You’re working hard, things are going well, piece by piece you’ve built a life you are proud of, you’ve overcome obstacles and challenges, beat the odds and then you find yourself at the center of an unexpected dilemma – do you risk it all to keep growing? What if growing means leaving the job you worked so hard to get or the industry you worked so hard to break into? How we approach risk often has a huge bearing on our journey and so we’ve asked some of the brightest folks we know to share stories of risks they’ve taken.
Kay Durairaj

A major risk I took was putting myself out there on social media. As a facial plastic surgeon, the idea of sharing my work and personal insights with such a vast and often unpredictable audience felt incredibly daunting. When I first started posting on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, there was always that fear of judgment or backlash. Would people take me seriously as a surgeon? Would I be able to balance sharing my knowledge while also being authentic and engaging? Despite those concerns, I decided to go all in. I wanted to use social media not only to showcase my expertise but to educate people about aesthetics, skincare, and the latest anti-aging treatments in a fun, approachable way. It was a huge shift from the traditional, more private life most doctors lead, but I knew the potential to reach and connect with a wider audience was worth the risk. Read more>>
Jess Cardona

Taking the leap to relocate my small business from NYC to Florida has surely been the biggest risk I have taken. It was both a thrilling and daunting decision. The hustle culture of New York City fueled my entrepreneurial spirit, but the challenges of the fast-paced but limited environment began to weigh heavily on me. By moving to Florida, I embraced a fresh start and the opportunity to focus entirely on my business without the constant distractions of city life and limitations on space. The supportive community and favorable business climate in Florida offered the perfect backdrop for growth. Although venturing out alone comes with its uncertainties, I was motivated by the potential for success and the chance to cultivate a work-life balance that I had been craving. This risk, while significant, felt like a necessary step toward realizing my vision and achieving my goals, and almost 10 years later it was been nothing but a success. Read more>>
Marci Welcker

I was 49 when I decided to attend esthetics school. At the time, I was working at a bank, which felt stifling to my creative spirit—there’s not much room for creativity in banking! Receiving facials was a key part of my self-care routine, and one day while lying on the table, I realized how much I would love giving facials myself. I had wanted to pursue esthetics in my 20s, but it just wasn’t the right time. That day, I told my husband about my decision, and while his initial response was a no, by the end of the week we had plans for my little backyard spa. Within two months, I was enrolled in school, and five months later, I graduated as a basic esthetician. The spa was completed within the year. Built from the ground up by a supportive husband. Read more>>
Helen Abutidze

It was 2021, the year after I had graduated college. My whole life, I had been told the formula to success was to get an education and work a 9-5 for the rest of my life. So, without knowing any better, I was doing just that. I was working as a Video Partnerships Associate for a company in Manhattan. The 9-5 was really more like a 8-8 or sometimes 7-10. I was MISERABLE. I wasn’t eating right, I wasn’t sleeping, and most importantly my mental health was deteriorating. However, I knew I had a passion in social media. I was working with a micro-influencer on the weekends, virtually assisting her with social tasks when she needed an extra hand. My love for social media grew even more so there was only one thing left to do. Quit the 9-5 that I had been told my whole life I needed. Read more>>
Josiah Arment

Life is all about taking risks, that’s what our dreams are about and how our dreams can turn into a reality. I started taking the risk of going after my dreams when I was around 19 years old. I had always dreamed of getting into the music business and I had made a pact with my best friend that we’d become rockstars. I grew up watching a lot of movies as well and was very pop cultured. I fell in love with the different personas certain favorite actors would portray so well. It was with these deep inspirations that I decided to fulfill a higher purpose and live what I was watching on the tv. I reached out to as many different artists and directors as I could not caring what anyone thinks of me but just knowing who I am and what I’m meant to do. It was with this new confidence and inner belief that I started to see success come. Read more>>
Ashley Mclemore

