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.

Daniel Martinez

Prior to Covid, I was a real estate photographer with a successful business. I grew my business and was able to support my family for the past 7 years. When Covid arrived I knew this could potentially be the end of my business. With the mask mandates and worse the shutdown, I knew right away my work would slowly disappear. I jumped into action finding another way to support my family. I started planning to get into something I always wanted to try and knew the risk would be high. Sure enough, when the shutdown happened all work stopped coming including my income. Read more>>

Cole Alexander Mills

I have been taking risks my whole life, and so I guess I have taken for granted how daunting taking a risk can be throughout the different stages in one’s life. You can plan, coordinate, and calculate the outcome of a risky situation, or you can trust yourself to handle whatever it is and just go for it. You can guess which type I am by the end of this. There is nothing wrong with either approach, but it is crucial to know the situation at hand before making any decisions. Read more>>

D. C. Gomez

One of the biggest risks I have taken was decided to self-published. For most of my life, I have been a storyteller. Creating stories and new worlds is something that comes natural to me. But for years I had been pushing my creative side down. I was busy building a career and following the American Dream. After years of hard work, I had everything my parents wanted for me, the job, the house, the recognition, and yet I was miserable. Read more>>

Jacqueline Medeiros

Sometimes I feel like as an artist I take risks all of the time. “If I paint this will is sell?” You don’t know so it’s a risk of time and money but you have to do it because you never know WHAT will sell. I have just learned to paint what I am passionate about and trust that my work will find the right clients. “If I do this outdoor show will I sell anything?” The majority of time I sell more after a show through the contacts I make. It’s tough to not see sales from a show you’ve invested time and money in. Read more>>

William Van Dusen

During the economic downturn of 2006 the company I worked for moved everyone to part time. My interest had also turned to fixing older homes – I had a good job with benefits but I wasn’t satisfied with the work. I took out a second on my house and used the extra time to build a shop and acquire machinery. I slowly developed my business and by 2010 I left my position with the security and benefits to focus solely on my new business. As a sole-proprietor I could now work nights and weekends – but without the benefits and overtime pay. Read more>>

sharon Richard

For as long as I can remember I’ve dreamt of having a gift store. While working full time for a local school district in 2019, I started to work Sunday afternoon in the store to “get a feel for it”… Then in 2020 sadly the owner of the store passed away unexpectedly leaving the stores future in uncertainty. Covid had taken its toll on a lot of small businesses but Tulip had managed to hang in there. I found out that unless someone was going to take over the store it would close within the year. Read more>>

Estelle Harford

Risks are not easy to take. They are uncomfortable and are typically outside of what is considered the norm. My career path has been mostly based upon not being afraid to take on risk, while knowing there will be a greater reward on the other side. There aren’t a lot of people in my field, but this did not stop me. Read more>>

Cara Brzezicki

Growing up, I was always pretty creative. I am not sure I was always celebrated for my creativity, so I tried to stay in the box that people expected of me. I was pretty quirky (still am ) and that can be considered “weird” and “not normal” for when I was growing up. I thought after college I was going to stick with being a realtor because I loved homes and everything about them (still do!). Read more>>

Sara Nicole Tynan

In January of this year 2022 I decided I wanted to be more present with my kids and husband so I planned to stop taking on extra gigs. I had been doing a lot of party yoga teaching, group sound baths; making more commitments to expand my yoga business. As soon as I got clear on how I wanted that to look (teach yoga a few times a week and be with the family all the other times) I heard a very clear message from the Lord. Read more>>

Neil McAlister

Everything started about a month after I got my first job in the industry at the Mint Cafe. The state sent me a letter kicking me out of the industry due to past circumstances and because of that I was banned from the industry for 7 1/2yr. I was not allowed to work in a dispensary or with any company that sold any products. Read more>>

Katheryn YellowHorse

The biggest risk I’ve ever taken occurred just last year. I’ve always been dependent on reputable tattoo shops to survive, ever since 2008 when I began my apprenticeship journey. Last year I made the decision to branch out on my own and run my own studio. For years I have always pushed myself to represent my shops and the owners I worked for, recently, and by complete accident, I now have the opportunity to represent myself and my name. Read more>>

Nora Moses

My first risk ever taken was when I left my medical office job in 2015 that I had been at for 8 years. I decided to pursue a medical sales position. I had no experience in medical sales at all but the owner of the company at the time saw something in me that I didn’t so she took a chance on me. I was very burnt out at my current job and needed a change and this was the best change I could have made for myself. It made me realize how much more I could be doing with my life and still help other people in the process. Read more>>

