My Secret Career: RISK! Reacts

Summary

RISK! Reacts – "My Secret Career"

Podcast: RISK!
Host: Kevin Allison
Episode: My Secret Career: RISK! Reacts
Date: August 26, 2025

---

Episode Overview

In this episode, Kevin Allison listens and reacts in real time to "My Secret Career"—a hilarious and outrageous coming-of-age story originally shared by CJ (Christopher James Guy) on The Secret Room podcast. The episode revolves around the themes of family expectations, personal missteps, fake-it-til-you-make-it bravado, and the eventual necessity (and liberation) of coming clean. Kevin, known for championing raw candor and oddball resilience, finds a kindred spirit in CJ’s journey of spectacularly lying his way out of law school, into flight attendant training, and ultimately, real life.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction & Context (00:00-03:47)

• Listener Recommendation: Kevin introduces the episode, explaining that a fan, Kira Mirren, suggested this story for its humor, charisma, and wildness.
• Kevin sets up the format: watching/listening with instant reactions, relating the premise to the ethos of RISK!

---

CJ’s Story: Law School Dreams and Instant Quitting (03:54-08:21)

• PhD Family Pressure:

  • CJ comes from a super high-achieving family: “There are five people in my family, four of the five... have PhDs. And you... get the privilege of hearing the one person that did not get a PhD in that family today.” (05:43)

• Law School Reluctance:

  • CJ does well on his LSAT, gets a full ride to a top-tier law school, but only goes through the motions ("just focused on looking cute," 07:06).
  • On the first day, the dean ominously says to look left/right, that 2 in 3 students won’t make it. CJ instantly decides this isn’t for him:
    • “Dudes, you guys are in luck. I’m out right now.” (08:06)
    • “...I got up and I walked out. And literally, the dean was like, oh, we have our first quitter. And I was like, birdie, birdie. Like, I'm out.” (08:07)
    • [Double middle finger exit, laughs]

---

The Lie Begins: Hiding from Family (08:22-10:56)

• Fabricating Law School Updates:
  • CJ skips telling his parents the truth and instead invents stories about law school: “My mom or my dad would ask how school was, and I'd be like, oh, that torts class. It's really tough, but I’m making it. And I'd be calling them from, like, Minneapolis, where I was, like, in flight attendant training. Like, it was just a big, deep, dark lie.” (09:20)
• Flight Attendant Pivot:
  • Spurred by his roommate’s ambitions, CJ applies to be a flight attendant, gets the job after charming his way through group interviews, and starts training—still lying to his family about being in law school.

---

Fake Bilingualism for the Sake of Location (11:09-15:43)

• Assignment Shenanigans:
  • Flight crews are assigned to cities based on language abilities; CJ’s only goal is to avoid Cleveland/Nashville.
  • He claims fluency in German, knowing only what he picked up from "Hogan’s Heroes," and faces a real-language test:
    • "I was like, I don’t speak German, and I cannot live in Cincinnati." (13:31)
  • Negotiates with the tester to simply read the landing card passably, relying on mimicry.
  • She passes him—he moves to New York for international flights.

---

Secret Career Unravels: The Heathrow Coincidence (16:37-20:22)

• The ‘Identical Twin’ Gambit:

  • While working a flight in London, CJ’s sister spots him in uniform. Panicking, he pretends to be his imaginary French twin:
    • “Madame! ...the only word I knew, which means ‘so.’ ...I was lying, but I didn’t say I was right. ...She’s like, I can see your name badge because I was wearing my name badge and I was like, f.” (17:40-18:40)
  • His sister gives him an ultimatum: come clean to their parents by Friday, or she will.

• Facing the Parents:

  • CJ goes home in person, confesses the entire saga over dinner.
  • His father is particularly devastated:
    • "He just was like, I am so disappointed you did this, and I’m even more disappointed that you lied." (20:43)
  • CJ: "That was heartbreaking." (20:38)

---

Aftermath & Reflections (21:14-22:49)

• Prompt Job Loss and Career Pivot:
  • CJ is fired from his flight attendant gig soon after, due to a cascade of negative letters and lack of “a servant's heart.”
    • “They were just streaming in. So I was terminated.” (21:27)
  • Quickly pivots, talks his way into a junior ad copywriting role—where he finally finds his passion and has remained since.
• Family Fallout & Lessons Learned:
  • Family doesn’t (yet) laugh about it:
    • "It's been 30 years and it’s too soon. ...It's definitely an off limits conversation." (22:04)
  • His kids know and tease him about it.
  • On sharing the story:
    • "I think so many people start down a path and don't think they can ever recover from it. And you can recover from it. Coming clean, like, provided me a clean slate..." (22:51)
  • CJ urges anyone with a burdenous secret—especially one harming relationships—to consider coming clean.

