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.

Lola Pickett

Two trips to the emergency room and numerous lab tests shed no light on why I had suddenly developed palpitations and a high heart rate. The doctors reported that my heart was perfectly healthy and my bloodwork was “enviable”… They told me my best course of action was to reduce stress and avoid caffeine. Read more>>

Nazli Takesh

This is a story that just took place! I have always been very logical and calculated in the steps I take in my business, and recently I decided to take a leap of faith. I let go of my stable job and have decided to jump in full time into my own business! I’ve been in the wellness industry for close to 10 years. I’ve explored the many corners of working in the San Diego yoga and wellness space, and it came to a point where it felt like now or never. I can either take a leap of faith in myself, my talents and expertise, or continue to work making other people’s dreams come true. Read more>> 

Katie Valadez

Picture this… the world is shutting down, your new business space isn’t totally built yet and you’re not sure if you will get to continue to be open. TBD April 2020, Family Connection Chiropractic opened it’s doors with a picnic table for a front desk, walls not completely built in the space, nothing decorated on the walls, and no glass on the private room window. Two years later, we’ve continued to serve families, thrive, and NOW have an beautiful front desk entry way, With a commitment to serving, loving and holding space for our members through ALL of life’s up’s and downs, we’ve continued to serve our community that we love and cherish. Read more>>

Holland Smith

I’d say risk-taking is my specialty. I used to think I wanted to take the path I saw everyone around me taking, but I’ve always struggled to keep myself confined to just one thing. When I graduated college I thought I had everything mapped out. I wanted to work a corporate job and be “normal.” So that’s exactly what I did. Read more>>

Patrick Jones

One of the biggest risks I’ve took was quitting my corporate job 20+ years ago without knowing “what was next”. I was in my late 30’s, had a great high-paying corporate job but hated it. I knew how easy it would be to just keep showing up and getting a pay-check: it wasn’t fulfilling and I knew I didn’t want to spend the next 20+ years doing it. So, being brought up in a environment of “stop complaining or do something about it”…..I did something about. Read more>>

Laina McWhorter

Opening a brick and mortar is risky business anytime, but it’s especially scary during times like these. After operating as a vintage pop up shop for the past three years in the metro Phoenix area, we decided to make the jump to opening a brick and mortar shop on Mill Avenue in downtown Tempe, Arizona. Going from a pop up shop to a brick and mortar requires a substantially greater financial investment, primarily because of the operating costs You must pay rent or a commercial mortgage, utilities, insurance, legal fees, the proper business licenses and so much more. Read more>>

Michelle Goss

It was March of 2020 and my horse guided life coaching business had taken a huge hit because of Covid. I lost all of my clients due to them losing their jobs and other issues caused by the pandemic. I found myself with having to pay for the feed for my horses and no clients. I spent most of 2020 “trying to figure out where I fit in the job world.” Read more>>

Samantha Murray

The biggest, most life changing risk I’ve ever taken hands-down goes to deciding to relocate and following through. There was a 3 month span of time from when we decided to move and actually doing so, and I think that part is key to my journey. I believe when it comes to risk, you can’t think too hard on it. It’s like a bandaid, you just have to rip it off. The longer you wait, the more you get in your own head and make the process more painful. Read more>>

Katie Amezquita

I would say the biggest risk I have taken in my business is leaving it. I was working as an independent stylist in Southern California and my husband and I decided to come to Phoenix and start over. We left all of the comfort we had; friends, family, and for me my amazing guests who had supported me throughout my career. Read more>>

LaRaisha Dionne

In 2019, my husband and I endured the heartbreak of a miscarriage. Our first. We were in jobs we were good at but didn’t love and in a house that was falling apart—a life that was falling apart. There was a moment right after the surgery to help my body continue its natural process of miscarrying that a lightning bolt like energy struck my body. Read more>>

McKlane Bobbitt

A risk… I would say the life-changing risk that comes to mind for me was when I decided to leave my corporate sales job in May 2020. At the time I had already planned on leaving my corporate job a few months before and taking the proper preparation‘s to make my transition as smooth as possible for my wife and I. Read more>>

