The chapters in our stories are often marked by wins and losses. Getting a new job, getting fired. Getting a life-threatening medical diagnosis, beating it and getting a clean bill of health. Too often, due to a societal expectation of modesty and humility we are discouraged from talking about the risks we’ve taken that led to those ups and downs – because often those risks draw attention to how we are responsible for the outcomes – positive or negative. But those risks matter. Those stories matter. We asked some brilliant entrepreneurs, artists, creatives, and leaders to tell us those stories – the stories of the risks they’ve taken, and we’ve shared them with you below.

Pretty Youniq

A risk, well in this particular scenario I’ll call it a leap of faith. Ok, so a little background, in December 2014 I went to Jefferson City, MO to train and test to be a Certified Reassessor/Trainer for the State of Missouri. At the time I was working for this company I want to say for over a little over a year. It was a call center environment they had created for a specific type of medical equipment. I had been selected to be a trainer overseas, which was pretty exciting! We were suppose to let leadership know what was working, what wasn’t and what was confusing with our current training materials and resources to allow them time to iron out any kinks before training our international peers. I had previously let a manager know of a problem, which had not been addressed. I let the head of the overseas training team know, who in turn got on the managers case. Read more>>

Kristen Montoya

I’d just had twins and my life looked like a giant handbag someone had turned upside down and spilled the contents all over the floor. A f***ing mess. Somehow, all of the pieces of my life that had always made orderly sense just didn’t anymore. Hi, I’m Dr. Kristen Montoya and this is the wild story of how I became a chiropractor and now have the privilege of caring for my community through delivering NetworkSpinal care. I know you’re wondering- what the heck is that?! In short, it is a way to uplevel your nervous system and life that is absolutely magical and life changing. We’ll talk more about NetworkSpinal in a minute. Right now, hang with me- Read more>>

Tracey Beltrano

I have revisited the same “big risk taking” twice in my life now. For context, I grew up in a small town in Ontario, Canada. Straight out of high school, I took the leap away from family and everything familiar culturally, to study acting at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC. I remember feeling like I was thrust into a lot of firsts all at once. It was truly a lesson in resilience just to survive that first year in a big city while learning to take care of myself independently. Around 2003 I moved back to Canada, which was supposed to be temporary, while I sorted out my US work visa. Circumstances changed and I ended up staying in Toronto for 20 years but I always had that sense of unfinished business in NYC. Read more>>

Natasha Baker

As a nurse working in the medical field within two decades and active-duty military spouse, I had to make some difficult family and career decisions. Meanwhile, I still wanted to do what I loved- serving people, while still juggling motherhood and the home front alone during long deployments. I decided to go back to school for Nurse Midwifery School and take some extra side courses to help my college application acceptance. It’s started with getting certified as a Birth, Postpartum Doula, Childbirth Educator, Yoga Teacher and Lactation Counselor.  Read more>>

Mary C. Ferrara

I had never thought about being a filmmaker growing up or for most of my acting career. Back in 2018, I signed up for a film challenge in NYC. I just signed up to act, thought it would be fun to build connections in the NYC scene. It involved people signing up and then being put into groups where each group would have a week to write, film and edit a film and then it would be screened and judged. Two people in my group were chosen as producers. They both stepped back from producing, so I nervously stepped forward and co-produced with another actress. I had never produced anything before. We were in charge of SAG paperwork, scheduling, etc.. It was one of the scariest things that I ever took on. The short film (with a mostly female cast), a dramedy, was called “Candlestick Justice” and had a nice run on the festival circuit. Read more>>

Panther Rose

Coming to Los Angeles to pursue my Acting goals was definitely a big risk. I had no family in LA, nowhere to live, and my only ties out here were to an acting class that I fell in love with. I had to leave after a year due to personal challenges but my plan was to come back and that’s exactly what I did. I have been involved in numerous projects since returning and it definitely paid off. My last project released is a Thriller entitled ’The Last Patient’ and is streaming on Amazon Prime as well as on Tubi. I play the Lead Character Dr Perrin in a solid Thriller. Read more>>

Devyani Pare

One significant risk I took was regarding my education during my junior year of high school. A few states in the USA have a program called Running Start, which allows high school students in their junior and senior years to attend a community college and earn both high school and college credits at the same time. I started this program and took general education classes like math, science, art, and languages at a college close to my home. It was a risk initially because I had just moved to this country and had no idea what to expect from the education system or what my next steps would be. It came with its challenges, such as the increased workload that often left me feeling overwhelmed, limitations on credit transfers that made it difficult to plan my academic path, and uncertainties about my undecided college major at the time. Read more>>

