S17 Ep449: Live From Austin!
A Classic RISK! episode from our early years that first ran in September of 2013, when RISK! had its first live show in the city that keeps it weird: Austin, Texas. 🎤Live Story: The Redhead by Paul Normandin Every year that his wife asked, "What do you want for your birthday?" Paul would answer, "A redhead." One year, his wife finally arranged for a hotel rendezvous with a redhead... who led ...
1hr 12m Nov 20, 2025
1hr 12m
S17 Ep1709: Do I Belong Here?
Jen Nails and Sandi Marx share stories about being who you are even, when it’s a pain in the ass.  🎤Radio Story: Permission to Be Myself by Jen Nails Jen struggles to fit in at her college acting program, which attempts to remove her from the class roster. Finally, her fellow students write to the administration appealing on her behalf and the school changes its mind.  keywords: acting sch...
39m Nov 18, 2025
39m
S17 Ep182: Always A Woman, Revisited
Morgan revisits her story from 2012 called “Always A Woman” with Kevin Allison and considers how much has changed for trans folks in the 13 years since.  🎙️Radio Story: Always A Woman by Morgan A biker and ironworker has a lifelong secret. After a nearly life-ending accident, Morgan finally decides to transition from man to woman. The people in her life are amazed, but they adjust. keywords...
46m Nov 13, 2025
46m
S17 Ep1708: Pretending to Be Human
Inky Montaine tells Taj Easton about how, before he was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, he truly felt like he might have come from another planet.  Check out all of our Conversation Stories! 🎙️Conversation Story: Pretending to Be Human by Inky Montaine Inky spent a lifetime switching masks but felt a certainty of unbelonging. Later in life, an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis didn...
1hr 3m Nov 12, 2025
1hr 3m
S17 Ep1707: A Breath of Fresh Air: RISK! Reacts (feat. Ray Christian)
On this Veteran’s Day, guest-host Ray Christian from What’s Ray Saying? hears Brian Simpson’s “Fresh Air” story from So Say We All for the first time and gives you his hot takes. You can also watch this episode on YouTube! This is part of our RISK! Reacts series, where we listen to a story told on another show and give our first reactions. 🎙️ Story: Fresh Air by Brian Simpson (Content no...
24m Nov 11, 2025
24m
S17 Ep447: Boys and Girls
A Classic RISK! episode from our early years that first ran in August of 2013, when DC Pierson, Selena Coppock, Brad Lawrence and Nina Davis shared stories of love and loss. 🎙️Radio Story: Let Me Sleep On It by Brad Lawrence In his youth, Brad finds and loses love with a fellow bookstore employee. Later, after marrying someone else, he sees his feelings for his fellow employee were just a cru...
1hr 14m Nov 06, 2025
1hr 14m
S17 Ep1706: The Living Room: RISK! Reacts
Kevin hears Diane Weipert’s “The Living Room” story from Love and Radio for the first time and gives you his instant reactions. You can also watch this episode on YouTube! This is part of our RISK! Reacts series, where we listen to a story told on another show and give our first reactions. 🎙️ Story: The Living Room by Diane Weipert Through an unobstructed window, Diane observes the lives of ...
42m Nov 04, 2025
42m
S17 Ep75: The Best of Scary Stories, Vol. 1
Three of our favorite scary stories from Halloween specials of our past.  🎤Radio Story: The Thing by Thomas McKean When Thomas was a kid, he and a friend saw a shadowy oblong shape following them on a beach. Years later, he feels chained to his bed in the middle of the night when the same figure, then two more hover over him.  keywords: Paranormal encounter, Shadow figure,Beach sighting,Slee...
54m Oct 30, 2025
54m
S17 Ep1705: Scary Stories #17: Bone-chilling!
Our 17th annual Halloween special with scary true stories about ghosts, corpses and mortal danger.  🎤Radio Story: Do You Know My Name? by Robert Oakes Robert leads ghost tours, but unlike his father, he’s unsure he’s a believer. After his father dies, Robert’s tour of a haunted house is visited by paranormal investigators, who have him ask a question to the spirits there which reveal a family...
