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.

Ava Lynn Wood

For years, I worked on my first manuscript, writing and rewriting scenes, pushing for that perfect product. You see, I’m a perfectionist when it comes to my own work and no matter how much I edit or re-edit a story, it’s never truly perfect in my eyes, but as some point you have to take a breath and just let go. After eight years of working on my first story, I struggled with what to do. I agonized over whether I was ready to publish and if I had the patience to wait for an agent and then a publisher to accept my work. I went back and forth, trying to figure out the best approach to publishing my book, but it took a chance meeting with a group of independently published authors to change my life and the way I saw the publishing industry. Read more>>

Lourdes Aviñó

I have always been someone who pushed the boundaries; however, in a way that I knew I could still succeed. As the only female on my father’s side of the family, the boys were often included in sports and adventurous activities, while I was told that I should stay inside. Read more>>

Aleah Durkee and Abel Layug

We started out as dancers at The Facility Dance Studio back in 2018. We rapidly became more involved with the studio and took on more responsibilities and projects. When the pandemic hit, we kept going and never stopped finding safe ways to continue dancing. We had online classes, and we were one of the first studios in San Diego to offer outdoor classes. Read more>>

Jocelyn Johnson

I officially started trying to be a creative at 22. I was graduating from Emory University and I had been telling my family I was thinking about Law School. At my graduation dinner I told them that I wanted to be a singer. If I made this girl group, that I was auditioning for the day after my graduation, that I was going to stay in ATL to figure it out. My family was shocked to say the least. I did not have a plan…or a job. LOL. But I knew what I was passionate about. I’m glad I followed my heart. It has been one of many risks I have taken in my life over the years as I was creating my own path and finding my myself. No regrets at all. Read more>>

Geordian Abel

The year 2020 was a rough one for a lot. Personally it was a year my world felt like it was crashing down on me, but my dreams were coming true all at the same time. I was working in corporate America, running my online blog, plus launched my online clothing brand, Flourish in Frills. It was a whirlwind working three jobs and quite literally grinding it out… until I got laid off from my corporate job out of literally no where in October. Read more>>

Taylor Kincebach

To be an entrepreneur is to be a risk taker. You take risks on yourself… your discipline, your consistency, your resilience through the hardship of entrepreneurship. You take risks financially… investing in equipment, coaches or inventory. You take risks with your inner-circle… you need more time with your business, you need to be supported in new ways, you need to balance working and also being a crucial piece of your family and friend’s lives. You take risks with your time and energy… you may miss events, you might be working around the clock, your brain may not shut off. Read more>>

Nicole Zapoli

In 2008 my husband of 7 years left my daughter (3 years old) and me. We did not know where he went or if we would ever hear from him again. Over a year went by before finding out he had moved to California. He was sending me letters apologizing, wanting to get back together, etc. Read more>>

IMAJ

All of my stage costumes are customized and tailored to fit me. I’m super grateful for that as I tend to jump around a lot on stage so I know they’ll hold up well. One time I had a show where I had to get a pair of sequin pants off-the-rack. I usually can’t just walk into a store and find something that fits so doing that was a huge risk for me. Read more>>

Edrica Richardson

When I think of taking a risk I think the biggest one is trusting yourself to take care of yourself through entrepreneurship. I started my profession as a Marriage and Family Therapist way before everyone thought it was cool to seek mental health support. I remember telling my family and friends about my career choice when deciding to apply for college and everyone thought it would be a phase and then I would pick a more traditional career (medicine or accounting). Read more>>

Nikita Seal

I started my four companies back to back, with very little knowledge and virtually no financial backing. I’m not sure what I was thinking, other than “this has to work,” After being let go from my corporate job at the beginning of the pandemic, I began promoting my food truck, ZZ’s Ice Cream Puffs. Shortly after, I launched my luxury experience brand, Pretty Rolls. Then came my Air BNB, and my anxiety brand, Anxiety is a Mutha. Read more>>

Nicole Frearson

Ideally, we all want more from life. It’s part of human nature to want to have a bigger house, a better car, wealth, love, etc. Why do some people have it all and some don’t? What would be the main difference between those who have it all and those who live wishing to have a life they don’t have? Those who have it all, have a desire to change and are hungry for a change. They take risks. Read more>>

