You’re working hard, things are going well, piece by piece you’ve built a life you are proud of, you’ve overcome obstacles and challenges, beat the odds and then you find yourself at the center of an unexpected dilemma – do you risk it all to keep growing? What if growing means leaving the job you worked so hard to get or the industry you worked so hard to break into? How we approach risk often has a huge bearing on our journey and so we’ve asked some of the brightest folks we know to share stories of risks they’ve taken.
Danielle Amos
About Me: Hi, I’m Danielle Amos, your Mystic Millionaire Mentor. I empower ambitious, high-performing women, in various industries to unlock their full potential, achieve transformative success, and embody abundance as their birthright. By blending timeless wisdom with modern strategies, I help my clients shift from feeling stuck and overwhelmed to confidently pursuing their dreams and manifesting their highest goals. My approach combines practical guidance with spiritual alignment, making profound changes in how you perceive and achieve success. Ready to transform your life and step into your true, extraordinary potential? Let’s manifest millions. Read more>>
Dr David Hooper
One of the biggest risks I took was leaving my stable full-time job to fully commit to my business. The decision to leave my job wasn’t easy. I was stepping away from a safe salary and the comfort of a structured environment. But I felt a strong calling to create something impactful and to help entrepreneurs achieve peak performance through AI-driven solutions. It was a leap into the unknown, and there was a lot of uncertainty, but I knew I had to follow my passion. Read more>>
Marrialle Sellars
So Taking The chance to start a career in music is a scary thing, especially when you don’t know exactly how to start. The only thing you really can do is start singing, and I hope that someone hears you and gives you a chance. I started busing In downtown Indianapolis, when I was 15 years old then as soon as high school ended, I started doing it full-time. I was down there three or four days out of the week and it was just me and Guitar and an open case. A few people saw me and gave me a chance to sing at different venues around Indy. I started meeting people and meeting those people open my eyes to bigger venues to more opportunities. One reason why it was such a risk for me was that I knew I wanted Music to be my career, I was scared that no one would listen to the songs that I’d sing, but without taking that risk, I would’ve never known that people really want to listen and want to know as a person and as an artist. So I’m glad I took that risk. I’m glad that I kept going downtown every day to sing and to get out there! Read more>>
Spencer Morgan
Thirteen years ago I started experimenting with music—originally just for fun. It wasn’t some grand plan or a step toward fame (and still isn’t). But at the time, it was a low-risk hobby, something to escape into. Over the years, what began as a simple interest transformed into something bigger than I ever imagined, a journey of artistic self-discovery. As my passion grew, so did my investment—not just in terms of time but also money and, most importantly, mental energy. Slowly, this hobby started to take on a life of its own. I found myself collaborating with people all over the world, connecting with other musicians both near and far. Read more>>
Irene Katzias
Opening our Salt Lake City office was, without a doubt, one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken. We were well-established in Connecticut and New York with incredible relationships and a solid foundation. But when COVID hit, we were faced with the reality that we needed to expand and create more opportunities to keep doing what we love: planning and designing weddings. Utah, with its stunning mountains and vibrant wedding community, felt like the right place to build our next chapter. Read more>>
Melissa Kinzler
Risk has shaped both my personal and professional journey. At a pivotal moment in my negotiation career, I found myself as the only non-attorney in a room filled with legal professionals deciding the fate of yet another client project. Despite my experience, I felt like I hit a ceiling. I could have stayed in that room, continuing as a hired “fixer” for private companies, but something inside urged me to take a leap—not just to be a CEO’s VP or “right hand man”, but to level up and attend law school. To most people, litigation is about courtroom battles. But here’s a little-known fact: more than 95% of lawsuits never reach trial. They’re settled through settlement conferences, negotiation or mediation. This field is called Dispute Resolution. Read more>>
Ashley Lanna
Taking the leap to start Lullaby: The Fear Podcast was easily one of the riskiest moves I’ve ever made. As an introvert at heart, the idea of putting myself and my perspective out there for the world to judge filled me with a deep, unsettling fear. I had always been the type to shy away from the spotlight, preferring the comfort and safety of my own private thoughts. The thought of willingly exposing myself to potential criticism and scrutiny gave me anxiety and imposter syndrome. I thought “why would anyone care about what I have to say about true crime when everyone does it?” Read more>>
Kristin Luckie