Haley Nelson

I remember sitting in a meeting with my principal during my senior year of high school, discussing my future plans. When asked about my college intentions, I shared that I was planning to attend a state school to study marketing. I hesitantly added, “I really want to pursue fashion design, but I don’t think I’m creative enough.” My principal assured me that my plan was safe and sensible, and sent me on my way. Read more>>

Bree Byle

My business journey began with a big risk. I had been working the same job at a publishing company for 6 years, and though I loved the people I worked with, I was restless. I had taken the first steps in job searching a year earlier, but then COVID hit. During the pandemic I was working from home and grateful for a job, but by June 2021 the restlessness was back. Read more>>

Jodie Randolph

One of the biggest risks that I took was starting a professional dance company in 2012. I had the idea, asked some dancers to join me, and off we went. I had no idea what I was doing. I knew how to choreograph, but no clue how to run a business. I knew I was called into the dance industry from a young age. And by God’s continued grace, He grew the company from four dancers to twelve in just a few years. Finally by 2019, I was able to be on a full-time (albeit small) salary. I take risks when I feel called or compelled. I don’t always think them through. If I feel the pull, I often follow. My faith creates a foundation for this to be less scary. I know that God won’t fail me, so I can trust the initiatives He puts on my heart. Read more>>

Ohad Grodzenski Grodzenski

In 2017, I took my guitar, suitcase and a beg, and moved to Berlin. I moved by myself, thinking after a year I’ll be back to my parents house in Jerusalem, Without any money left. But truth is that it was the best discission I’ve ever made. The risk is to move to a new country, without any network, no language, a little bit of savings for a few months. But I knew I had to find a work, a way to make money. Half a year before the moving I’ve seen the movie “The Secret”, and following the move I also read the book with the same title. As you can imagine, I was very much into raising my vibrations. Read more>>

Nicole Santos

Growing up as a First Gen Filipina in America and seeing my immigrant parents run their business, I’ve always had a dream that I would be an entrepreneur as well. However, as years passed and society’s expectations began arising, I gained my B.S. in Psychology and went on to a career in tech. I only made it a few years until a little voice in my mind began reminding me of the dream I had as a child. At this moment in my life I was feeling lost, I was working from home at a tech startup making 6-figures yet something didn’t feel right. I took a leap and worked with my first life coach and within those few months I discovered I wanted to start my own coaching practice. Within 90 days, I went from this thought to launching my coaching business online. Read more>>

Erika Tonelli Bonnett

I was in law school so how the hell did I get here? Center City Pretzel was started by my father, Tony Tonelli, back in 1981. The bakery was always a sibling to me, one that pulled my dad away most days and at all hours. I always wanted to be in law from the time I was a kid. I knew that was my trajectory. A later trajectory perhaps as I didn’t apply to law school until I was in my 40s. I had a daughter I adopted when she was 9 months old and worked at the bakery after leaving the field of law as my hours at the firm were crazy late. I knew my daughter was never going to know me if someone else was taking care of her every need and bedtime. I was taking my finals in my very first year of law school post Covid. I had been studying like mad. Read more>>

Tori Bornholdt

As all business owners should know, there are a few fundamental “rules” to follow that can really make or break your business, and one of the biggest rules is knowing when to take a risk. One of the best things I ever did for my business was taking a huge risk, my make-it or break-it moment, and I’m so pleased to say that it was the best thing I ever did for myself and for my business. Read more>>

Finn Ward

The biggest risk I could have taken as an out BIPOC transgender man was to be a safe haven for trans youth with the state of politics today and I couldn’t be more grateful I did. This all started back in 2017 when I came out as trans. I was born female and transitioned to male at the age of 18. I started testosterone a year later and got top surgery two years after coming out. If it wasn’t for my therapist at the time supporting me through my journey it probably would have been way harder. When I came out, I had just started my first year of college. I got a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminology with minors in Forensic Psychology and Social Work. While getting my BS, I got my first internship working at a courthouse in VA where I grew up. Read more>>

