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.

Nancy Alonso

I wanted to do something I was flexible with my family. Being able to work on my schedule is a blessing. Being with my children is a very big part of my life and I did not want to change that. I schedule everyone at my time and when I’m available. A risk every entrepreneur has to take but if its worth it to the person it can work. Read more>>

Joshaline Douglas

At 6 years old, I entered the foster care time. It was a time of uncertainty, trauma, and hurt. As I grew older, I internalized that pain and it showed up in my behavior but one thing I was always gifted in was academics. I knew I was destined for greater. So, around 17 years old I graduated high school early and decided I wanted to go to college. Read more>>

Kristen McCabe

It’s hard for me to pick just one risk that I’ve taken in my life, but two stand out. Read more>>

Michel’le Lewis

I decided to take a risk and quit my day job about nine years ago to pursue the fashion industry full time! I had just had my son Hunter and was working dead end jobs. I would go into work soooo miserable and unhappy! Not because the job was bad, but because it wasn’t what my heart desired. I knew deep down that I needed to take a leap of faith and follow Gods lead! Read more>>

Jodi Jill

Puzzles have become the backstory (and finally the job of creating) in my life. What really pushed me into puzzles was the idea of wanting to share something I felt so compassionate about with others. Over 25 years ago I took a huge risk and shared how much I loved puzzles with the world. I created a day, always celebrated in January on the same day of my special day, is the time to solve, play and chat about puzzles….National Puzzle Day. Read more>>

Will Franco

I made the decision to follow my dreams and opened my own fashion design studio after graduating from University rather than going to work for someone else. During school, I interned with a few designers where I made my first connections in the Los Angeles fashion district. It was a huge financial risk as I did not have any clients or stylists at the beginning. Read more>>

Caroline Pace

I guess one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken in my life has to be moving to New York City after only having lived in Middle Tennessee. I was born and raised in Franklin, TN (if you’ve seen the Hannah Montana movie – that’s it!) and I don’t think I ever considered a life where I didn’t end up in either New York or LA in the film/television industry one way or another. It was never a question of “if” and more a question of, or a beckoning of, “when”. Read more>>

Isabel Benson

I knew I needed to take a risk when the current job I was in doing healthcare wasn’t making me feel good or challenged. I knew it was time to switch careers after hearing from several of my peers and friends that I was meant to do bigger and better things and that it would come to me eventually. My girls have always been my greatest motivation to keep reaching for the stars and I started looking for a new job in sales. Read more>>

Lacrisha Thomas

Taking RISK: Builds Beast In You……. Read more>>/

Prior to 2021 I was working as a fashion stylist assistant/photographer at a company called DRJAYS, in San Diego. I enjoyed working there and I learned a lot about styling. That time spent in quarantine, I realized that I was not fulfilled in the way I use to be when I had first started my journey as a fashion stylist in 2017. Granite, I have always loved fashion and as a little kid I swore up and down I was going to be a stylist, even though I had no idea what that was or meant. Read more>>

Kyla Hallums

2021 i led my first ever empowerment retreat in Costa Rica! I only had 4 people sign up and was going to lose money, but I decided to take the risk. I knew I wanted to lead retreats and follow this new path of empowering people but I was TERRIFIED. I put things on my credit card and made it work. Read more>>

Allyshia Gupta

“Lets teach our daughters to worry less about fitting into glass slippers and more about shattering glass ceilings”. Read more>>

Laura Evans

I wanted to work in TV News since I was in 7th grade. So working my way up to a job as anchor in a Top 10 TV market (Washington, D.C.) was a dream come true. I spent 25+ years on the front line of some of the biggest stories of our time – from 9/11 to the DC sniper attacks. I led coverage of election nights, presidential inaugurations and the Bush/Gore recount. Read more>>

Danielle Arce

I took a risk with my comedy career when I went through a divorce in my early 30s. It was fairly devastating, but it forced me to become a phoenix and rise up from the ashes and shine. I went through such a dark period during that time personally, that it made me briefly question what exactly it was that I was doing with my life. Read more>>

Tina Butt

I have worked in the medical field for over 20 years and can say that I loved what I did as a Nurse Practitioner. That was up until 2020 when the Pandemic hit. This is when I saw a drastic change in the medical profession. I started to see unhappy faces in the hallways of the hospitals; long waits to see a medical provider; concerned staff voicing their unhappy thoughts in front of and to anyone who would listen. Read more>>

Jim Louvau

Every day living in the art work is taking a risk. Technology, vibes, music, and people change on a constant basis. I’m just trying to run through burning houses just to see if I can make it out alive Read more>>