My path in PR and communications was very traditional. I majored in public relations in college, gained an internship at a leading PR agency in New York City, and went on to work at a midsize firm for nearly a decade. Until this year, my biggest career ‘risk’ was stepping back from agency life to pursue a position in-house at a large technology company as part of its global marketing organization. In February, this all changed. The marketing organization underwent a restructure and my position, along with many others, was eliminated. For the first time in my career, I felt a bit unmoored. I spoke with countless contacts and interviewed for different positions in different types of companies supporting different kinds of industries but nothing felt “right.” Read more>>
Jeff Burns
As an artist, I’ve come to realize that risk-taking and creativity have become estranged. We’ve traded boldness for security, sacrificing innovation for the sake of paying bills. I’m guilty of this too, often prioritizing what appeals to the masses over my true artistic vision. Sure I get paid well for my services, but do I really stand out amongst the many talented artists out there? One day I stumbled upon a podcast that challenged me. An artist shared her strategy of doing the opposite of what her fears dictated. This opened many more doors for her than if she would have played it safe. I decided to try it. Read more>>
Saucegod Sinsé
One defining life-changing risk that i could talk about is when i left Michigan & moved to Phoenix, AZ. I sold 85% of everything i owned from my bedroom studio, my Canon camera, clothes, shoes & my car. I moved in with a friend of the family & unfortunately had to move back to MI after 4 months because i was the only one who believed in the process. If you’re gonna bet on YOURSELF & take a risk, DO IT! Just make sure if there are others a part of it, there’s no misunderstandings & that everybody is exclusively on the same timing as you, otherwise it’d never work. Read more>>
Avalyse Peterson
In my line of work, there are so many examples of when I had to take a risk. With photography especially, you need to find ways to stand out in such a competitive field. One of the moments I’ll always reflect on was my first styled shoot; this is a photoshoot where you have models, vendors, and a venue. My goal for the session was to create more unique wedding content as I was working to build my portfolio and network with vendors. Read more>>
Lynn Farthing
Creatives are risk-takers by nature. I have never liked reading directions; I would rather jump in and do it. And then if I screw it up, I’ll fix it — sometimes getting to the finish line from a different direction or ending up somewhere a little different than I had planned, but that’s where the learning comes in — in the journey of doing. And in my opinion, that makes life much more interesting. Read more>>
Frances Arroyo
One of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken was founding Los Angeles Legal Advocates in 2020, right in the middle of the global pandemic. At the time, I was pregnant with my second child and balancing motherhood, caring for my three-year-old. I started the business from my home with just a printer and ink. Starting a business is challenging under normal circumstances, but doing it while expecting a child and managing a household during a global crisis added a whole new level of complexity. Read more>>
Dani Toralla
Music as a career is a risk itself, but jazz!!! My parents were understanding enough to let me pursue music as my professional path, and they did not even hesitate when I told them that it was specifically jazz what I wanted to do. In Guatemala, my country, the jazz scene is small. My teachers from back home were always recommending me to take the next step and explore outside of my comfort zone. They encouraged me to audition to some schools abroad that offered a jazz voice degree, and that is how I ended up being accepted at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. Read more>>
George Dewhurst
As a creative working hard to turn my art into a full-time career, I feel like I’m constantly faced with risks—just like anyone in my position. At times, it feels like the only certainty in my career is the art itself, while everything else involves a balance of risks. One story that immediately comes to mind is when I made the bold decision to leave behind a successful estate management business and invest all my profits into building a music studio—despite having no prior experience in music production. I chose to chase the dream of making music my full-time occupation. Read more>>
Shamon Powell
Starting my podcast was the biggest risk I ever took on myself, I had no support, money or even an idea but I truly knew I wanted to do this I truly fell in love with podcasting watching don’t call me white girl and watching female artists interviews! The conversations, the vibes, the creativity is amazing! I’m so glad I took this risk and to anyone that wants to do something different with your life for the good! Do it !, Read more>>
Dj Harrington
The biggest risk I took as a business owner was becoming a business owner. I enjoyed photography and videography as a hobby for years, and even had friends and family reaching out to pay me for photoshoots every so often, but every time I tried to take the business seriously something would come up that prevented me from doing so. In early 2023 I officially LLC’d my business, and intended on picking it up on the weekends and attempting to gain more clientele outside of my friends and family. I had just left my job of 5 years to pursue locksmithing at a local company. At the same time my wife had just left her job of 2 years to pursue a new career opportunity. We had a lot of moving parts going on. Within my first week of the locksmithing job, I felt like I had made the wrong choice of leaving my previous job. Read more>>