Kennadee Pringle

Taking Risk’s Can either play out exactly how you want it or not at all, In 2022 I decided I was going to take a huge risk not knowing if it would have a positive impact or negative one. Not knowing what the outcome would look like or how things would play out. But knowing that this was a risk I Needed to take not only for myself but my family and the many Athletes I would eventually impact and influence. As a single mom, taking the leap to leave my salaried job as a regional sports director. was a significant risk, in many ways the biggest one being my Income. I know had to really take the leap and make this business happen to Step out in faith to start my own business feels like a calling. Read more>>

Yvonne Temal

Steping out of our comfort zone. This is always a risk we take and sometimes it comes with lessons, growth and something bigger than we could have imagined. Back in 2017 I took a risk to stop leading hikes for an all womens hiking group to pursue creating a coed group of my own. I was excited but extremely nervous. I questioned if I could do this on my own, however, I wouldn’t be able to answer that if I didn’t try. I then started Hiking On Purpose a coed hiking group who advocates for our veterans, mental health, chronic illnesses & more. Our journey has been full of purpose, connection & community. We have blossomed into more than I thought we would all because of a risk taken and this year I’ve also gotten back to leading all women hikes along with introducing men only events for June (men’s mental health month) with the help of my friends in the outdoor community. Our goal at H.O.P is to continue making a difference one hike at a time. Read more>>

Sara Hill

I think the biggest risk I’ve ever taken was the decision to write and publish my first book. I am a nurse by trade and had never aspired to be a writer before. I was wrestling with the realities of brokenness that you see as a frontline worker and struggling through questions of faith in light of brokenness. I woke up one night with an outline for a book in my mind. Over the course of the following couple of years, I went from seeing if I could actually write this book to pursuing publication. It was a terrifying and exhilarating new endeavor. I had no idea if I could write a whole book’s worth of words. I had no concept of what it meant to be an author. It was a huge learning curve that demanded hours of my life and funds from my bank account. I went to conferences and writing retreats. I joined a writer’s group and worked on the craft. It was three years of hard work, all while working on the front lines and raising two children. Read more>>

Amber Keller

I always knew I would be a business owner. But doing what? That was the question. I was working at a bridal shop and on my second day of work something powerful came over me. Something like I had never felt before. It was a knowing. I was watching a bride look at herself in the mirror and saw her realize this was the dress she was going to walk down the aisle in. It was a profound moment. For both of us, really. She saw her future wedding day and I saw my future running a bridal shop and helping brides have that same moment she just had. And so began my deep passion for creating a space where brides could feel cherished and special during one of the most important times in their lives. Read more>>

Mareesa Valentine

During the pandemic, I had a lot of time to reflect on my life and its trajectory. I realized that to overcome years of stagnation, I needed to leave my hometown, create new experiences, and discover who I was becoming in my 30s. Interestingly, the Los Angeles area wasn’t on my radar when I first started searching for job opportunities to relocate. But after several trips down south to “get away” in early 2022, and a few serendipitous encounters, I made the decision to move to Long Beach. Honestly, it felt like a calling—God told me, and I listened. Read more>>

Karma Leeann

A risk I took.. when I was 17 I left everything I knew in my hometown and moved 2,000 miles away this impacted my entire life-for the better. I got out of a toxic environment, which led me to getting my own place. I was able to focus on and prioritize my healing and myself, I grew a stronger relationship with the love of my life and learned so many new things. It was a risk because I knew basically nobody out there and starting over can be so scary sometimes- but also necessary. Read more>>

Odalis Canchola

Thankfully I am very curious by nature so when I started to take risks in my creative career I didn’t realize just how intimidating taking these steps would be until I was fully set in them. It taught me to ground myself in doing what I love to find ease in pursing things out of my comfort zone. I always remind myself and others that if you feel connected to something even if it feels new and scary you should always go for it, and if it doesn’t turn out as expected the first time now you gained knowledge and a new perspective to keep you motivated. Read more>>

Gitanjali Nair

As a teenager it has always been difficult to project my ideas and voice into the greater mental health society. Around a year ago, I eventually pursued a dream and took a risk to found my non-profit, EMPATH, empowering minds promoting awareness and teaching healing. The organization was built to support individuals through any phase of their mental health journey and assist them with the resources and materials they need. While the journey to build EMPATH has taken much effort I can proudly say that EMPATH is now a international organization with chapters across three continents and is continuing to grow everyday. Hopefully, EMPATH will continue to assist many individuals through their mental health journeys and inspire more teenagers to voice their opinions and take action for change. Read more>>

