey. Originally born in the Hillside. I grew up in Livingston. I think we moved there when I was.

was seven, had a great loving mother and father. My dad was my best friend in the world. My sister, Stacey, were still very close. My mom's still here. My dad passed. And, you know, you would have thought from the outside, I tell people all the time I had the perfect life and happy go lucky kid, but always crippling anxiety. I never felt a part of. I never felt worthy or smart enough compared to all my other friends that were in bigger classrooms. I was put in small rooms. And we used to literally call ourselves idiots, the dumb room. I'll never use the word, but the R word. You guys could imagine what that is because, you know,

I think it created a lot of early on trauma when people would call us the R-only room. And, you know, what I'm saying. And when you don't speak up and you take that in your heart and in your soul, there's during those developmental years, it does something to you. It breaks your self-worth. It breaks your self-esteem. And when I look back at it, it seems kind of like I was a prime candidate to fall victim to substance abuse. And the first time it happened was at 14 at sleepaway camp.

I had terrible stomach pains one night. And the counselor, I never forget, his name was R. He took me to see the nurse. His name is Greta. And she gave me this green liquid. It had a, within a cough syrup plastic cup, and I drank it, it tasted disgusting. but within five minutes walking back to the bunk my life changed forever and um that green liquid introduced me to the world i got back to the bunk with a bunch of my teenage guy friends and

they're laughing with me not at me uh it was a social butterfly i felt like a superpower come over me i felt like Superman and i even went to the bunk next door and started flirting with girls and talking to girls the first time my life something i never had the courage to do and the next day woke up did all the activities that next night. I remember lying in that bunk bed and my brain was awoken. I thought that was a spiritual awakening and I learned how to lie and con and cheat and do everything I had to do and I healed over in my bunk bed and the counters came running over and complained to get him about stomach pains. They took me to the nurse and I did this for three weeks until three straight weeks every night before my mom and dad came up for visitation day and found that I was taking liquid dimeral.

What is dimeral? Demerol is a class A. Opio narcotic. And can you still get that like over the counter? You can't get over the counter. Back then the opiate epidemic wasn't anywhere as bad as it is today. I mean back even as far as 10, 12 years ago, you know, I think even oxies and Vicodins and Percocet, that's all the generic, you know, the regular generic, hardcore opiates. You could have just gotten a prescription from a doctor.

There was times where I remember doctors could call in. Vicodence and Perkinset sets over the phone. So they wouldn't give that to a kid nowadays? There's no shot. There's no shot. Do you think it was because of lack of knowledge back then? It could have been a lack of knowledge. You know, kids are in sleepaway camp and they're getting injured, breaking bones, whatever it might be.

And the nurses, you know, it could be like a transition or something to give them before they have to go to a hospital. Or, you know, if they pull a muscle, you know, we're all actively doing sports all day. I don't even know why the reason it was there. But I still don't blame the nurse. I say this all the time because a few months later, I had to get my wisdom teeth pulled and at the dentist. And one in three kids, I say this all the time. And I speak to big audiences, become opiate addicts that get painkillers from a dentist. And I was one of the three.

And my mom gave me these white pills. I had no idea what they were. She gave me two. And bro, I couldn't figure out the difference, but that green liquid had the exact same feeling those white pills did. And now I'm in bed in La La Land that I'm calling up my friends. I got all these great ideas about life. and um um zooted all night i didn't want to go to bed and uh that next morning i woke up and i went down to to get breakfast uh before i went to school and i was so pissed off i said there was only

two pills left in the bottle and uh my mom didn't take me to school that day because i immediately grabbed my cheek and i put the crocodile tears on and shake and i go mom my tooth is killed me i think of a horrible infection i can't go to school and it's a loving mother who wants to say this child suffer. She took the bait, took me right back to the dentist, and he's looking. He goes, you know, must be something underneath. I don't think you would have an infection this quickly, but I'm going to send you home with some more pain meds. And Patrick, I'm in the dentist's try at 14, like this. I got another, like, probably eight pills sent to me that my mom picked up. And I was off to the races at that point, because then I also had a very successful business that I started that summer

prior my baseball card company and i was making by the time i was 15 a couple hundred thousand dollars a year and we we all thought uh the young guns in that business we would call herself legal drug dealers because we were just printing money it was like anything you touch turned to gold so drugs alcohol whatever it was you name it i did it and i was always the guy that could go out and buy painkillers drugs weed whatever it might pay and just put all my so-called friends in on the ride Yeah, because high school kids don't have any money. That was like me. I had a business.

I was making money. I paid for everyone. We went to dinners, the movies, the mall, because no one's parents would give them any money. It's the same thing. I loved it. I would take everybody at the diner to eat and movies. You know, there was times when we got fake IDs at 17.

I'd be it all go down to Atlantic City. I'd take care of all the rooms, give everybody money to gamble. I felt like the shit. I was like, I was a man, but you know, you look back. And at those times, like, how many of those people really stayed in my life? and how many were really real friends. So I was more or less buying the friendships to make up for that lack,

that feeling of less than and not as good as everybody else. Even though I had the external success internally, you know, I was still very broken. But don't you think you would rather learn about that concept of friendship at that young age than at your age now? Of course. Because some people don't get to learn that

until they're my age or in their 30s. And by then, like, that's just, that's so far gone. Exactly. Yeah, no, I was fortunate. staff had happened then because I think probably the time is my late 20s early 30s I knew who my real circle of friends are and and I'm a rarity I mean I can honestly say people talk about having them on one hand I could probably fill two hands of 10 guys that I know Patrick and you know being one of them that if I was in a bind would drop everything for me um I think that also

translates into my business because Patrick's seen it my superpower I think is the art of relationship building. I've mastered it better than anybody in the world. And, you know, people talk about, oh, this client of that one. I'm not the best agent in the world. I haven't done $10 billion in deals. You know, probably negotiate upwards of a billion dollars since we've been in existence.

