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.

Malek Binns

When I think about the biggest risk I took for my bakery business, one memory stands out: the moment I left my regular 9-5 job to put all my energy and money into Frosted by Malek Binns. At first, I started my bakery while still working at a grocery store. I’d take orders and bake after my regular job, trying to turn my passion into something more. But I knew for my bakery to grow, I needed to give it my full attention. So, I made the big choice to quit my job and focus entirely on Frosted by Malek Binns. Read more>>

Becky Remley

Those who know me best would say I’m “type A” to the max. I’ve always had a clear picture of what I envision for my life and what I plan to achieve. I’m not a risk taker and don’t appreciate change what-so-ever. I would have a spreadsheet for every part of my life is my husband would tolerate it. Entrepreneurship never was in my grand plans or something I had given a second thought to. I didn’t see myself owning a business but instead, saw myself achieving at a career I held dearly for a local government entity for 10+ years. My career gave me total stability and very little change. As I look back now I laugh at the plans I thought I had in store for my life and career. Read more>>

Tart Vandelay

We took a huge risk moving out west from our hometown of Rochester NY. A lot of our friends and family are there, and that’s where our band was based for the first few years. After 3-4 years we were craving a change of scenery (and weather!) and we decided to move to the Phoenix area. It was simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating, packing all of our belongings in a trailer and driving across the country. And taking that leap was hugely rewarding; although we had to take a step back from performing because our time in Arizona lined up with the pandemic, we were able to reinvent our sound and enter a new creative era together. Read more>>

Morgyn Sanders

When I was in the 7th grade I had the bold idea to create a blog. At the time I called the blog, “Through Morgyn’s Eyes’ as a representation of being a teenage girl and what we have to go through. This was one of the biggest risks I have ever taken because I got so many questions, confusions, and people along the way who had things to say about it. I never let their negativity effect me. I continued growing my brand that I am so unbelievably proud of. Once I entered college and became a lifestyle, sorority, college content gal I rebranded my blog into what it is now known as as “Boss Up Girls.” I have always wanted to be my own boss and going down the path of social media had created new and amazing opportunities for me to accomplish my goals. I will always be proud of the 13 year old girl who made a bold move, took a risk, accepted judgement, and just kept going! ‘ Read more>>

Kelsey Cooke

We are opening a brand new improv and sketch comedy school for adults and kids in Franklin, TN. It is a non-profit business, and we have never built anything from the ground-up before, ever. This is all FEELS very risky (and probably looks like it is too, from the outside). What we discovered when we first had the thought about doing it was – it was filling a HUGE need in the community. People are craving what we can offer, and it will accomplish what we want – to build up the film and television production community in the greater Nashville area, as well, by providing the HUB for all the best talent in this region of the US. Read more>>

Spencer Martinez

Every performer/owner of a company’s life is filled with taking risks. The risk could be making an acting choice in the audition room or deciding to put all of your energy into your company or acting career. Recently, I. was pushed to take a risk. I took my husband’s Aunt and her family to a Broadway show. The show had finished and we were walking out of the theater and I told the cousin I think that’s the choreographer. She confidently approached him and asked, and he responded with a smile, explaining that he was the Music Director (risk #1).. I was kind of embarrassed and concerned because I knew what was about to happen next. Read more>>

Daelantae Marshall

I believe every day we wake up and choose to get out of bed we take risks. We take opportunities to advance ourselves despite the perils in front of us. One risk I have taken is moving from Ohio to Phoenix, Arizona, and continuing to operate my business throughout the covid pandemic. I didn’t realize taking that risk would be one of my most rewarding experiences. I was apprehensive and did not know what to expect it all felt as though it was what I had to do. I would call that an intelligent risk that I had taken. Fast forward to 3 years, and I am now operating my physical location with over 120 herbs in my collection. I am continually learning that some risks are practical for our development as people; help to build character. Read more>>