Aisha Gaillard
The most life changing risk I have taken was leaving my full-time job working at the Hilton Hotel to pursue music full-time. In 2017, I graduated from California State University Long Beach with my Bachelors Degree in Hospitality Management. I chose this path instead of studying music because believe it or not I did not get accepted into Berklee College of Music or the jazz program at CSULB. I had become very discouraged by that rejection and had seconds thoughts about continuing my music career. Since I also have a passion for cooking my new goal was to own a restaurant with live music (Supper Club) in the future, so I decided to choose the Hospitality route. I began attending job fairs during my senior year of college and landed a job at the Hilton Hotel in Long Beach the same month that I graduated from college. Read more>>
Paul Mccombe
A cascade of events that altered the trajectory of my life forever, required me to jump in with the sharks. Early 2019, brand new to oilpainting, I took it up and starting grinding out painting after painting, on cardboard, on the backs of cereal boxes, it didn’t matter – everything was a step forward. Fixed income, poor as dirt, with a disabled parent and having never held a proper job… Sure I went to University and got a Bachelors Degree with Honors in Computer Science, but I didn’t *want* to do that, I wanted to do art, always had. You’d catch me scribbling pictures in my notes as the lecturer went over lexicons in assembly language… staring at the light patterns streaming through the curtains as fuzzy logic models were explained in excruciating detail. I was an artist all along, but always far too afraid to take the chance. Ruled by the fear of failure without ever having tried. Read more>>
Vincent Washington
Post my military service, I decided to move to Los Angeles to become an actor. After 4 years of being in LA, I haven’t grown as an actor, I was living paycheck to paycheck to cover a room that I was renting out and I was in massive debt. I told myself moving back home and giving up on my dreams wasn’t an option, so I decided to jump off the cliff and invest every thing I had, money and time into my craft. I asked myself “What am I willing to surrender in order to become who I need to become?” And the answer was comfort. So I made the decision to live in my car and put the money I was spending on rent into acting classes. 843 days, in that time, in pursuit of becoming a better actor, I became a better person. Read more>>
Bryan Walsh
In February, I opened Fifteen Windows Gallery on Cherokee Street. I guess it is a risk from a financial standpoint. Primary sources of income will be sales of artwork shown in exhibitions, and revenue from event rentals. In the past few years, I had curated or co-curated exhibitions at alternative venues, etc. Now, I no longer have to search for a location to present exhibit ideas. Way back around 2011, I was Co-Owner of Aisle 1 Gallery, also on Cherokee Street, which is still fondly remembered by many of my fellow creatives. Since then, in ebbs and flows, I had thought about the idea of having my own gallery again, and now here we are. Read more>>
Anna Praegitzer
The biggest risk I have taken was not attending college after high school in 2014 and deciding to go directly into the workforce. I graduated from Kennedy High School and was on track to attend Iowa State University on a full ride scholarship. Unfortunately, my dad passed away from a rare cancer, B Cell Lymphoma, two months after I graduated. While this was not the main reason I decided to pass up this scholarship to attend Iowa State, it definitely was a factor. I received feedback that I would not “succeed” in my career. I was criticized and looked down upon for making the decision to not go to college. But, I knew that my decision was right for me and it was not my time to go to school. Read more>>
Donnelly Marks
Four years ago, I decided to radically change my artistic process to focus on spontaneity and intuition. I started to use vigorous mark making and intentional physical actions, like tearing, crushing, stapling, folding and using bold brushstrokes – allowing the subconscious to be the guide. This physical way of working helped develop spontaneity and intuition, resulting in bold versus timid gestures. Beyond simply stepping out of my comfort zone, I also gave myself permission to ignore assumptions about what good work is supposed to look like. If a painting or sculpture seemed overworked or mundane – tear it up, paint over it or combine it with another piece. This reuse often leads to novel ideas, unexpected juxtapositions, and an expanded visual language. The flop becomes a new jumping-off point and a mistake can lead to a more interesting solution. Read more>>
Cristina Bowes
In 2011, a good friend of mine asked me to paint with her in her studio. I instantly loved it! However, I was and still am a stay at home mom to three children, at that time they were 6, 4, and 1, so I had very limited time to paint. Over the years I tried to paint but found very little time while trying to finish up my bachelors in psychology, then getting my professional teaching license while also working as an elementary teacher. I loved painting but could never find the time. I finally stopped working to help my husband start his own financial wealth management, then COVID happened and I was my children’s teacher while we did school at home. When the world began to come back to life I decided in 2021 I needed something for myself and painting was my outlet. Read more>>