But there's not a single client ever get off the phone with from Dominique Wilkins or all the names I just mentioned. Every single call, Hulk Hogan calls me last night. And I love your brother. I love you tip. Patrick's on the way here at corporate client, Vic Tipness. He's got his big mastermind rise kind of event. He's in Columbia with his wife has a conglomerate of,

he's got a sleep apnea company, Blackstone Medical, which is one of the biggest in the world, 1,500 employees, and literally call end. Love you, bro. That was everything to me. And I think a lot of that came from my dad. My dad always taught me that, you know, when the celebrities are in town,

you know, find out as much as you can about them, find about their families, their passions, their hobbies, their, you know, things that they don't like, what they do like. And try to take them to dinner, make it a little bit more personal instead of them just sitting in their hotel suite and, you know, picking them up when it's time to go to an event or an appearance, whatever it is they might have. Like, put in that personal time

because that's what's going to make you different than anybody else. and I adapted that at a very young age and now it's just so super easy for me and it's the same thing with you like if you stay in a place of patience as best as you can and put the monetizing part on the back end but build personal relationships with people

and communicate which Patrick and I was talk about with the younger generation is so difficult sometime texting back on time calling emails, you know, whatever. That's everything, man. You'll be unstoppable, unstoppable. Unstoppable. Do you think you got your entrepreneurial mindset from your parents?

Where do you think that came from? I got it from my dad and my mother's side of the family. I think they were like the clothing business. My dad had a drugstore for many years and then he had a direct mail coupon advertising company similar to ValPAC where he was in like 40 states all over New Jersey. And when we would go on our fishing trips, as I talk about it, hide that was like our passion we would go five six times every spring and summer until my business really started taking off in my mid to late 20s i would just get the best life lessons from him

and just sitting in that boat on a beautiful lake i i just became a sponge and um you know i i implemented all of it it was it was just a privilege you know because my dad was my hero and he also saw something at a very young age. Steve Simon, who's the VP of my company agency, who Patrick knows well, they're very close. Him and I go back since I was 10. He caught me up a while ago. It was like a year or so ago, and he was with his wife and he said something to me. He goes, I was talking to Allison that you could almost see something like what you've developed happening in my teenage years because there was something so different about your drive and the way your brain worked. And that was because of my dad.

I remember, again, like it was yesterday, we were sitting on the couch one night at I must have been 14. And he knew I wasn't doing well in school. He knew I didn't want to be there. He knew I was in these special ed classrooms that just didn't make me happy. And he goes, you know what, Darren, a lot of your friends, they have something that most of them had that you might not.

But that's okay. Because there's something that works with your brain, especially with numbers that I've noticed that none of them have. So we're going to focus on that. And I just became the statistician looking at baseball cards. And I knew everybody's batting average the year before in their home runs and they're on base percentage. And that developed my brain with numbers so unbelievably so that I still feel like rain, man. Like I don't even need to calculate it 90% of the time.

And I also remembered every single one of my friends to this day. if you bought 20 of them in here right now, I'll tell you every single one of their phone numbers growing up in high school. That's incredible. And so he did something to develop me with numbers, and that gave me confidence that when people would be talking about sports and how many points of basketball player would score,

how many home runs or whatever it might be, I was that guy in the cafeteria that'd be like, ask Prince Hill now. So it's the one thing that came in. And then, again, dealing with baseball cards and dollars and negotiating and, you know, people scouting rookie cards and needing to know who might be the best, you know, top five draft picks they get.

They would all come to me. I felt like I was like a Harvard graduate at baseball card shows on the weekend because I got the praise and the validation that I needed because I had something to offer. But then on Monday mornings going back to school, I feel like that loser again. Do you think if you never went to summer camp and got that, you know, taste for the drugs, then you never would have gotten to the entrepreneurial world? No, it would have happened. It would have happened anyway.

I mean, the entrepreneurial thing would have happened and the drug addiction would have happened. Neither one of it would have stopped because the baseball cart business actually started from a teacher of mine. I'm still to your friends with this day, L.E. Lovie, he had an intro to business class. He was the only class I did well in. I think it was like the first and only time I got a B-plus.

And he had a swelgo home and create a business overnight. Now, in my mind, I had one. I had these shoeboxes of baseball cards. My friends were already. They were corny to them, not cool anymore. They all wanted to start dating. I had four different jobs, squeezing orange shoes to the supermarket. I worked at a pizzeria.

I was a stock boy at a sneaker store. I was a bus boy at a diner. I would take all that extra money and buy their collections. And then other kids would want like Don Maddenly, Tony Gwyn, Roger Clemens, Darrell Strawberry, Dwight Good, and all the big names back then. But I would trade them those cards. and I would take these older stinky cards with guys like Mickey Manel, Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, because I knew that the old dirty ones that nobody wanted anymore,

those are the ones that had real value. So I'm giving them the current ones that everybody wanted, and they got them from their grandfathers, their uncles, their father. So little by little, before I knew what, I put together a collection that was worth about Tang Grand by the time I was 14. And when the intro to business teacher challenged us, I sat down with my dad, He couldn't believe I had that amount of baseball cards. And he challenged me and said, well, how do you sell them?

Who buys them? And I ran back upstairs. I pulled this big newspaper ad out like this big. I said, there's this baseball card show in two weeks. I can get an eight-foot table for 20 bucks. Wow. And that was it. I was all in.

And I spent every night after school preparing. And I made over $1,000 on that Sunday afternoon. Steve Simon did it with me. He made $50 because he didn't really care. He just went to have fun. I went in it because I had a feeling. This was my calling. and I just came back with a pocket full of cash and bought soul traded.