2014 was the year that changed the trajectory of my life forever. Let me take you back, I would work 12 hour shifts– only being paid for 8, and skip lunch to survive on white chocolate mochas the whole day. Working in client-facing roles, needing to be “on” all the time, managing teams and the occasional rude customer– I was completely burned out! My health was in bad shape with frequent migraines, malnourished and I would get hives as soon as I walked into the store. So, after nearly a decade of building a reputation with hundreds of contacts in the retail and fashion industry, I was officially fed up. Read more>>
Necolle Williams

Life can often be full of risks big or small. Knowing myself, I have been often fearful of potential opportunities or my own goals BEACAUSE of the risks they require. However, one day despite my insecurities, I did decide I would finally do it whether I won or loss. In lue of that, starting Colley Cakes was a huge step for me. I have worked for many companies using their rules/recipes but never my own concepts. Colley Cakes changes things completely. Though my buisness hasn’t been too profitable and is just in the beginning stages, just knowing I have my own brand is fulfilling in itself. In about 2 weeks I will be doing my first showing at a jacksonville film event( called “premiere”) hosted by great artists and talents. It’s thanks to them I even got the opportunity so special shout out to lol film festival and Jeremey Ryan who is constantly helping evolve(along with others) the film, music, and arts scene in jacksonville and around the country. Read more>>
Kendra Sharpe
The risks I have taken are huge! In the middle of a pandemic in 2020, I decided I wanted to start a business and go out on my own doing something I knew I was good at but still had imposter syndrome. I started from scratch with only funds I had from my marketing job, my computer and camera phone and networking abilities and took the leap of faith into the unknown. Along the way, I found some great clients and pushed through the noise to come out on the other side of fear. I still find myself taking risks when it comes to business. I send that email and ask the questions other might not, but I know these steps will take me further and if I seek out the unknown it usually means I am escaping my comfort zone and entering a new era. For me, starting my business in general was a huge risk! I had to figure out how to make packages, get clients, network and market myself and hone in on my values. Finding the thing that lets your passion and purpose collide takes time and patience. So, I trusted the process, persisted in what I knew I was good at, and worked my way into a new path for myself. Now taking a risk is second nature and what I know I have to do to reach new goals and levels of success! Read more>>
Amanda Brown

In the beginning of 2024, I took a huge risk of leaving my secure and stable hospital job to start my own private practice and online business with the goal of greater work-life balance. I loved working in the hospital setting! The environment, teamwork and integrative care setting is ideal for patients and providers. However, the hours and commute were affecting my ability to be present with my three children and raise them the way I want to. I dreamt of our entire family sitting at the dining table each night to share dinner and stories together. I also wanted to volunteer for school activities. Lastly, I wanted to spend more time with each of my patients. All of these motivations drove me to open my own practice. It has been a difficult year but entirely worth it. I now block my schedule when a volunteer opportunity arises at one of my kids’ schools. I average about 20 minutes per patient and can honestly say I feel like I am providing very high quality care to people suffering with back pain. Read more>>
Alix Tucou

I always had the luck to know I wanted to pursue a career as professional musician. I started to make a living with my bass trombone and teaching music pretty early and I always managed to get some work out of my musicianship. Back in 2014 I was still living in Bordeaux (France) and I had what we could consider a normal situation…I was able to afford living alone in a 1 bedroom, had a car paid my bills had a good network and social life…everything one could dream of as full time musician. But something was missing. I figured out somehow that I had the urge to get back into study and deepen my knowledge of bass trombone playing. It was after a conversation with a friend pursuing a Music degree at the University of Montreal (Canada) that the idea to realize this project bloomed in my guts. Read more>>
Pierra Heard

Millennial & Mommy•ing was started all because I took a risk even while finding out I was pregnant. The day I graduated with my undergraduate degree was the day I found out that I was expecting. I’d already accepting a job in another state, I planned to move immediately after graduation and suddenly it seemed my plan was going to have to stop. Everyone expected for all of my plans to stop and for a second I did as well. After going through some prenatal depression I quickly realized I couldn’t give up everything I worked so hard for. I made the decision to keep going. Take the job, complete the move and keep building my career. I started to share my journey while doing so and many women started to gravitate towards it. We started a group chat for moms who could relate. Working hard in corporate or in school or even starting businesses. We got too large for group me so someone recommended a Facebook group. Quickly we grew from 10 to hundreds and now thousands of women choosing to accomplish their goals. Read more>>
Trish Boes

