The Best of Gratitude Stories #1

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

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 him into a surprise party. Keywords:  birthday story, marriage humor, Austin storytelling, sexual misunderstanding, redhead joke, surprise party, marriage comedy, public embarrassment, relationship humor 🎤Live Story: 6 Hours by Nick Scott Nick has severe pain in his testicles and reads online that he's probably only got six hours before he has to lose them. He and his parents rush to the hospital and learn that he'd misdiagnosed himself.  Keywords: testicular torsion, medical emergency, masturbation story, awkward comedy, parental embarrassment, Austin live show, hospital panic, male health humor, storytelling 🎤Live Story: The Bad Seed by Dhaya Lakshminarayanan Dhaya was the rebellious Hindu girl in Christian school forever in trouble. Seeing the bathroom graffiti “Jesus loves you motherfucker,” she realized how wit and creativity might turn a troublemaker into a successful student. Keywords: childhood misbehavior, Hindu kid in Christian school, bathroom graffiti, learning to read, culture clash, Indian American humor, education story, Austin storytelling, gifted child 🎤Live Story: Bigger Than Love by Michael Jastroch (Content warning: Death) Michael tells the bittersweet story of his first teenage crush, his envy of and rivalry with a friend, and how tragedy changed how he understood what it means to be the main character in life. Keywords: teenage love story, AIDS revelation, high school heartbreak, coming of age, rivalry story, Austin storytelling, emotional true story, friendship betrayal, 1990s nostalgia 🎤Live Story: Taxi Driver by Sam Dingman At the end of his rope in NYC, Sam is about to give up, when he decides to try being a taxi driver. One day, he is in 3 separate car accidents. It's an epic day of New York toil and trouble. Keywords:  taxi driver story, New York storytelling, car crash, cab driving, workplace anxiety, life change, near-death experience, acting career, risk show live 🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved • 🎟 See RISK! live⁠ on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 in NYC • ✍️ 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

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 school, rejection, left out,  🎤 Live Story: Fake It 'Til You Make It by Sandi Marx In high school, Sandi dates a nice guy named Larry from a wealthy family, but he's boring. The night she plans to break up with him, he proposes marriage. She says no, but agrees to pretend she said yes, for the engagement party Larry’s parents planned for that night.  keywords: Fake engagement, hockey game, rich boyfriend 🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved • 🎟 See RISK! live!⁠ • ✍️ 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

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