Jenn Mason

I’ve been coaching since 2015 and through my journey I obsessed about doing the next training. I went back to school, I took as many trainings as I could always thinking that it would make me a better qualified coach, Womens health educator and yoga teacher. While all of the training and education did boost my work, I lived in fear of not being good enough with clients or not knowing enough. Read more>>

Josseline Estrada

The biggest risk I have taken was to quit my career in the medical field and pursue business full time. I was worried that I was not going to make enough money to support myself and family. I am three years into this business and so far it has been the best risk I have taken. Read more>>

Solomon Jones

I think the biggest risk I have taken has been choosing to become a full time photographer. I grew up in a household where my parents cared more about me finding a secure job than doing what I loved. I can’t blame them for that because they wanted to make sure that my sisters and I were prepared for our future, but I knew I wanted more out of life. I wanted to be happy with who I was and where I was heading. Read more>>

Brittany Zimmerman

I made my life changing risk at the beginning of this year. I was living in Birmingham, alone, away from all my family. I was working a job that I liked, but still felt like something was missing, that I wasn’t using my full potential. I have thought about living on the West coast for many years and always saw how much fun and how financially stable the bartenders and waitresses were, but I have never bartender in that kind of environment and still considered myself new to the scene. Read more>>

Greg Moran

When I was given a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis back in 2015, my health had been steadily degrading for over a year. In that time, I went from living a “normal” life to being essentially bed-ridden and in constant, chronic pain at 24 years old. Read more>>

AJ DeDiego

This whole idea of starting a small business is basically built off of risk taking. Years ago when I decided to start a YouTube channel since I didn’t like my degree, that was a risk. Recently as I’ve tried to wean myself off of my regular job and only work for myself, that’s a constant risk. Putting myself out there on social media in videos and photos, that’s a risk. Read more>>

Logan Campbell

When you hear the phrase, “no risk, no reward” – it’s all true. Anything worth doing takes risk. Until you realize that you have to step out of your normal day-today (your comfort zone), in order to achieve more – you will never get to where you want to go. For me, in 2014 I was working in Las Vegas and was metaphorically on a hamster wheel that I thought was my purpose. I had a couple mentors remind me that there was more for me to achieve and in order to accomplish my greatest, I would need to change my environment – all of it. Read more>>

Bree Stallworth-Rouse

Honestly this entire career was a huge risk . I was entering my final semester of college when I was given the choice of apprenticeship or school. I had been apprenticing for about 6/7 months when I had to make the decision to pick one or the other because it was just not possible for me at the time to do both . It was really scary for me to go all in with tattooing but I knew it was what I wanted to do deep down . It was by far the most amazing thing I could have done for myself . Read more>>

Jordan White

The biggest risk I have ever taken was making the decision to leave my job at Delta Airlines and pursue being an entrepreneur full time. Growing up in the small town of Graceville Florida, I always knew that to pursue my dreams I had to relocate. After graduating high school I took the small amount of money that I had saved up and moved to Atlanta Georgia. After months of struggle and nearly giving up, I was offered a job working for Delta Airlines where I stayed for 10 years. Read more>>

Dylan Green

I was born with a sweet tooth for calculated risk. It’s been a particularly ongoing theme for my 20s, and as I close in on 30 I’ve spent some time reflecting on those choices and the incredible places they’ve taken me. Read more>>

Dudly Etienne-Harvard

After I graduated from college in 2008 with my bachelor’s degree in construction engineering technology, I had an “after college” vision for myself. It consists of working for a fortune 500 company and landing an office with an office view (lol). I had my whole future planned out in my head. Then 2009 came around and so did the fall of the economy. Read more>>

Lisa Spangler

Starting my photography business was a risk in the sense that I was concerned I would feel embarrassed. What if my friends and family didn’t think I was good enough and weren’t supportive? What if my business flopped? There are always a million what-ifs, but ultimately I took the leap and it was so worth it. Being brave can be incredibly fun and scary. I am so proud of the business I’ve built in just two years, all because I decided to put myself out there. I upgraded my camera and built a website before I ever got my first paying client. Read more>>