I think that a lot of my life has had an element of risk taking. It started when I took a risk to leave my home in Melbourne, Australia to move to LA for a job, even though I had never been to the US before. It also extended to quitting my full-time corporate job to go back to grad school to get a Masters Degree in Spiritual Psychology; to taking a risk to become a solo entrepreneur with my own leadership coaching and L&D (learning and development) consulting business; and moving across the US several times. The thread amongst all of those early risks is that even though it was uncomfortable to dramatically change things in my life and there might have been some initial growing pains, bigger and better things always happened as a result of taking those risks. Read more>>
Monique Evans

Back in 2020, the year I was turning 30 felt like a turning point for me. I had finished school and been working full-time as a social worker and finished training as a couples and family therapist. What now? What next? I often asked myself. A few friends and colleagues had been circling the idea of opening my own business. I doubted the idea at first thinking I did not have enough years experience, it’s a whole pandemic, how could I pull this off successfully? Fast forward, on the night of my 30th birthday dinner, two of my friends gifted me my first year of malpractice insurance and told me, “Happy birthday, get started. We believe in you.” A month later, I opened the virtual doors of my business, @therapywithmo. This involved many sleepless nights getting everything ready, building a website, and making content. I am now looking back four years later so happy that I took this risk. I have expanded in many ways since starting my business and hope to continue in the years to come. Read more>>
Thien Huong Vuong

Taking a risk with my business was one of those make-or-break moments that so many of us face. For me, it wasn’t just about trusting the process—it was about staying true to myself, even when everything felt uncertain. In 2021, I made the decision to start Lotus Artistry. Leaving the job I began at the start of my career in 2017 left a hole in my heart; it felt like I was saying goodbye to what had been home to me for nearly five years. I found myself at a crossroads: I could either start fresh somewhere new or create my own space—a place where both my current and future clients could feel safe and free to be themselves. The name “Lotus” came to me instantly because the flower’s symbolism spoke to me deeply. Coming from a background where taking risks is second nature, I’d always lived with a lingering question of “What if?”; However, the overwhelming feelings of love and support from friends, family, and clients had made it even easier for me to say, “But what if it works out?” because whatever the outcome, I knew I’d pour everything I had into it. Read more>>
Liam Ray Iii

In October of 2021, I was taking every job I could get as a composer and as I worked on building my resume, I wanted to reach out to a company I’d recently fallen in love with – a company where it was always Halloween: Witching Season Films. Initially, I had only intended to write to them as a fan, but I took a stab in the dark and offered my musically macabre services. I honestly expected to receive a polite decline or even no response at all, but only a short few days later, I got a kind-hearted, thoughtful reply from the company’s founder, Michael Ballif, who not only entertained the idea of a collaboration, but encouraged it and, after sharing my reels and CV, he generously hired me to score his short horror film, A Night At Lyc-Inn, which was nothing short of a horrific dream come true. Read more>>
Bria Riddick

A beautiful story about a risk I’ve taken is actually the one I’m currently living through now! In 2017 , I was just getting started cutting hair and I absolutely loved it. After about a year of cutting God gave me a vision to start a brand called “ Girls That Fade” that would be a beacon of light for women in the barber industry and that would one day grow into a barbershop/ school helping women to further their careers in an industry not designed to benefit them. For years I knew that the idea was super dope but I was so afraid of actually stepping out & doing it because it was unheard of ! I just kept being afraid that a barbershop full of women was not going to work out. However, at the time I was working at a Sport Clips in Virginia Beach and I ended up getting promoted to Manager as if God was preparing me for my future. I quickly became the youngest highest paid manager in the area and our store had kept the same team for the longest time since the store had opened. Read more>>
Syn Devereaux

