Nich Willard – Recovery Mentor

Nich Willard has been with Visions since 2007 and is an incredibly valuable part of the Visions team. Nich brings his wry sense of humor, laid back nature, and sober experience to the clients, making him remarkably relatable and effective in his job. Perhaps it’s because Nich got sober in his teens or the simple fact that he’s a cool cat: either way, the kids adore him. In case some of you don’t know, there was also the moustache period, where Nich had the craziest, coolest moustache; he even went so far as to create an alter ego for it on Facebook. Come to think of it, I think we were FB friends—the moustache and I. That right there is a fine example of wacy, sober fun. Like many of us at Visions, Nich also has a creative talent. He has a film background and is quite the talented filmmaker.  You never know, we may have the next Wes Anderson in our midst!

 

Check out what Nich’s coworkers have to say. He is truly a well-loved member of our team!

 

“Nich is awesome! Nich is one of my favorite coworkers and hilarious. His seemingly laissez faire approach and sense of humor is so disarming that he is able to make an impact in the most difficult of scenarios.” Roger L’Hereault

“I miss Nich’s moustache. It was the best!” – Susan “the Art Lady” O’Conner

“Which Nich? The one without the mustache has an amazing way of being real with the kids, and holding them accountable while showing them how to have fun. The Nich with the mustache is his evil twin…no?” – Katie Mason

“Nich!  Thank you for always holding up the couches!  Your ability to make us laugh has truly saved our minds over the years!  From Tech to iPod guy to meeting timer to recovery mentor to van guy, you always do your job with Visions’ best interest at heart.  You are an amazing mentor to the males at Visions, both staff and clients alike.  I will miss you when you finally get into your dream job full time!  The film world will be lucky to have your energy and commitment that we have been blessed to have over the past years!” – Chris and Amanda Shumow

 

Last but not least are Nich’s answers to our bevy of questions.

 

1: What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be an Astronaut or an actor when I grew up.

2: What is the one thing that never fails to make you laugh?

When dogs scare themselves by sneezing or barking to loud I LOSE it.

3: Favorite meal, the one you can’t live without?

My favorite meal that I cant live without is burgers haha like quimby.

4: What is the best advice you’ve ever received in recovery?

Somebody told me that I never had to be serious about anything except for my recover, and that I could do anything with my life as long as i did the work and could accept the consequences.

5: Your greatest accomplishment?

My greatest accomplishment was realizing that instead of burdening those around me I actually benefited the world around me, that was huge for me.

6: Do you REALLY hate ice cream?

Ice cream is stupid! It’s all a bunch of hype. Ice cream is literally like having a bunch of freezing cold milk ice and salt in your mouth except all mealy. uhg gross…I don’t like cake either most of the time.

7: What do you value most in your friends?

In friends, I value honesty and the ability to laugh at themselves.

8: What do you wish you could do better?

I wish I could remember more. I have a bad short-term memory; this is probably a result of drug use during the developmental stages. Also, I wish I waz a better speller.

9: Morning person or night owl?

I am most definitely a night owl Mornings are RUFF for this guy.

10: Why do you choose to work for Visions?

I work for Visions because helping adolescents find recovery is something that I believe in. I found recovery in an adolescent rehab and it started me on a path that not only gave me something to live for but also led to a great life. The “vision” of Visions is so close to my own that I am proud to be a part of it.