1hr 22m Oct 28, 2025
1hr 22m
S17 Ep445: Edge Play
A Classic RISK! episode from our early years that first ran in August of 2013, when Mather Zickel, Jen Curran, Joel Kim Booster and Julie Threlkeld told stories of times they crossed over the edge. 🎤Live Story: Waiting for the Man by Joel Kim Booster Joel would love to find a kinky Dom to write "Bitch" around his asshole. One night, he plays with a Dom who is a huge disappointment. keywords:...
1hr Oct 23, 2025
1hr
S17 Ep1704: Hannah Sussman and Swapna Deshpande tell stories about coming to terms with mortality. 
Hannah Sussman and Swapna Deshpande tell stories about coming to terms with mortality.  🎤Anecdote: Another Conversation with my Dead Mother by Hannah Sussman Hannah reflects on her relationship with her deceased mother—waking from a dream, looking in the mirror and eventually coming to peace with her own aging.  keywords: mother daughter relationships, aging, grief 🎤Live Story: Each Other's...
37m Oct 21, 2025
37m
S17 Ep444: Live From Norfolk 2
A Classic RISK! episode from our early years that first ran in August of 2013, when Brad McMurran, Alicia Camden, and Sean Devereux told stories at the Norfolk Comedy Festival. 🎤Live Story: The Color Purple by Brad McMurran 🎤Live Story: Robbie Robbie by Alicia Camden 🎤Live Story: Train du Matin by Sean Devereux Sean dates a girl who he only sees when they are both drunk. When he decides to ...
56m Oct 16, 2025
56m
S17 Ep1703: The Lies That Bind
DESCRIPTION: Mishelle tells Taj her story of a lifetime lived with an abusive mother in an environment of relentless lies, instability and unspeakable violence.  Check out all of our Conversation Stories! 🎙️Conversation Story: The Lies that Bind by Mishelle Roberts SYNOPSIS: (CONTENT NOTE: child abuse, child murder) Mishelle tells Taj about growing up in the shadow of hospitals, horrific me...
1hr 39m Oct 14, 2025
1hr 39m
Get Undomesticated
Candiace Dillard Bassett (Bravo’s Real Housewives of Potomac) and Michael Arceneaux (New York Times best-selling author and culture critic) have thoughts…and on Undomesticated, they’re sharing all of them. Think of it like the group chat you wish you were in - brutally honest, funny, smart, and gloriously unfiltered.  From viral TikTok drama to the celebrity news everyone’s talking about (and ...
4m Oct 13, 2025
4m
S17 Ep443: Live From Norfolk 1
A Classic RISK! episode from our early years that first ran in 2013, when the RISK! live show came to Norfolk, Virginia.   🎤Live Story: The Squatter by Billy Raim Billy is afraid to poop in public until he decides to let go of of that fear, as it was ruining a trip with friends to China, with disastrous consequences. keywords: Poop, Fear, China, Culture Shock 🎤Live Story: Sister’s Keeper by...
46m Oct 09, 2025
46m
S17 Ep1702: Believe Her
Andrea Dunlop tells Kevin from the RISK! podcast her story “Believe Her,” about the time her sister was prosecuted for Munchausen by Proxy child abuse and how this set her off on a long path towards advocacy, outreach and the pursuit of justice. Years later, her podcast and vigilante journalism led her to uncover irrefutable evidence of an unprosecuted, hideous crime, as well as towards healing...
1hr 20m Oct 08, 2025
1hr 20m
S17 Ep1701: Sweet Sixteen
On the 16th anniversary of the podcast, Jill Karliner and Kevin Allison share stories from their own sixteeny days.  🎙️Radio Story: Save a Prayer for Jill by Jill Karliner When she was sixteen, Jill went to a Duran Duran concert in an attempt to fit in with her friend group and got so inside her own head about not enjoying it, she panicked.  keywords: concert, classical, duran duran, rick sp...
