In this crossover episode with The Story Collider [http://storycollider.org], Karen McCaffrey and Mary Cyn share stories that illustrate the importance of compassion in healthcare.

🎤Live Story: More than Survival by Karen McCaffrey [http://risk-show.com/storyteller/Karen-McCaffrey]

(Content note: sexual assault, rape) After surviving rape and a traumatic hospital experience afterward, Karen transformed her pain into purpose. Decades later, she directed a sexual assault forensic examiner program, advocating for victims' rights and ensuring survivors receive trauma-informed care.

🎤Live Story: My Vagina Job by Mary Cyn [http://risk-show.com/storyteller/Mary-Cyn]

Drawing on her own traumatic experiences with dismissive care, Mary transforms vulnerability into a tool for empathy, helping future doctors treat patients with compassion and helping women feel less fear and isolation about their bodies

🎶For more info and songs featured in this episode, visit risk-show.com/podcast/where-it-hurts [http://risk-show.com/podcast/where-it-hurts]

🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved

🎟 See RISK! live⁠ [https://risk-show.com/live] in New York City on March 16th, 2026

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Where It Hurts

Michael McFadden and Adrianne Frost share stories about evolving feelings about their bodies over time. 

🎙️Radio Story: Growth by Michael McFadden

Michael is a child swimming prodigy trapped in a grown man’s body who fails a humiliating puberty test, loses his athletic destiny, and ultimately redefines masculinity and self-worth beyond the pool and beyond his penis size.

🎤Live Story: Smoochin' and Fiddlin' by Adrianne Frost

(Content note: child sexual abuse, self-harm) After surviving childhood sexual abuse and years of debilitating endometriosis, Adrianne equates beauty with value and spirals through painful sex and self-harm before discovering lasting love on new terms.

🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved

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Metamorphosis

Byron Bowers and Amy Salloway share experiences from their formative years. A part of The Best of Coming of Age Stories [https://www.risk-show.com/podcast/the-best-of-coming-of-age-stories/] series.

🎤🎙️💻Live Story: My Father's Son by Byron Bowers

At 10, Byron goes to visit his dad's crack-addicted father near the projects. Four years later, Byron is selling crack, and he breaks down, wondering how he let his life become like his father’s.

🎤Live Story: Sister Act by Amy Salloway

Amy understands as a child that her relationship with her mother isn’t loving. When her half-sister is born, her mom casts Abbie as the angel to Amy’s devil. Even the cleaning lady says Abbie is the reincarnation of Anne Frank. 

🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved

🎟 See RISK! live⁠ [https://risk-show.com/live] in New York City on Tuesday, March 17, 2026

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The Best of Coming of Age Stories #2

Ria Spencer, Mindy Myers and Josh Connors share stories about learning to feel at home in your body.

🎤Live Story: The Only Girl by Ria Spencer

Six-year-old Ria is diagnosed with severe cradle cap and must enter an all-male Arkansas barbershop to have her beloved locks shaved. It might have been traumatic, but the men were supportive and encouraging. 

🎙️Radio Story: Ample Package by Mindy Myers

Mindy orders therapeutic vaginal stretching dildos. When the package goes missing, she discovers one—nicknamed "The Rock"—was mistakenly delivered to a children's cooking class, where a student innocently used it as a mixing tool and taste-tested the sauce.

🎤Live Story: Butt Plug Inferno by Josh Connors

Josh falls for Damien, an HIV-positive guy. After a panicked butt-plug-burning incident forces honesty about his fears and desires, they eventually build a trusting, loving relationship that lasts a decade.

🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved

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Private Parts

A Classic RISK! episode from our early years that first ran in November of 2013, when Kitty Hailey, Christine Lee and Josh Healey share stories of surprising family situations.

🎤🎙️💻Live Story: Rollin’ With Grandma by Josh Healey

Josh's Grandma-in-law gets a pinched nerve and requires medical marijuana. The hilarity ensues of him buying pot for this little old lady and helping her to smoke it.

🎤🎙️💻Radio Story: Two Bowls by Christine Lee

Christine gets the rare and risky opportunity to visit her family in North Korea. When she sees the poverty, the graciousness and the extremely sheltered worldview that her family members live with, it breaks her heart. 