I felt like the king of the room. I was like this young hot shot. But I remember again, I've spoke about this often. I got home and the euphoria ran down, ran out. But I felt like that kid again in that special ed room. I went from like up here to, oh, I got to go to school tomorrow again. What were you doing with all the money that you were making? Because you were making a killing it.

Yeah, well, I was, I would have. say I was investing it. I was growing my inventory, but I was also blowing a ton of it. And my dad and back then my Uncle Joe, they both since passed, their biggest fear did become a reality because I, to this day, I've gotten a lot better with understanding money, but it's come so easily for me. Even in tough times when business might be off, there could be some issues. Like my financial situation which is a dream for 99.99% of the world. And my dad always had an issue with like, you know, I don't care what you make. My uncle's used to say, we care what you keep, we care what you save. And it probably took me to, you know, maybe a year or two before I got

sober, unless maybe I'd say 20 years ago to really understand it and start, you know, having a brokerage account, investment funds and 401Ks and IRAs and all the different things that I should have had growing up. And, um, but, you're not going to tell a 16, 17-year-old kid, you know, give me the $20,000 in cash say. I needed that money. That was my superpower. I wanted to freaking take the girls out or go out with my boys or take a little vacation or go to Atlantic City and blow it and do drugs and drink and have a great time. What's one thing you think you needed back then looking back on it now?

That I needed for the good or the better? Yeah, for both. Well, I mean, I think I've really had a good throw with them. I mean, it's easier to say like, you know, I've got friends who are like, you know, you should be worth hundreds of millions now. It's like, I don't care. I've got a agency that's worth well into the eight figures. We do a ton of business.

I'm financially sound, of course. I think everybody wants to be into a better situation. But I think, I don't know if there's anything I really needed. I just think, if anything, I needed to go through all that and get it out of my system at such a young age. And believe me, you know, Patrick does me, well, there's still some times, you know, over the years I'm very free with money. You know, when we're crushing and things are really good. I'm always a giver. I'd rather take care of people.

It makes me happier. I don't need to go out and buy, you know, the big mansions and the cars and the crazy expensive watches. I mean, this was a gift from a client. I got another $30,000 watch. It was given to me by a client over Christmas. It's not me anymore. It was years ago. I had the platinum roly with the diamonds,

a $100,000 watch, $200,000 sports car. It doesn't do anything for me anymore. You know, because I would think that's selfish. When I know there's so many people out there struggling and people within my world that I could be helping, why don't I need to be driving around at $200,000 a car if it could be a range rover and I could use the other money to help people that are struggling.

It's ego. I don't need it. Would you rather someone learn from your mistakes and listen to what you have to say, or would you rather them kind of experience it on their own the same way you did and make those mistakes? I think ideally it's better if I can get to somebody before they make those mistakes

because they'll have a leg up on getting that much closer to where their purpose is, financially, emotionally, spiritually, in every sense. But I do think sometimes we all have to go through, you know, the tough times to come out and really appreciate what we had and what we're trying to get back.

And then if you're blessed, to get it back, you typically learn not to do it again. Yeah, I think the same way. So the high school business, what happens to it? So every weekend started becoming like just baseball card shows. Like I had no social life. I didn't care. I was a late bloomer with woman.

Probably didn't have my first girlfriend until like the end of the year, my senior in high school. That was just it. I was just so hyper-focused every weekend. It got to a point where I had a sense. cell phone at 16 nobody in the state of new jersey had one it was called bell atlantic and it wasn't like one of those phones from when i did the roxbury this was even worse this was a um aluminum battery with a rubber antenna and um you would press the numbers and it'd be like a portable carry phone so i had it in

my locker so in between class i'd be taking calls from stockbrokers at big hey i need a micky man I need a Reggie Jackson rookie. So, okay, what are you looking to spend? And, you know, okay, $5,000, I'd, you know, find the card that weekend for $3,000. I'd come back and Sunday, everything would be boxed up, ready to ship. And, you know, remember, there's no internet back then. There was fax machines. I didn't even think bank wires existed.

So it was either credit cards or people would overnight, you bank checks or checks. And it just became a way of life for me. And by the time, I think it was around 19, baseball card city eventually got changed to Prince of cards, which my father gave it that name, which was brilliant. I sold the company because I wanted to get involved in autograph signings. I thought that was so cool that different athletes, we'd go to these conventions and hundreds or thousands of people

would wait in line for their autograph for a photo with them. And it kind of made me feel like cooler if I can, like, be around celebrities and booking these type of stuff. signings and get to know them versus like baseball cards. And so I sold prints of cards, got into that, did that about for about five years, got to the top of the private signing industry, except for one mistake that I made. And I was selling Michael Jordan autographs that were authenticated by a forensic document expert from the FBI. And a lot of people in the industry thought they were good. And I sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth until one day. I get a

from the FBI in Chicago and they wanted me to fly in to be interviewed a couple days later and they said they would pay me as an authority in the space because I was writing a big column on autograph signings

in a publication called Tough Stuff so now my ego is like oh this is great and the next morning when the rep calls me it was like his assistant she asked if I had an attorney and that was just like weird I'm like I'm going as an authority

and they want an attorney. They're paying me to speak. Yeah, I was like, all right, I'm like, I don't know, I'll have my lawyer a call. And my attorney at the time is the guy named Mark Garfinkel calls him. He calls me back. He goes, you're not going there with that way because something stinks. I don't know what's going on. So my supplier calls me up later that afternoon and says, you know, these assholes

are trying to get me on tax evasion. You've always done it right. You've given me a check. Don't worry about nothing. Just, you know, cover my ass. I'll cover yours. And I thought that he was just a good guy that they were trying to get him on tax evasion. I was interviewed for an hour.

