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.
Sakeenah Graham
My mother, sister, and I have traveled the world together and wanted to others to get out and see the world. My mother came to my sister and I with the idea of starting a travel agency. I had just finished breast cancer treatment and decided let’s do it! I love traveling, I love helping people, I was cancer free so why not. We set up our business, had our first clients, and then had another idea…let’s organize a hosted group trip to Bali! Not all travel agents organize group trip where clients travel with them. In fact, most travel agents do not! But we saw the need for introducing international travel to those who have not experienced it before and the benefit of traveling in a group, with a travel agent. There was a tour company that came highly recommended, they had a great package, and we thought, this could be great! We were a new company, we didn’t have a lot of clients, but decided to take a risk, advertise and market to our friends, family, and network, and see what happens. Read more>>
Cherri Dallas
Taking the leap into entrepreneurship was one of the most transformative decisions of my life. I remember the moment vividly: I had just finished serving in the United States Army for 8 years which I describe as being told what to do and when to do it. When I came home I started working in the emergency room at a hospital and was feeling unfulfilled with the job, yearning for something more. The thought of starting my own business filled me with both excitement and fear. It was a risk, Diving into entrepreneurship was like stepping into uncharted waters. Read more>>
Reneé Moussa
When I had graduated college, I was working at a residential real estate brokerage for a top producing team and agent. On the outside it looked like anyone’s dream job, but on the inside I felt deeply unaligned and honestly, unhappy. I felt like I wanted to take a shift, but was so afraid to leave such an incredible team and position. It wasn’t until my body forced me to walk away – and I started to develop symptoms of hormonal imbalance and gut issues. I felt chronically in fight or flight mode, and like I couldn’t function. Normally, one would push through, but I followed my intuition and took space away from work to heal myself. I dedicated myself to learning about the best ways to naturally heal your gut and hormones, and spent months working on myself. After achieving the greatest level of health I had ever been at, declining medications from Western medicine doctors and handling it completely by myself despite what they said, I was inspired to go back to school and start an online practice where I see clients worldwide for the exact same issues. Read more>>
Emily Gahagan
Photography didn’t start with a camera in my hand. It didn’t begin with creative vision or even a love for the craft. It began with a simple word: “Yes.” My story in media and photography really took shape at The Altar Fellowship, a place where I first stepped into production because a friend needed help. At the time, I didn’t know an XLR cable from an instrument cable, but he was in need, and I was willing to give it a try. It wasn’t glamorous. I spent my early days running lyrics on ProPresenter during church services, and honestly, I didn’t expect it to lead anywhere. But I kept showing up, learning, and helping out however I could. For about three years, I was behind the scenes, unnoticed but present. Read more>>
Jasmine Rush
One of the biggest risks I’ve taken was deciding to self-publish my books Help Me Tell and Together in the Trenches. It was a journey that pushed me far beyond my comfort zone. To give you some context, Help Me Tell is a book where I open up about deeply personal experiences—moments that shaped who I am—and I knew the power of sharing those stories could create connection and healing. Similarly, Together in the Trenches is focused on navigating life with a family member who has PTSD. I wanted to provide support, perspective, and hope to people walking that difficult path. The decision to self-publish wasn’t an easy one. Traditional publishing offers a level of security and external validation, but I felt strongly about maintaining control over my story and the way it was told. I didn’t want my message diluted or reshaped by someone else’s agenda. But with self-publishing came a different set of risks—financial investment, figuring out every step of the process from writing and editing to formatting and marketing, and, of course, the vulnerability of putting my story out there for public consumption and critique. Read more>>
Lex Rowe
I had always been interested in art as a little girl, I drew women, fashion, florals, etc. When it came time to college my father and I thought something more practical would be in my best interest. I had been going to college studying Respiratory Therapy for some time. It was a huge goal of mine since I was 18 but wasn’t able to complete until I was 24 due to having to take time off due to family hardships. I finally graduated from college and was working on studying for my board exams when I was involved in a major head on car collision on May 4, 2022. I was driving into my part time job at the time around 5am when a driver started driving onto the wrong side of the road into my lane, although I attempted to avoid the driver — we still collided. Read more>>