Vincent Lundi

One of the biggest risks I’ve taken is deciding to start my own filmmaking business. I worked as a full time employee for several years at Best Buy’s Geek Squad. That job was great, and I did learn a lot, but I was left feeling unfulfilled knowing that I wasn’t truly pursuing my passion. After years of feeling like I was stuck in a rut, I made the decision to go all in on myself and start my filmmaking business. Read more>>

Katie Leiler

I’ve always had some “risk-taker” in my blood, and I’ll get to that, but first, let me start with this. I typically don’t like to do anything if I don’t have a good chance of winning. I wasn’t a fan of playing a game or a sport if I didn’t think I could win. If you’re like me, you don’t like the thought of losing – at anything! My number one personality strength, according to Clifton Strengths Finder, is competition. Read more>>

Frank Arnold

Just deciding to become an artist was a huge, life changing risk, the biggest of all, coming to Cabo and building a studio, gallery and home. We are told our whole young life to do well in school so we can earn a living. I felt an internal push to do art and a bigger push to make it my life . I didn’t understand the idea of finding myself when I was younger, but came to realize the meaning of that concept. So many people would be happier if  Read more>>

Gina Stenback

Taking risks has been at the cornerstone of the foundation of my life (both personal and business). This RISK story defined a lot of what my life (and business) is today. Let me take you back to December of 1996, Columbus Oh, right before my college graduation. My plan was simple: graduate, go see my family in Puerto Rico for a month, then move to Brazil. One of my degrees was in Portuguese, the others were general enough to work in any industry that I would’ve here in the states. So, why not? I was most certainly done living in Ohio… or so I thought. Read more>>

Angelica Sammons

My entire career has been one risk after another. The thing about being in the food service business is it’s risky on a great day for a well funded venture with investors and a cushion to fall back on. For people like me that scraped the bottom of the barrel to get started without a safety net are hanging by a thread. It’s a brutal world. That being said, I would do it again, and again, and again!! Read more>>

Michael Kelly

My move from New Jersey to Texas. Back in 2011 is when I gave my life to Christ. When i got saved, i asked God for the faith of Abraham. That’s when my journey started. One day in church I heard God say to me “I want you to write for me” so I began writing plays. I wanted to get in the industry a little more, so I began my acting career as well. From 2013-2015 I’ve worked with celebs like Nick Cannon, Theo Rossi and even Sage The Gemini. Read more>>

RAINY Womack

Taking a risk as a designer from my previous brands with trials and errors, deciding to take a slight pause to create this new fashion house, Tell The Truth. It is all cut-and-sew which would not have been able to happen had I not moved to Los Angeles and met the people I did by going Downtown and making the connections/building relationships needed to have full production state-side. Read more>>

Stacey Elise Haught

For fourteen years I was dedicated to one career. I spent my entire life pouring everything I was into this career, and I loved it with everything I had. My career as an Acting Instructor and Coach was my identity, and regardless of what life threw at me, I knew that I had a home in my theatre, and that studio was protection. A safeguard. It was a place I grew up, where I learned what it meant to tell stories and how to be. Well. Me. Read more>>

Zetti Carnell

It’s 3am in the morning in Dallas , when I’m awoke from a beckoning voice within me. I can still see the street light flickering through my blinds as ,I reach for the lamp next to me and turn the light on. Something is stirring me, as I sit straight up in bed, When I hear the words ” your best decisions got you here.” Weeks proceeding this I had been questioning my life’s purpose and what I was doing with myself and how I ended up alone , Read more>>

stacie zollars

Where to start? I go back to January of 2021. I made a life changing decision that left me close to homeless. I left a toxic place in my life and needed to find work – fast! I had no savings, maxed out credit cards, and $4,000 worth of expenses left for the month of January. I had no time to freak out, only time to figure out my next steps leaving emotion out of the equation. I took a large risk leaving a place I was comfortable, dependent upon, and financially secure for 6 years to a place I had to hustle to make rent on my own. Read more>>

Redcoat Kid

Starting a business is never easy, in fact it can be one of the scariest things a person would ever do. It requires a lot of thought, preparation, planning, and an immense amount of drive to just get off the ground. My business partner and I were living in Atlanta, GA when we had the idea to start our own Company, Sound Valley Studios, in the Phoenix AZ area. Read more>>

Tabatha Shipley

When I left teaching, a career I had worked in for sixteen years, in order to focus on my writing and publishing, it was a huge risk. Writing is not always consistent; ideas come to you in strange waves, not every idea gets finished to your level of quality, and it’s not always possible for an idea to find a market. But I also knew that not having the time to dedicate to marketing the books would be a complete nightmare. I knew that I wanted to be able to work on the next idea, edit the most recent piece of writing, and market the old things all at the same time. Read more>>