Francesca Castro

The biggest risk I’ve taken was moving to a different city for my career. I am originally from Chicago and I went back home after graduating from Berklee College of Music. While I already had some connections in the Chicago music scene from my childhood, I took a risk, dropped everything, and left my hometown to move on to bigger and better opportunities. So I moved to Los Angeles without a job in place and kinda just went with the flow. That was probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done looking back. It was a huge struggle at first – learning to adjust to LA culture was not as easy as I thought. From the hot weather, to being stuck in traffic, to the competitive music scene. Read more>>

Sam Heaton

After the shut down during covid I grew out of my career that I have focused on my whole adult life. I was unhappy and looking for more. When the building next to my husband’s tattoo shop became available I convinced him that we should buy it so I could open up a record store for the community. Record stores and collecting vinyl music has been a staple in my almost 20 year relationship with my husband. We spent our early twenties traveling to cities big and small. Every time we stopped somewhere we would seek out the local record shop. Not only to dig for albums we have been looking for but to get an idea of what the city sounds and looks like. Read more>>

Kenny Villiami

I took the risk and bet on myself having a successful music career. At the age of 18 I graduated high school and had an extended circle of friends and people I knew around the time that had plans of going to college or a university, while others already had jobs lined up. At first, I had no idea what I wanted to do specifically, but I knew that working for someone else long term was not for me. I transitioned from writing poetry to writing music and Hip Hop lyrics and within a year or two i saw these same people from high school struggling to make a living at some dead-end 9 to 5 or struggle after years of college with educational debt. I had attempted 2 years of junior college but only lasted a semester and a half because I wasn’t feeling fulfilled. Granted the music journey was not at all easy or easier than most paths people I knew have chosen. Read more>>

Carrie Mikuls

A risk that I take everyday is choosing to follow my intuition over anything else. This means over what schooling has taught me, what society tells me, and even what common sense tells me. My intuition is the most powerful tool I have and I have learned that it is always working for my highest good. Read more>>

Isabel Zai Styles

It was 2008 and I was 33, working as a tech recruiter for a US investment bank in London. After years of living a work hard, play harder lifestyle I desperately needed a change, and to experience more of the world. Due to the financial crisis at the time, the job offer I had received from another IB in Hong Kong was retracted. Disappointed, but not giving up, I opted for my plan B; fly to Sydney and then try to find work there. By the autumn I had arrived, and the financial crisis had reached Australia. There was no longer an option for a working visa. Returning to London would only find me in a similar position probably, jobless. The career I had spent 10 years cultivating was swept from under my feet. This was the catalyst for a major life change and a journey of deep introspection. Read more>>

Antoinette Ortega

I took a huge risk when I quit my 9-5 job and focused on my creative craft and mental health. It was great that I had free time to work on my mental health and surround myself with supportive family members. This also allowed me more time to focus on my work in entertainment. I am now able to get the work out faster and with more love, passion and effort into it. I haven’t had a job in about a year and honestly it has been one of my greatest risks taken thus far. It was absolutely needed and I am grateful for the time off. I feel better now that I can make my dreams come true with a healthier mindset. Read more>>

Qadree Holmes
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Ironically, opening a business for anyone is a risk. I often quote Steve Job “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” All the while we were in the middle of an adoption process for our child. This was completely uncharted territory. I had the bright idea to open another video production company in what I would later find out is a completely saturated market. The technology is always changing and staying current with these changes requires solid creative talent that has a willingness and openness to change. Read more>>

Tiffiney Cheairs

TAKING A RISK!!!! In all honesty where do I start? To begin, I will say, leaving my full time job of 12 years to start my own business was a risk in itself!! I was introduced this business opportunity over 9 years ago, but honestly I didn’t believe it would work for me as I saw it work for so many others. Over time, I began to work on myself through personal development and counseling as well, and I developed this belief system for myself that if someone else can do it, SO CAN I!!! So that’s when those risks started. I started to believe in TIFFINEY. Read more>>