Mike Foley
my first one in the year 2000, at 8 years old. It was a little digital camcorder with an eye-cup viewfinder and no screen – just click, point, and pray. This cheap camera and included software unlocked something in my young brain and I filmed everything I could for years; eventually getting newer and cooler cameras. When I was 18 and enrolling colleges, my parents made it very clear to me how important a college education would be for my future. It was decided that I would attend community college for 2 years and transfer to a 4-year school after that. During my time in community college I had begun exploring photography in a more serious capacity; taking on small side gigs for family/friends, shooting in my free time, and learning the craft. At this point, I was truly unaware that photography could be more than just a fun hobby. Read more>>
Lily Helander
I picked up a camera at a young age and started snapping pictures of just about everything. For me, it wasn’t about how the photos looked—it was about the way I felt when I was taking them. When I went off to college, I chose a major that felt like the “right” choice at the time. To my 18-year-old self, school was all about meeting people and making connections, so the major didn’t seem like a big deal. But I soon realized that if I wasn’t passionate about what I was studying, I couldn’t be my best self. Read more>>
Steve Kramer
Steve has been a guidance counselor since 2006. I’ve worked at a couple community colleges in Kansas. In December 2014 I was hired at a local small liberal arts college helping with student success. I loved this job, I was going to retire in this job. In 2022 I was laid off because of budget constraints. This was a crisis point for me. I didn’t know what to do, so I decided to contribute to something that I loved…camp. A local Christian camp to be exact, doing maintenance. In late 2023 I was looking into a free trailer for the Christian camp to start marriage retreats. When I met the guy who owned the trailer, he showed me the trailer and before I left he asked, “Would you want to buy this whole trailer park?” Read more>>
Peter Klapka
The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was leaving my homeland, Czechoslovakia, in 1980. At the time, the country was under a strict communist regime. No one could have imagined that, a decade later, dramatic changes would transform the political landscape. For me, the decision to leave wasn’t just about stepping into the unknown—it was about walking away from a successful career. I was a composer, recording artist, and the leader of a popular band called Mahagon. On the surface, I had achieved everything I had worked for. But my growing success came with an unspoken expectation: cooperation with the Communist Party. Refusing to comply meant jeopardizing my career, the livelihood of my family, and potentially our safety. Read more>>
Chelsea Wesley
I took a big risk when I was in my late 30s. I had survived cancer at 31 and then took another risk to go into art full time. My ceramics and sculpture business had regular customers and shows, but I am just not a good schmoozer, which seems to be a requirement in fine art. I was getting tired of lugging the crates of work, and shipping fragile items is a nightmare. I had been working with indoor plants since college and decided to go back to school to learn landscape design and arboriculture. I did a heavy load of classes, every evening to get it done quickly not knowing how I would do in school. Read more>>
Sarah Humm
When I decided to go to cosmetology school, I remember feeling so sure that this was the career for me, but that didn’t mean it came without doubts. While my friends went to college, I began cosmetology school. Once I was working full time behind the chair, it was hard for me to relate to my friend’s lives at college. At first, choosing a career path so different from my peers was intimidating, but I am so glad I followed my gut. A few years later, I followed that instinct again when my co-workers and I decided to take a leap of faith and start our own business. There were plenty of obstacles when we began, but by trusting ourselves and one another, we have been able to learn so much. Opening our business has given me more confidence to trust myself in the future when taking risks, and shown me how fortunate I am to have so much support from the people in my life. Read more>>
Cory Christiansen
I am not a risk taker. I have spent most of my life following the rules, taking the clear path, and boxing myself in with predictability. From the outsider’s perspective, I was living a dream life. I excelled in med school, matched at a prestigious residency for Orthopedic Surgery, and went on to have a successful career as an orthopedic surgeon. What little free time I had was spent exploring the things that I had dabbled with growing up – drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, woodworking. I amassed a diverse collection of tools and materials, but time constraints severely hampered any creative output. Fast forward several years and three people entered my life at various times and gave me a glimpse of a different life. Read more>>
