The Best of Self-Help Stories #3

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 a comic book series they claim they were referencing, about a superhero by that name.  CURRENT keywords: sophomoric humor, boys will be boys, in trouble 🎤Live Story: Good Vibrations by Katy Frame As a kid, Katy plays with things that vibrate around her private parts. She devises a machine of her own out of a mechanical toy set. Her parents shame her for it and it’s not till years later that she learns vibrators are common.  CURRENT keywords: sexual exploration, vibrators, bird and bees 🎤Live Story: Intense Friendships in the Bus Depot by Ben Lerman In his teen years, Ben forgets he left a gay porn video in the VHS at home while he’s off at a music festival. He calls his mom to make a convoluted excuse, but it doesn’t fly.  CURRENT keywords: gay kids, in the closet, secrets and lies 🎤Live Story: Where the World Is by Rob Lathan In college, Rob is bullied by frat brothers, but finds acceptance when he drinks huge amounts as they dare him to do. One night he drinks himself into a coma, with a blood alcohol level normally considered certain death.  CURRENT keywords: near death, alcohol poisoning, peer pressure, hazing 🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved • 🎟 See RISK! live⁠ in New York (9/25) • ✍️ 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

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: Bipolar I Disorder, lithium, mental illness, comedy, comedian 🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved • 🎟 See RISK! live⁠ in NYC (September 25) or (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

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: Rescuer by David Patteson As a kid, David is in danger of drowning till he's rescued by his big brother Mike, who goes on to fill in as surrogate mother to his brothers and sisters once their real mother abandons them. keywords: swimming, drowning, childhood, family 🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved • 🎟 See RISK! live⁠ in NYC September 25 or 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

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, oral sex 🎤Live Story: The Wrapper by Nathaniel Bates Nathaniel is confounded when, as a child, he sees his dad’s penis and realizes that it is much different from his own, causing him lots of secret shame and worry about having a foreskin.  CURRENT keywords: circumcision, penises, parents, childhood, puberty, school 🎤Live Story: Roadside Assistance by Shon Kennedy Shon, a Black woman, is in a car accident in the deep South. A white trash redneck comes to her aid (with lots of marijuana to offer as well) and the two of them end up revealing their deepest insecurities to one another.   CURRENT keywords: Stereotypes, defied expectations, strange friendships, cars, pot 🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved • 🎟 See RISK! live⁠ in New York September 25th • ✍️ 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 Gregg LeFevre’s “Gregg fell into a crevasse” story from the what was that like 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. 🎙️ Story: Gregg fell into a crevasse by Gregg LeFevre Gregg visits Las Vegas and decides to climb a glacier. Unprepared, he falls into a crevasse but escapes by following an injured deer. Later, he learns it wasn't even a real glacier. keywords: las vegas, glacier, artist, deer 🌈 Support RISK! & Get Involved • 🎟 See RISK! live⁠ in NYC September 25 or 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