We took a lunch break. One of the questions was, did you ever have any issues with customers asking for refund and questioning the authenticity of the autograph? I was like, never. Nobody would ask it for, it's authentic about one of your own people out here in Chicago, forensic document expert. So we take a break and I come back with my lawyer. I'm thinking everything's fine.

I like ace this interview. And they hit a tape recorder. They had my phone line staff for six months in my office. And one of my employees was arguing with an attorney in Hawaii that was trying to return something a year later saying, how do we know it's the same item? And they couldn't get me on mail fraud. They knew I didn't do anything intentionally wrong, but they had to charge him with something. So I'm proud to say I'm a felon.

I got charged with making a false statement to the FBI in a federal case. Wait, you got hit with that? Is this on the internet? It could be. It probably got pushed back. It was a while ago, but I do so much press and media. You could Google Darren Prince, FBI, and see. No, that's all over, but I didn't know they actually charged you.

Oh, yeah, man. Wow. I had probation for a couple years. My probation offers the first-class asshole, the first couple times I met him, became super close. You know, I'll never forget it. He would come in and have to go in the bathroom with him and I was pinging. And I get staged right. even when I go to urinals, I have to go in the stalls.

And he'd be like, what are you doing that? You can't freaking pee right now. We got to, I got to take you back to the goddamn judge. I'm like, dude, I'm like, I don't like having people in front of me. Like, you know, so the first couple of times we kind of butted heads. And, you know, eventually I got through it and was on the balls in my ass financially for the first time of my life. A lot of people told me to go bankrupt because I was trying to refund as many people's money as possible to save my credibility. and keep my reputation intact.

And it was my dad again. My dad of Magic Johnson came to my rescue. I got a letter sent for Muhammad Ali, Lonnie Ali, Joe Frazier, Rodman, Magic, and his longtime player right back then to the judge about my credibility. And I wound up only getting charged. The judge knew he could only find me so much

because I was already showing goodwill by refunding people's monies for the year and a half that the case was going on. And I took my last. last three grand to my name and I took my dad on a trip of a lifetime to Alaska for fly fishing. It's an old school Jewish guy. He wasn't happy. He was spending the money, but he knew he had to go.

The ticket's really nonrefundable. So we went. And that trip, I tell people to this day is the reason Prince Mark in a group exists because we're out on this gorgeous stream fly fishing with the tour guide. And he's like, so what's your next move, fellow? What do you think you're going to do? You're going to try to get back in the business. I said, Dad, you know, there's so many damn haters.

They love you when you're on top. They kick you and you're down. I was thinking, I really want to become an agent, but I don't have eight years to go to law school. And he drops the fishing pole and he looks at me and he goes to law school. Why do you have to go to law school? He goes, don't you realize life is about who you know and not what you know? Because look at your relationships.

You can go to Chevy's Chase's house in New Bedford and see Janie. This was 1994, 1995. He goes to go to Beverly Hills and see Magic. You can go to Philly and see Smokin' Joe in a gym or Muhammad Ali and Beryon Springs for Pamela Anderson and Tommy at their house in Mahal and Drive. Like, it's that to do with anything. And he goes, what I would do. He goes, I think magic, they all supported you, but magic because it was at a special love for you.

I think you should talk to him about your vision. And a month later, I was alone with him in a hotel, getting ready for an autograph appearance that I booked at a convention. And he's always so personal and worm and charming and caring. and he knew I was struggling and called my room and said, hey, boy, why don't you come to my room a few minutes early so we can catch up? And I walked over it. It was sweet.

And it was just him and I at this big conference tape on him, nervous or shit. And my hands were sweating. My self-esteem is obviously still off. I'm on the balls of my ass financially for the first time of my life. And it was almost like he spoke to my dad. I never asked if they did, but they were close. And he's like, what's your next move? Like, where you're at right now?

And I was like, you know, I want to be an agent. It's like, really? That's interesting. because who do you got mine for a client? It's one of those moments in life that I'm like, I got to get it out, I got to get it out, because I'm going to regret this, and my heart's palpitating, hand for spite.

And I was like, well, Irvin, I was hoping maybe you. I called him by his ruling. He's like, okay, he walks over, and then he puts both his hands on my shoulder. Because you know what, ma'am, you're a good dude, and you know, I got nothing but love for you. And I know about making a mistake.

And the public eye, years after the HIV announcement. He goes, but understand that God test great men and great woman, and he's testing you, and you're going to make lemonade out of lemons. He goes, he got to get entertainment lawyer. I was like, I don't know one. He goes, well, here's what I'm going to do for you find yourself a good entertainment lawyer and let's write up a representation agreement.

But if you don't use me to knock down every door in those two years to bring in all the celebrities you can that you've currently work with and get more, he goes, I'm going to fire you before those two years are up because life isn't about how successful I become. I'm going to be a success in the world of sports and celebrity that they've never seen now that I'm retired. Couldn't believe it. 30 years ago, I was a multi-billioner. And he goes, it's about what I can do paying it forward for you and other people. So when you get there, you make sure you do the same thing. It was just mind-blown. I mean, you know, magical words from a magical guy. that my dad told him about my wedding.

You needed my son like you needed a hole in the head. I can't imagine where his life would be. And I became a machine within a month. I got Joe Frazier signed up. I got Chevy signed up. I had Pam signed up, Dennis Rahman. It was just, when you tell people you're starting an agency, and Magic Johnson's your first client.

How did you guys meet you in Magic? So my dear friend and mentor, Harlem owner, who brought me into Muhammad Ali's inner circle, I started booking a lot of signings for Ali and Harlan saw me catching up steam in the industry and said, you know what you should do out here? He's a massive name and I don't seem doing enough. I can connect you with Magic's Age and Lonrosen.