Robin Silverman
I opened Tripping Gnome Farm in July, 2022 and can honestly say that it was the biggest risk that I have ever taken. I started my agricultural journey with absolutely zero previous experience. Raised in New York City with no farms or even green grass anywhere in my immediate vicinity, I landed in Massachusetts after college and spent the next 30 years raising my family with my husband and teaching Latin to middle and high school students. As my youngest child neared high school graduation, I decided it was time for me to make a change and try something different for the second chapter of my career. Having been an educator through the Covid pandemic, I was very depleted and knew that I needed to put my own health first and find a different venture that would nourish me. Read more>>
Adriana Allegri
The largest, and most life-changing risk I’ve taken is to listen to my intuition and pursue my dream of becoming a published author. Doing so involved two career changes and cross-country moves and was absolutely worth it! It all began with a voice in my head. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. More than twenty years ago, I was a high school teacher on summer break who woke up from a dream in tears. The voice in my head was clear and insistent, so I ran to my computer and dashed out a few pages in stream-of-consciousness mode. There was no plot, just a box with a swastika, family secrets, and a mother-daughter relationship in need of healing. It felt like a short story, although the story was unfinished. The same thing happened a week or so later, only that time the pages were about resolution, understanding, and healing between a mother and daughter. Read more>>
Connie Kim-sheng Fried
Launching our music school, Fried Music, was a huge risk and undertaking. My husband, Ben, and I are classically trained musicians who were already running successful private studios out of our home. So to take on additional expenses, the unpredictability and pressures of building a business was definitely a risky decision, but it was the best one we have ever made. Our passion for creating something meaningful outweighed the practicality of staying comfortable. We realized our students needed something much more substantial and inspiring. As teachers—and as musicians who had once faced the same struggles—we knew how challenging it is to motivate kids to practice. We believe that one of the greatest ways to overcome that hurdle is to build an environment that would inspire them. And thus, Fried Music was born. At the same time, we launched its full-scholarship Pre-College Program, which is a weekly Saturday program designed to cultivate students’ musicianship through practice, performance classes, concerts, and ensemble playing. Read more>>
Zachary Jodlowski
One of the biggest risks I have taken was directing a show for my first time on top of 4 other jobs this last Fall 2024. About 1 1/2 years ago, I was approached with the idea of directing a Deaf Theatre production at Florissant Valley Community College (FVCC), where I work at. At the time, I worked as a teacher teaching sign language at the community college at night and at a high school, teaching Deaf/Hard of Hearing students during the day. I was thrilled since I have been involved in theatre since my college days, stretching back to when I played the sign role of Edna Turnblad in NTID Performing Arts’ “Hairspray” in 2015. Since then, I’ve performed in shows locally, in addition to helping film sign language readings of the “House of Branching Paths” podcasts on YouTube and signing my own personal sign language videos of songs. Since 2015, I have always wanted to direct a theatre production for the Deaf along with being a sign language performer and actor, so this opportunity with FVCC was a dream come true. Read more>>
Aurora Ash
Taking risks has always been a part of my journey. Embracing uncertainty has often been for me, where growth begins. Life is unpredictable, but stepping into the unknown has shaped me in ways I didn’t expect. I have gratefully had the opportunity to work alongside aspiring artists & creative individuals and their teams such as Lana Del Rey, Dua Lipa, Richie Hawin, Olafur Eliasson & Dr. David Edwards from Harvard. Working with these individuals in my career and their teams showed me that outside of their outstanding talent, that each have taken a risk and that taking a risk ultimately means taking a chance on yourself, your vision and often your intuition. Read more>>
April Padilla
One of the biggest risks that I ever took at 29 years old was when I opened my first business, which was a hair salon and spa.. I had been managing and running a big successful salon and spa for years, and at the time my boss and mentor encouraged me to have my own business one day. He knew how ambitious and hungry I was. Little did he know, that his encouragement and leadership led me to start the process during my lunch hour. I opened a business account, researched and found a lawyer, etc. I had no fear. Just ambition and drive to create my own future on my terms. Read more>>
Andrea Wachholtz