Maria Solis

Starting Latinos Run was a pivotal risk taken during a period of personal struggle after losing my job. Encountering a passionate running coach inspired me to create a running club for the Latino community. Overcoming uncertainties and doubts, the club grew from humble beginnings to a thriving community, fostering unity, empowerment, and healthier lifestyles. This risk transformed my life, providing a renewed purpose and a vibrant movement that continues to inspire and unite. Read more>>

Roberta Crowell

Five years ago, I quit my job and started my own business. Initially, I was lucky because I started having events and clients immediately. Still, the pandemic arrived, and it got complicated because I couldn’t do events, which was an essential part of my business. I had to study and take many courses about SMM, brand positioning, community management, and brand development as PR updates. Read more>>

Aleksei (Alex) Koren

I have been working for the same company almost 10 years, good company, good salary, good benefits, decent team. But over years the dynamic in the creative team, and requirements and expectations changed. We experienced lay offs, smaller budget for creative team, and bigger expectations of what we supposed to do. I felt that we were becoming less and less creative, and more and more content managers. Recently I had another company reaching out to me, with bigger salary, but it is a contract work, so less benefits, vacations, perks, etc. Read more>>

Jorge Parra

As I understand it, taking risks is the equivalent of being part of some form of disruption of your own life. It comes from within, a will to change some part of your core, and only when your drive is ready to push it, then it becomes a risk you are willing to take. In my case, my career as a Photographer started by taking pictures while working in my career as a Research Chemist, and the classic situation of a young photographer, publishing a free images on local magazines, suddenly brought the attention of major clients. One phone call from one of those brands sent me into a mental spin, because in financial terms, only one photo project was the equivalent of 8 months of my salary as a chemist, and I felt ready for the jump and just did it. I never looked back. Read more>>

LINA RINCON

To be an artist is to be a risk-taker, experimenting with possible failure, or finding your niche and being successful. However, as is always the case, there will be a risk. On the other hand, there can be the potential discovery of something completely new, amazing, unique, and original. When I decided to move to Florida, I knew that I was taking a risk to be in a new environment. I was trying to put my name out again and to introduce myself to the community. A new gallery made a dream come true but at the same time it was a risk and a learning experience. It wasn’t just the gallery and selling art, it was creating a business plan, learning about insurance, taxes, and all the necessities to have a small business. Read more>>

Tanya Pence

This may take a moment. When I was 18 I became pregnant, after having the baby I returned to college because I had just lost my dad and couldn’t disappoint him by being pregnant at 18 and not finishing school. Eventually completing the police academy. That caused me to move 2 hours from where I was living because during the early 2000’s jobs openings were scarce and applicant numbers were high. I stayed in that job for 11 years, until I had enough time to earn my pension and I QUIT. 12 years later I’m still asked why I would quit a job like that. I know I wouldn’t have a life like mine if I had stayed. When I left I bought a franchise to start a health magazine (Natural Awakenings). Read more>>

Hayley Matthews-Jones

I’ve always viewed risk tolerance as one of the biggest factors between living up to your full potential, and living a life where you daydream but never take the leap. Assessing risk is critical in all major decisions, and one of the ways I push myself to move beyond fear and into execution mode is by using the question “and then what?”. If you name the thing you’re afraid of and ask yourself “and then what?” it pushes you to think beyond the fear becoming realized and makes you find a solution. Read more>>

Freya Yeh

My name is Freya. I’m a designer come from Taiwan. The biggest risk I’ve taken in my life is starting a brand new life here in the US myself. In 2019, I left everything behind just before Covid hit the world and decided to embark on my journey here in the States. I spent every cents I earned just to start studying grad school back then as a starting point. And now I’ve been working as designer in the creative industry in LA for almost three years. Life wasn’t easy to start over again here especially as an outsider of a country. But thankfully I met so many mentors and friends supporting me along the journey. The experience of living in a country that carries totally different culture background also shapes who I am and becomes the sparks in my art work. Read more>>

Reid Wilson

When I really dug in and started to pursue performing as a sideshow artist I was very green. This unfortunately led to me being taken advantage of in my early career as I simply didn’t know any better. I knew that I was unhappy in any regular profession that I had done prior to starting in steel bending 8 years ago. The job that I had prior was incredibly unfulfilling and it came with a breaking point. Read more>>

