RISK!

Christine Gentry revisits her story from 2016 called “Making the Chain” with Kevin Allison. She has many new insights, nine years later. 🎤Live Story: Making the Chain by Christine Gentry Christine’s friend needs a kidney donor or she will die. Christine is not a match for her friend, but she is able to join a chain of people donating, created by Be The Match. The experience transforms her life.  keywords: Be The Match, dialysis, donation, donation chain, kidney, nephrology 🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved • 🎟 See RISK! live⁠ in NYC on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 • ✍️ Pitch your story⁠ • ❤️ Support us on Patreon⁠ or ⁠make a one-time PayPal donation⁠ • 📚 Shop merch or the RISK! book⁠ • 🎓 Take storytelling classes with us⁠ • 🎥 Hire Kevin as a coach or get personalized videos To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mira Rivera and Rachelle Anne Warren tell stories about opening up & leaning into insecurities.  🎤Workshop Story: Sexual Healing by Mira Rivera After her partner breaks up with her, Mira's confidence plummets. She goes on a series of dates in public with a hot guy who seems uninterested.One day, they have a date in private with weed and Mira discovers a whole new level of sexual and emotional chemistry. keywords: bad dates, sexual chemistry, weed, sexual breakthrough, rebound 🎤Radio Story: Stranded by Rachel Anne Warren Rachel spent years hiding her hair loss. When she finally stops running and faces what she’s been avoiding, she discovers the craft of wigmaking helps her rebuild her confidence and her sense of purpose.  keywords: hair loss, alopecia, wigmaker, wig, body image, alcoholism 🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved • 🎟 See RISK! live⁠ in NYC on December 11th and March 17th • ✍️ Pitch your story⁠ • ❤️ Support us on Patreon⁠ or ⁠make a one-time PayPal donation⁠ • 📚 Shop merch or the RISK! book⁠ • 🎓 Take storytelling classes with us⁠ • 🎥 Hire Kevin as a coach or get personalized videos To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Satori Shakoor and Paul Cibis share stories of thanksgiving. A part of our series called Gratitude Stories. 🎤Live Story: Thank You by Satori Shakoor Satori’s loss of her mother and son is devastating. Later, she dates a man who gets a kick out of Satori being “too much,” and she is grateful to remember to live life over-the-top, and fully alive. keywords: none 🎤Live Story: My Lifeline by Paul Cibis Paul's kidneys began to fail him. He was stuck in the tragic position of hoping someone would die soon, so that he could have their kidney. When it finally happened, he felt deep grief for the donor and gratitude. keywords: none 🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved • 🎟 See RISK! live⁠ in NYC March 17 and June 9, 2025 • ✍️ Pitch your story⁠ • ❤️ Support us on Patreon⁠ or ⁠make a one-time PayPal donation⁠ • 📚 Shop merch or the RISK! book⁠ • 🎓 Take storytelling classes with us⁠ • 🎥 Hire Kevin as a coach or get personalized videos To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kevin hears Danielle Meinert’s “The Day I Met ARFID” story from The Story Collider 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. Here’s the Spotify Playlist mentioned in the episode. And here is an article about the playlist from hopkinsmedicine.org. 🎙️ Story: The Day I Met ARFID by Danielle Meinert After a lifetime of avoiding nearly all foods due to ARFID, Danielle tries psilocybin mushrooms in hopes of rewiring her brain, and discovers the joy, wonder, and liberation of truly tasting food for the first time as an adult.  keywords: arfid, eating disorder, psychedelics, psilocybin 🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved • 🎟 See RISK! live⁠ in NYC on December 11, 2025 • ✍️ Pitch your story⁠ • ❤️ Support us on Patreon⁠ or ⁠make a one-time PayPal donation⁠ • 📚 Shop merch or the RISK! book⁠ • 🎓 Take storytelling classes with us⁠ • 🎥 Hire Kevin as a coach or get personalized videos To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nick Scott, a storyteller, shares a frantic tale of mistaken medical panic when severe testicular pain sends him and his parents racing to the ER. Comedian Michael Jastrow reminisces about teenage crushes, rivalry, and a poignant betrayal that reshapes his understanding of friendship. Sam Dingman, a former NYC cab driver, recounts the chaos of a taxi crash that leads him to reconsider his career and find stability in an office job, ultimately reflecting on the contrast between chaos and safety.

Jen Nails, an experienced improv and acting teacher, shares her struggle with acceptance at a college conservatory, revealing how her classmates rallied to support her when she faced dismissal. Sandy Marks, a comedian and memoirist, humorously recounts a dating mishap, where she pretended to be engaged to her uninteresting boyfriend to appease his wealthy parents. Both stories explore themes of belonging and authenticity amidst pressure to conform.

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: LGBTQIA+ storyteller, Trans storyteller, transgender 🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved • 🎟 See RISK! live⁠ in NYC on December 11, 2025 • ✍️ Pitch your story⁠ • ❤️ Support us on Patreon⁠ or ⁠make a one-time PayPal donation⁠ • 📚 Shop merch or the RISK! book⁠ • 🎓 Take storytelling classes with us⁠ • 🎥 Hire Kevin as a coach or get personalized videos To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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't lead to yet another identity, but gave a name to the one he’s always had. keywords: ASD, autism, neurodivergent, youth gender identity, punk rock, outsider, alienated, superman obsession 🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved • 🎟 See RISK! live⁠ in NYC ([November 11th) • ✍️ Pitch your story⁠ • ❤️ Support us on Patreon⁠ or ⁠make a one-time PayPal donation⁠ • 📚 Shop merch or the RISK! book⁠ • 🎓 Take storytelling classes with us⁠ • 🎥 Hire Kevin as a coach or get personalized videos To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this captivating discussion, Brian Simpson, a stand-up comedian and former Marine, shares his harrowing story of serving in Kuwait during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He reveals the chilling reality of malfunctioning gas masks, with a staggering 50% deemed defective. As Simpson reflects on the absurdity of his biological attack drills and the dread of potential missile strikes, guest-host Ray Christian offers poignant insights and connects their military experiences. It's a raw, personal narrative that brings the weight of war into sharp focus.

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 crush, and that real love allows for making mistakes.keywords: crushes, love, marriage, relationships, youth 🎤Live Story: In the Belly by DC Pierson As a nerdy virgin in high school, DC and his friend’s girlfriend become friends and have an affair in which he only kisses her stomach until eventually she goes down on him spontaneously and breaks up with her boyfriend.  keywords: teenage, high school, affair, sexual exploration, cheating, relationships, youth, virgins 🎙️Radio Story: Remember You Like a Child by Nina Davis At 14, Nina fell in love with a boy while on vacation. Decades later, she finally found him again. He’d been through homelessness and heroin addiction. Now, he was married with a child. keywords: long lost love, lost and found, reuniting, young love 🎤Live Story: Complete by Selena Coppock In her freshman year of college, Selena fell head over heels in love with a young man who had already graduated. It was never meant to be, but years later Selena got to share with him how much he’d meant to her. keywords: love, dating, college, recent graduate, reconnection, closure, support, self love, self belief, confidence, unrequited love 🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved • 🎟 See RISK! live⁠ in NYC on December 11, 2025 • ✍️ Pitch your story⁠ • ❤️ Support us on Patreon⁠ or ⁠make a one-time PayPal donation⁠ • 📚 Shop merch or the RISK! book⁠ • 🎓 Take storytelling classes with us⁠ • 🎥 Hire Kevin as a coach or get personalized videos To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices