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.
Gage Speas
I had a full time job at a hat shop, here in Nashville. I was working there off and on for three years. I absolutely loved the work. I was making hats for a lot of people from all over the world. I had the best equipment at my disposal. The environment wasn’t the greatest. I’d find myself waking up in the middle of the night stressing if I shut the lights off or something. It was really taking a toll on me. So in June of 2019, I quit. Read more>>
Eileen Kielty
Trigger Warning: Mentions of suicide My biggest risk that I’ve taken over the years has been to trust myself. It might seem small to some and even impossible to others but I believe this is deemed a risk because it is a radical act to trust; it becomes a protest when that trust is extended to yourself. Read more>>
Shabnam Ashtiani
When I was getting my doctorate degree, I knew that I wanted to be my own boss and have my own practice one day. Well to be honest, even as a kid I wanted to have my own business one day. So while working on my degree I made a plan that I would work for someone else for 2-5 years before starting my own thing. My last year of school when I was doing my rotations and preceptorship I kept interviewing with different clinics to find the right fit. Every single interview/clinic was different from the other. Read more>>
Carissa Larson
Risk taking can be very scary. I think it’s natural for most of us to avoid it. It’s natural for us to stay in a place that is safe and comfortable. From a young age, I felt that my professional success would be vastly limited if I didn’t get comfortable with risk taking. I didn’t have a traditional college education and I felt I was going to have to find opportunities for growth, a different way in life. I stopped looking at everything as a risk and started looking at everything as an opportunity. Read more>>
Franki Bagdade
Three years ago today I took a chance, a really big one, and started FAAB Consulting. This picture was a “teaser” I posted the week before. I had been laid off unexpectedly from a job that I loved. A job I was so passionate about that I lost all sight of any sort of work/life balance and neglected my health- both physically and mentally. I wasn’t showing up for my family and friends in the way that I wanted to. Like so many things that feel devastating when they happen it was a true blessing in disguise. Read more>>
Kerrie Campbell
I worked in corporate for 25 years and was a global human resources executive. I raised two children (now teenagers) while working full-time and moved my family from Australia to the US for one of my jobs. Because my last position was incredibly demanding, my husband gave up his career to stay at home with the kids, so I was the sole income earner for our family. I never dreamed I would leave corporate, but at the same time, I had been feeling the stress, had dealt with burnout and adrenal fatigue multiple times over the past decade and felt like I had sacrificed a lot of time with my children due to constantly working and traveling over the years. Read more>>
Ashley Ivester
“Just.” That is a word I’ve uttered often. “I’m just a Mom.” “I’m just one writer among countless others.” “Just” is a word kills most dreams before they ever truly have a chance to take birth. From the time I was in elementary school, I loved to write. In the course of my life, many people encouraged me to pursue it. Read more>>
Judith Boateng
One of the biggest risks I have ever taken was quitting my full time job at a hospital to pursue my modeling career full time. I felt it was the right thing to do because I was not happy where I was. The job itself was holding me back from what I really wanted..more free time to do whatever whenever. There was no passion and love for what I did. I was only there for consistent income. I realized that that alone is not a good enough reason to go to work every day. I rather wanted to put my youthful energy into something I know I will enjoy doing. Read more>>
Jordan Roberts.
Right out of high school I went to college and studied everything from criminal justice to biology. I was never happy with what I was doing. Covid hit and I decided I could not do it anymore so I dropout and started to manage a doggy daycare. I soon realized that it was not for me and I decided to go to cosmetology school and that was the best decision I ever made. Read more>>
Mike Whaley
Every opportunity that’s presented comes with risk. That’s a guarantee. We as actors, performers, artists: we all take a risk in some way or another. To me, theirs not one risk that outweighs another. Example, if I promise you $100 but need $50 upfront as an investment, then I took your $50 and you got nothing I return, you still risked something and had something to lose. Same could be said about life and our industry. Read more>>
Carmen Thomas
During the heart of the pandemic in 2020, I walked away from a job that I had been working for 15years. With all that was going on, I still had this overwhelming feeling to leave and pursue my own business. After praying about it and having discussions with my husband, I felt the release to Go! That’s just what I did and now I am the CEO of KarmynAll4You Inc.! Read more>>
Jay Vernest.
Doing music is a risk all of the time. If you really want to be someone and go somewhere with it, you have to take risk and hope it turns out for the best. Deep inside I’m a really shy person, so every time I release something new I get nervous. I don’t know if people are going to like it, if what I’m saying makes sense, marketing the music correctly. All of these are risk that I am taking while making music, but I love the craft so much that I believe it is all worth it. Read more>>
Crissanji
Before the solo journey that I’m currently on, I was apart of a music group. We had started making a name for ourselves in the Caribbean market and still growing. At the time, i was enrolled in college and ready to start my second year that coming fall. The management team we were signed to at the time, called a meeting to announce we might have an opportunity to go to Europe to spread out music. This was great news! Read more>>
Zenja Walter
The start of 2022 was an arduous and complicated period of time for me. I was in the process of moving out of my apartment and separating from my four yearlong cohabitation with one of my best friends, I began to dread my job, especially due to the return-to-office date haunting me and the comfort I’d created in my work from home environment, I had lost the excitement around art, performing and the sole reason I left my hometown to pursue my big dreams in this not so new anymore city. Read more>>
Melody Godfred.
