

RISK!
RISK!
If you like The Moth, This American Life or Snap Judgment, take a walk on the wilder side with RISK! Your colorful host Kevin Allison (of the legendary comedy group The State) helms this surprisingly uncensored show where people tell jaw-dropping true stories they never thought they'd dare to share in public. RISK! is hilarious, heart-wrenching and remarkably real. Think you've heard it all? Fasten your seatbelt.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 21, 2025 • 40min
Mortal
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 Angels by Swapna Deshpande
Dr. Swapna Deshpande recounts her experiences with a patient she befriended named 'John' at a trauma center. She practically saved his life on a couple of occasions, but grieved when he passed after she’d been on a brief vacation.
keywords: Doctor, Parkinson's, ICU, Coma
🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved
• 🎟 See RISK! live in NYC on Thursday, 12/11
• ✍️ 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

Oct 16, 2025 • 60min
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 have a lunchtime date with her without alcohol, he realizes they have nothing in common. To his bewilderment, she tries to convince him to stay by playing a French version of "Morning Train."
🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved
• 🎟 See RISK! live in NYC (12/11/25)
• ✍️ 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

Oct 14, 2025 • 1h 43min
The Lies That Bind
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
(Content Note: child abuse, child murder)
Mishelle tells Taj about growing up in the shadow of hospitals, horrific medical drama, and a web of lies that defined her entire life. As an adult, she starts to uncover what was really happening and discovers that the lies were bigger and darker than she ever could’ve imagined.
Mishelle’s story was also the focus of Season Six of Nobody Should Believe Me.
keywords: Munchausen by proxy, Munchausen syndrome by proxy, medical abuse, child abuse, family secrets, attention seeking, childhood trauma, gaslighting, sibling death, mother-daughter conflict, Nobody Should Believe Me, podcast journalism
🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved
• 🎟 See RISK! live in NYC on Dec 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

Oct 13, 2025 • 4min
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 the ones they should be), Candiace and Michael are here to talk their talk, crack you up, and keep it 100…with just the right amount of petty. 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

Oct 9, 2025 • 49min
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 Tiffany Chilcott
Tiffany impersonates her sister on the phone and gets a guy to shave his head.
keywords: Siblings, Imposters, Pranks, Dating
🎤Live Story: The Last Time by Pete Roberts
Pete lets a drug dealer into his motel thinking he’s going to have a Bukowski moment, only to be robbed.
keywords: Bad Decisions, Drug Deals, Fear, Life Threatening
🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved
• 🎟 See RISK! live in New York on Dec 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

Oct 8, 2025 • 1h 19min
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 springfield, squeeze, high school
🎙️Radio Story: What’s in the Box?! by Kevin Allison
After being slighted by his high-school crush, a young Kevin mailed the unsuspecting straight boy his poop.
keywords: poop prank, mailing feces, unrequited teenage love, queer crush, revenge, poop
Watch Kevin's chat with Sean Malin, author of Podcast Pantheon: 101 Podcasts That Changed How We Listen, on YouTube.
🌈 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

Oct 8, 2025 • 1h 23min
Believe Her
Andrea Dunlop tells Kevin about the time her sister was investigated for Munchausen syndrome by proxy child abuse and how this set her off on a long path towards advocacy, outreach and the pursuit of justice, through her podcast Nobody Should Believe Me.This episode is guest-hosted by Taj Easton.You can also watch it on YouTube!
Check out all of our Conversation Stories!
🎙️Conversation Story: Believe Her by Andrea Dunlop
(Content note: child abuse, child murder) Andrea’s sister is prosecuted for Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP) child abuse, which sets Andrea off on a long path towards advocacy, outreach and the pursuit of justice for victims of MSbP. Years later, her podcast and vigilante journalism lead her to uncover irrefutable evidence of an unprosecuted, hideous crime, as well as towards healing of her own deep, familial wounds.
keywords: Munchausen by proxy, MSbP, Factitious disorder imposed on another, FDIA, medical child abuse, ethical true crime, true crime podcast, family trauma, child murder, Nobody Should Believe Me,
Special thanks to Rafter for the generous and essential musical contributions.
🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved
• 🎟 See RISK! live in New York (Thursday, December 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

Oct 2, 2025 • 50min
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. The brief, troubled friendship convinces Scott to leave the church.
keywords: Awake!, door-to-door, Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Watchtower
🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved
• 🎟 See RISK! live in NYC (December 11)
• ✍️ 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

Sep 30, 2025 • 1h 23min
The Best of RISK! #33
Larry Dorsey Jr., a performer and storyteller, shares a gripping urban survival tale about saving a man's life during a violent incident in San Francisco. Kerri Doherty reveals her complicated love affair with a soldier who used deception to avoid the army, ultimately leading to a heartwarming twist involving a rescue puppy. Yossi Rosenberg dives into his unconventional journey through the Orgasmic Meditation community, exploring intimacy. Heather Farley reflects on a challenging psychotic break and the unexpected act of giving away a valuable painting.

Sep 25, 2025 • 1h 3min
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 calls him a "faggot."
Keywords: Waiter, Rude customer, restaurant
🎤Live Story: Virgin Sacrifice by Stephanie Garibaldi
Stephanie visits a Mayan village, where Mayan culture lives on to this day. When the villagers decide she is a "fertility goddess," they begin preparing for her to marry a young man from the village.
Keywords: fertility, Indigenous, Mayans
🎤Live Story: Mofo by R. Levin
R. discovers new things about herself while experimenting with a group of fellow moms in the kink community, where she ends up meeting her husband.
Keywords: Kink, BDSM, Privacy, Moms
🎤Live Story: Little Sister by Amy Saidman
Amy learns how to stand up to her older sister, and in the process, ends up unexpectedly bonding with her.
Keywords:: Older sister, little sister, funeral
🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved
• 🎟 See RISK! live in New York City TONIGHT! 9/25 at Caveat
• ✍️ 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