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.

Elizabeth Davis

It all started with a not so fancy camera and an amazing mentor. It was a huge risk but I quit my 9-5 to attempt to make it in the photography industry. I knew I loved it and I was past the burn out of my previous job. My friend and mentor, Kendrick Shaw, allowed me to follow him and gain some portfolio while learning all the basics and then some. Soon I was second shooting for weddings and then after, leading my own. It was a risk but I feel it was well worth it and I am so much happier doing what I love with people I love! Read more>>

Prophecy UT

Everyday for me is a risk when it comes to the amount of time and energy I put into my craft. As a single parent , working full time , being a full time father, and pursuing a music career weighs me down heavily along with expectations that I have meet on a daily. When my music allows me to replace my daily job I know that many new risks will come about and many life changing decisions will arise. Im ready for the leap as I continue to speak on relatable topics of what we go through on a daily. Read more>>

Susie Lauri

Since my early twenties, I have loved learning and personal development. I started out as a hairdresser, makeup artist, and later doing photoshoots. I worked in the salon and on location. One day, as I was journaling, I felt a calling to help people. I wasn’t sure what that meant. I was confused. And I had this strong drive to learn more about trauma. So I started taking some courses and the drive grew stronger and stronger. Read more>>

Kalene Parker

One of the biggest risks I’ve taken on my journey as a small business owner was quitting my full time job in Q4 of 2020 to pursue my goals full time. Now I know that may seem scary to some….trust me it was scary to me as well. The reason I knew I had to make that leap was because I was unhappy, over worked, and underpaid at my 9-5. Read more>>

Armani Walton

All my entire life I’ve always been the risk taker with different situations relating to battles , adventures , goals , relationships , work related activities , and my social life. The biggest risk I’ve ever took was allowing myself to live in my authenticity navigating through the gay life . Allowing myself to be who I truly am despite what society feels I should be or others who are against the lifestyle around me . The old me was very observant and not so bold how I am today . I didn’t just decide to be who I am today all this came with courage , perseverance , patience , and risk. Read more>>

Gordon Payne

Broadening Horizons I have been in chiropractic practice for ten years and it has been a blessing both to me and my patients. We have seen thousands of cases resolved, made life long partnerships, and have had the ability to celebrate with our patients in ways I never would have imagined. Our system was working and I was proud of the care we delivered. That being said, I started to desire a challenge outside of healthcare so I started doing some small business investing. Those experiences led me into the world of commercial real estate. Read more>>

Ana Rodriguez

The biggest risk I have taken recently involves my own personal training and journey with the science of cutting edge research in the field Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy. However, the most entertaining part of this story involves the first exploration into my own wonderland in an isolated jungle in the heart Mexico. Read more>>

Kimberly Chapman

At 33 years old, I climbed in my 2006 Maxima, with every possession that I could stuff inside, and made my way down I-35 South. As I traveled away from my childhood home of Oklahoma City, I was ready and determined to receive the Fresh Start that Dallas promised. I had no job, a tiny savings, and would be temporarily sharing an apartment with two other friends just as desperate as I was for change. Read more>>

Shelly Baer

When I was in my early 40’s, I posed semi-nude for a photography exhibit featuring disabled women. I have a visible disability that I got when I was three and often felt insecure, shy, and like I wanted to hide. I was uncomfortable with my body. I never thought in a million years I would do anything like that, but I was standing in a new place of self-acceptance. And I thought I’m noticed, people stare at me anyway, why not have them stare at a beautiful, large image in a gallery. Read more>>

Connie Whitlock

I have always dreamt of a community art center and when I was commissioned by a Health Care Company to make a public art piece of their founder on a wall with clay tiles I used the building they were moving out of. I spoke to their CEO and management to see if I could use the building for a community art center, and they allowed me to do so. I took a huge risk by remodeling the 8500 sq ft facility, using my own money and donations from the community. Read more>>