Years ago I was a dance instructor and the assistant to the artistic director of a dance school and professional company, while simultaneously dancing and performing with the company. After working there for almost ten years, I decided, that for my own personal best interest and growth, it was time for me to resign from my positions. With no plan of where I was headed, I only knew that I wanted to continue my teaching in a place where every student was treated fairly and with respect no matter their families financial status. I wanted to share my love of dance and create a welcoming, safe environment to all that entered. I wanted to provide the same level of dance education no matter a student’s background or ability, to be conscious of injury prevention, combining my knowledge of the arts through education and life lessons through dance in a safe, fair, and loving environment. Read more>>
Christopher Joe
Upon starting Connecting with Birds and Nature Tours, LLC October 31, 2018, to diversify my family’s Black Angus cattle farm, I have never owned a business. I have never went through filing documents to obtain a business number. I am not a training ornithologist. I have never marketed a business and took on the responsibilities that owning a business entails. I wanted our private property to be used as a conduit to provide people the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors through activities such as birding, nature walking, biking, and camping. We want to educate, demonstrate, and show others that they too can become friends of the environment though low impact ecotourism activities. Read more>>
Gabrielle Rosenblum
Taking the leap to leave behind the security of a full-time job was the biggest risk I ever took. For years, I hustled tirelessly for others, knowing I was good at what I did but feeling a deep sense of disconnection. My work wasn’t making the impact I wanted for myself, and I felt the passion slipping away. Taking a huge risk, I left that job and launched The Central Gab, pouring my heart into building something of my own. Simultaneously, I returned to my roots in fitness and dance after a brief hiatus, bringing my journey full circle. Teaching fitness has always been my passion—it’s where I find joy, connection, and purpose. I absolutely love working with my clients, guiding them to discover their strength, confidence, and potential, and being part of their transformative journeys is a privilege that fills my heart every single day. Read more>>
Giovana Gelhoren
When I thought of this question, two risks came to mind: when I left for university and when I left to start my career as an Entertainment Journalist in NYC. For the first one, let me paint a picture. I was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. And while I studied in the British School there all my life, the idea of leaving the country and moving halfway across the world felt crazy and daunting, to say the least. Nevertheless, in December of 2017, I got into Northwestern University and, about nine months later, packed my bags, borrowed all the sweaters my family ever had, and started a new life for myself. Read more>>
Eric Marsh
The biggest risk I’ve ever taken is betting on myself … and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. I started my career in the building trades as a union carpenter in Philadelphia in the late 90s. I worked many years in light commercial, commercial and heavy and highway projects. During my time in the union I was also a single father. I’d gained custody of my sone years before and I saw my work as a carpenter as a solid way of earning a living and building a future for my family. Unfortunately the work took me a way from him for long hours, sometimes 6 days a week for most of the year. My mother cared for him when he wasn’t in daycare or school. One day, they both were ill and needed to see a doctor on different days in the same week. I decided to ask for some time off from my job to care for them but was met with “We don’t need people like you on this job.” I was shocked by the blatant disrespect. Read more>>
Clint Baggett
A few years ago, I made the decision to leave a stable, high-paying corporate role to step into the unknown and pursue work that aligned with my values and purpose. At the time, I was experiencing burnout and a deep sense of disconnection. I knew something had to change, even though it meant leaving behind financial security and the identity I had built around my career. The Backstory: I had worked my way up in the tech industry, leading teams and solving complex problems. On paper, everything looked great, but inside, I felt like I was drifting further from who I truly wanted to be. The decision to leave wasn’t easy—I wrestled with fear, doubt, and the possibility of failure. But deep down, I knew the biggest risk was staying where I was and losing sight of my purpose. Read more>>
Jhonny Aguilar
Life is all about taking risks. I believe that risk is the key to moving forward, opening doors to success that we might not even imagine. Many people in the world prefer stability, a steady job, living paycheck to paycheck, and that’s completely fine. But I also believe that most of these people have dreams and goals they’re too afraid to pursue. Fear can be paralyzing: the fear of losing a job, money, or security. So, they choose to stay where they are. But I’ve always asked myself, What if I take the risk and succeed? If you do, your life can change 100%. And if you don’t, you gain something just as valuable: experience. You learn, you grow, and you try again. Read more>>