CYNTHIA TOLBERT

When my business partner decided to leave our business, I had to make the choice to dissolve the business with her, or continue on my own. As we both had very distinct roles in the business, it meant that I would have to take on every aspect of the business, including many areas in which I had little to no experience. After careful thought, I decided to jump in with two feet and take on this immense challenge. One of my favorite quotes summed it up: “Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid to not try.” Read more>>

Theresa Hansen

Opening the first yoga studio in Cheyenne, WY was a risk. At that time, almost 10 years ago, yoga was not as mainstream as it is today. Folks in Wyoming had heard of yoga and what some instructors called yoga (glorified stretching), but were unfamiliar with a true yoga studio and yoga practice. I was met with a lot of resistance in the beginning, people believed yoga would conflict with their religious views and practices without any willingness to have an open mind around the concept of yoga. Even still many people will comment that what I offer is demonic and it conflicts with religious beliefs. Read more>>

Chris Mitchell

A few years ago I was struggling to balance the responsibilities of my job in the food service industry with my dream of using my passion for art to create a meaningful career and business. It seemed like every time there was an opportunity for an art show, market or anything that would benefit my art dreams, there would be a conflicting event, party, or no one to cover me at my day job.  Read more>>

Julia Harper

The focus of my work is changing brains and minds using the science of neuroplasticity. What I know for sure is that no change happens unless the brain and mind are prompted to do so through the mechanism of discomfort. And, what’s more uncomfortable than taking a risk? So, to ‘walk my talk’, I often find myself living on the edges of things, taking risk, whether it’s with my personal style, with new experiences and MOST especially in my professional life. Read more>>

Jasmine Brown

I must say that I have taken many risks in my life, one that sticks out was my moving from Georgia to Arizona. In the year 2018, I was living in a beautiful luxury designed apartment with my partner at the time. Recently graduated from Graduate School, working in the field as a community based counselor. I was surrounded by supportive friends and family. Read more>>

Fharren Mason

To begin, I’d just like to say THANK YOU GOD! I took a risk of starting my business in February 2018 and uprooting myself and my two sons to Texas for better opportunities in October 2020. I took the risk of starting my business because it was heavy on my heart and literally all I thought about. The signs had been there, but being that I was going through life I used it as an excuse to prolong starting up. Read more>>

Charlie Piermarini

With many years of formal science and medical training, there was never once a mention of the Endocannabinoid System. So, while I was practicing Pain Management and witnessing patients using CBD and Cannabis products, I thought they just wanted to get high- not knowing the REAL science behind it. Like most medical professional my eduction was void of any training about Cannabis or our own Endocannabinoid System, so I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Read more>>

Austin Sprinz

It all started back when I was creating fun dance videos on an app musically back in 2017. I loved creating a video that represented my personality and sharing it with the world. After creating videos on musically for a couple months, I gained traction and grew to 30,000 followers. It was at this point that I started putting my focus back on school and spots and stopped creating videos. A year later, I heard that musically was turning into Tiktok. I came back to musically final week and realized that all the old people I use to watch that were small creators had grown to become famous celebrities. The secret was they didn’t stop when I did. Read more>>

Patrice Buckley

The biggest risk I’ve taken was moving from TN to Texas. Previously I was a mental health educator and I wasn’t fulfilled with my job. After having a conversation with my dad he told me to flip a coin, and that is exactly what I did. If it landed on heads I was going to stay and stick it out, if it landed on tails I was going to move on. I picked a random quarter from my purse and it landed on tails and the state on the back was TX so I decided right then and there on July 21, 2020 that I was moving to TX, specifically Houston. I didn’t have any friends or family there, but I just knew that is where I needed to be. Read more>>

Angie May

My husband and I and our 2 kiddos lived in Phoenix for 11 years where my husband was a college basketball coach. I had just finished my masters in counseling when he lost his job. After a year of being out of coaching, he got a job offer in Oklahoma City. In reality I needed to get a job asap to help with the move and bills. Having my masters in counseling and my certification in the Enneagram personality assessment I took the risk and started my own coaching company. Read more>>

Kelly Bennett

I’m a worrier, I’m anxious, and I’m a serious overthinker. I’ve lived a pretty full life but let me tell you that everything I have ever done (like backpacking around Europe for a summer) came with MONTHS of planning. Making sure I covered every little detail. This is just how my brain works. It’s served me well, but it also inhibits me sometimes too. I can never be quite as carefree with my decisions as I would like. Read more>>

Nikki Ewing

The last semester of undergrad I began taking yoga more seriously. Because of this I knew I wanted to share my journey and that is what I began to do via blogging. Once I secured what I thought would be my dream job I quickly learned the field I was in was not for me. I began to get harassed, called out, and questioned about everything from personal life choices to what I did in the office. Once things began to get too uncomfortable for me I began my exit plan. Read more>>