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.

Allonia Water

I have taken many risks, but the one that stands out the most is starting my own company. I have always been accustomed to working in the corporate world, so taking a chance on myself was challenging. Read more>>

Kavita Megha

I think the biggest risk I’ve taken was moving across the country about three years ago. I grew up in Massachusetts, and at the time was living in Boston after graduating. Read more>>

Gail McCauley/LifeBeginsafter50 McCauley

I have been blessed to have a husband who has always supported my career decisions & always was financially successful as an entrepreneur so that I was able to pursue the jobs & career that I wanted- as long as our sons needs were taken care of. Read more>>

Erica Messer

I took a significant leap to create a product aimed at helping people heal from the grief of losing a pet based on my own traumatic experience. Read more>>

Emily Thompson

One of our business biggest risk taken was our move out of the city and into the county. After 10 years in different parts of Baltimore City we had to make a choice on where to move to next. Read more>>

Zari Warden

I took a risk of submitting my music to the Museum of Pop Culture’s annual Sound Off! music showcase. Two months before I submitted my music, I lost my university’s Battle of the Bands. Read more>>

DJ CEASE

One of the biggest risks I ever took was actually moving to Florida from New Jersey, actually! I was born in Brooklyn, NY but raised in North Jersey (shouts to 973) and leaving the place I called home where I actually knew everyone was super intimidating. Read more>>

Renee OConnor

Just a week before the fall semester of 2023, I made a life-altering decision to take a sabbatical from my beloved career as a high school teacher, a role I had dedicated myself to since 2011. Read more>>

Nikole Otiniano

When I was 20 I went through a really rough patch financially. It was just my mom and I trying to make ends meet which got me so focused on finding a job to help with bills and get me through college. Read more>>

Kayla Silverman

Many artist say that change inspired new songs, but I was actually inspired by my new song to change. My song “Starting Over” was written at a pretty low point in my life. Read more>>

Mariel Garcia

After working a 9-5 all of my adulthood, I decided to take a risk, and become a freelance “Wardrobe Stylist”. Becoming a freelancer in LA as a 35 yr old, newly divorced, single mother of two has been the best decision/ risk I had to make. Read more>>

Greg Walter

About 6 years ago we did mostly work in kids media animation, doing long form storytelling and songwriting for clients like Sesame Street. But we ran into a couple of brick walls. Read more>>

Kirkland Dent

To be involved as the main tournament organizer of a gaming community, it doesn’t sound as easy as you may think. Sure, getting a few consoles, computers and TVs together to run an event sounds simple, but when you start out not having enough funds and resources to make sure it runs properly, then it’s a big struggle. Read more>>

Jason Buyer

Five years ago, I had an idea to create an app for actors. I didn’t know if it would work, but I knew it was needed. As an acting coach, I would always ask my students if they had anyone to work with. Read more>>

Brian Lalli

Life is a series of calculated risks – a philosophy I carry with me, quite literally, with a tattoo on my right forearm. But one risk, in particular, stands out as a turning point in my journey. Read more>>

Ryan Greer

Some of the most important vocational inflection points in my life have involved a great deal of risk. A few of those risks have paid off tremendously and allowed me to gain unique experiences doing incredible things, while others fizzled away into dead ends. Read more>>

Turbo

I’ve realised that as an artist trying to authentically create I may never be able to earn a full-time living wage, and that’s ok. I think the biggest risk I’ve taken is financially investing in me and my art without the promise of making a livable wage or large profit. Read more>>

Sharon C. Parkening Music

Appreciate you for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken. Read more>>

Chasen Paige

For most of my adult years I socially drank alcohol just like everyone else and I constantly ate out or ate tons of processed foods. I was thinking that the way I was living was completely fine because I felt fine, until one day I didn’t. Read more>>

Samantha Arestegui

Back in Early 2019, I was living in New Orleans working mysef to the bone and feeling a bit lost. At the time, I recently been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and was struggling with my health. Read more>>

John Kunkel

I was working as a Communications Director at a non-profit, but something always felt off. The job was meaningful and all, but my heart just wasn’t in it. Read more>>

Vasu Nauhria

In Life, everything happens by taking risks. Every person always wondering but not applying the thoughts in real. Imagine like if we took a risk and it worked then there’s no better option than itself. Read more>>

Sandra Ortega

My risk as a visual artist in 2024, is my reputation of not being an authentic artist. I have been using an AI app in the process of producing my latest paintings. Read more>>

Trenice Martin

Ok…so…I’m not much of a risk taker, to be honest. Taking risks means that you have to exit a very comfortable zone and place yourself in a situation or position that is not so comfortable. Read more>>

Audrey Yacou

I grew up in Guadeloupe, in the French Caribbean, in a household deeply rooted in Caribbean culture. My dad is from Guadeloupe, and my mom is from Martinique, making me an island girl at heart, a title I wear with immense pride. Read more>>

Jay Sueños

I believe one of the scariest challenges to face, and one of the biggest risks someone can take on, is choosing to pursue a dream, today. Not tomorrow, when the path seems safe and secure. Read more>>

Michael Adenola

Almost 20 years ago, I moved from Africa to pursue better opportunities and a brighter future. I had always been passionate about sound engineering and music, working as an instrumentalist in my church back home. Read more>>

Jill Guin

My life has been constant risk-taking… I think that’s why I chose this direction! ahahah! As a kid and an adult, I’ve always gone against the grain and chosen the path of resistance.  Read more>>

Rainy Fu

“Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone.” This quote has resonated with me since I was 20, a pivotal age when I earned a full scholarship to study in the US. Read more>>

Chelsi Rossi

To me, risk taking is a mindset. I believe it’s the manifestation of understanding your values and what you want out of life and your commitment to getting it done. Read more>>

Tiffany Poles

In order to be successful you have to try something you’ve never done. Go some places you have never gone. Speak life into visions you wish were reality. Read more>>

Carly Granovsky

Starting a casting company from scratch was a significant risk that shaped my career and life. At the time, I lived in Toronto, Ontario, where I worked a day job at a production company funding Broadway productions and live-theatre shows in New York and Las Vegas. Read more>>

Julieta Paiz

When I started painting, I had no idea about the world behind art. I did it just for fun and to reconnect with the little girl I once was who loved painting and doing all kinds of crafts. Read more>>