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.

Hoyori Maruo

I grew up in Australia my whole life and I always considered myself as someone who was better at school than at dance. Moving to New York last year in September to give dancing a real shot was a risk that I never thought I would take. Read more>>

Ana Perez Lopez

The most significant risk I’ve taken was leaving my career as a foreign correspondent for a major news agency to venture into the world of animation. Read more>>

Becci Ravera

“What risks would you take if time and money weren’t an issue?” That was the question I asked my husband late one summer night. Read more>>

Ajitha Srinivasan

I love answering this question because over the last decade, I have taken some BIG risks in my life and career around the same time. Read more>>

Kourtenay Plummer

At the end of 2020, I decided to leave my job as an art teacher after seven years. For many, 2020 was a very challenging year. Read more>>

Brianna Spieldenner

When I first started out working in the film business, I was turning at a production studio. While there I never really found my place or knew what I wanted to do and Helped run the studio, but didn’t have a specialty was treated pretty poorly. Read more>>

Shaia Astra

One of the biggest risks that we can take is to learn who we truly are! It seems so simple, but the search for our truth, our destiny, for living our purpose, and finding our gifts, is one that requires us to step bravely outside of our comfort zone and begin to explore all that is within. Read more>>

Ryan Seif

From CS grad to Hollywood storyteller: A journey fueled by passion My path wasn’t linear. I excelled in computer science at the University of Malaysia, then pursued a pilot’s license in the US. Read more>> 

Carleigh Tully

For years, my career path was firmly rooted in the veterinary field. I graduated from Auburn University with a degree in animal science, and I’ve always had a deep love for all creatures great and small. Read more>>

Gorilla Souf

Worldwide hip-hop is a weekly show Invented by and hosted by Gorilla Souf on WRFN-LP Pasquo in Nashville, TN. I was consistently ridiculed for attempting to play international hip-hop and R&B artist in the American market. Read more>>

Taiya Morrison-Brown

In 2021, I took the biggest risk I’ve ever taken in life. I moved cross country from a small town in Arizona called Maricopa back to my hometown of Detroit to fully pursue everything I am passionate about. Read more>>

Jasmin Scholz

Two things have always defined me. The love of music and my spiritual attitude to life. Being spiritual has always been something very private for me, especially because in the past there wasn’t as much hype about it as there is today and you’re quickly ridiculed for it. Read more>>

Abigail Bokun

The biggest risk I have taken thus far in my animation career is moving out to Los Angeles. I had just graduated from college with zero job prospects, and while I had plenty of creative internships under my belt, none of them had been fruitful enough to land me a job out in LA. Read more>>

Sheree L. Greer

In 2021, after twelve years of teaching, I resigned from a full-time teaching position at a state college in Florida. I was nervous to take the leap, afraid to leave the position that had made so much possible financially and personally. Read more>>

Meaghan Barry

I often wonder, was it a risk at all? Or was the “risk” the veil that “we” (society/human do-ers) have so eloquently normalized? Read more>>

John Barrett

When talking about pursuing a career in film production, there are a lot of risks. I always like to talk about how you need to invest in yourself. Read more>>

Crystal Speaks

It’s important to note that taking risks doesn’t mean being reckless or impulsive. It involves thoughtful consideration, weighing the potential rewards against the potential consequences, and being prepared to learn from both successes and failures. Read more>>

Fernand Val Adrien

Certainly, here’s a refined version of your narrative that includes the ongoing challenges: **Navigating Risk with Resilience** Read more>>

Nico Borromeo

At the age of 28, I had a blooming career in electronic and pop music in Argentina. I was producing and DJing every day, signed on a mayor label, had hit songs being broadcasted on the main radio stations, and was playing massive festivals of 20 to 40 thousand people. Read more>>

Wayne Wise

Risks Taken: I’ve been taking risks most of my life. The first big risk I took was when I was 12 years old. I entered the Jr. Boys Bullriding at a Little Britches Rodeo. Read more>>

