RISK! – "Private Parts"
March 3, 2026
Host: Kevin Allison

Episode Overview

The "Private Parts" episode of RISK! delivers a characteristically bold, uncensored hour of storytelling around vulnerabilities, sexuality, and self-acceptance. Host Kevin Allison introduces three true stories—by Rhea Spencer, Mindy Myers, and Josh Connors—that each explore deeply personal moments connected to bodies, sexuality, embarrassment, and personal growth. The episode embodies RISK!’s ethos: a blend of humor, heart, and jaw-dropping honesty, with storytellers baring experiences they "never thought they'd dare" to share.

Key Stories & Discussion Points

1. Rhea Spencer – "The Only Girl"

[04:36 – 15:18]

Story Highlights:

• Rhea recalls a childhood Saturday at her Nana’s house in Arkansas, which revolved around family chores and the sacred ritual of getting their hair done—girls at the beauty shop and boys at the barbershop.
• After visiting a pediatrician for scalp issues, Rhea (6 years old at the time) is diagnosed with severe cradle cap (seborrheic dermatitis)—a condition uncommon for her age.
• The only solution: shaving her head, breaking a Southern and cultural taboo for Black girls, where "hair is your crown, your calling card."
• Rhea describes the loaded trip up to the local barbershop, Nathan Dendy’s, a strictly male space—heightening her discomfort and the social breach.
• She is sat in the barber chair (with the help of thick Yellow Pages), and the men in the shop awkwardly watch as her hair is shaved.
• Despite initial fear and embarrassment, Rhea finds unexpected acceptance. The men compliment her, her mother ties a scarf a stylish "grown-up" way, and, with sunglasses and confidence, Rhea realizes she will be okay.

Notable Quotes:

• "I'm a little girl, this is Arkansas. And so we are Southern. But not only am I Southern, I'm black people southern, so I'm real Southern. And your hair is your crown, your hair is, this is your calling card." — Rhea Spencer [07:10]
• "Big girls don't cry. I absolutely, positively will not cry. But then the sound of the clippers begins." — Rhea Spencer [09:55]
• "I don't want to look like a boy, but my hair isn't shiny like the boys. And I know it isn't as long as the girls, but hair's not the only thing that makes you a girl. And I think, this is all right." — Rhea Spencer [12:17]
• "You can't tell me, Jack, I am all of the things in my Granimals, like, please and thank you. I know, I know." — Rhea Spencer [13:24]

Memorable Moments:

• The emotional tension of a little Black girl entering a sacred male space.
• Rhea’s humorous yet poignant comparison of family hair types—"good haired girl," "water wave hair," and feeling she had "good enough to not shame the family hair."
• The moment of transformation: from fear and shame to self-acceptance and a sense of pride leaving the barbershop with her butterscotch candy.

2. Mindy Myers – "Ample Package"

[20:57 – 24:57] (Anecdote segment)

Story Highlights:

• Mindy, re-entering the dating scene after divorce, goes to a sex therapist for advice.
• The therapist prescribes a set of dilators (dildos) to help her prepare for intimacy, humorously named “The Boy Scout,” “Pee Wee Herman,” “Brad Pitt,” and “The Rock,” each successively larger.
• Mindy purchases the four-pack, then promptly forgets it among her busy life as a culinary educator.
• A mix-up at her cooking school: while observing a class, Mindy watches in horror as a student pulls “The Rock” (the largest dildo/dilator) from a bag of utensils and stirs bechamel sauce with it—then licks it to test the creaminess.

Notable Quotes:

• "I call this dildo the Boy Scout because it can get you back into the dating scene, and hopefully you will not find a boy with a dildo that thin." — Sex Therapist (as recalled by Mindy) [21:39]
• "She pulls out the Rock. My mouth was open, I was absolutely in shock. And she starts mixing the bechamel sauce with the Rock." — Mindy Myers [23:30]
• "The children were indeed hands on." — Mindy Myers [24:53]

Memorable Moments:

• Mindy’s deadpan delivery about the naming of each dildo.
• The slow-motion trainwreck (in her telling) as she realizes what the student is stirring with in the middle of a class.