And I booked an appearance for him. Oddly enough, two months before that appearance, I was with an ex-girlfriend at the Riddick Bow, Evander Holyfield Fight at Seuss Palace. and my dad found out I spent $8,000 for two ringside tickets and freaking did his normal lecture. You don't understand, my dad, I need to be there,

I can meet people. He goes, why freaking ringside? Because he kind of said, I was like, well, it's like, this is going to be a complete waste. That was when he got wrong. I was sitting in the third row. I remember Tupac was there that night. It was pretty crazy.

Magic Johnson comes right in front of me. He's in the second row. And I tap him on the shoulder. And I said, hey, man, I'm working on trying to get this appearance done for you. I'm like this excited little kid. Of course, I'm freaking high as fucking painkillers and drinking. I was with my ex at the time. And he was so personal.

He goes, yeah, man, where's that out? I'm like, Mona, California. My buddy Harlan is Baham and Ali's agent. Connect me with your guy. I'm probably so embarrassing if I ever had a video clip of it. But he was so engaged and really cared about, you know, what I was doing? Because so what do you do? Like book stuff for like athlete?

I'm like, yeah, more autographs signings and stuff like that. I do a lot with L.A. And he goes, oh, man, I guess I look forward to it and hopefully we can make it happen. You enjoy the fight. And hopefully I'll see you in a couple months, all right? And he, like, shook my girl's hand. I mean, it's cordial as it's going to be. It is, I mean, it goes back to what you spoke on in the beginning of this episode was

relationships. And that's something Patrick's been teaching me. And I'm learning from you guys. Like you guys have like this rolodex of people that know everyone and someone knows someone. Like just even the names we're talking about bringing on the show. Like never in a million years would I even expect, you know, people like that to come on the show. And there's always an angle. There's always someone that could connect you to someone else.

Like look at the Chevy thing. When Chevy came on my podcast, that changed the game because adults took it more seriously. Yep. Because he doesn't really do interviews. Now rarely. Yeah. Very rare. So Chavvy to come to Richfield, Connecticut at the studio, like, it just, you know, that's where I look at.

You know, you look at sometimes, and I think in the past I've always been like money as a priority. And now it's like, it's lower. Now it's relationships long term playing the long game and you put money kind of down on the lower, you know. And I think what's gotten to me into trouble in the past because I'll get my emotions mixed with money and then that kind of, you know, causes that to tilt. But that's just incredible. And you know what they say about the entertainment business. You need that one person to get you in the door, but it's so hard to get that one person to get you in the door.

It's near impossible for people. I mean, like I did it in such an untraditional way too. And then just along the way, like, God, I remember I had back in the day, maybe around 2003, 2004, one of the biggest online casinos when it wasn't actually officially authorized or illegal in America We were doing a ton of promotional work with Anna Nicole Smith and they did a bunch of stuff with Rodman when I was working with him.

And they just reached out to me when they said, you know who we'd love to develop an online slot machine with? Evil can evil. And I go, yeah, you know what? God, I'm like, he was Superman when I was growing up. It was like him and Pele and Ali. They were like, you know, the biggest of the biggest. And so Steve in my office tracked down like his,

website and sent a message on my behalf. Bro, within like two hours, I'm sitting there and to sit back on my using these, I thought it was like fake. He's like, bro, you're not going to believe it. Evil Knieva's on the phone. He wants to talk to you. I pick up and you could hear his voice on you right away and real grumpy and standoffish. And he's like, so what the fuck do you do?

You're reaching out for me. How much money they got for me? And I said, well, I just, I said, Mr. Keneva. First off, I want to say, I'm a huge fan. want to, you know, kind of see if you were interested in something like this. He goes, well, yeah, he goes, look, I got a bunch of those standalone machines all over Vegas. I got a long-term deal with ballies. They paid me millions. But maybe because this is online, it's different. And he goes, so you work for this casino or what? And after like five minutes of his barking,

he kind of simmer down. And I go, no, actually, I'm an agent. And he goes, well, who do you have its clients? Anyone I went, no. The minute I mentioned Ali and Frazier and Magic Johnson. He let his guard down. He goes, I love smoking Joe, man. He goes, how's he doing? I'm like, good, good. He goes, an Ollie. He goes, what he represents, he goes, let me tell you something.

He goes, one of my all-time new favorites is Magic Johnson. I love what that man stands for. He goes, how long you've been with him? And at the time, it was probably like 10 years, 12 years. And he goes, one of these days, I would love to say a load of Magic Johnson. I love what he stand for. I love how he embraced his issue. And he's helping a lot of people.

and I go, evil, could you just hold on maybe for 10 seconds? I'm so sorry. I hit conference on my phone, and I call magic on a cell phone. He's in Hawaii with Dave Winfield and his family. They're on a family trip. He picks right up. I don't always get that lucky because what's up, boy? Because I'm in Hawaii, what you do?

I'm like, Irvin, I'm so sorry for bothering you. I have evil can evil on the other live right now. I'm trying to get him a big deal for an online slot machine. He said it's a huge fan. Is there any way you can fight? He goes, boy, you got evil, Kunim on the other line. He goes, man, you better patch me through. He goes, who didn't love evil, can you have growing up?

So I patched them through. They were on the phone, bro. It was a pro fest for 15 minutes. And I'm sitting here listening. Like, can I even believe I orchestrated this call? And by the time it was done, evil's like, you know what, young man? Because you impressed the heck out of me already. Let's get this deal done.

And by the way, I'm looking for like a full-time guy I can trust. some of that could really work his butt off and be my agent. And I think you might be that guy. Why don't you fly to be Montana over the next few weeks and let's get together, have some beers and spend the weekend together. And I went to Bontana for, I was there for almost three days with him. Incredible. It was unbelievable.