Beth Gatlin

My past includes trauma and depression and my struggles eventually led to drug addiction. So, let’s say I made friends with risk a long time ago. Read more>>

Brian Head

One of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken was to leave my corporate job of 25 years to pursue my passion for real estate investing. I’ve been investing in real estate for over 20 years, but it wasn’t until my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer that I was finally able to take the leap and pursue my dream for our family. Read more>>

Marilou Hamer

Our greatest risk to date, and perhaps the most rewarding, was deciding to pursue EWG Verified certification without any guarantee of success. Read more>>

Sean Que

My life took an unexpected turn when, after years of cautious decision-making, I experienced two accidents within three months, resulting in the loss of my truck driving job. Read more>>

Channel Guice Thomas

In 2021 I resigned from my career as an art teacher to attend fashion school full time. It was scary because I have a son in college and a daughter heading to college soon, and they will of course need financial support. Read more>>

Nico Vergara

One of the biggest risks we took was opening our second location. This location was way more expensive then our first location as well as only 10 minutes away from our original location. Read more>>

Nina Kong-Surtees

Taking a risk in pursuing a career in the arts and entrepreneurship isn’t about being reckless; it’s about having the courage to take thoughtful actions toward your mission in life. Read more>> 

Yoshimi Muranishi

I feel that risk is necessary to get something. I believe that taking a risk and succeeding is far more rewarding than not taking a risk and succeeding. What’s the point of taking risks? Read more>>

Hailey Hanke

Moving from Nebraska to Arizona with my husband and daughter was a bold decision fueled by a desire for new opportunities and growth. Read more>>

Michele Quigg

I opened Dreamy Daze in 2015 as an online only boutique. I started to be a vendor at several local markets and knew one day the goal was to open a brick and mortar location. Read more>>

Arick Ridgell

In my current journey, I am embarking on a path that many artists and producers say they’re on but rarely ever actually complete. Read more>>

Vimmi Jaggi

I have taken many risks without defined plans in life; luckily, most of them have supported moving forward. I genuinely believe in serendipity and self-reliance. Read more>>

Gullie Lamont

:At Grown Kids Music Group, we’re all about taking risks and pushing boundaries in the music industry. As the owner, Gullie Lamont, I’ve built this label with the intention of stepping out from under the umbrella of major labels and establishing our own unique presence in the sync licensing world. Read more>>

Samantha Heligman

I feel like my entire career had been one big risk, but the biggest on is coming in about 2 months. I will for the first time be running my studio without a shared studio mate. Read more>>

Lauren Partin

At the age of 14, a seemingly innocuous encounter at my family’s racetrack altered the trajectory of my life with just one negative sentence. Read more>>

Carley Jennings

Every single day I refer to myself as an artist feels like a risk. You see, when the stay-at-home orders of 2020 came into play, I had a 15 year long career in music and live events under my belt. Read more>>

Matthew Knott

An artistic persuit is one of the scariest risks you can take in life and at the same time the most rewarding. It takes an incredible amount of sacrifice. Read more>>

Vrishti Savalani

The biggest risk I’ve probably taken is moving to the other side of the world during the pandemic. I’ve always been someone who tries to be careful and considerate when making decisions. Read more>>

Stefanie Villers

If nothing in life is guaranteed then I guess everything we do is a risk, isn’t it? Take the risk and hope it works out! When I left California to move to Europe, I hadn’t been working full time since the pandemic came around in 2020 and I had moved out of my Los Angeles apartment and into my parents home out in the desert – it was just me and my dog. Read more>>

Jessica Medina

When I finally figured out I wanted to leave the law I created a 10-year exit plan for myself. That timeline was eventually cut in half because of one thing — an outside perspective. Read more>>

Nadine Singh

Many years ago, I arrived in America as a teenage mother and high school dropout, uncertain of my future. But I knew that being in America would provide me with better opportunities. Read more>>

Wil Dees

My story of risk…not the board game. :-) It’s been said that we are allowed to go through certain things so we can be there for others who find themselves in similar circumstances. Read more>>