3. Josh Connors – "Butt Plug Inferno"

[24:57 – 32:06]

Story Highlights:

• Josh is heartbroken after his boyfriend, Damian—a model whose face ends up on billboards across town—breaks up with him.
• Their ongoing, late-night, less-than-satisfying hookups are complicated by Damian being HIV-positive.
• Josh shares the fear he carries—growing up in the shadow of the '90s AIDS crisis—while navigating safer sex.
• A comic but vulnerable story: after using a butt plug with Damian, Josh becomes obsessed with sterilizing it. He falls asleep while boiling it, triggering a smoke alarm and nearly evacuating his apartment building.
• The incident prompts an honest conversation with Damian about their relationship and what each truly wants.
• They end up moving in together; Josh gains understanding: seeing Damian take his meds, learning that "undetectable means untransmissible," and letting go of some old anxieties.
• Eventually, trust grows. They have a lasting partnership, children, and a home together.

Notable Quotes:

• "This sex toy had AIDS all over it and I had to get it off." — Josh Connors [27:38]
• "I realized that I had to be a little more honest with Damian about what I wanted. And to his credit, he was honest with me that he did not want what I wanted. Until one day he did." — Josh Connors [29:45]
• "I began to understand, really internalize, that being undetectable means that the virus is untransmissible." — Josh Connors [30:39]
• "I'm happy to say that 10 years later, Damian and I still have no condoms. We have three kids, a 30 year mortgage, and four spare butt plugs." — Josh Connors [31:52]

Memorable Moments:

• The intersection of medical anxiety, humor, and love: burning the butt plug while obsessively sterilizing.
• The heartfelt, yet gently comedic, reflection on family, growing together—and the punchline: "four spare butt plugs."

Notable Interludes and Host Comments

Kevin Allison’s Reflections & Listener Mail

[16:19 – 20:57]

• Kevin shares a moving letter from a Patreon supporter, Colby, who credits RISK! with helping him deal with biases rooted in his Southern upbringing and grow into a more open, accepting person.
  • "Risk changed my life and it's partially the reason I am who I am today." — Colby (read by Kevin Allison) [17:17]
• Kevin pitches the value of the RISK! Patreon and reiterates the importance of listener support.

Playful Segment on "Ad Break Bumpers"

[16:11 – 16:19, 36:19 – 37:53]

• After show interludes featuring repeated "we’ll be right back/we’re back" whispers, Kevin jokes about their retirement due to listener feedback on their creepiness.
• Extended, tongue-in-cheek credits and skits about the "right back guy" not being allowed to "come back," played by John La Sala, Rhea Spencer, Mindy Myers, and Retward von Dernberg, closing out the episode with comedic absurdity.

Highlight Timestamps

• [04:36] Rhea Spencer’s "The Only Girl" story begins
• [12:17] Rhea’s realization: "hair's not the only thing that makes you a girl"
• [13:24] Rhea reclaims her confidence with her scarf and sunglasses
• [20:57] Mindy Myers’ "Ample Package" begins (dildo anecdote)
• [23:30] Mindy’s “the rock” incident in the classroom
• [24:57] Josh Connors’ "Butt Plug Inferno" story starts
• [27:38] "This sex toy had AIDS all over it" – Josh’s anxiety about sterilizing the butt plug
• [30:39] Josh on learning "undetectable means untransmissible"
• [31:52] Emotional close: “10 years later, Damian and I... four spare butt plugs”

Tone and Style

The episode is candid, humorous, compassionate, and at times deeply moving. The speakers' styles range from Rhea’s warm, nostalgic storytelling with sharp social observations; to Mindy’s dry, self-deprecating humor; to Josh’s fusion of comic anxiety and heartfelt vulnerability.

Closing Remarks

"Private Parts" stands out as a quintessential RISK! episode—a safe space for confessions both hilarious and vulnerable. It touches deftly on race, gender, sexuality, shame, intimacy, and self-acceptance, reminding listeners of the transformative power of sharing our private parts, both literal and metaphorical.