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Yesterday, I was thinking back on this past year and how after 37 years in New York, after 55 years in the US I moved to Bangkok. And yet, with all of the extraordinary memories that I Now have of 2020, some of the most moving, the most hilarious, the most thought provoking, the most spiritual experiences that I had last year happened in my online storytelling workshops for real. Years ago, the Risk staff wrote down our mission statement. That RISK is here to help people connect in more meaningful ways, to help people see and hear each other, and to be seen and heard by others in ways that make a difference. So the true story of how these online workshops started is that last year around this time, when I decided to move to Thailand, I realized, oh, my gosh, I need X amount more money in my savings account to qualify for the digital nomad visa. So I created these workshops at first just as a fundraising effort to make my move. But in the very first workshop, I think it was in the second session, I was so touched and so inspired by things people had been sharing that night that I ended the Zoom meeting. And I said to myself, kevin, wait a minute. This is the next level. This is the future of what we have to offer. These workshops are helping me and everyone else in them to listen more mindfully, to empathize more deeply, to let go of shyness and shame, to reconsider some of our past assumptions about our lives, to value the little things in life more and just have a place to come each week where everyone's kind and thoughtful and loves to laugh or cry or be creative and learn together again and again. People say the workshops are restorative. You know, it's a creative space, and it's a very detailed learning experience, but also an uplifting one where some people make lasting friendships even. We're even working on creating ongoing online story circle events for graduates of the workshops so they can keep it all flowing and remain in community. And even though most people who have taken the workshop so far have been Risk listeners, there have been other folks in the workshops who never listen to podcasts of any kind of people who just wanted to practice stories that they could tell to their grandkids. There was a doctor in one. There was a labor union organizer in another. They wanted to practice stories that they could share with their patients or colleagues in a more human way. A woman in one of the workshops is in her 80s. She worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King in the 60s, and she wanted to find. Finally be able to share that story. And some people have joined the workshops just because they wanted to feel more confident about going to parties and chatting with people. There have been so many super short, funny or sweet or odd little anecdotes shared in the workshops, and some people hold back and do more listening than sharing in the workshops. And that's okay too. But the workshops can be transformative. You know, one participant, Chelsea Dawsey, she'd been telling her story about addiction and recovery for years in one way or another. But in our workshop she found a missing piece and it radically reframed. It radically transformed her understanding of her life. And that became the Risk story on the episode called Postmortem. And Mira Rivera, a very experienced storyteller. But in the workshop she finally found the nerve to share a story she'd been too shy to tell for years about her sexual liberation after getting divorced. That story is featured on the episode called not in Hiding Anymore. It's very fun and very inspiring. So people have been taking the workshop repeatedly. People have been purchasing the workshop for family members or friends as a gift. You know, whether you've lived a wild life or a quiet one, whether you're extroverted or shy, whether you've taken writing or acting or storytelling classes in the past or not, this is a low pressure way to do something fun, social, generative and meaningful in 2026. If you have a friend or relative who's never listened to Risk, but you think they might enjoy this workshop, by all means have them. Email me at kevinrisk-show.com each eight week workshop includes weekly Zoom sessions. We can take up to 14 participants in each workshop. You'll get lifetime access to over 7 hours of pre recorded video lessons where I break down how great stories work using examples from Risk and more. The next one starts on Wednesday, January 14th at 8:30pm Eastern Time. We'll meet for two and a half hours each Wednesday evening at that time. And if you'd prefer to jump into the next Sunday morning one, that workshop will start on February 15th with each Zoom session starting at 10:00am Eastern Time. And if you miss a couple of sessions, that is perfectly doable too. Now it doesn't matter what time zone you're in, just email me at kevinrisk-show.com to learn how to have a space reserved or to be on a mailing list where I can keep you informed of the ones that might be happening in March or beyond. I would love to have you in a workshop. So again, email me at kevinrisk-show.com.