As a full, hot-blooded Sagittarius, risk is my love language. I tell myself, ‘YOLO—do it for the plot!’ and dive headfirst into the unknown. Some might call it impulsive (or, you know, a touch of mental illness), but I swear, it keeps life interesting. Trust me. I’ve taken my fair share of leaps, both big and small, but my wildest one yet? Leaving California’s laid-back central coast for the nonstop pulse of New York. Even now, I can hardly believe I actually pulled it off. HA! I’m a West Coast kid through and through—born in Utah, raised in Nevada since age four, then California from twenty-two onward. But I’ve been utterly obsessed with New York City for as long as I can remember. It’s been a lifelong love affair of daydreams and imagining myself as a Big Apple girl. And even though I’m technically in Jersey (hey, close enough!), I can feel those city vibes settling into my marrow. My bones know I’m home. Finally. Read more>>
Diamond Franklin

In the fall of 2023, just shy of my 26th birthday, I found myself facing a major dilemma. For the greater part of that year I was employed at a major corporation and initially found the job to be a dream. Located in a skyscraper in the heart of Philadelphia, I reveled in the swanky surroundings, working at my fashionably decorated desk, and eating exquisite lunches prepared by world-renowned chefs among the clouds. Providing me with a decent and steady income, it was a far cry from my previous work, struggling as a Music and Vocal Instructor with extremely low pay and a lack of teacher appreciation being the norm. Though it had never been my aspiration to enter either of these fields, graduating college with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance just before the Covid-19 pandemic, and the subsequent shutdown of the Arts world, forced me to take on work outside of my industry. Read more>>
Samantha Gomez

I decided to go back to school at 35 years old. I had worked in the veterinary field for the better part of 15 years, no college education, and was a stay at home mom to a 4 year old. I had wanted to obtain my esthetician license for as long as I can remember, but it was never the right time. I found myself at a crossroad when my daughter was going to be starting school full time. I felt torn between being available for my family at all times, and fulfilling something I had wanted for so long. However, now was my chance. I toured a school and that fire was lit. I wanted to start the next session. My husband, who has always been supportive of anything I want to do, and I sat down and tried to figure out how to make it work. Schedules needed to be aligned, finances sorted, but it was possible. We took a loan out on our home, and I signed the paperwork and left my deposit that next week. Read more>>
Ruth Mcgee

Actually there are many.. For me change and taking risks in my life circle back around every 10 years or so. The first monumental risk I took was when I wan in my early 20’s. I had flunked out of college, working at an office job for about 5 years or so. This was a valuable experience which provided me with time to figure things out. I knew that I wanted to go back to school, major in visual arts but was yearning to travel first.. I ended up going cross country with friends headed for Seward, Alaska, where I spent a year, landed my first waitressing job in this small fishing town, which served me well throughout my lifetime on many levels. Upon my return home, I enrolled in the local Community college taking art class and building up a strong portfolio.. I initial thought was that my focus would be Graphic Design, a job that would provide me with a way to earn a living and then I took a clay class and everything changed. Read more>>
Laura Caruso

One of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken occurred just one month after graduating with my master’s degree in mental health counseling. I ended a three-year relationship, left the home I had built in New York City over the previous five years, and stepped into a period of transition between post-graduate life and starting my new job. With no income and the knowledge that I’d only earn $30 per session when I did start working, I decided to take a leap. I grabbed a single suitcase, my Golden Retriever, Lola, and headed to South America to solo travel for four months while starting to work remotely. It was an uncertain, yet exhilarating time—I started to grow my Instagram following, worked virtually with clients, and redefined what success could look like for me. Read more>>
Tinnisha Lewis

I grew up in Guyana, where life often felt like a box—a space too small for the dreams I held inside. Each year felt like a repeat of the last. At 23, I realized that if I wanted more, I would have to create it for myself. So, with $1100 in my pocket and a vision of who I could become, I left everything behind—my family, my home, even the events company I’d built—and moved to New York City. Since arriving in January, life has been a mix of struggle and revelation. I went from sleeping in a family member’s basement to sharing beds with strangers and even sleeping on floors, moving from place to place while I looked for stability. To make ends meet, I’ve worked as a supermarket clerk, part-time caregiver, and now a bartender—all while studying cybersecurity and building a content creation and photography career. I remind myself each day why I took this leap, and why I’m still here, and I keep pushing forward. Read more>>
Danika Viola