Jennifer Hooper

I truly believe that you have to be willing to take risks in order to reap the rewards that life is willing to offer. I’ve taken several risks in my life. One, was when I left the safety net of my corporate job and decided to launch a business. I could no longer take the corporate “9 to 5.” I’d always been curious about starting a business but I knew that I’d never do it if I didn’t give myself a strong motivation, and quitting definitely provided that motivation! It also required dipping into my retirement funds at times to either pay some bills or invest in training, Read more>>

Mahalene Dulay

I started my career in financial services in 2007. For those reading this who remember what was going on in the market around that time (hello, housing bubble), it was not the easiest start for a recent college grad to build trust with people when it came to their money. The position itself was 100% commission and demanded 60-80 workweeks. Though I was (and still am) a highly motivated individual, the job was stressful in the first few years. Read more>>

April Denning

Ahh moving to Arizona! It was a wild ride. Just the risk of leaving the only place you’ve known as home. All your friends, family, and history really. It was January of 2020, so right before everyones lives got turned upside down. I had planned on moving somewhere out West in April, after graduation. In the same week every job interviewed I had lined up called to cancel as everyone was so unsure of the future. Fast forward to April back at her moms and a virtual graduation. Read more>>

Precious Thomas

I believe it was year 2019. I was frustrated with the industry. I had a great agent, I was sent out to some decent auditions not because of the role but the production company attached to the projects. On one hand, I started to feel overlooked and type casted. On the other hand I just didn’t understand why I was booking more (including paid roles) on my end (and still had to pay my agent her percentage) then my agent. I did not feel like this was a joint partnership. Read more>>

Phil Webster

I have been fascinated with shape, pattern, form, and geometry since at least junior high school. Early on I thought maybe I wanted to be an architect, but when I took an architectural drawing class in high school, I realized that I couldn’t care less about building codes and structural engineering, I just wanted to play with the shapes. Read more>>

Amara Russell

Becoming an Author and creating a brand that will turn into a successful business is a risk! You not only have to believe that what you have to offer will attract the right audience and sell, but you have to be willing to put in the work that comes with building a successful brand/business.That comes with lots of prayer and making sure you’re on the right path. The worse thing you want to do is start several projects just to make money, only to end up back where you started. If you’re going to take the risk, Read more>>

Sara Hoagey

I began my baking business while I was in jr high, I sold my products to family friends and was simply excited about the idea of what the business could be. I continued to make cakes and cookies in my free time and on my breaks in college. My business slowly expanded. After graduating college I took a job in Human Resources as a way to support myself while building my business. In March of 2020 I left my HR job. The following week the world shut down. I had taken a huge risk in moving from my consistent 8-5 job to relying on a business based on events. 2020 heavily impacted a lot of people, but the jump to leave a consistent job came at such a crazy time! Read more>>

Victoria Gore

I decided I wanted to start selling my handmade products when I was 20 weeks pregnant. I spent all my free time working on inventory for the “holiday season”. I knew I was going to be a single mom from the get go of pregnancy, so on top of working 60hr weeks, I worked endlessly on inventory. It was a very very slow start; it was trial and error on what crochet products people would want to purchase. Read more>>

Haley Newman

After being behind the chair for only a year, I decided to step out of a commission salon & become my own boss. My first initial thoughts were “this is going to go really good, or really bad”. Stepping out on your own as a stylist, or any sort of entrepreneur, is a scary feeling. I moved everything into my suite over the weekend, and started taking clients that following Tuesday. When my first client stepped through my doors, I felt an immediate breath of fresh air. Read more>>

Jerod Barker

Though I’ve had some really good turns come out of patience and diligence, some of my most rewarding experiences have come from taking risk. I changed my major to a field less practical than journalism, and now I couldn’t imagine possibly lasting in any other profession than art & design. Read more>>

Monica Weagel

When the pandemic began, I was working for a Hotel Management Company. I had been in the industry for 18 years and had worked my way to my goal- a Regional Director of Sales. I was proud of my title, I was proud of the paycheck. Read more>> 

Dorothy Gibbons

Answer: Looking at my history with The Rose, it’s easy to see the risks I was willing, albeit, unknowingly ready to make. As I tell my new employees, the good thing about The Rose is we make the decisions around our conference room table, we don’t have to wade through a lot of bureaucracy or wait for corporate to determine our fate. Read more>> 