1hr 17m Oct 06, 2025
1hr 17m
S16 Ep181: Revelations, Revisited
Scott Whitney revisits his story from 2013 about losing his faith called “Revelations” with Kevin. He has many new insights twelve years later. You can also watch this episode on YouTube! 🎤Radio Story: Revelations by Scott Whitney (Content note: cults, suicide ideation) A Jehovah’s Witness struggling with his faith, Scott knocks on the door of a traumatized recluse to attempt to convert him. ...
47m Oct 02, 2025
47m
S16 Ep1668: The Best of RISK! #33
Our 33rd compilation of some of our favorite recent stories shared on the RISK! podcast, guest-host by Cyndi Freeman. 🎤Live Story: Hope Under the Sky (excerpt) by LP Nguyen SYNOPSIS: In 1975, the North won Vietnam’s civil war, and LP's dad, high ranking in the Southern Army, was imprisoned. The children lost everything, hunted for food, swam to school, and after 7 years, got their father back...
1hr 21m Sep 30, 2025
1hr 21m
S16 Ep441: Live From DC!
A Classic RISK! episode from our early years that first ran in July of 2013, when Kevin Boggs, Stephanie Garibaldi, R. Levin and Amy Saidman told stories at the first RISK! live show in Washington, DC in association with SpeakeasyDC. 🎤Live Story: Standing Up by Kevin Boggs Working as a waiter at an upscale Washington DC restaurant, Kevin gets into an emotional fight with an angry customer who...
1hr 2m Sep 25, 2025
1hr 2m
S16 Ep1667: Midnight in Manila
Scott McMahon tells Dawn Fraser from the RISK! podcast his story “Midnight in Manila,” about the time he was pulled into a nightmare of corruption, false rape charges, and five years in a Philippine jail.  Check out all of our Conversation Stories! 🎙️Conversation Story: Midnight in Manila by Scott McMahon SYNOPSIS: Scott McMahon tells Dawn Fraser from the RISK! podcast his story “Midnight in...
51m Sep 23, 2025
51m
Introducing Simpsons Declassified with Nancy Cartwright
Simpsons fans —THE VAULT IS OPEN!  I’m Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson for 35+ years, and I’m finally taking you inside Springfield. Simpsons Declassified is your all-access pass to the world’s most iconic, animated  series.   Each week, we crack open wild predictions, eerie coincidences and fan conspiracies and stories  from 36 seasons (that’s 800+ episodes!) behind-the-scenes wi...
3m Sep 19, 2025
3m
S16 Ep440: Queer
A Classic RISK! episode from our early years that first ran in July of 2013, when Cameron Esposito, Kris Grey and Kevin Allison shared radically different stories of LGBT life in the early 2010’s.  🎤Live Story: All the Rage by Kevin Allison SYNOPSIS: A man living in Kevin's neighborhood started screaming, "Faggot!" at Kevin whenever he was in eyeshot. Then one day the man switched from scream...
1hr 1m Sep 18, 2025
1hr 1m
S16 Ep1666: Shit Happens
Kevin Allison, Rachel Frost and Luke Oyler share stories about being wasteful.  Live Story: The Pickles Pickle by Kevin Allison Kevin flushes a jar of pickles down his brother's toilet while making his first student film in college and causes a plumbing issue, which becomes a story the Allison family retells for years to come.   keywords: Pickle jar, brother, student film 🎤Live Story: The I...
39m Sep 16, 2025
39m
S16 Ep180: The Power, Revisited
Tori Weston revisits her story about surviving childhood sexual abuse from 2014 called “The Power” with Kevin Allison. Tori has many new insights eleven years later. You can also watch this episode on YouTube! 🎤Radio Story: The Power by Tori Weston (Content note: child sexual abuse, suicidal ideation) At 12, going on 13, Tori was raped by her stepfather. When she came out about it, the situat...