---

Kevin Allison’s Reactions & Takeaways (23:25–End)

• Relatability & Spirit:
  • Kevin is charmed: "He is such a likable fella and I think we can all kind of relate to coming up with at least some lies that we tell, at least our parents." (23:25)
• Fake It Till You Make It as a Life Strategy:
  • Kevin connects CJ’s bold "fake it till you make it" attitude to his own anxieties about big life changes (like moving to Bangkok), calling it “inspiring in that way” (26:31).
  • On CJ’s law school exit:
    • "I just love the insanity. Not just getting, like, him, just, like, ending the paper chase right there. Getting up and flipping everyone. The fucking bird was just so spontaneous." (26:31)
• On Marching to Your Own Drum:
  • "I think everyone who knows me knows that I love and cherish the idea of marching to the beat of your own drummer. ...You just have to constantly be battling with the fact that you're gonna get major pushback..." (28:51)
• On Compulsive Lying and Family Dynamics:
  • Kevin empathizes, compares CJ’s “Huckleberry Finn” escalation of lies to his own white lies around family expectations:
    • "Sometimes you just, like, you. It's the Huckleberry Finn thing. You start one lie and then you're like, oh, boy. Yeah, I gotta keep this going. And in my case, it's for decades." (26:31)
• Final Thoughts:
  • Praises CJ’s candidness and humor, wishes the family could laugh about it now, commends the Secret Room podcast, and encourages listeners to share more stories.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• CJ’s Law School Walkout:
  • “Dudes, you guys are in luck. I’m out right now.” (08:06)
  • “I got up and I walked out. And literally, the dean was like, oh, we have our first quitter. And I was like, birdie, birdie. Like, I'm out.” (08:07)
• On Lying to Family:
  • "I'd be calling them from, like, Minneapolis, where I was, like, in flight attendant training. Like, it was just a big, deep, dark lie." (09:20)
• German Test Negotiation:
  • "I was like, I don’t speak German, and I cannot live in Cincinnati." (13:31)
  • "Like, look at me. Like, I can't live in Cincinnati. Like, I can't fly domestic." (14:41)
• Discovering by Sister at Heathrow:
  • “In sheer panic, slight diarrhea, and went right into French, which I also don’t speak.” (17:40)
  • “You think that you’re CJ from Paris and you’re not. ...I can see your name badge.” (18:04)
• Coming Clean:
  • "He just was like, I am so disappointed you did this, and I’m even more disappointed that you lied." (20:43)
• On Life Lessons:
  • "Coming clean, like, provided me a clean slate to move forward. ...if anybody has a secret today and it's just eating at them... you need to determine what relationships are being affected and then just come clean." (22:51)
• Kevin’s Take:
  • "Sometimes being really honest is just so winning with people." (28:49)
  • "It is a real reminder to me, like I said before, not to shut down, especially not to shut down in advance, about obstacles arising." (26:31)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:54 – CJ begins his story
• 08:07 – CJ’s dramatic, defiant law school walkout
• 09:20 – Lying to parents while training as a flight attendant
• 13:31 – Confrontation in the German test
• 16:37 – The Heathrow sister encounter
• 20:22 – The emotional parental reckoning
• 22:51 – Reflections on coming clean and life lessons
• 23:25 – Kevin Allison’s personal reflections and episode wrap-up

---

Tone and Style

• CJ’s storytelling is irreverent, self-deprecating, and animated, peppered with quick-witted banter and comic exaggeration.
• Ben Ham, host of The Secret Room, is empathetic and gently incredulous, channeling the audience’s amazement.
• Kevin Allison reacts with characteristic warmth, humor, and self-awareness, relating CJ’s misadventures to larger themes of honesty, existential improvisation, and resilience.

---

Summary

This episode is a perfect blend of cringe, comedy, and catharsis—CJ Guy’s story is a master class in “winging it” (pun intended) and the human urge to please, fib, and eventually face the truth. Kevin’s reactions underscore the universality of such youthful errors and the comforting truth that many mistakes—even big, embarrassing ones—are ultimately survivable and even foundational. It’s a celebration of honesty hard-won, and a reminder that sometimes, life really does reward those who can improvise, charm, and (eventually) fess up.

Transcript

[Kevin Allison]

On this episode of Risk Reacts.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

And if you spoke none of those languages, you were assigned to either Cincinnati or Nashville.

[Ben Ham]

All right, I get the feeling that you wanted to live on the coast.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

You have to speak German. This is your bilingual certification. I was like, can we work something out? I cannot live in Cincinnati.