Amita Bhatt

I think most artists will agree that art making involves taking risks…every day. Whether these are risks in their craft or their broader intellectual belief systems, most artists know that no good art has come out of safe practise. In that sense we are risk takers by nature. The world wouldn’t have their Pollacks and Picassos and Dalis had these artists not taken risks. Read more>>

Latasha Ingram

Whenever you write a plan and decide to execute that plan, you’re taking a risk. Being a business owner, and especially a business that caters to some of the greatest moments of people lives, you find yourself filled with emotions of gratitude. Being a baker is one of the most rewarding careers to have! Read more>>  

Javion Bishop

To be completely honest, my career as a musician has been full of risks. A constant flow of risks and failures, all for the sake of something I believe in. My life & career have been a constant unbalanced playing field of give & take, and managing to only see fractions after giving everything. Read more>>

Jerry Morka

Everyday is a new risk being taken. For me the biggest risk so far would be moving out of my hometown to a different city to seek bigger & better opportunities. Read more>>

Abigail Taylor

I think being a musician or an artist includes taking risks in all forms. The biggest risk for me though, personally, is my songwriting. Read more>>

Kera Asberry

I took the risk moving to New York City. I am a small town girl and everyone doubted that I would make it in the Big Apple. I wanted to move there mainly because I had two degrees in fashion but also to prove to myself that I could do it. My boss at the time put in my head that he could see me as a New Yorker and felt I would succeed there. Read more>>

 Milan Vracaric

I was born and raised in Serbia, Europe. I always believed that being kind is the right way to live. Through the 16 years of going to school people were telling me that I am way to kind, and that I should change this. After graduating college, for the first time in my life, I actually started thinking that these people might be right. Read more>>

Chanel Divine

Sometimes in life if you want great change you have to take even greater risks. I took a life changing leap of faith when I quit my job as a nurse to pursue my passions in a more spiritual based career. I knew it was time to go because my soul could not stand another minute working in the field. It became a burden that was weighing very heavy on me with every ounce of energy given to that situation. Read more>>

Laraya Williams

Since I turned 16 I’ve always had a job. From fast food to retail, I’ve always kept myself busy and put a big focus on being self reliant. I’ve grown with many companies and dedicated so much of myself to building someone elses business. Read more>>

Anthony Rayburn

Considering most of my assignments take me abroad, the ever changing travel restrictions made my work much more complicated. Most of the time these shoots involve a production crew & clients, all traveling from different locations. Read more>>

Dionne Hook

After having many challenges (in terms of budget restrictions), I decided to put some money into a birthday party In was having for my daughter. I wanted to show that I could actually make it work. Read more>> 

Yesenia Alegria

Coming from a background of being a very shy child it was very hard for me to make friends when I was in school. I would always be excluded from events and birthday parties. I remember this one day in elementary school one of the girls was having a birthday party and I was the new kid to top it off, she was asking one of her friends of who they should invite and I’ll never forget her mentioning my name and the other girl saying no she’s to shy and quiet. That broke my heart. Read more>>

Gladys Mezrahi

After 35 years of planning events, I came to realize that I was losing my passion. That fire that I always had was being extinguished by the clients. The event industry is a very complex profession. It takes many parts to come together and we, as strategists and planners depend on 99% of the plan’s execution on others. Read more>>

Bryan Montenegro

As an artist, taking risks is something we do on a daily basis. They come in different sizes. A small risk can be trying a new style, or experimenting with new tools. It’s the larger risks that can really make an artist sweat. I think the biggest risk I took was quitting my day job. Read more>> 

Janice Graham

When I began working at Casa Valentina as the Education Director, I knew that the concept of ‘success’ had to evolve to include a more complex spectrum of human exceptionality. My focus originally was solely on education, with my goal being to ensure all youth were enrolled in school in some fashion. Read more>> 

Nicole Miller

I took a break during 2020 due to Covid. Going back into the Wellness world during a global health crisis as a small business owner in May 2021 was a necessary yet interesting challenge to grow through. I have been operating a Massage Therapy business for many years, and the challenges and hurdles small businesses face today are much different in nature than before. This required a much different look at what I wanted to do as an operational, touch-based business. Read more>> 