 Morgan Fischer

Having never owned or operated a business before, embarking on an adventure like this at 28 years old was (and still is) pretty daunting. With no business partner and investing solely from my own funds, I am completely responsible for my successes and my failures. I’ve managed a pole fitness studio in the past which gave me enough experience to feel comfortable with running my own place but the responsibilities that come with owning it are far different than merely managing it. Read more>>

Margeaux Weith – Walker

I was a hairstylist for over 20 years and was / still am very good at my job . It was very scary going from a creative and social job to a owner of a plumbing company . We started the company out of just becoming a blended family . We had to support 4 kids now and figure out how to do that and still be present in our kids lives . That was very important to us . Read more>>

JÉ MARCELLE

In my experience as a child, though I was extremely creative and highly involved in the different types of programs in school, from acting, being apart of the wiz quiz team (If I recall correctly), choir, as well as dance, I never really got the support in any of those endeavors. I didn’t think any thing of it at that time because I was so in love with what I was doing that I didn’t know that support was a necessary factor for any and all people. Read more>>

Leonardo Soto

Well… I was born and raise in Santiago Chile. Being South American, most kids always dream of being great soccer players, and so did I, after learning that my passion was in music I stepped away from most of my friends so I could dedicate time to this beautiful craft. After getting most of my education I then realized that Chile being a small country had very little options for me to pursue an orchestral position, so I had to take the risk of leaving friends and family behind, come to the USA as a student and finish my education. Read more>>

Macahl Jett

Since I was 10-years old, I always knew I wanted to be an artist. Not just a singer, but a full on, take control of the stage, artist. Music was just my groove. I could be doing anything, be anywhere, but it was a beat that made me zone into the moment. I was blessed to have the gift of writing. As all young girls, my first song was written about a crush I had at the time. I was in elementary school, It’s comical to read some of my diary entries back then, but all of the dramatic emotions I had, and still do, really help shape the places I can go when I write my songs. Read more>>\

Adriana Kyser

I was born and raised in Caracas Venezuela. I always knew I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives and at an early age, I decided I was going to be a lawyer. I went to Law school for 2 years before my mom and I decided to go to the USA to go to school for a few months to become fully bilingual before going back and finishing law school. Read more>>

Ingrid Jordan

Oddly enough it seems as if I take a risk everyday. Life itself is so uncertain that every choice you make is a risk, nothing is a guaranteed definite. My biggest risk was trusting myself, sounds crazy I know, but it’s intense when you have to trust you will break barriers without any resources. Read more>>

Charis Ann Jeffers

In 2020, I left my restaurant job after 14 years in the food service industry. People tell you that as an actor, serving is the best survival job because of the perceived flexibility and easy money but neither of those are true. I loved a couple of the places I worked at and found some of my best friends there, but no matter what restaurant you’re in, having things demanded of you for hours on end day after day often by people who are cursing and yelling at you for $2.13 an hour (not to mention depending on tips from those people to pay your bills), will slowly wear away at your humanity. Read more>>

Sasha Camacho

One of the biggest personal/professional risks that I have ever taken was working with my husband, Andrew Camacho, to start our nonprofit SoléAna Stables. We started SoléAna Stables because of our daughter Solana and her love of horses. Read more>>

Taylor Sparks

Ten years ago I was 7 years into a business that was like a baby that would not get out of the crib. It just kept standing up on the sides, acting as if it was ready to walk the talk! That business was my organic skin care for athletes company. I had developed a line of 16 head to toe care organic products for elite endurance athletes. We sponsored marathoners, triathletes, marathons and triathlons. We sponsored five Olympic athletes, were in featured in Muscle & Fitness Hers, ESPN ESPY awards gift bags, etc. Read more>>

Tawanda Sparks

Some years back, the year 2015 to be exact. I was tired of being surrounded by people who drained me and had no ambition, no motivation, or inspiriation. I had lived like that my entire life and I knew that I wanted more for myself and my children. I was fed up with feeling depressed and I made a bold move by leaving the state of Alabama where I was born and raised and most comfortable at to relocate to Atlanta. Read more>>

Kristal Calloway

Let me tell you any time a risk is involved, it can be the scariest place and decision one can make. I have quit a job of eighteen years that I didn’t find fulfillment in, and packed two suitcases to move two thousand miles away to find myself. Within the five and half years the lessons I learned in that risk are what led me to where I am today. Read more>>