Will Mims

I took a risk starting Legend Gear, the first soccer apparel company that was the predecessor to Golazo. I was training kids privately in the DFW metroplex as I was transitioning out of pursuing soccer at the professional level, and also designing a social good company that donated soccer gear for each shirt sold. Fast forward to today, the Golazo Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that has distributed over 2,200 pieces of soccer gear! Read more>>

Steven Ruscoe

When it comes to taking a risk it’s not for everybody. Taking a risk is one of the hardest things we can do as humans. When I started my business I was taking a huge risk due to the fact that I started this business when covid just hit hard. I left a job where I was making $70,000 a year I had nothing in savings just to start chasing my dream. This was one of the hardest things I could do because I have a family and all of the bills associated with being an adult. Read more>>

Zaïe

A big risk I took was actually last year; ironically almost exactly a year ago is when I ‘dropped out’ of my former university. To my friends and family this was huge because I was in my third year and ideally could have just continued until graduation however, what most didn’t know was that I was extremely unhappy. I did not get to pursue most endeavors that I usually like to partake in due to the location of the school and the town being so small. My mental health declined tremendously especially after COVID and I just felt lost and needed some time to get things in order. Read more>>

Genesis Fowler

Deciding to open my own tattoo shop has been a huge risk for me. For months I debated if it was too soon, as I’ve only been a Tattoo Artist for 4 years. Most Shop owners have atleast 6-10 years under their belt, or business management experience. I came to the conclusion that I was severely under qualified, but that shouldn’t be a reason to give up. Instead I decided I’d have to learn quickly and unconventionally. Read more>>

Grace Casey

Paper Clouds was born in the pandemic, as I am sure so many businesses were. As a former NYC resident, I moved out of the city and all of a sudden found myself with a ton of time on my hands. My mind kept drifting away from my 9-5 and towards what would truly make me happy, and I knew this was owning my own business and doing something I believe in and enjoyed. Launching a business during a pandemic is risky, but I went it to it thinking “having tried and failed is better than never having tried.” Read more>>

Megan Patiry

When I abruptly quit my job in college (with no knowledge of how I was going to pay rent) after reading the 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris … I not only realized the power of words, but that every elevation in life requires risk. That college retail job was my last 9-5 before becoming a full-time writer and author. I was an English major with a journalism concentration at the time, so I knew writing was my strong suit. Read more>>

Andriko Gipson

My life changing risk started in 2020 when I set out to further my business Midwest Coney Connection. At the time, we had already gained recognition and a following in the city since our establishment in 2015. We were in a good place to expand; however, so I sought out a building, where I settled on our current location off of S Kirkwood and Richmond Avenue. In the midst of the pandemic, it was a blessing to be able to operate in this new space and still maintain the success of the Galleria Food Truck Park. Read more>>

Walt Settlemyre

I have worked as a paramedic for the last 30 years with 25 of those being in a Special Operations role either a tactical medic or a rescue medic. As I’ve gotten older, more injuries, and the wear and tear on my body of a very physical life, I’m 57 now, I’ve had to face several pivotal transitions in my life that are not only a bit scary, but also leaps of faith in my self! Read more>>

Elise Krentzel

I’ve taken risks my entire life throughout my career and in my personal life. As a serial entrepreneur with creative talents in writing and ideation, I didn’t always identify as creative. However, proof of my unconventional approach and solution finding was a dead giveaway to my proclivities. The most significant risk I ever took started when I was 16. I decided to pool my talent as a writer and budding journalist with music to become a music journalist. It took two years until I was published in a national magazine but published I was. Read more>>

Brittany Battle

The biggest risk I have taken is relocating from Cleveland, Ohio, where I had built a following and name for myself as a mixologist, to moving to Baltimore, MD, where I have had to slowly build my brand all over again. I recently moved to Maryland in January of 2022, and started working in Safari Nightclub in February of 2022. Not only is Safari my first experience with working in a fast paced nightclub, this not having the time or tool to really create craft cocktails as I have done while working in dive bars…..no one knew my skills. Read more>>