Marshae’ Conley

September of 2019, I broke down in Sam’s Club parking lot after being laid off from my 5th job that year. I was devastated because I felt lost and confused with my career path. I didn’t have anything to motivate me or that I was passionate about pursuing. I allowed myself to go through those discouraging emotions then begin looking for other employment however it wasn’t until after I got hired in a clothing warehouse, which I eventually got laid off from due to Covid, was when the thought came to my mind – “What if I made clothes” – pretty much from that point on I haven’t hesitated when it came to my journey with fashion. Since a young girl, I’ve always cared so much about my appearance and have been a risk taker when it comes to being determined about getting what I want done though I didn’t think I’d go as far as being a seamstress. My advice to anyone who feels stagnant or indecisive about the future because of the present circumstances, no matter, take the risk. There will be obstacles and never ending problems surrounding your environment in life regardless. You just have to shut out the noise, pray and make up your mind on what you’d like to thrive in and do it. Take the risk. Read more>>

Erick Fayard

It’s scary enough for a new musician/actor/artist to put themselves out there in front of audiences, night in and night out. The scariest part of my entire music journey, by far, was the exact moment it began – when I simply decided that I was just gonna ‘go for it.’ I hardly had any musical education. I couldn’t play an instrument. The most singing I had done up to that point was at karaoke nights. I had always wanted to give music and songwriting a try, but there was too much going on – work, school, relationships, sports – you know, other things that kept me busy. So… why start this now? Or, in my case, why start this at 27 years old?  Read more>>

Molly Moran

I started my wine store in 2015 and rented space in a run-of-the-mill commercial building with condos on top and a strip of businesses on the ground floor. I chose the location because it was on my desired street in my beloved neighborhood, so even though it wasn’t a charming old building with lots of good stories, I took the plunge. Over the years, the space never felt quite right. Nothing exactly was wrong with it, but it didn’t have a lot of personality, and it was hard to carve out spaces within the large warehouse-like space. Read more>>

Priscila Schott

Taking risks is a key piece of my journey. Changing my career in a new country as a mother of three and wife was no small feat. As a self-taught artist, with a background in computer science and no formal background in art, entering the space felt daunting. But I embraced the uncertainty, focused on my passion, and took a leap of faith. Looking back at the last decade of my career, I could not be more grateful I took the risk. Being an artist has ensured my creative bounds are continuously pushed and has allowed me to build a community with a shared passion. Read more>>

Rae Shrum

Starting a small opera company is a massive leap of faith, especially when you consider the financial risks involved. Most nonprofits have the luxury of beginning with primary underwriters, those critical initial supporters who provide a financial safety net. But we didn’t have that. Instead, we relied entirely on crowdfunding and ticket sales to get Source/Filter Music Collective off the ground. It was a grassroots effort from the start, and on top of that, none of us had any experience running a nonprofit. So we had to learn everything—fundraising, organizational structure, administration—as we went along. Read more>>

Lisa May

I spent 30 years in morning radio in Los Angeles. I loved my job as a traffic reporter and on-air personality on The Kevin And Bean Show on 106.7 KROQ. I assumed that this would be my last job and then I would retire and volunteer and travel. While I was working in radio I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, a thyroid disease that’s very common in women and had to do a complete health overhaul. I started working with a naturopath, adopted an anti-inflammatory diet, worked on my stress level, quality of sleep, etc. My focus changed from trying to get and stay thin, to being healthy. That led me to a strength training studio in Burbank called The Strength Code where I started doing one-on-one 30 minute training sessions just once a week. A cascade of good things happened after I started training. I felt better and more energetic. The stronger I got the more I was willing to do things like go on hikes with friends, try a spin class, check out pilates, try a rock climbing wall and go zip-lining. I was hooked and never wanted to stop.  Read more>>

Patty Toner

I’m a self-taught artist and began making art intentionally in 2019. My first big project was doing illustrations for a friend who was publishing her first cookbook. I had always been creative and artistic but this was the first time I was doing something publically. It was a really transformative experience and I gained the confidence to explore my creativity and develop my art further. Throughout the pandemic, with two young children now at home and continuing to work my 9-5 job remotely, I created art in the margins of the day and focused on finding my style and voice as an artist and painter. I did online courses, researched and learned all I could about creating a website, how to show up on social media and what it meant to become a professional artist.  Read more>>