Yvette Valdenegro & Geovanna Burgess White

Risk to us would be the absolute uncertainty of what will and can happen in the future. Risk can mean financial, emotional, and any form of loss or setback you know ahead of time that most people would say will occur. Our stories began at a risk point, evolved based on risk, and have positively developed because of risk. Read more>>

Lavelle Lemonier

As storytellers, my writing partner and I have had to risk finances, vulnerability, and criticism, to bring our stories to life. We (Devin “Big Ruk” Wilburn and I) started out on our individual paths, however, those paths led us across each other’s path, allowing us to bring our talents together. As we embarked upon our first feature film together, we had to face the challenges of inexperience in directing and finding the funding to make a feature film. Through determination, faith, and family and friends, we have been able to write a full length feature film, get investment partners, hire actors and crew members, and start pre-production on our project. It has not been an easy road and while we still a lot of work to do, we are on our way to getting this film out to the masses. It has been a risk that is well worth the reward. Read more>>

Liza Curran

Sharing my stories on my own personal website (lizacurran.com) has been the most personally vulnerable I’ve ever been. I’ve always loved writing, memoirs and creative stories, but if it were for anything other than a school assignment I was petrified to share my work. This is the first time I’ve just gone for it. I don’t look to gather a following of any note, but it’s a challenge for myself to just simply put it out. Even if it’s bad… I told myself to just do it scared. Read more>>

Luis Carrillo

Many struggle with finding that perfect job once they graduate, but having that job offer once or even before you graduate is crucial. For a lot of people that doesn’t come until much later after the fact, and a lot of people don’t talk about it too often because it can be demeaning especially when you have been applying from job to job and still no offer comes your way. Others find that perfect job and ride it all the way, but then there’s others like me who take a job and realize the career path they chose isn’t what they thought it’d be. Read more>>

Victoria Dorcilien

The biggest life changing risk and leap of faith I’ve taken was making the decision to transition from working as an employee to working as a full-time entrepreneur. I reached a place where I was unhappy with the job I was working at the time and did not want to carry that feeling forever. It was time for a change. I started my wig business in the fall of 2020 and by faith I left my job in the beginning of 2021. My business has been successful since and looking back, I do not regret my decision. I am proud to have taken that step towards the future that I desire. Read more>>

Lyrical Foxx

“Nothing beats a failure but a try, and the only two things intimidated by strength is fear and weakness. “….Lyrical Foxx I grew up in a small town with very limited resources. The kind of place where people dream big, yet see no hope in sight. One of the biggest risk I took was believing in myself and conquering the fear of failure. I too found myself discouraged many times. Read more>>

Erica Taylor

From the age of five, I have heard a whisper. A whisper that said, “I want to help people.” Every morning for the past thirty-five years, I have heard this whisper. Deep within my childhood soul, I have longed to be a therapist – to help save lives, to empower and inspire others to take action and shift them at the level of thought by giving them new ideas and perspectives. However, for the longest time I held so many self-limiting beliefs. Beliefs such as, I’m not smart enough. Read more>>

Ayana Johnson

I became a single mother at the age of 17 to my now 15 year old son. His father was sentenced to over a decade in prison and I had to figure life out as I knew it. By the time I was age 22 I began to realize the importance of creating a Legacy for him to ensure that he did not have to take a negative path in life due to financial hardship. Read more>>

Lunden De’Leon

Growing up, I knew I wanted to be in the entertainment industry. My dad was the lead singer in a gospel band and seeing him on stage for the first time inspired me to pursue my dream. I’m from a small, poor town in South Carolina and I knew I had to get away to make my dreams come true. While in high school, I worked a job flipping burgers at Burger King and when the time was right, I saved $200 and hitched a ride to Los Angeles. Read more>>

Cierra Ramseur

When I hear the phrase Taking a risk, I reflect on how fearful this action used to make me. We never really know the outcome of the risk, but throughout my journey, what risk-taking has revealed to me is my resilience and, most importantly, my Faith. I was experiencing a rough time back home in New York. I wasn’t happy in my career or my personal life. Something was missing, and I was highly dissatisfied. Read more>>