Liz Faraimo

In 2018 I found myself standing in the middle of a great life that I had created. I had a wonderful career, married to my college sweetheart with 2 amazing kids, a home and happiness. But for some reason, I felt like something was missing. My career was good but it no longer felt fulfilling. The work I was doing was no longer aligned with my hearts passion to do something that made a massive difference for people. Read more>>

Socorro Herrera

The biggest risk I’ve taken was starting my business during the pandemic. I opened up a women’s only small group training classes from my home garage. Read more>>

BRKFST Dance Company

Founded in 2014, BRKFST Dance Company is a group made of 7 breakers (breakdancers) that use the dance form on theater stages. Breaking is traditionally performed in battles in cyphers (dance circles that can occur anywhere) and organized competitive events. Since the birth of Hip Hop and breaking in he 1970s, the main way to earn any kind of money with this dance form was to either take a gamble on winning competitions (oftentimes, it is all or nothing, with sometimes thousands of dollars on the line), judging events, performing for the community or teaching. Read more>>

By Design Interiors, Inc

Throughout our career, we are faced with design challenges that involve us taking big risks within our projects. It can be very stressful yet is one of the most exciting parts of our job! We work with a wide range of clientele with differing lifestyle needs, preferences, budgets, and styles which often brings about unforeseen challenges and big risks to create the exact, personalized design they want. However, without taking big risks, the reward (a.k.a final design) isn’t nearly as sweet! Below is a recollection where our senior designer, Ashton Joseph, took a big design risk: Read more>>

Steven Bolds

Sharing my artwork has been the biggest risk I’ve taken in my artistic journey. It’s daunting to release your creations into the world, fearing they may not be good enough or not worth the effort. However, I have come to realize that creating art for the sake of creating is enough. Regardless of your skill level or experience, creating art that holds personal meaning is worth sharing with others. Read more>>wqqqaq

Grace & Matt Grooms

Prior to walking across the United States we went all in ourselves and decided to sell almost all of our possessions and pack our lives into a baby jogging stroller we named Timmy. With no other plan then to walk coast to coast from CA to SC, we got out of apartment lease and began walking our first steps of our 2,858 mile walk across the country. Read more>>

Sevn Strickland

I took a risk of quitting my job to pursue my career as a cake artist. In 2020 Covid hit and everything closed down. I was a freelance make up artist. I started losing business because there was a multi state wide emergency and shutdown. No one could come out therefore events were canceled and no one needed to be glammed up! I started working at Ulta and it wasn’t for me at all. I was overworked and treated poorly. So I quit and never looked back. Read more>>

Chance Bledsoe

When I’m Taking risks it shows me that I can do whatever i put my mind to always told myself I gotta make decisions on what type of risk I can take for my future of being a photographer so I could be better each and every day .. taking risk is an essential aspect of personal growth, professional success, and overall fulfillment. It may feel daunting at certain times, but it’s ok to take risk even if it don’t make sense stepping outside my comfort zones that discover my true potential and achieving remarkable goals … Read more>>

Crystal Dorado

The biggest risk I took was inspired by my father. I was working at a spa in the south loop of Chicago when my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was in need of a liver transplant in addition to his diagnosis, and the doctor gave him months to live. We were told that he probably wouldn’t live to see his 50th birthday. Read more>>

Rachel Galati

As far back as I can remember, I was always subconsciously interested in hair and fashion history. Growing up in a conservative household meant we were restricted in every way possible to control what we were exposed to. I grew up watching the censored sanitized films from the 30s-70s and some 80s, and 90s G only films. Read more>>

Elishéva

Hi! My name is elishéva, I was born in Paris and raised in Tahiti. My dad was a doctor in the French military (hence Tahiti) and accidentally inspired my 4 siblings to also become medical professionals. I, however, was inspired to heal people in a different way. I was never exposed to music growing up, so when I had to take choir as a high school graduation requirement, I was distressed haha. Read more>>

Diana Giovinazzo

There is nothing safe about writing a novel. Every time I set out to tell another story, it feels a bit like jumping off a cliff. As a writer, I am always wondering if a publisher will purchase my next book or if the next book will be well received. In a way, being in this industry feels like being an adrenaline junkie. Every novel comes with its own form of risk. It’s beautiful and terrifying all at the same time. Read more>>

Carissa Moore

Going full-time with my business was a major risk. I’ve been both a professional and hobbyist photographer for about 10 years, but was always afraid to commit to running my business full-time. I was fortunate to spend a few years in Europe working as a Creative Media Director and honed my craft of everything visual arts (photography, videography, graphic design, web design, etc.) but like many young professionals, I hit a wall and found myself horribly burned out. I decided it was best to come back to the States and build my life while working a typical 9-5. Read more>>