Julia Veronesi

Taking risks I believe comes very easily to me. It has always been a part of my personality in a way. I want to focus on this topic to hopefully inspire someone to step outside of their comfort zone and trust their intuition. Even though I personally love taking risks, that doesn’t mean it’s always an easy decision. Let’s dive in… Read more>>

Kayla Penn-Jones

” Taking Risk ” is one of the toughest parts of life, but it is inevitable if you want growth. In my professional and creative career I’ve taken so many risk to get to where I am today. I’ve started a new career in E-commerce ( something I’ve never done before ) but has been so rewarding and I’ve gained so much knowledge. I also, stepped out on Faith and created my own brand ” Selectively Social ” which includes a plethora of T-shirts , Sweatshirts, Sweatsuits, and Shorts for both Men and Women. Read more>>

Jared Harris

Taking A Risk! When I First Started 1Glass Auto Glass, I literally Was Out Of My Mind (so I thought). The finance and clients was not there at ALL & No Clue on how I was going to make it. It takes discipline & dedication for sure! The Budget was tough, the toughest thing I was ever trying to budget while after getting let go from the previous employer a local glass works company for trying to make some side cash from side work, the bills were still due etc. Read more>>

Chris Bustamante

In 2020 after coming out of the NFL as a un drafted free agent I was left with a very hard decision to make. I was left with the choice to either give up on my dream or to continue believing in my talent and find a way to make my dream a reality. I decided that I was going to believe in myself at all cost and continue my journey to becoming a Pro Football Player. During this period was some of the hardest times of my life. I was Broke, Read more>>

Elise Elbourne

In February 2022, I decided to leave my job as the receptionist/purchasing agent for a local school and work with a friend of mine who is a realtor as her admin. Leading up to this decision I had been working with her part-time doing some social media management. Several years before this, I started a blog and so managing social media accounts was something that I was able to easily jump into. Read more>>

NILYSHA JONES

The biggest risk I have taken was starting my business. I never felt I was business savvy nor did I have the actual desire or want to have my own business. My family and friends had a lot of faith in my craft and I had yet to really see it myself. Even with feeling adamant on not wanting to have to deal with the tedious aspect of running a business, something brewing inside me kept telling me to JUST DO IT. Read more>>

Malcolm Turpin

Taking a risk seems to be extreme to some people and not worth it to others. Risk taking to me is more of an opportunity to grow and be a witness to what can be accomplished if the limits are pushed… a little. During a recent summer, I chose to focus more on my business development instead of giving all of my time to a corporate job working a 9 to 5. Being confined to one workspace with redundant tasks to complete is something I knew I did not want to do. Read more>>

Forrest Hudes

Early into starting in woodworking I began a job as a bartender at a new hotel opening in Los Angeles. The general manager of the hotel told the whole staff during training one day how much he valued us and our unique talents and wanted us to share what we had to offer with the hotel. So at the end of the day I went up to him and told him I was an artist and woodworker and if they needed anything for the hotel I would love to make it. He was very nice about it and asked me to email him my portfolio, which I did and he sent a kind e-mail back and that was that. Read more>>

Brit Tincup

In 2019, after 11 years in a relationship with my then husband, I decided to get on a plane headed to my home town to spend a week with my parents. It was a one way ticket because I thought my husband would come out to spend Labor Day with my family. I had been so miserable for years and if I’m honest, he was too, I realized on the plane that I didn’t have to go back. Not to him, not to Austin, Texas, not to the unhappy life I had settled into. Read more>>

La’Shondra Johnson

The biggest risk anyone can take is betting on themselves. In 2018 I decided to leave teaching due to being genuinely unhappy in the profession. I felt that I wasn’t making the impact I could and hd genuine concerns about my growth as well as student growth within the system. I applied for a fellowship for my nonprofit, EXTRAordinary Youth Inc. (using public speaking to enhance confidence and reading comprehension) and told myself that if I got in, it was a sign to leave teaching, as I thought I was getting 10k. Well, as luck would have it, I got the fellowship! Read more>>