Like to know that I had time that I had with them. And I was in the right mindset. We were partying. He had a morphine pump in his back from all the broken bones and the injuries that he had. And, you know, I learned how much bigger he even was than I thought. I mean, like Novak said, when he came to my lips and saw the picture to draw it to play because that's the godfather of all of us, every jackass guy and Tony Hawk. I mean, evil's the godfather.

And we had a beautiful relationship for about, I'd say about four to five years. And it was the first client that I lost. And I think I've wrote about this in my book. he calls me and there was a lot of near death experience it's not just on the motorcycle but he had a morphine pump an oxygen tank and a mask could have to walk around with some time so in and out of doctors I just thought this could have been like a false alarm again and he calls me up one night and says Darren it's evil I just wanted to thank you friend to friend for everything you've done for me and I really think the world you and I wish we would have met many many years

You guys said Eva, I said that means everything. But you got a lot more life to live. You're only 67 years old. But thank you. I really, really appreciate you calling. And a week later, he passed away. Oh, wow. Do you feel like what Magic Johnson did for you kind of help jumpstart your career?

Do you feel obligated and not a negative demeaning, but that you should carry that on to other people and give back, pay it forward in that respect? Yeah, well, I mean, that's kind of what he told me. I mean, I think I always had that model anyway for my dad, because I saw how much he did to help other people. But if magic was, if everyone was sitting here right now, he would just tell you how proud he is to me.

But because he knew that I was that one guy. That's why he wanted to give me that job. But even more so, my recovery journey is what, you know, took my relationship with him and Hulk and pretty much all the clients. I mean, I remember six, seven years ago, Chevy when he was smoking cigarettes We were in West Hollywood I'd go outside to do a

I think at a signing with Kyle and I'd walk him outside and I had a brand new copy of my book and I gave a very special shout out to him and Janie and it was one of the few times I saw him get emotional and he looked at me

and he looked at me and goes man I'm so proud that you got this he's like this is incredible because I can't wait to show this to Janie because he calls me honey because honey because you have no idea how much this means because they actually thought about us thought about you like how could I not think about it like my agency started with him magic Joe and I think Pam that was for the first four there's a lot of judgmental people in the world that

wouldn't give someone with failures and mistakes like that a chance like what magic did for you why do you think that is and what does it take for a person to look into someone and say hey this guy screwed up. I want to give this guy a shot. I think my body of work at that point already proved itself. And the same way he made a mistake

and he can't write somebody off from a single mistake. Even when he was so concerned about my opiate use, it had nothing to do with business. He wanted me to get on the right track of life because his brother Larry's in recovery. He's got 30, almost

40 years now. So he experienced that every family has. And Larry is like a brother, and I love him to death. And I just think both of those, the way I gave back in the business world financially at other people, give them opportunities. Everybody in my inner circle now,

all my boys that either worked with me for me, they're all off on their own, several of them right now, doing unbelievable things. It's the greatest feeling in the world. You know, I'd be able to do it professionally and personally. I mean, Patrick was my social media guy. And we always talk about there's nothing we won't do for one another. And it's kind of a ironic funny story how I connected him with Chevy just because we had a Q&A event one day in Massachusetts one night and the plane got canceled. And

Jayne couldn't go with Chevy and had to get him a quick private jet. And I called him up. He met Chevy briefly for five minutes, six months ago. I'm like, bro, you got to do me a favor. So anyway, you can get to so-and-so airport and go with Chevy Chase tonight. I don't. and you need you to bring him to this Q&A. He goes, yeah, yeah, I'm like, look, he could be a little bit grumpy and whatnot. The minute he lands, he's like, bro, we've got the best time ever on the plane.

And, you know, so now he's literally family. He's an adopted bloodline of the Chase family. I see how they treat him. It's crazy. But that's all, that was more like on a personal side and just to see the love and the best friendship that they have and what he's meant to to chase him because now I'm in California,

it's hard for me to do things that I used to do on the East Coast for clients that live there. And just what a blessing that turned out to be. And, you know, magic tells, every time we speak, it's always even Hulk, it's so much more about my spiritual journey now. Because we're also tied into our love of God that I think the more you give it, especially if you start at a younger age,

if you're in a place of service, way more than selfishness. Selfishness is only good when you're using, selfishness to then be selfless for other people. There's a huge difference with that. So when you're taking, so then you could be in a better mindset, physical, emotional, financial state where the end game is going to be to give to others, that's the only time it's okay.

And it takes a certain level of compassion to see that in others and to help and navigate that. And I'm sure if they didn't see that in you, it wouldn't have worked out the same way. No, not at all. Well, I wasn't, you know, I tell people, too, like I was never, I wasn't a bad person. I was a sick person. You know, and I think that's where the compassion comes in

because they saw enough good in Darren Prince. They just knew I was bad in with my demons. Now, with your FBI arrest, why didn't you go to trial? Because I was charged with that too, and I actually won that count at trial because juries tend to not like those kind of charges. Yeah, I mean, I think it was just more at the advice of my attorney and I had to stop the legal spending.

And yeah, because I was already on the balls of my ass. And my dad helped me. I had friends help me with money. Yeah, it just got to a point where I'm like, at this point, look, I'll take the three hours probation. Like the big charge of, you know, there's a bunch of guys that went to prison that were much more involved

that actually were part of the forgery ring and, you know, the distribution. And the FBI agent went to prison. He was in on the whole thing. Yeah, it was a major case. I think it was called Operation Fable. It might still be on the internet. Now, how has that felony affected you

in the business world and your current role? I mean, I think early on when the internet came out, I was a little embarrassed about it because it was coming up pretty prominently. But now I've just owned it. I wrote about it openly. I wrote a whole chapter on it in my book because I think it's a way to just be vulnerable

and just like my overdoses and anything else embarrassing that I was a part of it, It's part of my past. You know, I made a mistake. I was too trusting. I believed everything this guy was giving me, was legitimate. And it wasn't.

