RISK! The Best of RISK! #35
May 5, 2026
Scott McMahon, musician and writer who survived five and a half years wrongfully jailed in the Philippines, shares a harrowing survival story. Chelsea Dalsey, artist and former medical student who battled addiction and loss, recounts her long path through substance dependence and grief. They discuss corrupt systems, life inside a maximum-security cell, betrayal, recovery, and the power of telling hard truths.
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Days Of Terror Waiting For Family News
- Scott endured days of sleepless terror when police threatened his family; visitors stopped showing and he imagined them murdered and dumped on train tracks.
- On the fifth day his wife and kids unexpectedly appeared alive at visiting time.
How Advocacy And Media Won His Release
- Media attention, the California Innocence Project and UN intervention finally forced a trial after five years; Scott was acquitted after five years and four months.
- The U.S. Embassy initially refused to help beyond a lawyer list until media pressure made them show up.
Prescription Opioids Sparked Her Downward Spiral
- Chelsea Dalsey traces opioid addiction to medical prescriptions: Vicodin to OxyContin to fentanyl patches prescribed for autoimmune pain in medical school.
- She took a year off to seek treatment, including rehabs and sober living, before returning to school.