Karen Filos
Change is good. At age 50 I took a risk that changed my life entirely. I gave up my 30 years of being a successful hair and makeup artist and dove right into learning and becoming a hat maker. My husband and I launched out 3 young adult children out in the real world and moved from Georgia to Montana. Taking risks was a trait I learned from my parents who took the courageous journey and immigrated to this country in 1970 from Brazil and planted roots in New Jersey with nothing in their pockets but fifty dollars and a lot of hope. Their unwavering work ethic and ability to create community and friendships laid the foundation for my entrepreneurial spirit. I actively seek out opportunities to expand my knowledge and capabilities. I believe there comes a time in life when you can choose to stick with whats comfortable or your can choose to grow. Read more>>
Patrick Fisher
Risk-taking has been a constant theme in my life, often born from necessity but ultimately driven by the belief that growth lies on the other side of uncertainty. In 2012, I found myself in Erie, Pennsylvania, living on $16,000 a year and burdened with over $70,000 in private student loans. My finances were suffocating, and the path forward seemed uncertain. That’s when I took a leap of faith and moved to Alaska for a job that offered nearly four times my previous salary. Living in a dry cabin in Fairbanks—without running water—was unconventional, but it taught me self-reliance and resilience. After three years, I negotiated a fully remote role, converting a van into a camper and hitting the road across North America with my three-legged dog. It was a liberating chapter of my life, removing the weight of rent and utilities while reshaping my relationship with material things. With limited space in the van, I stopped buying what I didn’t need and focused instead on aggressively paying down my debt. Read more>>
Whitney Stovall
In 2015 my marriage was failing, and it was really tearing my family apart. My husband and I had been married for 8 years, living in Houston, Texas, had a beautiful daughter, leading in our church, and thriving on our jobs. Everything was going great, until I noticed changes in his attitude and that he had become more angry and distant toward me. When I spoke to him, I remember him trying to verbalize that he had started seeing another woman, but his actual words were “pray for me, I’m feeling the need to get away.” I was pregnant at the time with my youngest daughter, and we were transitioning from having to live with friends until our new apartment was ready. As time when on, I had my daughter, thinking it would change his mind, but we ended up going through counseling to try and reconcile the issues in our marriage. Read more>>
Gerry Seqal
Four Great Risks That Shaped My Life 1. From Music to Education I’ve been writing songs since the age of 19 I’m now 81. I was part of Greenwich village music scene in the early ’60s and even appeared at one of the open mics that Bob Dylan appeared in at Gerdy’s Folk City. At the same time I had a family with deep roots in education and I followed the pursuit of a teaching career. While I never fully left behind my songwriting I became the youngest Middle School Director in New York City School system, and at the same time, I was recording my songs for Chappell Music Publishers. Not pursuing music full time was a creative risk, but one I was not sorry to take. I dove into the educational field, rose through the ranks. In the music business, while never achieving commercial success, I achieved wonderful treasures such as lifelong friends and meeting my wife of 44 years. Read more>>
Donte Martin
I’m a young, ambitious coffee enthusiast eager to make my mark in the world of specialty coffee and tea. I’ve landed an opportunity to own and operate a startup coffee company. The opportunity is both exhilarating and terrifying— but I know the risk is very rewarding, This company, Bodéga Bean Co., has big dreams but is operating out of a modest space with limited funding. The idea is revolutionary, but the future is uncertain. The stakes are high, and you have to make a choice: stay in your comfortable job or dive headfirst into the unknown. I maintained the security of my corporate position while nurturing my passion project on the side. By leveraging my professional experiences, I gained insights into business operations, marketing, and customer service, which all contributed to the growth of Bodéga Bean Co. The dual experience not only diversified my skills but also showcased my ability to adapt and innovate. It was a wild ride, filled with sleepless nights, countless setbacks, and moments of doubt. But it was also incredibly rewarding. I worked tirelessly, fueled by passion and a shared vision. Each small victory felt monumental, and every challenge only strengthened my resolve. Read more>>
Samantha Guidoin