Jenna Palmer

I started The Taste Report a little over two years ago, with food and coffee as my content focus. I’ve always loved finding new and fun places to eat or have coffee, so this was an exciting endeavor for me to pursue. At around the one year mark, I started to feel like I wanted to do more than just food content. I really enjoyed seeing lifestyle influencers share their lives, their favorite things, and really connect with their audience on a deeper level than just the material. With that kind of sharing comes a huge risk. Read more>> 

Sergio Santamaria

I was previously employed in Fire Alarm installation and was getting paid very well. I had it all figured out for a regular American lifestyle. Great pay, all bills paid, 401k, and an amazing credit score. I felt like i was doing everything right for what most would say is the life that should be lived, but I was far from happy. Im an artistic soul always dreaming of creating and felt so far from being my true self. I was able to get the opportunity to create content for a business. Read more>>

Jon Marro

I’ve been an artist my whole life. From my parent’s getting divorced, to global events – art is how I sense make the world. Most often I don’t even know how I feel about something until I make art about it. When September 11th happened – it burst my worldview bubble pretty drastically and I began having what I’ll call “visions.” What was interesting was up until that point, all of my ideas always came to me as a single image. I’d see them mostly fully formed in my head, and then I’d set out to draw or design them. Read more>>

Alex Brzozowski

My business was still in the “infancy” stage so had debt, barely enough cash flow to cover monthly bills and was running from client to client, wearing all the “hats” in the company to the point of exhaustion. At the same time, I decided to leave my 11 year relationship with someone who also had a partial ownership interest in my business which finally came to an end too. Making a big decision and investment in the business or myself was far from my mind and not something I thought would be a good idea. I was scared, worried about not bringing in enough money to cover expenses, and my energy was completely depleted. I had lost sight of where the business and I were heading. Read more>>

Trillizos Torres Pacheco

The biggest risk that we’ve taken in our lives both as individuals and as triplets was to be artists, all three of us! To be honest, a degree in Fine or Visual Arts is not something that will guarantee a weekly income or constant salary compared to other professional careers, but our decision to take our talent further than a simple hobby was a turning point in our lives, even though we were aware of the challenges that an artist might face. Read more>>

Alex Emery

It all started with all of us, the whole world once the pandemic hit in 2020. At this time, I was the Executive Chef for the Hilton Del Mar and we had one of the most talented teams I formed with past friends and colleagues seeking the same ultimate goal; happiness and success. I teamed up with my collegeu and friend Adam Schink which at the time he was the Food and Beverage Director. It took us countless hours and dedication to produce quality results , from revamping the banquet program to introducing intimate tasting menus at our beautiful property. Read more>>

Jennifer Sullivan

The biggest risk one can take is not only to be vulnerable in their craft, but to also share it with others. As one of the many hurdles to face as an artist, with the support from my peers, I was able to put my art out there full time in 2020. My father passed early that year in 2020. His impact on my art will have the greatest to this day. He purchased an art piece I made just a few months before his passing. He always taught me, if you have the drive anything is possible. Read more>>

Tommy Galan

Risk taking has always defined my life. I don’t jump out of planes, or drive fast cars, but I do tend to jump and move fast in life choices. As an undergraduate student, I took a chance and went to law school. Six months after I graduated, I quit my job at a law firm, signed a two-year lease on an office in Manhattan, signed a mortgage on an apartment, and with $10,000 total to my name (not to mention $65,000 in student loans), Read more>>

Joshua Hector

Back in the beginning of 2019 i was working for a construction company working either the morning shift, the night shift, or some days both. Even though the money was good, I completely depleted all possible time to be creative. I had to pass on incoming gigs, & deny shows as an artist, until i eventually found myself hating the job. Read more>>

Wendy L. Anderson

I’ve known since I was 10 years old that I wanted to be a writer. At that age, I started writing poetry and knew then, that I wanted to do more writing; short stories and books. I never lost that desire. As my life progressed, I had to face the fact that I would never make a living as a writer and pursued a career as a paralegal to keep a roof over my head. After I married, there simply wasn’t time to write, but then as my two boys grew up, I realized if I was ever going to give writing a real shot, I’d better get busy. Read more>>

Dr. David & Sheryl Iszler

No growth happens in your comfort zone. We had a successful chiropractic practice and weight loss center in Casper, WY. However, after 24 years of practicing there, we were ready for a change. We had been vacationing in the Phoenix area for several years and fell in love with the Valley, developing several close friendships in the area. Read more>>