🎤🎙️💻Live Story: It’s All Happening at the Zoo by Kitty Hailey

Kitty falls in love with a brilliant man who is overcome by a neurological disorder that renders him something more like a 7-year old. When visiting the zoo, he yells out that the gorillas are fucking, causing a scene.

🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved

🎟 See RISK! live⁠ [https://risk-show.com/live] in New York City on Tuesday, March 17, 2026

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Family Secrets

Emma Yarbrough and Joel Gonzalez share stories about learning and growing from hard times.

🎤Live Story: Searching for Blue Sky by Emma Yarbrough

Emma believes an intruder has broken in her home but it’s a false alarm. It triggers memories of her PTSD following the murder of her beloved Aunt Day. Emma cherishes her aunt’s memory and is stronger for it. 

🎙️Radio Story: Keeping Us Safe by Joel Gonzalez

Joel is working a grocery store job during the pandemic and is in charge of enforcing the mask mandate. Joel has a sick wife at home and becomes overly obsessed with people not cooperating but then starts to calm down. 

🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved

🎟 See RISK! live⁠ [https://risk-show.com/live] in NYC on Tuesday, March 17, 2026

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Catastrophe

A Classic RISK! episode from our early years that first ran in November of 2013, when students from Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design shared true stories at a RISK! live show on campus.

🎤Live Story: Over the Limit by David Jacobs

As a kid, it took David a while to realize he had anger management problems. After a few unfortunate outbursts, a therapist helped him get a hold of himself.

🎤Live Story: Street Smarts by Hania Ansari

Hania is held at gunpoint during a robbery attempt in Pakistan. She offers her TI-89 calculator. The robber asks her to teach him how to use it, revealing his educational background. He leaves without taking anything.

🎤Live Story: As Three by D.H.

In college, D.H. found herself in a happy three-person relationship. But like so many college relationships, it had to end.

🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved

🎟 See RISK! live⁠ [https://risk-show.com/live] on March 17, 2026 in NYC!

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Live from Brown/RISD

David Zellnik tells Kevin Allison about a moment of sexual liberation in a dark back room at a gay bar in the early 90s. Check out all of our Conversation Stories [https://www.risk-show.com/conversationstories]!

🎙️Conversation Story: Allowed to Look by David Zellnik

David has a transformative night at a gay bar in the early 90s, during the ongoing AIDS crisis. It felt risky but it also helped him to feel more visible and confident in his identity, changing his perspective on sexual relations.

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Lights Off, Pants Down

Reba Sparrow and Smith Galtney share some of our favorite unusual love stories from our 16-year history.

🎙️LIVE Story: Pleasant Mountain by Smith Galtney

Smith had the perfect husband, house and home... till he returned to the crystal meth habit of his younger years. His husband was able to support Smith in getting to rehab and putting his life back together again.

🎙️LIVE Story: Baby Love by Reba Sparrow

Reba has a history of body shame. She’d always felt her breasts weren't big enough. When she met a boyfriend who wanted to role play that he was her baby breastfeeding from her, she was horrified... until they tried.

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The Best of Love Stories #4

Connor O’Donoghue, JC Cassis and Jay Michel share stories about crushes and rebounds. 

🎙️Radio Story: I Was the Appetizer by Connor O'Donoghue

A virgin with body shame issues, Connor falls for a straight guy he befriends in a psych hospital. He has a threesome with his crush and a girl, knowing the guy is only into the girl. Decades later, Connor sheds his sexual anxiety. 

🎤Live Story: Never Again by JC Cassis

JC gets a crush on Bobby, a glamorous classmate, and tells him about it. Bobby rejects her politely,  but when she says, "Let me know if you ever change your mind," with a joking tone, he says, "I'm never gonna change my mind," leaving JC wounded. 

🎤Live Story: Ready for Asking by Jay Michel

Jay joined the military to try to seem straight. He has a nerve wracking hookup on campus, but later has his first magical gay club experience with the guy, falling in love in a flash while kissing… then witnessing the guy hooking up with others moments later. 

🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved

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Unrequited

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.

kevinallison

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