RISK! Podcast – Episode: “Mortal” (October 21, 2025)

Host: Kevin Allison
Theme: True stories about life, death, aging, and how we impact and are impacted by each other.
Notable Stories: “Another Conversation with My Dead Mother” by Hannah Sussman and “Each Other’s Angels” by Swapna Deshpande

Episode Overview

This episode of RISK! is themed “Mortal,” focusing on stories that explore mortality, aging, and the complex, profound emotions that accompany our experiences at the edge of life and death. Host Kevin Allison, podcasting from his new home in Bangkok, introduces two heartfelt stories: one about processing the complicated loss of a mother, and another about the unique and intimate connection between a doctor and her patient.

Key Discussion Points & Story Summaries

1. Kevin Allison's Reflections and New Beginnings

• [02:34–06:40]
  Kevin opens the episode from his new condo in Bangkok, expressing excitement about connecting with the local community, settling in, and hopes for starting RISK! live shows in Southeast Asia.
  • Highlights his openness to meeting listeners and storytellers in the region.
  • Reveals the ongoing evolution of the show with different storytelling styles and themes.

2. Story 1: "Another Conversation with My Dead Mother" by Hannah Sussman

• [06:40–14:03]
  • Summary:
    Hannah reflects candidly and humorously on the two years since her mother’s death. She describes feeling relief and peace, acknowledging the complexity and trauma of being raised by a mentally ill parent, but also cherishes the ways her mother influenced her positively.
  • Key Discussion Points:
    • The simultaneous relief and guilt in grieving a difficult parent.
    • Fond and funny memories of her mother’s advice, idiosyncrasies, and the inherited habits that shape her own life.
    • An account of her dream: blending the physical signs of aging with her mother’s visage, leading to a newly found compassion for her own aging.
    • The emotional climax: crying during a hurricane and earthquake, asking her mother for help, receiving comfort through a dream message—accepting aging with grace and self-love.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • "If a mentally ill person raised you and you've worked your tushy off getting through the trauma, you deserve to feel at peace when that person's gone." – Hannah [06:45]
    • "I saw the beauty of my unfiltered face reflecting an unfiltered life. And the twinkle in my eye was gratitude for overcoming my suicidal ideation." – Hannah [09:58]
    • "Old age is not a disadvantage or a disease. It's a continuation of growing up out of old thinking." – Hannah [12:55]
    • “Who else knows better about aging than the dead, right?" – Hannah [13:37]
  • Memorable Moments:
    • Hannah’s acronym for centering herself: "CLIT – Creativity, Love, Intelligence, Trust, and Brilliance. Yes, I spell clit with a B. And the B is silent, as in the word climb." [08:13]
    • During an emotional moment, a literal earthquake shakes her world as she’s talking to her deceased mother. [13:46]

3. Story 2: "Each Other’s Angels" by Swapna Deshpande

• [18:20–33:25]
  • Summary:
    Medical doctor Swapna Deshpande shares her years-long experience caring for a patient (John, pseudonym), highlighting the deep emotional connections forged in hospital settings—and the heartbreak when mortality asserts itself.
  • Key Discussion Points:
    • The intimidating early days of Swapna’s practice and the anxiety of treating her first seriously ill patient in the ICU.
    • Building rapport through attentive listening, learning about John’s life and pains beyond his medical chart.
    • The profound impact of John sharing his art (Scheren Schnitt – German papercutting) with Swapna, and their reciprocal exchange of creative expressions.
    • The emotional weight of being considered “an angel” by a patient, and the impossible demands on doctors to always be present.
    • The regret of missing John’s final conscious moments, and the lingering sense of guilt and sorrow.
    • Reflections on the art and science of medicine, and the responsibilities bound up in being someone’s “angel.”
  • Notable Quotes:
    • “I want you to know that you bring me joy. You bring me light. You are my angel.” – John (as recounted by Swapna) [30:14]
    • “I begin to feel desperate… what else can I do to make John better?” – Swapna [30:37]
    • “John trusted me with both the art and science of medicine, and I flunked miserably because, I mean, I just aced my exams. What’s the big deal?” – Swapna [32:13]
    • “These pieces of art, they are beautiful. They’re intricate, but improbable coming from a frail man with tremors.” – Swapna [22:34]
  • Memorable Moments:
    • The humorous line: “When I make my masala chai tea sometimes and grate the ginger, I grate my fingers. Thankfully... I’m just an internist, not a surgeon. So your appendix is in safe hands. Not these hands.” – Swapna [24:40]
    • The poignant scene of Swapna holding John’s hand as he slips into a coma. [32:00]
    • Swapna’s regret over prioritizing family responsibilities over a patient’s bedside, layering the realities of life, work, and personal guilt. [31:48–32:25]
    • The story’s close, framed by a poetic reflection on life and death:
      “Death is not the opposite of life, but its final translation. A sentence ended, still echoing in the room.” – (Poem by Hope Brush, [32:57])

4. Closing Reflections and Takeaway

• [33:25–end]
  Kevin highlights the themes of the episode—mortality, compassion, and the power of storytelling to make meaning from loss.
  • Encourages listeners to see aging and mortality as central, not peripheral, to the human experience.
  • Describes the ongoing RISK! online storytelling workshops as supportive spaces of creative exploration and emotional insight.
  • Announces that the next episode will feature the annual “Scary Stories” theme.

Significant Timestamps

• [06:40] – Hannah Sussman’s story begins: processing her mother’s death and her journey with aging.
• [13:37] – Hannah delivers the central message received from her mother in a dream.
• [18:20] – Swapna Deshpande’s story begins: being assigned to John in the ICU.
• [22:34] – Swapna describes John’s papercutting art and their exchange.
• [30:14] – John calls Swapna his “angel.”
• [32:57] – The poetic reflection on living and dying.
• [33:25] – Kevin’s wrap-up and reflections.

Tone & Style

• The episode is a blend of raw humor, heartfelt honesty, and poetic reflection, consistent with the RISK! signature style—uncensored, emotionally direct, and vulnerable.
• Both featured storytellers interweave humor with deep emotional truths, showing how levity and pain co-exist in the experience of mortality.

Final Takeaway

“Mortal” is a moving episode about embracing the full range of human experience—grief, gratitude, regret, and acceptance. Through deeply personal stories, it urges listeners to find meaning in both living and dying, and challenges the stigma of aging or imperfection. Whether through the eyes of a grieving daughter or a devoted doctor, the message is clear: our time is finite, but the love and impact we share persists.