The risk of deciding to chop part of my leg off at 23 years old was similar to the decision to start a clinic as a new mom at 28 years old- a big risk for the potential of a much better life. In considering the alternatives, I knew that both of these decisions would impact my entire life, my childrens’ view of women and the strength that we have to offer the world, and the ability for me to live life in a way that allows me to enjoy it instead of just surviving it. After spending weeks trekking through the Himalayas in Nepal just 2 years after becoming an amputee, I knew that starting my own clinic was going to be my new mountain to climb. Following 7 years in the healthcare world as an Occupational Therapist working in pediatrics, inpatient rehab, skilled nursing facilities, and finally landing in women’s pelvic health- I knew that I needed to create the best possible scenario for myself and my family. Read more>>
Matthew Coltrin

When I retired from the Air Force, my first job after service brought me to Homewood, AL. Coming from Southwest Louisiana, most Cajuns would consider this a major transgression, but we were committed to the move. However, within months of starting the new role, I realized there were serious issues. The transition from military service to a civilian job revealed a culture vastly different from what I had expected—especially in how managers treated people. Throughout my Air Force career, any success I achieved was due to the incredible teams I had the privilege to lead. My role as a leader was to empower people, not stifle them. Yet, the new workplace prioritized monetary metrics above all else, often at the expense of its employees. Despite these challenges, I demonstrated strong leadership, broke every performance record at the site, and then made the decision to leave after just a year. Read more>>
Mark Jones

My brand NoNoiseMade is ran by me and 5 of my brothers. The brand itself was created based upon us taking a risk and betting on ourselves to bring our vision to life. NoNoiseMade is a streetwear brand based out of Louisville, Ky and has been around since August of 2018. The ethos of our brand is “The act of being humble and appreciating the grind” so, letting your success speak for itself, you don’t have to be cocky or flamboyant. We sell anything from hoodies, sweatpants, shorts, T-shirts, beanies, socks, bags, ball caps, etc. How we even came up with the concept of the brand was from my big brother RonNell (Nell). He was a college athlete, attending Mount St Joseph in Ohio and he had this saying/hashtag he would always use on his social media post called #NoNoiseMade. I always looked up to my brother, especially bc I was an athlete myself and wanted to follow in his footsteps. Read more>>
Ashley Borrero

My husband and I were living in a shoebox apartment. We had big dreams but didn’t know where to even begin. I was working at a spa for someone else at the time, but I felt it was time to be out on my own. I took everything I had in my savings and looked at my husband and said, well we might be homeless, but I’m going to go for it. I put my deposit down on a suite, and began my journey with House of Healing Wellness spa. And now here I am 4 years later! Taking the risk changed my life. Read more>>
Tyler Sopland

When I hear the word “Risk,” I think back to October of 2017, when a little naïve ol’ boy from Kentucky told his entire family that in one month, he would be packed up and moving across the country to Los Angeles to pursue his lifelong goal of acting fully and completely. The problem, you may ask? The boy had no money, no apartment, a two-seater car, and the richest of all things—a dream. The boy in this situation is me. I rented a minivan and stuffed it with my dog Rusty, my belongings, and my father and grandmother, and we set sail westward toward California. I was so excited to begin my new life that I insisted that we drove straight through from Kentucky to LA, which was GPS’ing at around 33 hours. We did it in 31. Yes, I did get a speeding ticket during the drive, and yes Rusty got car sick. I didn’t know dogs could get car sick. You learn something new every day. Read more>>
Ralph Exilus

I started my brand 6 years ago, well I had an idea 6 years ago. Trauma, death, covid and financial struggles are just some of the reasons why I took to long to take a risk and go all in. Until last may I fully invested all time energy and money into my brand and business. And in a lot a year I’ve grew to scaling a couple thousands every month in revenue and sell out every drop. I’ve only scratched the surface of my potential as a designer and a storyteller. Read more>>