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.

Shirley Giler Noto

About five years ago, the Foundation I work with purchased a beautiful but neglected 100-year-old bank building in Newburgh, NY. At the time, we didn’t know what we were going to do with it. We rented it out to film studios, HBO’s White House Plumbers and a few Hallmark movies were shot here but it always felt like a temporary solution. Read more>>

Lori Dodson

When covid hit, I was working for a vacation rental company doing their real estate photography and boutique style/editorial style photography for snazzy short term rentals.
All of us that were on the ground keeping that company running were completely devastated when we were laid off in March of 2020. Read more>>

Ginamarie Lynch

Once I discerned that my love for color analysis was bigger than a passing obsession; I knew I had to be involved with it in a very real way. For me, I decided that I wanted to study personal color analysis, and in order to do so, that meant enrolling in training to become a color analyst. Read more>>

Patience Davis

I first quit my corporate job in 2020 right before Covid hit and the world shut down. Many people didn’t agree with my decision, but I knew I heard God clearly and His instruction was to quit my job and start my business. I was a 23 year old single woman living in a major city with a nice car, a sweet puppy and a beautiful studio apartment home. Everything seemed perfect, but my corporate job was draining me spiritually. With little savings and no real plan in mind, I heeded to God’s instruction and quit my job on a whim. That whim being faith or crazy faith if you will. It was a major risk, but God provided every step of the way. Read more>>

Lauren England

Leaving behind comfort and certainty to follow my passion for beauty and wellness as well as flexibility. I came from big hospitals that felt more like quantity vs quality. I wanted more time with my family and more autonomy. Therefore, I started my own practice. Just as I laid the foundation for my new venture, I became pregnant with my second child. Balancing the demands of a growing family and a fledgling business, I powered through with resilience and a vision. I poured my heart into every detail, training, and patient experience. My dedication quickly paid off as the practice began to thrive. Read more>>

Leah Gravis

Starting my own business has been the biggest risk I’ve ever taken. It is akin to being in a high-stakes room at the casino: you are gambling with your life, your comfort and your future. I’m not even much of a gambler, but I put everything on the table to start my business. I had very little to start with. I took the biggest tax refund I had ever gotten ($7500), bought a computer and small plotter to start working out of my house. I had been laid off of my job, I had no savings, bad credit, two small children, and a dream that I could provide for my family better by working for myself instead of someone else. Read more>>

Monica Dilency

From Pain to Purpose: How One Woman Turned Family Struggle Into a Thriving Beauty BusinessThe reason I took the risk to open my business wasn’t because I had everything lined up it was because I was desperate to create a better future for my family. A few years ago, my mother became critically ill. We weren’t sure if she was going to make it. I remember sitting in the hospital, watching her sleep, tears silently running down my face. I felt completely powerless. Not only was I terrified of losing her, but I also carried the heavy burden of knowing I couldn’t afford better care. Financially, we were struggling and in that moment, I felt how deeply limited we were by money. Read more>>

Billy Smith

I was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. I had a desire to pursue a career in entertainment. I started with music and after making the rounds with talent shows, singing groups, and bands…there was only so far you could go. I decided it was time to leave. I had a few friends that had already headed west, so with my last $150, i bought a one way bus ticket to Los Angeles, Ca and never looked back. Read more>>

Rebecca Ray

At first glance, my life may look like a series of transitions. But underneath each shift lies something deeper: the willingness to take risks that stretch who I am and what I believe is possible. One of the most transformative risks I’ve taken was converting from Catholicism to Judaism in my 40s. Read more>>

Kwabena Antoine Nixon

Where should I start , my entire career has been about risk. Leaving Chicago to move to Milwaukee and only knowing one person. deciding to go to film school instead of taking a regular job, dropping out of college to write a play, that did well but then came crashing down due to my inexperience. Leaving the comfort of my educational position and a study paycheck to pursue a career in the performing arts , I was 30 years old , comfortable and on the verge of being offered a position as the director of the after school program, which would of been a decent amount around 50,000 k with the opportunity to advance with the YMCA system. I mean they laid it out , even offer me an opportunity to go back to school. Read more>>

Courtney Crump

Starting Visualize Me was easily the biggest risk I’ve ever taken—because it wasn’t just about building an app. It was about building trust in a space where so many people feel the most vulnerable: their bodies.