1hr 43m Sep 11, 2025
1hr 43m
S16 Ep1665: Post Mortem
Chelsea Dalsey tells Kevin Allison about her journey with addiction and the process of truly coming to terms with her experience.   Check out all of our Conversation Stories! 🎙️Conversation Story: Post Mortem by Chelsea Dalsey SYNOPSIS: While working on cadavers in med school, Chelsea desperately hides her addiction to heroin and cocaine. Now, decades later, she has a realization about why...
56m Sep 09, 2025
56m
S16 Ep74: The Best of School Stories #1
A compilation of some of the best school related stories from the podcast.  🎤Live Story: Taking A Long Time by Angie Chatman SYNOPSIS: At age 8 Angie is in 2nd grade. A policeman visits and when he asks for a volunteer he hand shoots up. He handcuffs her in front of the classroom and refuses to let her go until she says "please." The fright causes her to pee, until the teacher finally insists...
26m Sep 04, 2025
26m
S16 Ep1664: The Fingers Episode
Bill, Brad, and Dominic recall the strange circumstances surrounding their broken or missing digits, with guest host John LaSala. 🎤Live Story: Just the Tip by Bill Worley Bill reveals how he lost the tip of his finger—knife fights, dive bars, a guy losing an eye—before revealing something even stranger: the truth. keywords: funny injury story, unreliable narrator, severed finger, missing f...
40m Sep 02, 2025
40m
S16 Ep439: Hurt
A Classic RISK! episode from our early years that first ran in July of 2013, when Trevor Noah and Robin Gelfenbien shared about scars they've healed from. 🎤Live Story: Vargas by Robin Gelfenbien In college, Robin is bullied by a whole pack of frat brothers who call her "Vargas," after a character in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In the end, she gets to confront the leader of the group about...
39m Aug 28, 2025
39m
S16 Ep1663: My Secret Career: RISK! Reacts
Kevin hears C. J. Guy’s “My Secret Career” story from The Secret Room for the first time and gives you his hot takes. You can also watch this episode on YouTube! This is part of our RISK! Reacts series, where we listen to a story told on another show and give our first reactions. 🎙️ Story: My Secret Career by C.J. Guy CJ reveals his secret career path that started with dropping out of law ...
35m Aug 26, 2025
35m
S16 Ep438: Young Rebels
A Classic RISK! episode from our early years that first ran in June of 2013, when Ethan Ullman, Katy Frame, Ben Lerman and Rob Lathan share stories about youthful indiscretions.  🎤Live Story: The Amazing Adventures of Ethan and the Lunch Monkey by Ethan Ullman In school, Ethan and a friend call a lunch lady who was mean to them "the Lunch Monkey." Called to the principal's office, they invent...
57m Aug 21, 2025
57m
S16 Ep1662: The Rebound
John F. O'Donnell tells Kevin about that time he got kicked out of his favorite comedy club. You can also watch this episode on YouTube. Check out all of our Conversation Stories! 🎙️Conversation Story: The Rebound by John F. O'Donnell John starts out in the New York comedy scene, dealing with his bi-polar disorder, plus memorable encounters during his early days as a comedian. keywords: B...
39m Aug 19, 2025
39m
S16 Ep73: The Best of Self-Help Stories #3
Tommy Galan and Marc Amigone share stories about helping others by helping themselves. The latest in the Self Help Special Series, which can be found at risk-show.com/specialseries/self-help-stories 🎤Live Story: Just Commit by Tommy Galan Tommy drinks and drinks. His final days of drinking almost destroy his family life. When a mentor tells him to "just commit" to whatever he feels will wor...
36m Aug 14, 2025
36m
S16 Ep1661: Sink or Swim
Valerie Ward and David Patteson share stories about calling for help when the world gets dangerous. 🎤Live Story: Treading Water by Valerie Ward In her younger days, Valerie got stuck under a dock while swimming in a lake. It brought about mixed feelings about calling for help and how much people might or might not care about her. keywords: lake, swimming, dock, childhood 🎙️Radio Story: Resc...