[Kevin Allison]

Hello folks, this is Risk, the show where people tell true stories they never thought they dare to share. I'm Kevin Allison, and this is another one of our Risk Reacts video episodes where I listen to a story for the very first time and give you my instant reactions. Now, if you want to watch this episode, there's a link to that in the show notes. And of course, all of our audio episodes going back over 15 years are are at risk-show.com or wherever you get your podcast. So let's get started. A Risk fan named Kira Mirren emailed me, writing, I've been loving the new Risk Reacts segment on the podcast. You mentioned you're open to listener story suggestions, and I immediately thought of this story. It's from the Secret Room podcast and told by a guy named cj. I've probably listened to it at least three times over the years, and it's never failed to make me laugh. The storytelling is incredibly charismatic, and the story itself is equal parts hilarious and outrageous. I won't give anything away, but I think it's gonna be up your alley. So I pass this on to John La Sala, who produces these episodes, and he had a listen and he said, yeah, Kevin, let's do this one. So let's do this one.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

We'll be right back. Labor Day Savings are happening right now at the Home Depot. So what are you working on? Prep for fall with our wide selection of cordless power tools that make it easy to clear your lawn starting at $79. And once the leaves are clear, keep your yard looking fresh with colorful mums that bloom all season long. Shop Labor Day Savings now through September 3rd only at the Home Depot. See select stores for details.

[Producer/Advertiser Voice]

Prime Delivery is fast. How fast are we talking? We're talking puzzle toys and lick pad Delivered so fast you can get this puppy under control fast. Pads, gully mat, peckhammer. Fast and fast. And those training T R E A T s faster than you can say sit.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Fast. Fast.

[Producer/Advertiser Voice]

Free delivery. It's on Prime. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Checking off the boxes on your to do list is a great feeling. And when when it comes to checking off coverage, a State Farm agent can help you choose an option that's right for you. Whether you prefer talking in person, on the phone, or using the award winning app. It's nice knowing you have help finding coverage that best fits your needs. Like a good neighbor. State Farm is there. You say you'll never join the Navy, that living on a submarine would be too hard. You'd never power a whole ship with nuclear energy, never bring a patient back to life or play the national anthem for a sold out crowd. Joining the Navy sounds crazy. Saying never actually is. Start your [e-mail] America's Navy Forged by the Sea.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

We're back.

[Kevin Allison]

Here is CJ Guy on the Secret Room podcast.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Let's start with my horrible start to my career.

[Ben Ham]

Today our guest is CJ in Northern.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

California, Christopher James Guy, known by adoring fans as cj.

[Ben Ham]

CJ brings us a story from when he was young and impetuous, which was.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

When I left law school and forgot to tell my parents.

[Ben Ham]

You forgot? Producer Brianne Garcia recorded CJ's story.

[Producer/Advertiser Voice]

CJ's first step into the professional world faltered a bit. It was a misstep he had no intention of revealing ever. Until a remarkable coincidence eight months later forced his hand.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Yep. Hi, this is cj. And my secret is that I lied to my parents and family about my career.

[Ben Ham]

Why did you start a secret career?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I mean, I think I was just doing it because I was in the moment. I didn't realize I had to serve people. Like I was terminated from the career, let's be real. I mean, that's the other part.

[Ben Ham]

And how'd that secret career go?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

At one point in time, my supervisor was like, hey, we really like you. We think you're great. But you have to keep more positive letters coming in than negative letters. Otherwise I'm gonna have to terminate you because you have so many negative letters.

[Ben Ham]

Really? People wrote complaint letters about you a lot. Wow.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Yeah. And I didn't care.

[Ben Ham]

Wasn't your jam.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Was not my jam. And nobody knows about it outside of the six other guys I was rooming with in a one bedroom apartment and Brooklyn.

[Ben Ham]

Okay, so this, this is your secret career.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Correct.

[Ben Ham]

From your family?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Right. And my friends and most of the people I went to college with and everybody.

[Ben Ham]

Okay, so I have a sense that this is going to start unraveling.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Yeah.

[Ben Ham]

So to get the full story, Brianne turned on the mic in a comfortable setting, a neighborhood bar in Northern California.

[Producer/Advertiser Voice]

So what's your secret?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I had a terrible start to my career.

[Ben Ham]

I'm Ben Ham and this is the Secret Room, a podcast about the stories no one ever tells.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

There are five people in my family, four of the five of the family have PhDs. And you and your guests get the privilege of hearing the one person that did not get a PhD in that family today.

[Ben Ham]

So what was, what was the big lie?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

So I graduated from College, took my LSATs because I didn't know sort of what else I was gonna do with my life. And so I did really, really well on a test, got my scores back. I was like, this is really fantastic. And then because I felt I was completely exhausted from such a rigorous course of study study, that I took three months off and went sailing in the Caribbean with a really good buddy of mine. And then I got back and it was about a week before law school started. And I got back and I literally had been given a full ride scholarship to go to law school at a very top five law school in the nation. And I was like, that's great, so I'm going to do it. So I called my parents, I was like, you're never going to believe this. Like, I got in, they were all very proud. They're like, wow, like he finally stepped into like the real world of academia. This is going to be really great.

[Ben Ham]

You're growing up.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Yeah. Made sure my tan was rounded out from the Caribbean, made sure I had like my clothes. So I was all ready to go. Bought a couple notebooks. And then the day of, I went to my first law school class and was completely stunned to find that people had moved up to D.C. like at the beginning of the summer, had already started working groups, had already book briefed all their materials like they were very serious about their law career.