And I think it's just at that time in my life, it showed me I just can't be so trusting of people that, you know, it just makes one mistake to lose everything. Did you ever end up going to college? Or you just tried for a year. I had a 0.89 GPA, University of Bridgeport. 0.89? Yeah. Bridgeport, Connecticut? Yeah.

Really? That's what, wow, what a small world. Purple Knights, yep. Did you meet Patrick in Bridgeport or no? No. Out of all places, I went to Bridgeport. That's such a random college. I was probably one of the only few I can get into.

Because my grades were so bad, but I had to time my life, partying my ass off, obviously barely studying my baseball card business, went through the roof. I still, to this day, have five of the most dearest French from that one year I went. and that also, you know, it was very special because, you know, these guys saw me sort of in my infantry and then to see how, you know, 30, what's it, 35 years now later, you know, I found my calling and my personal life too. Like, they always loved the success, but to know that I was a party animal then and to see how, you know, I was lucky to be alive the next, whatever it was, 20 years after I left college, but turn my life around and, uh,

They all see me doing good right now. We're all very, very close. Which is beautiful, considering it was like barely you're at college. It's a rarity. Yeah, now everything you were just telling us and describing to us, you were doing that while actively using. Yep. What was your drug of choice?

Probably back then, you know, I think even then it was probably percocets and painkillers. I could probably, you know, there was times I'd be able to smoke a joint, you know, and not like a wake and bake, but in the afternoon and I would, my dad would get annoyed because sometimes he would smell it on me or in the house and I would deny it or whatever. It's a friend of mine. And, you know, then he just knew it was me at a certain point.

I'd be like, Dad, Walt Disney created Disney World high on LSD, okay? I come up at the best ads when I'm stones. This is why the business is making money. My creative juices start get flowing and he would just be like, it's got nothing to do with it. If you were freaking secure with yourself and you didn't feel a certain way, you wouldn't have to put that shit in your system. And it never made sense to me until I got so far. I was like, oh my God, he was a thousand percent spot on. Wow. When do you think you hit rock bottom with the drug use?

I hit it before my bottom. I mean, because I had an overdose in 2007 in Vegas. And, you know, that was enough to at least have me call an addiction psychiatrist who put me on Suboxone, which was an opiate blocker. But I lied to him, you know, that's always the best thing to go to a psychiatrist and lied to him. I was sniffing ambient at night. I'm on a mood stabilizer, anxiety pills, antidepressants. I'm drinking a couple days a week.

I lived that way for a year and a half, which was hell. That was as close to a bottom where I don't want to wake up in the morning. I was praying. My business was at an all-time high. There was nothing about money. Consistent business coming. I was married at the time. I had a life insurance policy.

And I swear I wasn't connected to God, but I remember sometimes just shutting my eyes in bed and thinking, God, I hope I don't wake up. That's how bad I got. So do you think that all stems back to your childhood trauma in the sense of having that anxiety and being, you know, not fitting in in those early days and wanting to be liked and popular?

Yeah, because, you know, you're not given. Mike Tyson and I had a corporate event with them years ago. Mike's amazing. Yeah, shout out to Tyson 2.0, man. Yeah, and he, we were in a room. Monday in a hotel suite after a corporate event in Orlando. And he said something that I completely identify with. He's like, hey, Prince, because I'm 19 years old.

I got a couple hundred million in the bank. I'm the baddest motherfucker in the world. King's queen's president, world leaders, the biggest leader. Everybody wants to be around me. But who gave me a goddamn handbook, how to deal with life? With all that money and fame. I was like, wow. Wow.

I was like, champ, on a much smaller scale, you just made me think about my journey. because I didn't have nobody either. And I saw him in Vegas this summer because him Hulk and Rick had an appearance for the company they're all part of. And I was coming out of a podcast studio that he was renting to do his podcast. He just gave me the biggest hug

and I just celebrated 15 or sober. I got a video on my phone that Nutsa took, her girl from American Idol or a client. I didn't know how she was taking it. And Mike's just told him my hand and gives me a big hug. looking right at me, you have this whole deep talk about, man,

how lucky we are to be alive, like how beautiful life is and his is about his kids. He's so friendly. He's had the ultimate comeback story I told him and how great he looks and we're kind of laughing about some of the old times.

But, you know, it's just beautiful that happened. I mean, look, Hulk and I used to drink and have our fun. He's not drinking. Now he never had the issues that I had. But it's just beautiful, that sort of connection that, you know,

you know, to me, their family. I don't look at them as any other way, you know, because all of them, the love and the respect is so deep. And anybody can make them money, but, you know, to have that trust, baby, would open up. And, you know, Jerry West called me two days ago on the phone for an hour, talking life, got a single word about business

and how much he loves, you know, my story of helping others. And he struggles with suicidal depression. And, you know, they all, as gut-wrenching as it is, they've all heard the story about July 2nd, 2008 when I fell on my knees with the last my opiates in my hand when my friend, God, he rest in peace. He passed two years of Uncle Stu and his thank girlfriend, Andrea. They were visiting my mom in New Jersey on July 1st, 2008. Just paid me a surprise visit, bro. And I was at my jumping off point and just didn't know which way to turn. And this woman looked at me, I never met her before Andreya and said, are you okay?

And I said, no, I'm not. And I opened up for the first time of my life and told her everything. And she's basically said, you know, you're an attic, your life's a matchable. I said, yeah, and she goes to you realize you're powerless and you have a disease. I said, yeah, and she goes, do you realize just like I said to you earlier, it doesn't matter if you're from Park Avenue or Park Bench or Yale or jail, that the disease of addiction does not discriminate. And that broke my soul.