Body assessments and image tracking are historically tied to shame, fear, or unattainable ideals. I knew that. And yet, I also knew there was another story waiting to be told—one rooted in empowerment, data, and ownership. I wanted to create a tool that could shift the narrative from “what’s wrong with me?” to “look at how I’m changing, growing, taking charge.” Read more>>

David D’Agostino

The life of an artist is often framed in rigid dichotomies—job versus no job, commercial work versus conceptual art, staying rooted versus wandering freely. Yet, true artistic vitality lies in transcending these binaries, embracing fluidity, and responding to the creative and intellectual currents of each new environment. Over the past thirty years, my journey as an artist has taken me across continents—from Cairo, Egypt, to Sofia, Bulgaria; from the Alpujaras of Spain to Kyoto, Japan, Atlanta, Denver, and now Albuquerque. Each move has not only reshaped my studio practice but also reinforced the belief that adaptability is the essence of a vibrant artistic life. Read more>>

Candice Anderson

I took a risk on “Me”. To make decisions in my best interest even if it meant losing the support of family and friends.
For example, as the oldest child and first grandchild….there was a lot of pressure and expectations from my family.
When I graduated High School I truly believed that I wanted to study to become an OB/GYN because I did and still do think that the woman’s body and the miracle birth is one of the most amazing things. As I began my college career, I realized that the Pre-Med path was not a true fit for me and I decided to change my major. Changing my major was a BIG deal, and it took much courage to “break the news”, however it was the best decision for me., and that’s only the half. Read more>>

Ridge Hershberger

I started listening to podcasts and then I thought that a comedian would be the coolest job
i went on stage in morgantown wv at 123 pleasnt street
then i did standup maybe 20 times in 3 years
then i was like i gotta do someting
then covid happen
during covid I took an online comedy course
then i wanted to do it for real
so left the farm and moved to texas
did standup everday for 3 years
ran out of money almost died climbing over fence
12 stitches and $7000 later I had to move home
moved home thought i was going ot quit standup
conditued doing open mic
sherry dilling asked if i wanted to put on a show at ArtsAltoona
i said yes and thats how started the comeyd farm over a year ago
and I;ve been doing shows monthly every since. open mics showcasea and headliners
you have to take risk or you will learn nothing in life. Read more>>

Nick Jonczak

A year ago I moved from full time to part time at my well-paying tech job. I’ve worked with this organized for seven years, devoted my life to them for seven years, put my artistic career on hold in many ways for seven years, and after a series of events that made me feel really undervalued at my job, I decided it was time to change. I stepped down from leading a department of six people that I started and took a much less demanding (and less well-paying) role. It was a big financial risk for me to take -when I asked to move to part time, I was sure they would just fire me right then; I was prepared to find a job somewhere else- but I needed to start treating my artistic work as a career and a job. Read more>>

Rebecca Cooney

For years, I followed the path that felt stable: salaried jobs at group practices, W-2 safety, someone else handling the admin chaos. It was steady, predictable, and “safe.” But somewhere along the way, I started feeling boxed in. My caseload wasn’t quite the fit I wanted. I was passionate about trauma work, EMDR, nervous system healing — and I wanted more creative control, more space to shape the kind of therapy I believed in. Read more>>

Emilie McClain

For a long time, I put my art on the back burner. I put working stable jobs first and would continue to tell myself that “One day, in my dream home, I’ll have a studio and can paint all day, whenever I want. With loud music!”. I would literally think this everyday.

I think after a while the stress of staying in a job that left me emotionally exhausted started to outweigh the fear of not knowing what would be next. I figured if I was going to feel overwhelmed, I’d rather be overwhelmed doing something that actually mattered to me. So, I made a decision that terrifying decision we’ve all thought of doing once or twice and quit my job. And I won’t lie, sometimes it gives me some anxiety that I did that. I’ve only ever known “You don’t quit a job unless you have mother job lined up” side of things. I saw a quote on Pinterest and it said “No risk, no story” – and it has become my new motto. Read more>>

Marietta Patricia Leis

Because I began my creative life very early and worked professionally as a dancer and actress since my teens I feel I’ve always taken risks—auditioning, learning to stretch my abilities by learning new choreography and scripts and learning to work with new companies, in new locations with new people. I learned not to let fear of the unknown control my life. The day after I graduated high school I moved to NYC to study and work—even at odd jobs that supported me. I forfeited going to college at that time as I was eagar to ‘get started’—it was risky not to have a solid backup plan to fall back on but I did not want to ‘fall back’ I wanted to succeed. The good thing in retrospect was that I pursued making visual art between jobs to keep being creative and visual art later became my focus. Also resilency and tenacity became the name of the game. I was prepared to deal with anything that happened in my work and life. Read more>>