[Ben Ham]

The paper chase.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Uh huh, Very much so. Like they'd seen one too many movies. And I, on the other hand, had focused on looking cute. And that's not a good driver for law school.

[Ben Ham]

Well, you have your priorities.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I mean, I was clear. Like the focus was clear. Went to first day of class without any books because you know, we have a whole semester ahead of us and you know that's gonna work out when it's gonna work out. And in the afternoon, I'll never forget, they brought everybody together and the dean of the law school was there and he was like, welcome. This is a very rigorous program. Unfortunately not all of you are gonna make it. And he's like, look to the left now, look to the right. I was like, I can dig this, this is fine. So I'm like looking to the left, looking to the right. He goes, one of the three of you won't be here. Next year. And only one of the three of you will be here in year three.

[Ben Ham]

That's ominous.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Very ominous. So at that moment, I kind of looked at the two of them and I was like, dudes, you guys are in luck. I'm out right now.

[Ben Ham]

That was it, huh?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

That was it. And I got up and I walked out. And literally, like, the dean was like, oh, we have our first quitter. And I was like, birdie, birdie. Like, I'm out.

[Ben Ham]

Really?

[Kevin Allison]

Yeah.

[Ben Ham]

You flipped off the class in the.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Double flip, walked down the aisle, walked out.

[Ben Ham]

That's some balls, man. How soon were you on the phone with your parents?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Like, eight months later.

[Ben Ham]

Oh, okay. There's a story.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

And here's where our little secret comes out. So flipped them off. And you know, in retrospect, I don't look at that as a sign of disrespect.

[Ben Ham]

Really? Really.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I was just like, I'm full and free and I'm not going to do this. And this is how my life is going to be. And my roommate had just finished filling out application forms, so his whole dream was to be a flight attendant. So I got home and I was like, you're never going to believe what happened. Like, law school is not for me. It's not my jam. I'm out.

[Ben Ham]

Right?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I was like, what are you doing? He's like, oh, I'm filling out flight attendant applications. I was like, I'd be a great flight attendant. I've lived all around the world. Like, that'd be perfect. I'll get to go visit my friends and that'll be awesome. He's like, we should fill it out. So. So I did. In the meantime, my parents were like, how's law school going? And I was like, let me tell you about my first day. So I told them all about my first day with the exception of the hasty exit from the general assembly. Heard back within two weeks that I'd been accepted to go for an interview.

[Ben Ham]

Right, you made the cut.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Made the cut. Like on paper.

[Ben Ham]

Okay.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

So I was like, this is kind of fun. Like, I'm just gonna go for it. So to start off, they start you off in like groups of two to 300, I guess, and they just observe you for two way glass to see how you interact with everybody else. And then from that they'll come out and they'll go you 166, 213. I mean, it's like American Idol. But back in the day, I was just there for like having a good time. So I talked to everybody in the room, I was like, what are you doing? Where are you from? Oh, my God, Love your hair, love your scarf, whatever. Like, worked the room and just went all the way through the process. And at the end of the day, I was offered a job to be a flight attendant. So this was Bri. Cell phone, social media. Right. Because mid-80s, 1985, I always talk to my parents on a Sunday afternoon, and so they'd ask how school was going, and this is where the lie began, and I have no idea why. So I think I just really wanted to not disappoint my parents. Right. And my sisters, who are all, like, super achievement oriented. So my mom or my dad would ask how school was, and I'd be like, oh, that torts class. It's really tough, but I'm making it. And I'd be calling them from, like, Minneapolis, where I was, like, in flight attendant training. Like, it was just a big, deep, dark lie.

[Ben Ham]

Did it occur to you at any time that, you know, this was gonna come out at some point you're not gonna become a lawyer?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

No.

[Ben Ham]

You know, there's gonna be holes in your story.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I mean, I knew that that would happen eventually, but I thought, oh, I'll just, like, join the Peace Corps and go to, you know, Indonesia and hand out rice, and I'll be good. I just wasn't ready for the judgment that my family would put on me.

[Ben Ham]

Right, You're a black sheep.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Very much so.

[Ben Ham]

Yeah.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Very much so.

[Ben Ham]

Kicking the can down the road, though, on this one. Okay, so you're busy, you know, flying around the world, calling with updates on your walk.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Right. So here's how it worked. So sort of one lie begets another lie. Right. This is where sort of it all starts going downhill. The last week, they were assigning out sort of what bases you would go to. So, for example, if you spoke any of the Asian languages, you'd be assigned to the west coast, either LA or Seattle. If you spoke any European languages, you'd be assigned to, like, New York. And if you spoke none of those languages, you were assigned to either Cincinnati or Nashville.

[Ben Ham]

All right. I get the feeling that you wanted to live on the coast.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

A coast, yes. So I said I was fluent in German.

[Ben Ham]

Okay, but you're not.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

No. I had watched Hogan's Heroes, and that was about the limit.