As she starts pointing to all the pictures with some of the biggest celebrities in the world there were clients and um she goes do you want help i could help you i said yeah i said i'm desperate and she put me on that dex detox plan was 36 hours later july second 2008 and um i came back from the gym i'm vomiting upset stomach all the horrific detox feelings that comes along with an opiate detox and um i called them up i said i can't freaking do this i'm getting the doctor to right need the prescription for what i really freaking need and they're both going off I mean, the other side, it's the goddamn disease talk, and you got to get yourself to a 12-step meeting. Put your damn hand up and put your freaking ego aside already.

And Ash for help us. I said, F that. I've been to those dumb meetings when I was on probation in my early 20s. They don't do anything for me. Those people can identify. And I ran into the bathroom, I was looking for some non-narcotic anxiety pills. And at one of the pill bottles came out two extra strength bichin, which at the time, it really did seem like a gift. Like that's exactly what I needed.

And I know Simone and I cleaned out every medicine cabinet of all the opiates. It was so bizarre that we missed these last two. And I just fell to my knees, man. That gift happened. And I wanted to live more than I wanted to die. And I screamed out to God, take the money, take the business, take the notoriety. I need a single day of freedom. If you take me out of hell, I promise one day at a time I'll take others out with me.

And I had a white light moment then. I haven't had one since. I never had one before where my right shoulder caught fire. And I heard a voice, I've got you when you're ready. And I stood up, I flushed the pills, wound up in the living room, finding a 12-step meeting in the upper 80s that night in a church basement at 8 p.m. I jumped in a cab on this gorgeous night looking up at the sky saying, oh, my God, for the first time of my life,

I wanted to stay sober, mother, I wanted to get high. And I walked into a church basement with 150 to 200 addicts and alcoholics that were all once of a hopeless state of mind. I heard the leader say there's anybody knew her coming back, and this hand went right up. And I knew I was a fraud, but I knew God was there with me and helped me to raise my hand. And I told to people, I'm sick. I'm suffering. And God, man, it was just the most incredible experience, but a dozen spiritual brothers and sisters came over to me. I didn't even know.

And just told me some incredible things. Stick with the winners. Take the cotton out of yours, put it in your mouth. It's easier to stay here than to come back here. and the one that just baffled me was, we will love you before you ever learn that to love yourself. And one day at a time, going to meetings, turning it over to God, working the steps, staying clean.

I realize that the fellowship just isn't about drinking and drugging. It's about changing your entire spiritual courts, changing the way you live life. It's avoiding resentment. It's avoiding hate. It's avoiding anger, rage. It's saying what you mean, meaning what you say, not saying it mean. It's not engaging with people when there's about an argument to start because

if you engage with the aggressive text or email or nasty phone call, your energy is off all day. And it's about understanding people more than me being understood. And I think those are just such keys for me having what I feel is the most important thing in life is health and peace. and when I wake up in a healthy, peaceful place, I'm unstoppable. Do you ever wonder why that realization happened to you and not to others before they've, you know, succumbed to their addiction? Because that could have very much happened to you. Yeah, I had to give the desperation.

You know, I called out to him with every fiber in my soul. And I was trying to figure it out for over a year. And, you know, I surrendered him. When I said it, take the business and notoriety the money, I meant every bit of it because I was just done. I was beaten to a pulp. I mean, you know, it just took every ounce away from me

of life and, you know, to a point where it's like, how the hell did this happen? How did I get here? And I think for anybody listening that's struggling with it, mental health or substance abuse or alcoholism or issues, you know, I think that surrender period, that acceptance, that accountability, don't blame the family, the trauma is only yourself. That's when the miracles start to happen.

Are there ever any times that you kind of see yourself maybe going on that gray line where you're like, I got to pull myself back in so I don't go down that path because I've been there before and I know what that's like and I never want to be that person? I get it spiritually. I don't really get it that much more like with the opiates, but a couple times a year I call them. I have relapse dreams where I might be an Alzheimer on an airplane running in a bath and snorting a bunch of oxycontons. And I actually wake up with a smile now.

Early on I recover, I'd wake up like in cold sweats, like where am I? And I love it that it still happens a couple of times here because that's God reminded me who I really am. and I need that because complacency in the world the recovery is a freaking death sentence those who forget are doomed to repeat that's why it's a one day at a time fellowship awesome Darren thank you so much for coming on the show today man

it's been an absolute pleasure talking to you we nailed it yeah we did good no this is a great conversation and it's a great interviewer not bad you saw it first what do you think I loved it loved it do a great job. Thank you, man. You know, I've learned the art of like listening and kind of like guiding it that way and I kind of see in a world of all these podcasts where everyone's just like

bickering back and forth and they're looking for the most salacious thing and they're doing this, doing that. I think where I succeeded in as people get comfortable with talking to me and then that naturally comes out. Of course. Now you have a gift, man. I'm looking forward to it. I'm so excited for your journey. To me, it's like just starting. Thank you. And I think you're going to continue to do some really special things. And with your platform, it's only growing. And your audience is just going to keep getting engaged. And I think I love the fact that, you know, it's a lot of times it's like everyday people to have, you know, it's not just, that's beautiful. That's beautiful because there are people that you're helping, allowing to share and tell their story. Because

when your audience sees it and they can message those people, that's the question. greatest feeling in the world that they just did the most important thing they created impact on somebody else's life yeah because a lot of those everyday people will never have a chance to get on a podcast exactly and people can message me and talk to me like when they come in the studio they're interacting with me i'm doing the recording the editing yeah i'm a part of it it's not like passing it off to someone's team or manager yeah or anything like that so you know like i i love that aspect of me