Xavier Galloway

Risks are funny to me because it’s one of those things that most people are afraid to do but do sometimes yield dreams. Although I’m a dreamer, taking risks has taught me that safety, not to be mistaken for comfort, is important in my life. This sounds obvious, but taking risks can often create insecurities that bring in a slew of other problems that I’m not going to get into right now. I remember when I started writing songs and recording music in high school. As raw and untapped as I was then, I didn’t take many risks with my art. I think what got me through those early years learning the craft was the passion I had for it and knowing that I could create something someone else enjoyed. Read more>>

Talib Jasir

The annual Afros & Audio Podcast Festival started because of a 4 episode rom-com fiction podcast. In 2017, I wrote, produced, and directed “The Fussings: Until One of Us is Dead” and went in search for a community of Black fiction podcast creatives for support and resources. In recent years, there has been a significant increase of fiction podcasts by Black creators but at that time there were only a few and even fewer who were independent. Read more>>

Zeneyda & Jamie Jackson & Olliver

I was a young mom. I had my daughter Zeneyda at the age of 15. Struggle has always been a part of our story. Even though I was young, I always had drive. I came from a family of entrepreneurs. With my pregnancy, came a lot of negativity. “You are ruining your life”, “You won’t be successful”, “You won’t finish school”. These comments actually empowered me and gave me the willpower to prove everyone wrong….and I did exactly that. I finished high school in the top 25% of my class and went on to graduate from the University of Houston with my kid on my side. I had hustle. Read more>>

Monique McFadden

The biggest risk I have taken was starting my business. I knew that things would be different. The biggest lesson of all has been the importance of investment and sacrifice. I left my 9-5 job because business had picked up more than I could handle on a few days alone. That needing the extra sense of security nearly made me settle in a place that had pretty much pushed me out during such an unprecedented moment. Read more>>

Samantha Jacob

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “no risk, no reward”.. this is something I couldn’t agree more with. Starting your own business or implementing a huge life change comes with a variety of risks, and I have definitely encountered my fair share. My first huge risk was when I chose to relocate to Las Vegas from Kansas City, with ZERO plan. I didn’t budget for it, I didn’t have a job lined up, I was just ready for a drastic change in my life – and when an opportunity presented itself on a place to live, Read more>>

La-Zondra C. Randolph, Esq.

I’ve taken many risks over the course of my life. My first big risk, at the age of 18, was moving from Indiana to Florida to attend Florida A&M University (FAMU). I didn’t know anyone in Tallahassee, FL so I had to adjust without friends and family. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made because attending FAMU paved the way for my success. Read more>>

David Borden

I had always used a small corner of the house or a portion of a bedroom for an art studio. Although this was the “safest, most economical” option, it was hard. The art never got its priority. It never felt real. I felt like art was a hobby, not a real thing. I always wondered what it would be like to have a real studio. In 2018 I took the big risk. Austin real estate is insanely expensive, and I needed something cheap, so I drew a big circle around Austin, and started looking at commercial buildings. Read more>>

Kimberly Meadows

Believing in myself was one of the biggest and most terrifying risks I have ever taken. We all tend to get in our own way, coming up with excuse after excuse as to why we can’t do something and we rarely think of all of the reasons we can or should. I have been a single mother of two for 13 years now. Needless to say money was tight and being the mother of a special needs child, my schedule was erratic to say the least. I was constantly trying to figure out how to work a ‘regular job’ and still take my son to his Dr appointments, surgeries, recovery time etc. Read more>>

Chef Rae Stelly

It was 2018 and my program at the time had come to a hault and I vividly remember a conversation with my Grandma Kriss (Maternal), and she said, “You just have to work for yourself, working for someone else is not meant for you”. During that conversation she offered to purchase me a food truck, I run it and she remain as a silent partner even after she receive the cost of the truck back. We opened briefly and have been shut down ever since Pre Covid due to mechanical issues and unreliable mechanics. Read more>>