34m Aug 12, 2025
34m
S16 Ep437: Live From Charleston 2!
A Classic RISK! episode from our early years that first ran in June of 2013 - Stories from our 2nd visit to Charleston’s Theatre 99! 🎤Live Story: The Storm by Camille Lowman Camille attends a bachelorette party full of proper Southern suburbanites and watches them descend into drunken shenanigans when the male stripper arrives. CURRENT keywords: women behaving badly, strippers, bad behavior,...
48m Aug 07, 2025
48m
S16 Ep1660: Gregg Fell Into a Crevasse: RISK! Reacts
Kevin hears Gregg LeFevre’s “Gregg fell into a crevasse” story for the first time and gives you his hot takes. You can also watch this episode on YouTube! This is part of our RISK! Reacts series, where we listen to a story told on another show and give our first reactions. 🎙️ Story: Gregg fell into a crevasse by Gregg LeFevre Gregg visits Las Vegas and decides to climb a glacier. Unprepared,...
49m Aug 05, 2025
49m
S16 Ep436: Incompatible
• See RISK! Live! Details at risk-show.com/live⁠ • Pitch us your story! risk-show.com/submissions⁠ • Support RISK! through Patreon at patreon.com/risk⁠ or make a one-time donation:⁠ paypal.me/riskshow⁠ • Get the RISK! Book and shop for merch: ⁠⁠risk-show.com/shop⁠ • Take our storytelling classes: thestorystudio.org⁠ • Hire Kevin Allison as a coach or get personalized videos: kevinallison.c...
55m Jul 31, 2025
55m
S16 Ep1659: The Big Secret
Brad keeps a big secret for far too long a time. Guest hosted by Cyndi Freeman. 🎤Live Story: The Big Secret by Brad Lawrence (Content note: child sexual abuse, murder, suicide) In a church where guilt is weaponized and silence rewarded, teenage Brad listens to a friend's secret that echoes into adulthood, long past her violent death. keywords: abortion, church youth group, evangelical guilt,...
1hr 7m Jul 29, 2025
1hr 7m
S16 Ep72: The Best of Adventure Stories #2
Sarah Jones and Myka Fox share stories about high stakes ventures.  🎤Live Story: Kibbles 'n Bits by Sarah Jones Sarah starts abusing laxatives to lose weight for her new hot boyfriend. When camping with his dog, she secretly shits in the woods. The dog laps it up and kisses the boy when back in the car.   keywords: diarrhea, poop disasters, canine coprophagia, shitkisses 🎤Live Story: Hitchi...
33m Jul 24, 2025
33m
S16 Ep1658: Shoulda Seen It Coming
Jonathan Bradley Welch and Talia Tabin share stories of psychics, mediums and intuitions. 🎤Live Story: The One? by Jonathan Bradley Welch After a psychic's prediction of lasting love, Jonathan pins his hopes on a pandemic crush—only to be let down. He learns love won’t save him, but self-acceptance just might.  keywords: Queer love story, Provincetown romance, Gay dating journey, Psychic l...
39m Jul 22, 2025
39m
S16 Ep433: Mother Lovers
A Classic RISK! episode from our early years that first ran in May of 2013, when Tommy O’Malley, Jenny, and Moses Storm shared surprising stories about moms and stepmoms. Moses comes to grips with the fact that his mom is not like others. She dresses like a rebellious teen and uses her kids to steal things like roller skates at the rink. keywords: nonconformist, poverty, shoplifting When J...
39m Jul 17, 2025
39m
S16 Ep1657: Animals Past and Present
Ray Christian tells Kevin about the pet cemetery he and his childhood friends created and the gruesome secret it might hold. You can also watch this episode on YouTube! Conversation Story: Animals Past and Present by Ray Christian (Content note: animal death) As a child, Ray and his friends held funerals for small animals. One day, Ray saw a monkey, then later what may have been the monkey’...
50m Jul 15, 2025
50m
S16: There’s Still Time to Jump In Kevin’s Online Workshops!