Jocelynn Johnson

I’ve always dreamed of hosting a dance production of my own, not running a studio, but creating something uniquely mine. I’ve been dancing since I was three years old, and in 2019, I launched Freedom Reigns Productions Dance Company (FRP) as a personal passion project. I funded everything myself, but when the pandemic hit, I had to shut it down. Read more>>

Claudia Zelaya

Being an entrepreneur is an inherent risk as your success is dependent on the whims of people you do not know. You have to be convincing, even compelling, that your product is worthwhile for a complete stranger to spend their earned dollars on. Starting a baby clothes boutique in Miami (Mi Petit Pois), where most moms buy from the mega brands, is no easy feat. It’s difficult, but it’s also meant to be. We don’t have a storefront which requires us to be creative, fun, and engaging through the digital sphere. This uncertainty is terrifying, especially after having quit my full-time job, but it’s well worth it as not having done so so would leave me with a feeling of regret. Read more>>

Jakobi Kyle

I took the risk to become a rapper about five years ago.. Read more>>

Jamael Rashod Shotomude

Well, the most important and biggest risk I’ve taken is my journey coming out here to Los Angeles from Atlanta, Ga. It was so scary because other than traveling, I haven’t lived anywhere else but home since birth. It was around the same time that I was also discovering what I wanted out of life and dealing with past legal troubles that barred me from living those dreams right at that moment. May of 2023 marked the season and date that I officially landed in LA, and to be honest didn’t have a dream at all that I have now. Read more>>

Whitney Duhart

One of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken was stepping away from the traditional 9–5 path to start my own business in the beauty and wellness industry—without a roadmap, mentor, or financial safety net. At the time, I was juggling a lot. I am a wife, a mother of two toddlers, and I was working multiple jobs just to keep things afloat. But I had a vision: to create something of my own that would help women feel confident, powerful, and seen. Read more>>

Lacy Clark

In 2014, I made the pivotal decision to step away from my career in professional education to become a stay-at-home mother and yoga instructor. Teaching has always come naturally to me, and my passion for educating children led me to pursue a Master’s degree in Education without hesitation. After the birth of my first child, I felt a strong desire to stay home and raise her. However, I also recognized the importance of maintaining a sense of personal fulfillment. This balance led me to begin teaching yoga—an activity I had loved since my teenage years—in the evenings, allowing me to be fully present with my daughter during the day. Read more>>

Victoria Azor

I’ve taken risks my whole life, but nothing compares to the leap I took nearly twenty years ago when I immigrated to the United States. I know it sounds like a cliché, but I truly arrived with just $200 in my pocket, barely any English, no family, no connections — just blind, fearless courage and a belief that I was meant for more. Read more>>

Kiffin McCoy-Albert

After being part of a corporate layoff, I started to look for my next role. Very quickly, I realized that perhaps this was the time to take the step to go out on my own. Having a husband that is also self-employed and in the early stages of business, I was the primary income. So, the idea of starting my business was a very scary prospect. We had to adjust our lifestyle and think differently about spending, but we decided it was worth the risk. My business is still less than a year old, but I am really happy working on building something of my own. Read more>>

Louis Kiss

During 1990 while still in college I had an opportunity to do an internship as a makeup fx artist on George Romero’s THE DARK HALF. My parents were completely against it as with everything I ever wanted to do. I filed for internship credits with my University and rented a room in Pittsburgh PA without officially having the job. Luckily within a few days I got the call for the gig, I’ve been working in the industry since, and are still best friends with those I worked with back then. Read more>>

Ashlee Richardson

Opening and operating a small business as a main source of income is always a risk; mine being no exception! It’s been a story of risks, but perseverence, and love for what I do have been the drivers and what make doing this work over a more secure line of work in a traditional Physical Therapy clinic or medical facility. Read more>>

Marc Payne

My family and I have just moved to GA from CA. In California I had a franchise gym and private training studio, but covid wiped out most of that unfortunately! I knew I wanted to do it again, The amazing feeling of having a community gym full of people all coming together for health and wellness is priceless, and I want to build it again here, so Here I go. Read more>>