DTM Harris

When my teacher gave me my first recognition and pushed me to keep writing; I started right then and there. First with poems, then storytelling, then I began focusing on novels. Read more>>

Assaf Raz

2020 changed my life. Shortly before the year started, we were pushing along a years-long plan to move up to Oregon and live in nature. We found a town, bought a house, and dreamed about our would-be farm. When the pandemic hit, we faced the option of financial ruin, which shuffled all our cards. Gone was the plan to move out, and instead, we focused on keeping all that we built. Read more>>

Jacque Ryal

I have always been in a band. Read more>>

Lorenzo Pozzan

Risk goes hand in hand with the person and artist I am and have always wanted to be, taking a leap with a vision in mind and catching the blessings on the magical trajectory that ensues. It was a risk to move across the planet, from Italy to NYC and LA, so far away from my family, friends and prior references, but it seemed like the best way to broaden the possibility of what my life could be. Read more>>

Haley Gashi

Taking (calculated) risks is something everyone should do in life. It is especially important in the creative field to trust your gut and leap into projects that feel right. One of the biggest risks I took when starting my career was taking on the role of co-producer for a long-term film project. Read more>>

Melinda Barragan

The biggest risk I have taken was starting my own business. After losing my job in 2020 and struggling to find a new one I decided I would begin working on opening up my online store in 2021. As I was working full time in my new job, I would also spend time planning and researching until I launched Chula Glamour in September of 2021. Using my own savings and quitting my job, I embarked on this journey of entrepreneurship with hopes and dreams of it growing and getting our brand out there. Read more>>

Leah Blanchard

The first significant risk I took was when I decided to start my consignment shop as a single mom. At that moment, I was filled with a mix of emotions – fear, doubt, but also a burning desire to make a positive change. I looked at the world, which seemed to be in turmoil, and wondered if it was the right time to bring a child into it. However, I made a conscious choice not to let fear guide my decisions but rather to lead a life driven by love. Read more>>

Shannon Truax

There’s a popular idea that we don’t regret the the things we did as much as we regret the things we didn’t do at the end of our lives. Having witnessed many deaths and been there at the end of patient’s lives as an ICU nurse, I can say that this is probably a true statement. I have asked so many elderly patients what advice they would give to the younger generation and the common theme was “TRAVEL!” Read more>>

Oliver Stellfox

– Started a community of creatives during the pandemic – Love to make the impossible possible. A byproduct of this mentality is that it motivates anyone with a dream to make it a reality Read more>>

ImJust Dane

The biggest risk I’ve taken in life has to do with who I am today. Everyone knows music is not an easy path to undertake and it’s very competitive. I took the risk to go out on my own and become a household name in the music industry. For a long time I have been creating music and performing shows at the behest of different venues and talent agencies. Read more>>

Teresa Calderon Rouse

I’ve taken many risks, I’m a careful risk taker if you will, the first was to go to school to be a M.A., that landed an 8 year career at the same cardio office. Which paid off pretty well, I believe without that risk I would have never taken my second risk which was taking a step back from that to pursue Esthetics school. This landed me a career as a lash tech. Read more>>

Tha Sage

Sometime in life we are faced with adversities. They can either pull you under the tide and drown out your spirit or present an opportunity; depending on your perception. With all opportunity though, comes with risk involved. When Covid hit the world like a plauge it affected every aspect of everyones life including my own. Read more>>

Meagan Myhren-Bennett

I’ve always loved putting word to paper, but sharing it was always a scary prospect. I applied to a dedicated writing program when I was 16. I didn’t tell anyone I was doing this. I never shared my dream of writing.; it seemed too personal. And once the secret was out, there was no going back. Read more>>

Autumn Cyr

I am a full-time visual artist and musician. Though I’ve been working on developing and improving my skills as an artist consistently for around 10 years now, I decided to leave my steady position as a griddle cook at the Baker in beautiful downtown New Bedford in early 2021 to pursue art full-time. This was a massive risk. I was diving head first into the unknown. I knew I wanted art to be my career of choice, I knew I only wanted to create, but I felt grossly underprepared. Read more>>

Karen Romine

Was it God? I could clearly hear a voice say Karen, and then the voice said it again. I was home alone, upstairs, working on a spreadsheet for a tech company – completely NOT focused on hearing voices! Somehow I felt at that moment that the voice was filled with love and compassion so I was not afraid. And, if I am completely honest, it wasn’t the first time I had heard a voice, I had heard them since I was a child. It was just the first time it had seemed to come from outside of me. Read more>>