A Hard Landing, Revisited
4/16/20261 hr 34 min
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
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsKevin Allison· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Hello, folks. This is Risk, the show where people tell true stories they never thought they'd dare to share. I'm Kevin Allison, and today we are revisiting a story that first appeared on the show ten years ago, A Hard Landing by JP Michael, one of the most talked about Risk stories ever. Now, a few weeks ago, I got on a call with JP, and we had an amazing conversation about the story behind the story and what he's realized about all of it since then. It is incredible. So here it is, me and JP Michael revisiting A Hard Landing. [gentle music] Today we're revisiting a story by JP Michael that he first told on the podcast back in the summer of twenty sixteen before [laughing] the world imploded. And I have a very special guest with me, JP Michael himself, returning finally. Hello, JP.
JP Michael· Guest1:14
Hi, Kevin. Uh, great to see you again.
Kevin Allison· Host1:17
Yes, [laughing] indeed. It's very surreal. We're both a bit older. [laughing] A bit more, a bit more battered by life, I would guess.
JP Michael· Guest1:27
Perhaps a little bit, yeah, yeah. [laughing] Especially with small children