Tony Robbins says the #1 human need is certainty, but do you know what the second need is? It’s uncertainty. This tug of war between the competing needs of safety and risk are at the heart of so many dilemmas we face in life and for most folks the goal isn’t to eliminate risk – rather it’s to understand this core human need. In our view, the best way to understand or learn is through stories and so we’ve asked some very talented entrepreneurs and creatives to tell us the stories behind some of the risks they’ve taken.

Ami Nicole

The biggest risk I ever took was quitting my job to pursue my creative endeavors full-time. I was working as a writer/content creator at a radio station, and I was simultaneously running a Photography business on the side. Once I got to a point where I was earning about the same amount as I was at my day job, I decided it was time to move forward and really make a “go” at having my own business. Read more>>

Arleta Mykolyk

Prior to graduating from University, I worked as a Slimwave technician helping women regain confidence and strength. After graduation however I turned that chapter and moved to the corporate world, as many naturally do. Every fiber of me being knew this wasn’t my calling but quite honestly I didn’t know exactly what was just yet. Read more>>

Kaitlyn Sacco

Before I began my work as a service dog trainer, my mind was set on a completely different career path. I moved to New York City from a small town in Colorado in order to pursue a career in literature and publishing. While I was searching for the right opportunity, I took a job as a dog walker to pay the bills in the meantime. Through this job I was able to get to know the new city I lived in, as well as spend time with animals. Read more>>

Ulrik Christian Ahlefeldt-Laurvig

How Risk-Taking Elevated My Artistic Journey As a creative artist, I believe taking risks is crucial to the artistic journey. It takes boldness to step out of your comfort zone, experiment with new techniques, and explore uncharted territories. But how to harness the power of boldness to elevate the art to new heights is a journey. Read more>>

Kimeka Charles

Let’s go back in time to December 2020, there you’ll find an unemployed young girl, on her last months rent, with a broken glasses and empty cupboards doing an assignment, on a laptop that is only operable when plugged into a socket, crying her eyes out. Allow me provide context. Read more>>

Katt Monroe

I feel like the biggest risk I’ve taken in my pretty risky 34 years is moving my lil family of 4 across the country from Baltimore MD to Southern California while my fiance and I were still very much so figuring out life. I believe that following my gut and ,moving with intention has been a place of grace for me. Read more>>

Care de Graaf

The concept of taking a risk is so interesting because everyone defines it differently. The reality is everything is a risk, from getting in your car every morning with the assumption you’re going to make it to your destination, to investing in the stock market, to quitting your full-time job to pursue a start-up or passion project with less stability. Read more>>

Brooke Chalk

I took the risk on becoming a yoga instructor! I had only had a few months training other than trying it out here and there over the years. I decided to take the risk and go for it because I knew that adding yoga to my women’s empowerment business would help other women in so many ways. Just like it changed my life! After taking that risk or should I say giant leap of faith not only have I helped so many women see the power within themselves but I’ve learn so much from each woman I have helped. Read more>>

Tanja Alexandra Kern

I have taken some significant risks in my life, but I felt safe in doing so because I followed my heart. It has felt, at times, like I set out into the unknown and I am grateful for all these experiences, because the risks ultimately took me to a more satisfying place.Taking these risks took courage, perseverance, vulnerability, and resulted in real personal growth. Read more>>

Sheli Baez

As that famous quote says, “With great risk often comes great reward” and I can confidently say that every risk I’ve taken in life has rewarded me greatly. In 2017, after years of doing voiceover gigs here and there, I took the biggest risk of my career when I decided to put all of my efforts into growing my business. However, all of my risk taking is paired with endless amounts of research to back up the decision I make. Read more>>

Sydney Ulrich

The biggest risk I have taken in my creative career so far has been the addition of an art major to my university studies. During quarantine, I was taking online courses at North Dakota State University studying strategic communications. I had decided to pursuit graphic design as my minor, so I also had a couple online art classes. Read more>>

Melanie Benson

Taking risks as a business owner started the moment I left behind a decade long career in a Fortune 500 company and embarked on my journey as a business coach. And that risk was probably the easiest of all of the risks I’ve taken as an entrepreneur. Read more>>

Steven Peters Tanner Grefsheim

Steven: In October 2022, we decided to take a risk and start our own podcast show “He’s My Girl”, We noticed a lack of LGBTQ+ voices on TV and podcasts and wanted to change that. We had no idea what we were doing or getting ourselves into, but it has been the best decision we could’ve made. Our weekly episodes provide an hour of laughs to our audience, hearing all about our crazy friendship, and interviews with other LGBTQ+ voices that continue to make impacts in our community. Read more>>