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.

Courtney King

Launching The Clean Culture Co. was a gutsy move, given the oversaturation in the cleaning industry. I knew it was a risk, but my confidence in delivering top-notch service propelled me forward. Read more>>

River Rabbitte

I think that as a band, the biggest risk that we’ve taken is actually starting the band! Frank and I had a hard rule that the mixing of our musical worlds was not something that we were going to do because he had his project and I had mine, and it felt safer to not take a chance and blend those two worlds together. Read more>>

Robrecht Berg

After working 25 years in the military and then a year afterward as a contractor for the military, I wanted to be my own boss. The stress of working with highly classified materials as well as having to deal with some toxic bosses from time to time was something I welcomed to leave behind. Read more>>

Dominique Rose

Most of my pursuit of an acting career has been comprised of risks. As a child I was extremely quiet. I was someone of very few words and never talked in school. I loved theatre as a child and wanted to give it a shot. Read more>>

Katie Biging

I think my entire journey with my permanent jewelry business has been risky! I fell in love with the idea when I received my own permanent anklet at a vendor market, and immediately began dreaming of creating my own business- I never thought I would actually go through with it! Read more>>

Jaylyn Left

From the beginning, I knew I did not want to work for someone my entire life. However I didn’t know what I wanted to do, or what I was good at. I was definitely lost when it came to knowing what I wanted to invest my time into. Read more>>

Maggie Bolillo

From the age of 15 I knew I wanted to perform professionally, so when I received the opportunity to move to Orlando Florida all the way from Boise, Idaho after high school I jumped in with both feet, took a risk, and went for the opportunity. Read more>>

Gilda Mitat-del valle

Embracing the Uncharted: The Entrepreneurial Journey of a Former Military Hospital Corpsman In the vast tapestry of human experience, the act of taking a risk can either be a footnote or the very crux of one’s life story. Read more>>

Tamika Nicole

Taking risks is what life is all about, yeah you can play it safe and thats fine too, however if its a dream inside you you have to go for it. My very first business i opened at 19 yrs old and boy was I afraid i learned so may lessons and made sure to take notes. Read more>>

Kevin Jodrey

In 2013 I founded wonderland nursery, the first direct to customer cannabis nursery in the United States, Previously, plants were sold through dispensaries that were bought from outside vendors, and selections were limited in choice and in quantity. Read more>>

Jill Sitnick

When my therapist suggested MDMA therapy for my talk therapy-resistant PTSD, I was absolutely sure it wouldn’t work. Now, I’m happy that I took the risk and tried the therapy because, after a year that held three therapeutic journeys along with intense psychotherapy, I no longer carry a PTSD diagnosis. Read more>>

Cesar Ramos Ortiz

I was 19 years old when I decided to quit my grocery store job with no plan, a small savings, and a dream to create something bigger than myself. The risk to jump out on your own and to go full time into a creative business is a very scary thing to do. Read more>>

Christopher Peacocok

In 2019 I was working as a Clinic Director for a large acupuncture practice with 3 locations in different neighborhoods around New York City. It was a dream job in many ways. Read more>>

Sabrina D

In late 2013, shortly after I started college, my father decided his education was more important than mine. He’d started a program for his Master’s in Social Work (incredible irony) and had a few years left. Read more>>

Cameron Moder

A few months ago, I decided to take a significant risk by leaving my full-time job to pursue a career in music and start a small business selling homestead goods (which includes handmade pottery, maple syrup, sourdough, and raising bees for honey). Read more>>

Sarah Rojas

At 23 years old my husband and I decided to get into the so called real estate world. My husband Carlos has been a construction professional for over 12 years now and at the time he was 6 years into the business. Read more>>

Annmarie Meyers

I went full time in my business the fall of 2019. At the time, I felt like I was being pulled in too many directions. I had a full time job in retail, so it was not the traditional M-F schedule. Read more>>

TopNotch Swave

One of the biggest risk I have taken in my journey was actually putting myself out there to the world. In this day and age where music is enjoyed by all ages, it is also consumed at a faster rate due to technology advancing. Read more>>

Brittany Cephas

In my journey from working as a professional school counselor in one of Maryland’s largest school systems to starting my own private practice, I took a bold risk driven by a deep conviction to better serve children and adolescents. Read more>>

Stephanie Agudelo

As an artist, the journey is filled with moments of doubt, but also moments where you feel on top of the world. Despite the uncertainty, pursuing your passion is worth every moment of your time. Keep taking risks, pushing boundaries, and creating from your heart. Read more>>

Teresa Carson

For the past six years my primary, and very meaningful, poetry project has been THE ARGUMENT OF TIME, a 5-book series that was sparked by my first visit, in 2014, to Ostia Antica, an extinct city on the outskirts of Rome. Read more>>

Emma Lock

I think anything you do or start with a passion behind it can feel risky. Putting yourself out there on social media, at events and shows, standing there in your space and saying I am an artist. That can be scary! Read more>>

Meyoshi Smith-Andres

I lost my job in 2010 while pregnant with my 2nd child and almost lost my Husband due to gun violence all in the same month. I had to figure out a way to take care of my family of 4, so I took the one thing that I found solace in (baking/cooking) and decided to make it a business. Read more>>

Fernando Alves

My story starts 17 years ago in a small town in Brazil. I was casually flipping through channels on my parents’ TV when I finally stumbled upon one playing an animated music video. Read more>>

Marsalis Carlos

Starting my Neuro Space Journey is and was the biggest risk iv taken in my life. I quit my comfortable, good paying job so that i could take on the unknown world of mental wellness. This was a huge risk because i had to take a huge income loss as well as find something to pay the bills. Read more>>

Meghan Mayhem

The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was when I decided to step outside of the conventional and follow my dreams to become a tattoo artist. I grew up with a passion for the arts but spent my late teens and early twenties living hand to mouth, working dead end jobs and spending a couple of years trying to find my way through college. Read more>>

Ada Jones

It’s important to note that starting a business involves significant risks, including financial uncertainty, long hours and the potential for failure. But my desire to present my craft to the public far outweighed the negatives. Read more>>

Brittany Bloom

The biggest risk I took was starting my business. For years, I was an interior designer for high-end residential and hospitality. I had spent many years studying interior design and have my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in it. Read more>>

Staci Kirk

I took a risk because I had no other choice, I had to bet on myself! For 20+ years I worked in corporate America in high-ranking and high-paying executive positions. Read more>>

Hander Lara

The main risk that I consider I have taken has been linked to the decision to leave my country, abandon a life already started, with a structured career to re-start a new one in this country. Read more>>

Ester Vigil

Taking risks is an essential part of life and there are many instances when taking a risk is necessary or unavoidable in order to grow personally and professionally. My life has always been about taking risks. Read more>>

Sarah Ausby

Taking risks has been a defining aspect of my journey, one that has reshaped my life in profound ways. One of the most pivotal moments occurred in 2003, when tragedy struck and my husband unexpectedly passed away after a routine surgery. Read more>>

Daniel Rivera

I’ve chosen “Taking Risks” as it truly encapsulates my life journey. Throughout my existence, I’ve held steadfast faith in my abilities. Every dream I’ve dared to voice, I’ve chased down and realized. Read more>>

Marcus T Clyburn Sr.

Life is filled with many challenges. There are going to be things that come your way especially if you are doing what God has called you to do. I am a Christian and anytime you profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ there are many attacks that the enemy will use to try and detour you from the purpose God has for your life. Read more>>