[Ben Ham]

Good show. They don't speak German on that show, though. But.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

No, but that was the German that I knew.

[Ben Ham]

But there's gonna be a test or something.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

There was a test.

[Ben Ham]

Yeah.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

So my roommate, who was Somewhat fluent in French. He had gotten through the process as well. And I was like, well, what do you think? Should I, like, speak German or Italian? He's like, they literally have a fluency test. And I was like, yeah, I know, but what do you think? Like, German or Italian? He was like, I don't know German. I was like, great. I'm just gonna put that down because I don't want to live in. It was Cincinnati or Indianapolis. I was like, I don't want to live there. I can't. I can't do it. Like, clearly, I'm way too international for those cities.

[Ben Ham]

Clearly, I would be sweating up a storm. You know, I'm about to walk into a German fluency test, and I don't know a word.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

But the whole thing was kind of a lark to me anyways, because I was like, I'm a flight attendant. Like, how hard can it be?

[Ben Ham]

You've got a plan. I can tell.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

So I went in, and there's a woman there. I'm going to call her Greta. I have no idea what her name was. I, like, walked in, and she was sitting there. Blonde woman, older, probably, like, I would say late 50s. I was 21. So, you know, anybody over 30 is, like, 80. You know what I'm like. I didn't have a good judge for it when I look back on it, but I was immediately fascinated by her hair, because when I walked in, she was scratching her head with a pencil and none of her hair was moving. And I was like, oh, my God. How do you do that with your hair? And she was like, guten Abend, meinen. And I was like. I just repeat. I was like, guten aben, meinen Damen. Like, I didn't. You know, I knew that word. And she was like. And I was like. I was like, duh. And so then, was she buying it? I mean, she was there. I was like, da. Must have been a good answer.

[Ben Ham]

Okay.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

And then she was like. And I was like, huh? I was like, I don't speak German, and I cannot live in Cincinnati.

[Ben Ham]

Okay, great. But your cards on the table.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

And she's like, you have to speak German. This is your bilingual certification. I was like, can we work something out? I cannot live in Cincinnati. And so she was like, no. And I was like, here's the deal. Let me read the landing card. If I can read the landing card and do it perfect with no accent, then nobody will ever know. And she's like, it's my job. I was like, I'll say I bumped My head and forgot my language. It's like, I will never, ever pin it on you. Like, just let me read the landing card. And I think she was intrigued and a little bored. So she had a landing card there because that was part of the test. And so she was like, guten Aben, meinen Damen und geren. Like, duh nach da da, da, da, whatever. So I was like, you read it first. So she read it first, and then I was like, great. And I did it, and I repeated back. So my dad speaks German, so I'd heard him when he spoke it, and I just was like, very Hogan's Heroes about it when I read it. And she was stunned. She's like, wow, that was, like, really good. I was like, are you going to pass me? And she's like, I don't know if I can. I was like, come on. Like, look at me. Like, I can't live in Cincinnati. Like, I can't fly domestic.

[Ben Ham]

She said, you're way too international, cj.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

And I was like, I did it. I turned it on. Anyway, she ended up passing me.

[Ben Ham]

Good Lord. Wow. I get the feeling you can talk yourself through most things.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I think so, yeah. I mean, that would certainly prove it.

[Ben Ham]

It's a talent.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Yeah, it's a talent. So. So I got my international certification, and I moved to New York with my friend Dan, and I started flying internationally.

[Ben Ham]

Wow. And so when you get on a plane going somewhere, doesn't the crew or the captain or somebody expect you to be able to speak German? They know what your competencies are.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Right. So certainly there was an expectation that I would be right.

[Ben Ham]

Okay. But it didn't seem to matter to anybody.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I'd be like, german is for the passengers.

[Ben Ham]

Okay, great. Got it all worked out. Okay.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Yeah. And then I'd be a lot of kind of coffee order tay. And that was pretty much it. If they said anything else, I'd be like, great. I mean, I worked it out. Like, it's not that hard. It's not like I had to yell, fire. Fire. Escape. Escape. In German. Like, we had safe flights. It wasn't a big deal.

[Ben Ham]

Thank goodness for that.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Yeah, there would have been a problem.

[Ben Ham]

Could have been. Okay, so you're busy, you know, in your new career.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

To recap, I'm wearing polyester, gray, and maroon, and I'm getting paid $11,400 a year, not counting $60 a month for uniform. You know, you had to sort of buy back your uniform. I didn't realize that I had to serve people. I Thought, I'll just fly around and visit my friends that are all over the world. You had flown before so many times.

[Ben Ham]

And you had seen that flight attendants were the people that brought you your meal.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Yeah, I was cool with that. I just wasn't willing to do anything much more than that.

[Ben Ham]

I see. All right.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I mean, when people were like, can you heat this milk for my baby? I was like, did you not think about that before?

[Ben Ham]

Well, even if they had thought of it before, wouldn't it have gotten cold by the time you got over the Atlantic?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I don't have a servant's heart.