It was COVID and I had just graduated college. My family was working remotely, my little sister was doing online high school, and I was sitting at home applying for 9 – 5 jobs all day long. Of course at that point more people were getting fired instead of hired in my industry ( advertising and pr) so finding a job was like looking for a star in the daylight. After a few months of this I had had enough and decided to ask my god mother, who owns a vineyard in France, to see if she needed any help out in the field or even with her social media / photography. She said she would gladly take me on for 3 months while I continued to apply and look for jobs. So, during COVID, I decided to get on a plane to France and go work as a photographer and marketing manager for her vineyard. Read more>>
Hayden Helms
I became a full-time musician in 2018. I was living in Lake Charles, LA and I was playing at any place that I could work at restaurants, bars, private parties, weddings, etc. I was doing well for myself and had my band going strong. We were called The Good Samaritans and we had released an EP in 2019 and a full length album in 2020 in April. There’s no way I would’ve guessed the world would be shutting down in March of that year because you plan to release these things months in advance. However, there was no stopping it and we released it to a world locked in their homes with no shows to be played and not much to show for it. I was looking for any side job I could do at the time to try to make money being that there was no music work for me available. Read more>>
Jessy Vallabadas
In my career, I’ve come to understand that taking calculated risks is essential for growth, and one particular experience stands out as a defining moment. I had been working in mechanical new product development and design for several years, where my role focused on designing innovative products, managing technical specifications, and ensuring product performance met industry standards. But one day, I was offered the chance to transition into a project management position—a complete shift from my previous work. This new role would involve leading large-scale projects, and I would be tasked with managing not only the design and development but also the coordination of entire teams and resources across various domains. Read more>>
Amy Finegold
I was never a risk taker. I was a perfectionist who feared failure, steering clear of anything that could potentially challenge me outside of my comfort zone. And so I lived a life of success by only engaging in things that i did well. Until I met my husband. I had always wanted to open a women’s clothing store. I worked for years in retail, learning from the best in Boston. When my husband and I moved out of the city, I was ready to bring city style to the suburbs and open my women’s boutique, dresscode. But I was petrified. What if no one comes in? What if I fail? What if… My husband’s response was So What. What’s the worst that can happen? For the first time I digested what it would mean to fail. I sat and marinated on what that might feel like. What it would look like in real life. And what the benefits of taking this risk would mean to me – the fruition of my dream vs. the unknown. Read more>>
Megan Taylor
The Risk I Took to Build Face to Face Skincare One of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken was opening Face to Face Skincare. After 13 years of working in various spas and med spas, I reached a point where I knew I wanted more control over my career and the services I could provide. I dreamed of creating a space that truly reflected my vision—a place where I could build meaningful connections with clients and offer personalized, high-quality treatments. But stepping out on my own was terrifying. I had a stable job, a steady income, and a family to support. The thought of leaving that security to start my own business felt overwhelming. I wrestled with the “what-ifs”—what if it failed? What if I wasn’t ready? What if I let my family down? Read more>>
Micaelo Duran
As a co-founder of WebieMedia, one of the biggest risks I took was deciding to pivot our business model in the early stages of the company. At the time, we were a small digital marketing agency, working on a mix of projects ranging from website design to social media management. We were making steady progress, but something didn’t feel right. The industry was evolving rapidly, and it became clear that to stand out, we would need to specialize and become experts in a specific niche. The risk wasn’t just a change in direction; it was a financial gamble, a shift that meant we’d need to narrow our service offerings, rebrand, and focus our entire strategy on one area. The timing was also crucial—we were at a point where we had a decent client base, and I knew that some of those clients might not follow us through this transition. We’d already built a reputation, and pulling the rug out from under the general services we offered felt like it could be a huge step backward. Read more>>
Karen Fitzgerald
A year or two out of graduate school, I was struggling with compositional challenges on a set of nine 72″ x 54″ paintings. One was particularly vexing – I’d run out of ideas for solving the conundrum. My stretcher maker passed through the studio to deliver an order to my studio mate. I complained about compositional woes; that’s how it goes, he said. The next day he returned to complete the order delivery and brought me a gift: a scrap round panel from his production studio. It had a hole in the center, which I patched. I stretched a piece of paper on it and tried my compositional challenge. The problems vanished, and I realized it was the corners of the rectangular plane causing my challenges. I called him and ordered nine 54″ diameter panels and have never looked back. Read more>>