Alicia Shelly

So I am a physician by trade. I am an internal medicine/Obesity medicine physican. I felt a calling to do more. I decided to start a podcast Back on Track: Achieving Healthy Weight loss. This was a way for me to reach more people. Annually, I see 1800 people. I have been able to reach over 10,000 people. Read more>>

Ash Cook

The biggest risk I ever took was creating my business and being a full time creative. Going from doing makeup on the weekends and evenings with a full time “regular” job including benefits, to running your own business was hard. Many don’t see the hustle, the hundreds of emails sent, buying/cleaning/condensing your kit, hours of continued learning and so much more. They only see the product of all of that work. So I had a lot of people tell me I would fail. That I would never make it. That it was worthless. But I also had people in my life that told me to chase my dreams and happiness because it was worth it. That I was more than capable. That I had the talent and willingness to put in the hours to be successful. That this risk was worth everything. And it absolutely was worth every risk. Read more>>

Aleesha Johnson

I ‘m a ‘touch the stove to see if it’s hot’ person. To many people that isn’t an ideal trait, but I like to figure things out on my own. Risk and experience have propelled my life in many directions. I know if things don’t work as planned, it adds to my story. Every day you wake up, you decide how your day will go. You can intentionally play it safe or intentionally take a risk. I’ve learned many times, someone else’s experience has nothing to do with me. We are all beings with different ways of thinking, routines and connections (to self, others and Spirit). Read more>>

Jill Nahrstedt

In 2018 I knew that I’d lost my love of teaching. My daughters were 4 and 6 and I had no time to myself to create. I started to feel jealous of my students! I figured out that my youngest would begin kindergarten a year later and we would shed all of the childcare fees we’d been incurring. I discussed the idea of leaving teaching to pursue art with my family and after one more school year I left in June of 2019. I had a crazy first year as an artist. The first year included a broken arm, an exciting mural commission, oh and a global pandemic . I have never looked back or regretted taking that risk and things get better every year! Read more>>

Kristina Black

I was 23 years old. My daughter was three months old, and I was working two jobs to make ends meet. Every month was paycheck to paycheck and maybe some cushion change to get by in between. I kept hoping that my partner would find a better job and make things easier. That’s what partners do, right? Wrong. After being left with all of the bills and no way to pay for daycare so I could work, I was offered an opportunity to return to college. I would have to leave the life I had built in Denver, which was comfortable, even if it was a daily struggle. Even worse, I would have to return to school, something I had never been very good at. It was a risk. Who’s to say I wouldn’t fail out of college like I had after high school? Would my daughter and I ever have our own place again? Read more>>

Tara Durden

Instead of staying stagnant, I took a risk, as any “manifesting generator” would. During my dietetic internship, I loved how busy I was in the hospital setting, though I was extremely nervous to start since I never felt comfortable in hospitals. I was constantly learning something new and collaborating with the interdisciplinary team. At this point, I thought “this could be it,” my forever career. I continued dedicating all of my time to finishing my graduate courses, doing my unpaid supervised practice hours, and attempting to work part time (hello burnout!) Read more>>

Andy Ramirez

I grew up seeing my hard working dad dedicated to his family, work, and ministry. For years, he would spend countless hours as a pastor in the heart of East Los Angeles providing physical and spiritual food to immigrants, the poor, the businessman, youth from broken homes, and even those caught into gangs and drugs. In addition to this, he founded the first Christian Spanish-speaking tv and radio programming in Southern California. The man worked tirelessly to do the most good. That was heritage and I followed suit to work hard and long to make it in my career. However, one thing I did not learn so well was how to rest and recharge. Some where along the way, I felt it was my duty to honor my father and do the most good, even if it cost me my health. Until one day that I took a risk to seek determined rest. Read more>>