[Ben Ham]

I have a sense that this is gonna start unraveling.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Yeah.

[Ben Ham]

Can you take me to that point?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Yeah. It was a Sad day in CJ's history, for sure. I was in London, looking very snappy, had just finished a flight in your maroon and. Maroon and burgundy polyester outfit, going through London's Heathrow terminal, and all of a sudden, out of the background, I hear cj. Oh, cj. And I'm like. And I turn around, and it was my older sister.

[Ben Ham]

Oh, my God.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Uh huh.

[Ben Ham]

Wow. She thinks you're in law school.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

She knows I'm in law school.

[Ben Ham]

She knows you're in law school.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I've been providing weekly updates for the past eight months.

[Ben Ham]

Okay. So she sees you in your uniform, Was your first instinct just to run.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

So my first instinct, which was sheer survival, was my family had this little thing that my sisters and I would play. We truly believed that we had an identical twin that grew up someplace else in the world. Like, we just believed that.

[Ben Ham]

Okay.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

And so I always knew that my identical twin had grown up in France and was from Paris. And so when she called my name, I turned around, I was like, madame. As the first thing, I went to sheer panic, slight diarrhea, and went right into French, which you also don't speak. I'm not fluent in French. Like, I said, I was lying, but I didn't say I was right. Right.

[Ben Ham]

Okay.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Because my sister is fluent in French.

[Ben Ham]

Uhhuh.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

So I was like, madame. And she's like, what are you doing? And I was like, the only word I knew, which means so. So that's the only thing I know in French. And she looked at me and she was like, I know what you're thinking. You think that you're CJ from Paris and you're not. And she's like, I know it's you. And I'm like, madame, like, acting all offended. And she's like, I can see your name badge because I was wearing my name badge and I was like, f. I was like, God, don't tell dad. My biggest concern. Just like, you have till Friday or I'm telling dad. Yeah.

[Ben Ham]

She's not on your side.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Six years older than me and kind of a bitch, not gonna lie.

[Ben Ham]

Holy cow.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Yeah.

[Ben Ham]

Wow. Did a part of you think that she would actually think you were this mysterious twin?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I think in the moment of panic, I thought I could pull it off. I mean, remember, I'd, like, been living this intense lie for eight months. So I was like, it worked so far, and it was the only thing I had. I had nothing else.

[Ben Ham]

And I have a feeling it didn't fool her for even a second.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Not a second.

[Ben Ham]

It's too bad about the name tag.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Yeah. Like I said, it wasn't bright.

[Ben Ham]

So she gives you about a week to come clean to your parents.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Yeah.

[Ben Ham]

What did you do?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I came clean to my parents.

[Ben Ham]

All right.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I was in London then, and I had a flight, you know, because I'm very international. And I just flew to where my parents were living at the time and showed up unexpectedly. And my parents were all so happy to see me. And, you know, my mom was like, you shouldn't be taking a break now. You know, you need to be studying. And I was like, yeah, about that. Waited till my dad came home, which is excruciating. And my dad came home, we had dinner, and we're sitting around the table, and I was like, just need to tell you. I ran into Cheryl in London, and my mom was like, what do you mean? Like, I knew Cheryl was on her way to wherever, but what were you doing in London? I was like, I just need to come clean. Here's what happened. Got into law school, got the scholarship, quit on day one, became a flight attendant and lied to you. And I'm sorry, and I don't know why I did it, but Cheryl busted me and she gave me till today to tell you, so I'm telling you before she does.

[Ben Ham]

Wow, this. This must have been a very hard conversation for you to initiate.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

It was scary. I mean, I wasn't sure what my parents reaction was going to be. So I could see my mom was like, her wheels were spinning trying to position it. My dad just looked disappointed and devastated. That was heartbreaking.

[Ben Ham]

Aww. Was that hard for you too?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Yeah, I was really close to my dad. My dad's a good guy.

[Ben Ham]

What did he say?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

He just was like, I am so disappointed you did this, and I'm even more disappointed that you lied. Yeah, I Mean, what can you say?

[Ben Ham]

I was like, yeah, so what'd you do?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I just was like, more Rose, please. I sort of had like a tortured ending for this eight month secret. The reason it's significant is because I didn't have that kind of relationship with my parents before. Like, we were all a pretty open, sharing family, like highs or lows or anything we all shared. And then I was too far down the path to sort of pull back.

[Ben Ham]

You know, what happened next? How do you make good on this? Did you quit the job?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I was fired like three weeks later. So what was your intent?

[Ben Ham]

Were you gonna just keep doing it?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I didn't know.

[Ben Ham]

Yeah, yeah, you had all those negative letters.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I mean, they were just streaming in. So I was terminated. And then I sort of had to figure it out. And I knew then that my next move needed to be something that was pretty serious.

[Ben Ham]

And what was your next move?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I ended up getting hired by the largest ad agency in the world.

[Ben Ham]

Okay, how'd you get that? Did they like your flight attendant resume entry?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Yeah, I talked my way in, which was great.

