A Hard Landing, Revisited

RISK!

Personal Journals, Arts, Society & Culture, Comedy, Performing Arts

4.6 • 5.7K Ratings

🗓️ 16 April 2026

⏱️ 93 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

JP Michael first told "A Hard Landing" on RISK! in the summer of 2016, and it became one of the most talked-about episodes in the show's history. Now, a decade later, he's back with Kevin Allison to listen to it together and reckon with everything that's happened since. (Content note: self-harm, suicidal ideation) The original story follows JP shortly after he relocated to New York City for a job that quickly fell apart, leaving him isolated and adrift. He meets Claire, a razor-sharp, deeply perceptive woman who becomes his anchor in the city, and when she develops a mysterious and terrifying illness, JP steps up as her primary caregiver. What unfolds over the following months is almost impossible to believe. In the conversation that follows, JP reflects on the three-year gap between the events and telling the story, the therapy that helped him finally make sense of it, and a stunning new development: he recently tracked down one of the story's key figures and got answers he'd been missing for thirteen years. Full episode details and music credits at risk-show.com/podcast/a-hard-landing-revisited And check out all of our Revisited Stories! Support RISK! & Get Involved 🎟 See RISK! live⁠ in New York City on Tuesday, June 9, 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, folks, this is Risk, the show where people tell true stories.
0:12.3	They never thought they dare to share.
0:14.9	I'm Kevin Allison, and today we are revisiting a story that first appeared on the show 10 years ago. A hard landing by
0:23.0	J.P. Michael, one of the most talked about risk stories ever. Now, a few weeks ago, I got on a call
0:29.7	with J.P., and we had an amazing conversation about the story behind the story and what he's realized about all of it since then.
0:41.2	It is incredible. So here it is, me and J.P. Michael revisiting a hard landing.
0:50.3	Today, we're revisiting a story by J.P. Michael that he first told on the podcast back in the summer of 2016, before the world imploded.
1:06.2	And I have a very special guest with me. J.P. Michael himself returning finally.
1:13.8	Hello, JP.
1:14.9	Hi, Kevin.
1:15.8	Great to see you again.
1:17.3	Yes, indeed.
1:18.9	It's very surreal.
1:21.1	We're both a bit older, a bit more, a bit more battered by life, I would guess.
1:27.6	Perhaps a little bit.
1:28.6	Yeah.
1:29.0	Yeah.
1:29.2	Especially with small children in the mix.
1:32.6	Oh, my God.
1:34.5	Okay.
1:34.9	Well, you and I are going to listen to the story again after, I guess, 10 years.
1:40.4	And because this story is so surprising, there's lots of twists and turns in it.
	...

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