Elin Hunter

Taking a risk would sum up my entire life as I have always been an Artist even before I knew what it meant to grow up. Getting in the zone and making the artwork was natural for me but growing as an artist into something that could fit into the Artworld organically and allow me the freedom of total beautiful and truthful expression thru my art has taken time living and perspective. The maturing of my work has been something I could not rush and keeping myself afloat and functioning as a person who has the energy and strength to keep the Artwork evolving in a world leading me astray has been a challenge. Read more>>

Holly Nordeck

The biggest risk I’ve taken was leaving an old job I loved, and investing in myself as a creative and visual artist. After working with so many creative people at my old job, and seeing how they managed to make it as full-time artist I was inspired to try to do the same. I took the risk so I could invest in myself, my art practice, and push myself to places I’ve never been. Although my journey has just barely started, I’ve made more art in the last year than I have since college, gotten into a fair amount of art exhibitions, and will start teaching my first textiles/fiber art class in the fall. Read more>>

Kristie Nguyen

About 6 years ago, I was burnout and exhausted with the monotony of my daily routine of work, family and church. Not that I didn’t love it all but there was no me in this routine. My time was set aside for my patients and family. I’ve lost that spark I had to enjoy life. At the same time, I had a nurse that was working for me who had to pick up an extra shift each week to help her daughters out. Now this nurse was already working 5 days a week and my heart ache to know her sacrifice. I had a few friends from optometry school reach out over the year telling me about this new opportunity but of course I didn’t pay too much attention until 1 of them posted about earning a brand new Lexus. Read more>>

Tatia Wilson

I’ve taken many risks in life. Some successful, some disastrous but were all essential ingredients into who I am today. I left my hometown of Philadelphia as a single mother, leaving my 1st daughter with my mother, to work at the graphic department of American Express in Florida. However, things did not work out as expected, so I had to get another job that did not align with my passions or intended career. This led me to being introduced to the beauty industry by a friend and as a result invested in designer perfumes to sell from door to door. Read more>>

Devona Fields

The one risk that I will present here was in moving to Delaware. I was a single mother in Oklahoma of a teenage son who wanted to go live with his father in Delaware. The caveat is that he wanted me to come with him, which was outstanding news for me. So, I went through the process of applying for jobs, flying to come across the country for interviews and have short visits with my son. Six months later with a job offer, I packed up my clothes in my car along with a TV and drove for 2 days to reach Delaware. It was a scary time. I will admit that at one point, as much as I love my son, I considered turning around to go back home. I was coming to a place that was unfamiliar, did not have a home, and no family. Read more>>

Vida Valdes

The biggest risk that I ever took personally was fighting for my community & doing this work at a full time basis. I have over 25 years experience in the medical field, I started out as a dental receptionist & moved my way up to Medical Billing Manager, Office Manager & eventually owning my own Medical Billing & Collections practice. At the end of 2017 it seemed like all of my contracts with providers were ending. I lost around 30 provider contracts from September to December 2017 under the weirdest circumstances, with every dismissal I did receive a severance check. Some of these checks ranged from $50-$500. I panicked I mean I really freaked out. Read more>>

Foster Meeks

The greatest risk I’ve ever taken was turning off the part of my brain that was constantly concerned about how every potential listener would be consuming the music I make. Prior to the work I’m doing now, I had relative success in older releases that varied wildly, stylistically, from where I’m at today. However, I really felt like I was “playing to the algorithm” and half the time, I didn’t even care too much for what I was putting out. It seems that in recent years, there’s been a shift in the landscape where there is a legitimate outcry for more genuine authenticity in the creative realm. More and more particular niches are sprouting up that want something raw and soulful. That’s what I’m all about now. Read more>>

Richard Allen

Life is all about taking risks. Its something you cannot be afraid to do but also something you must do at the right time which is also hard because there may not always be a right time which is the risk part of taking the chance. I was 18 years old when i decided to take my career seriously in the modeling industry but i wasnt fully fortunate enough to fund my way through it an i felt things would fall apart But i was always told to no chance taken is an “i should of” in the future so i took it and i cant lie things are going well for me! Read more>>