Hey folks! The last two online storytelling workshops I’m teaching before I move to a dramatically different time zone are starting on July 23 and August 17, but even if you have to miss some sessions, you can still jump in! So email me at kevin@risk-show.com to learn more. In this little announcement, I’ll give you a better idea of how it all works. To learn more about listener data and our ...
6m Jul 09, 2025
6m
S16 Ep432: Live From Philly 3!
A Classic RISK! episode from our early years that first ran in April of 2013, when Brady Dale, Elna Baker and Marjorie Winther shared stories at the 4/20/13 RISK! Live show in Philly hosted by First Person Arts.  🎧Live Story: The Prayer by Brady Dale After a streak of bad luck with women, Brady tries ancient Christian practices, like the mantra-like repetition of a pilgrim's prayer and self...
57m Jul 09, 2025
57m
S16 Ep1656: Campy!
Lindsay Ames and Shannon Turner tell stories of camp flames.  🎧Live Story: The Jerk by Lindsay Ames As a teen at Jewish camp Lindsay is eager to have a sexual experience with the cute boy, and gets in a sleeping bag with him, but her friend Carly jumps in and steals Lindsay’s first handjob. keywords: handjob, Jewish camp, cockblock, virgin 🎧Radio Story: Tomfoolery by Shannon M. Turner ...
42m Jul 08, 2025
42m
S16 Ep431: Live From Philly 2!
A Classic RISK! episode from our early years that first ran in April of 2013, when Giulia Rozzi, Nimisha Ladva and Kevin Allison shared stories at the 4/20/13 RISK! show in Philadelphia presented by First Person Arts. • See RISK! Live! Details at risk-show.com/live⁠ • Pitch us your story! risk-show.com/submissions⁠ • Support RISK! through Patreon at patreon.com/risk⁠ or make a one-time don...
54m Jul 03, 2025
54m
S16 Ep1655: Beat Yourself Up
Glen A. Dunzweiler and David Wayne tell stories about going easier on yourself… or not. • Pitch us your story! risk-show.com/submissions⁠ • Support RISK! through Patreon at patreon.com/risk⁠ or make a one-time donation:⁠ paypal.me/riskshow⁠ • Get the RISK! Book and shop for merch: ⁠⁠risk-show.com/shop⁠ • Take our storytelling classes: thestorystudio.org⁠ • Hire Kevin Allison as a coach o...
39m Jul 01, 2025
39m
S16 Ep430: Parental Advisory
A Classic RISK! episode from our early years that first ran in April of 2013, when Andy Livengood, Jean Ann Le Bec, and Julie Threlkeld told of surprising times with their parents. • Pitch us your story! risk-show.com/submissions⁠ • Support RISK! through Patreon at patreon.com/risk⁠ or make a one-time donation:⁠ paypal.me/riskshow⁠ • Get the RISK! Book and shop for merch: ⁠⁠risk-show.com/s...
53m Jun 26, 2025
53m
S16 Ep1654: I'm Gay and Pets Are My Only Friends: RISK! Reacts
Kevin hears Fabian Godinez’s “I’m Gay and Pets Are My Only Friends” story from The Mortified Podcast for the first time and gives you his hot takes. You can also watch this episode on YouTube! This is part of our RISK! Reacts series, where we listen to a story told on another show and give our first reactions. • See RISK! live in New York City on June 26th. Get tickets at risk-show.com/live...
27m Jun 25, 2025
27m
S16 Ep1653: Bad Decisions, Good Stories
Tata Sherise and Max Langert reveal the self-destructive journeys they took after trusting the wrong people. • See RISK! live in New York City on June 26th. Get tickets at risk-show.com/live⁠ • Pitch us your story! risk-show.com/submissions⁠ • Support RISK! through Patreon at patreon.com/risk⁠ or make a one-time donation:⁠ paypal.me/riskshow⁠ • Get the RISK! Book and shop for merch: ⁠⁠ris...
44m Jun 24, 2025
44m