[Ben Ham]

I had a feeling something I started.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

As a junior copywriter had great references. That's where I found my love of advertising. And I've been in it ever since.

[Ben Ham]

All's well that ends well.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

All's well, it ends well.

[Ben Ham]

You had a nice little adventure there today. Can you talk about this with your family and laugh, or is it a taboo subject?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

It's not a laughing matter subject. It's really not too soon. It's been 30 years and it's too soon. I mean, with my family, it's just not the kind of thing that you go back and say, huh? Remember that time you lied to us for eight months? It's definitely an off limits conversation.

[Ben Ham]

Wow. So how many people know your secret today?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Not that many. I mean, it's not something that I would certainly brag about.

[Ben Ham]

It's a good story.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

It's a great story, but it doesn't speak to, like, your character.

[Ben Ham]

It's a building block in your life.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I think so, yeah. My kids sort of know the whole thing. And so it will pop up every now and then when I'll be like, holding somebody accountable. They'll be like, oh, really? Remember when you were a flight attendant?

[Ben Ham]

Why did you want to tell your secret today?

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I mean, I think so many people start down a path and don't think they can ever recover from it. And you can recover from it. Coming clean, like, provided me a clean slate to move forward. I always dealt with consequences from it. Right. That's a huge lack of trust, but I think it's important. So I think if anybody has a secret today and it's just eating at them and taking particularly if it's affecting their relationships, you need to determine what relationships are being affected and then just come clean.

[Ben Ham]

Great advice.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

It's almost pastoral.

[Ben Ham]

Almost. Cj, thanks for joining me in the secret room today.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

Yeah, for sure.

[Kevin Allison]

Oh my gosh, that is so charming. He is such a likable fella and I think we can all kind of relate to coming up with at least some lies that we tell, at least our parents. So I just really enjoyed hearing his personality especially. All right, let's take a quick break and when we come back, I'll share more thoughts on CJ's story.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

We'll be right back. This episode is brought to you by Indeed. When your computer breaks, you don't wait for it to magically start working again. You fix the problem. So why wait to hire the people your company desperately needs? Use Indeed's sponsored jobs to hire top talent fast. And even better, you only pay for results. There's no need to wait. Speed up your hiring with a $75 sponsored job credit@ Indeed.com podcast terms and conditions apply.

[Producer/Advertiser Voice]

What's up guys? I'm Jordan Robinson, host of the podcast the Women's Hoop Show. We're heading towards the home stretch of the WNBA season and there is so much to get into every episode. Twice a week I'm joined by one of my amazing co hosts as we dissect the biggest games, performances and even some off court drama. The playoffs are quickly approaching and now is the best time to tune in. Who will come away as this year's champion? The competition is heating up and so are we. Listen to and follow the Women's Hoop show available now. Wherever you get your podcasts. Abercrombie Kids is bringing the ultimate first day energy back to school. It all starts with on trend outfits for that front door photo shoot. Plus the coolest tees, shorts and jeans to take them through the rest of the year. Get them ready for their close up and keep them comfy too. Make this grade their best one yet. Shop all things back to school in store, online and in the app. Eczema isn't always obvious, but it's real. And so is the relief from EBGLIS. After an initial dosing phase, about 4 in 10 people taking EBGLIS achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin at 16 weeks. And most of those people maintain skin. That's still more clear at one year with monthly dosing.

[Medical Advertisement Voice]

EBGLIS Librekizumab LBKZ, a 250 milligram per 2 milliliter injection, is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 48 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals or who cannot use topical therapies. Eglis can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you're allergic to ebglis. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Epglis. Before starting Epglis, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection searching for real relief.

[Producer/Advertiser Voice]

Ask your doctor about ebglis and visit eglis.lilly.com or call 1-800-lilyrx or 1-800-545-5979.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

We're back.

[Kevin Allison]

This was so much fun. Like I said, CJ just has such a likable personality. And, you know, this is a real reminder to me, especially because I'm doing this huge, very risky, kind of overwhelming move this year from New York to Bangkok. You know, one of my biggest worries is, oh my gosh, how am I going to handle obstacles coming up that I hadn't thought of before? And this is like the ultimate fake it till you make it story to remember that, like, there are people out there who simply have a natural attitude of, I think I can do this. I think I can handle this. Even if, even if I'm not really following the rules or even if I really don't know what the next step is going to be after I faked my way through the first one. So it was really actually kind of inspiring in that way. I was kind of tickled that they brought up the movie the Paper Chase because I saw that when I was a kid. It was a movie in the 70s about a young man who goes to Harvard to study law. And it's just brutally. I mean, it's traumatically rough on the students. And I would swear, I mean, I haven't seen the movie since I was a kid, but I would swear that that exact same thing happens at the beginning of that movie. The kid's being told, most of you are not gonna make it outta here. But I just Love the insanity. Not just getting, like, him, just, like, ending the paper chase right there. Getting up and flipping everyone. The fucking bird was just so spontaneous. And so, I mean, those folks must have. Their jaws must have been dropped, like, what on earth? So I just thought that that was so fun.