Leanne Grabel
I was a very shy child and young woman. I am not sure I ever was able to stand in front of a class and give a presentation, when I was a girl, without sputtering into embarrassed giggling that disallowed me even continuing. I was afraid to speak out in college, also, although this is where I realized writing was something that came relatively easily and was the perfect vehicle for expression for someone whose “tongue had been taken by the cat.” Then, when I was in my early 20s, I decided to buck up and be brave. When I went to my first poetry open-mic at age 24, I was so moved by the poets who were absolutely dancing to their words–their very revealing, emotional, glorious words–that I faced my fears. Within three months, I put my name on the reader list. The first time I read, the paper was absolutely burping in the breeze created by my shaking hands. But as I shared my very revealing, emotional, and hopefully, glorious words, I soon relaxed. I felt like this was absolutely the greatest thing I had ever done. I felt calm. Read more>>
Fatima Jones
I have taken a few professional risks throughout my career. One of the earlier risks was moving from a position at a PR firm headquartered in New York City to help expand the business into Europe. I had never been to Europe before, but I had a lot of heart and fearless energy. My boss at the time was tapped to expand the agency we worked for and she asked me if I would join her. She liked my work ethic and knew I wanted new experiences. It was one of the best risks I ever took. Within a span of a few months, I found a place to live and threw myself into learning how to be an “ex-pat.” I made fantastic friends that I still have to this day. One of the funniest things about living in London was realizing that though we all spoke English, there were a ton of cultural norms and terms that were foreign to me. I also learned that when your work is consistent and at a high level, you will be recognized, and that will open doors. Though this was my first time living and working overseas, I jumped right in, learned a lot, and we tripled our business within a few months. It was an amazing experience. Read more>>
Herand Tahmasian
Taking risks has always been central to who I am. One of the biggest was moving from London to Los Angeles before the pandemic and working on the buildout of a restaurant during the 2020 pandemic. Leaving behind the familiarity of home and venturing into a new country amid global uncertainty was daunting, especially as the restaurant industry was struggling. Renting a commercial space, managing the buildout, and navigating supply chain delays and health regulations were significant challenges. Many doubted the decision, but I believed in my vision. When the restaurant opened in 2021, it became a much-needed space for connection and comfort, proving that even in adversity, risks can lead to success! Read more>>
Dedra Smith
In January of 2024, I was working a full time job at a small printshop in my hometown as a graphic designer. It was my first real gig as a graphic designer after college and it taught me so so much. However, on December 28th, 2023, I had posted a piece of artwork on my Instagram page that blew up overnight practically. It actually was a very deciding factor for me that I needed to pursue my Instagram more seriously. Flash forward a couple of months later and I had gained 10K followers and was posting regularly on my page. I was getting a lot of freelance work and was ultimately faced with a decision.. I either chase this dream of having my own business, or continue working at my steady, printshop job. I was getting burnt out working both and I knew it was only a matter of time before I hit complete creative burnout. Read more>>
Edward Jonathas
The story of starting Birdie Frozen Yogurt right before Covid-19 hit is a strange one — it’s a tale of timing, optimism, and a huge leap of faith that took a drastic turn when the world suddenly changed. It’s funny now, looking back, because I was so excited about my plans and the thought of future expansion, and then everything came to a screeching halt in a way no one could have predicted. But the risk I took to start Birdie just before the pandemic really shaped the company, and I learned invaluable lessons along the way. Read more>>
Dayana Torres
Growing up, my parents own businesses both in the U.S and Venezuela ( where I was born) so I always knew at some point I’d want to take the risk of becoming a business owner. Growing up and during my adult life, I always thought the business would be in retail and/or a restaurant, A few things that hindered me were financial positioning and the fact that I can’t cook!!! After getting divorced and having to relocate to a completely different city, with little rt no money I resorted to what I knew which is call centers and call center management. I was laid off on my birthday and after going back to school I started to work with a State Farm agent as an agent team member. Read more>>