[CJ (Christopher James Guy)]

I love.

[Kevin Allison]

I think everyone who knows me knows that I love and cherish the idea of marching to the beat of your own drummer. Right? Of finding your way. And you just have to constantly be battling with the fact that you're gonna get major pushback. And you yourself are going to have to deal with all sorts of pushback in your own psyche of, what the hell do I think I'm doing? Am I crazy? Is everyone else right and I'm wrong? All of that. And so, you know, despite the fact that what he did was kind of lunatic, I also kind of feel like it was also probably a growing thing for him. I think that he probably kind of learned some things about his flexibility, adaptability, you know, ability to improvise, all of those things. You know, it reminded me of that fella, Frank Abernathy or whatever, who was just constantly faking his way into one career after another. And I like that CJ and Ben acknowledged he had a talent for talking. And I think that that really is a skill that. Well, I mean, that's. We work with that in our own workshops or our what's yous Story? Social events. And it's more important now more than ever now that people are spending so much time, not in person with other people, but, like, isolated behind screenshots, that you really can win people over by being yourself. Sometimes being almost seems like you might be shooting yourself in the foot. But sometimes being really honest is just so winning with people. Like, I love the German testing woman who was like, okay, she liked him. Similar to the story that I tell about faking a drug test in order to get a job once. And the. My boss catching me in the lie and just deciding, yeah, but I like you, so let's give it a shot. You know, like. Like, sometimes things just work that way. Some of his expressions, the way he says things like, I just don't have a servant's heart. Like what? And like, it's such a crazy moment of trying to fake out his sister with, you know, madame, while she's pointing out, I see your name tag is just so outrageous. I also, like I was saying before, I think all of us. All of us have, especially around college, you know, around college is when you start to learn there are things I can Be honest with my parents about. About what's going on in my life away from home. And there are things I'm just gonna have to, like, completely fictionalize. Like, you know, I think I can say this on the podcast, but. But my mom is very invested in, because I'm moving to Bangkok, in the idea of me really connecting with a Roman Catholic church over there and finding myself a good priest mentor to continue working on my relationship with Catholicism and all that sort of thing. And, I mean, the actual truth is I don't have a relationship with Catholicism anymore and haven't for decades. Right. But, yeah, I kind of assure her that, yeah, I'm really looking forward to my close friendship with, I don't know, some Jesuit over in Bangkok. So, yeah, I mean, yeah, sometimes you just, like, you. It's the Huckleberry Finn thing. You start one lie and then you're like, oh, boy. Yeah, I gotta keep this going. And in my case, it's for decades. Right. But it is a real reminder to me, like I said before, not to shut down, especially not to shut down in advance, about obstacles arising. Oh, you know, oh, my God, now I can't get this visa, or, oh, wait, I don't understand. I messed up. Understanding how to set up this banking thing or this taxes thing or this health insurance thing, that's what I'm most worried about in this big move coming up. But I have to remember, like, so many people that I've talked to who have made a big move like this, say, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, there's going to be so many moments of being like, oh, my God, I can't handle this. And then catching your breath and being like, no, I can adapt. I can. I can figure out a way. And I just loved CJ's spirit of that, of being. I mean, obviously he could have thought things through better. But it's also true that in life there are things that you can't prepare for and that you are going to have to improvise and fake it till you make it almost no matter what, no matter how closely you're even trying to follow the rules. So I just really appreciated his spirit and got a huge kick out of the whole thing. I wish that his family could joke about this now. I feel like this is the kind of thing that my family would be joking about all these years later. But, yeah, kudos to him for sharing it and it was so entertaining to go through that little journey. So thank you to CJ for sharing your story and thank you to the secret Room for sharing CJ with us. When we reached out to Ben Ham, the host of the Secret Room, he said he was a big fan of Risk. And, you know, I can see why. There's a lot that's simpatico. You know, they have the tagline a podcast about the stories no one ever tells. That's very much, you know, feels like a cousin to Risk. Now, we heard an abridged version of CJ's story, but you can hear the full episode called My Secret Career on the Secret Room podcast. And you can look for it in all the podcast places or at Secret Room Pod on the socials or just go to the Secret Room podcast. So thank you for listening along with me and let us know what you think about these Risk Reacts episodes. You can find the whole series at risk-show.com riskreacts and if you have heard an amazing story on some other podcast and just like Kiara Mirren thought, oh, hey, I think Kevin Allison would really enjoy hearing this one, then you know what you gotta do. Just leave a comment about it on this video or on the episode page on our website. Or you can just me on social media, but don't spoil the story itself. You can let us know who the storyteller is and what podcast it's on, but let the rest be a surprise. You can always find us on social media, including YouTube, RiskShow, and always on our website, risk-show.com folks, today's the day. Take a risk.