Growing up, I was an incredibly creative child. I was singing, playing the piano and even writing my own music by the age of seven. As I entered my adolescence though, I started to feel like being creative wasn’t enough, and so I devoted myself to achieving. From getting straight As to applying to the most competitive colleges, my entire identity started shifting away from creating art to accomplishing goals. Read more>>
Benjamin Caleb cgp
The biggest risk I took in my life was to leave everything (studies, jobs and work opportunities) to dedicate my life to music, because where I live, music is not a real job, there was no room for a music career, and it was already difficult for other local musicians to pay their bills, it was even more difficult for me, because I had chosen to perfect myself in a foreign style of music (music from the United States) which had no place or market. Read more>>
Debbie Adams
As a legally blind woman mechanic (veteran), finding a job wasn’t easy. I took a bold leap at age 40 to go to university, the first generation to finish any type of schooling. Like most blue collar folk, I thought that education would result in a job. I was so wrong. When it became evident that my work life was over, I toyed with the idea of entrepreneurship. I had accumulated a lot of knowledge over the years. Surely someone would pay me for what I knew. Read more>>
Koya Murphy.
My path to being a doula is not linear. I come from a background in massage therapy and Esthetician work. Although I had energy and skill for both jobs, there was a lack of passion that I could not quite place. That is until I found doula work. I was drawn in from the beginning but there is training and preparation that goes into being a doula, many do not realize. I was working full time as an Esthetician when I discovered doula as a practice but I needed to be able to have schedule flexibility. Read more>>
Taneka Joyce
I’ve had many teachers throughout my life yet the greatest one was my grandmother Barbara. She raised myself and two of my siblings since I was 5 years old. She has since passed this past year. Between the ages of 8-13, my grandmother would give myself and aunts journals. She directed us to write down what we wanted out of life and by what age. She said, “when you write it down, you can go back to it and see what you’ve accomplished or need to. Sometimes things change.” Read more>>
Gina Espinosa
Tell us the story of a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big, life changing risk or a small risk. Either way, paint the picture for us, tell us the backstory and all the relevant details so we can fully understand the context and circumstances around when and why you took the risk and tell us how it turned out I’m a risk taker by nature. I firmly believe that the worst risk taken is the one not taken. We live in a world that changes rapidly and we have to adapt, learn and move according to those changes. Read more>>
David Johnson
One of my dreams in life was to play professional basketball… That dream and window was closing day by day after I graduated from college… My Sr year of college was the worst year ever of my collegiate years… The year prior I was the captain of the team, 2nd in points, 3rd in rebounds, 1st in steals and 2nd in blocks… I was one of the best players on the team… Sr year everything changed when the coach and I had a misunderstanding… After that i went from starting ever game to barley even playing… I couldn’t wait for the season to be over with… Read more>>
Atenya Dillon
My journey began in 2008. I was a newly divorced single mother of thee. Life as I knew it had drastically changed for me. Little did I know, I was also changing. A new version of me was evolving. There were some growing pains however, I persevered and learned a lot of lessons which cultivated my growth and development. Read more>>
Kristofer Murray
One of the biggest risks I’ve taken is moving from my hometown of Philadelphia to Atlanta. I had always wanted to live in either Atlanta or Los Angeles. When I got divorced, I felt it was the perfect time to go out on a limb and make the change. I moved at the height of the pandemic and did not see my apartment in person until the day I was ready to move in. Read more>>
Punch’d Energy
Creating a new market, or a niche product in an established market takes guts. It’s one thing to be tough minded, resilient, headstrong, etc, but there also needs to be a business case. If you can line up all the right business attributes and you feel really really good about the product or service you’re working on then is it really a risk? It’s only a risk if you don’t have all your t’s crossed and i’s dotted and don’t believe in what you’re doing. It is a bigger risk to feel like you missed the window or your life’s calling. Read more>>
Gerreanda Dunn
The biggest risk I took was walking away from my 9 to 5 and completely stepping out on faith to follow my dream of becoming an entrepreneur. This was the biggest risk that I could have taken in my life. I am a single mother and I was in school working on my bachelor’s in elementary education to become a teacher. One day I woke up and said if I don’t take a chance on myself who else will? Sometimes in life we get stuck and we think that we are just meant to work and pay bills but there is more to life. Read more>>
Nichole Thames
The world of physical fitness has been a part of my life since I was eight years old because of my involvement in competitive cheer, AAU volleyball, and track and field. As I got older, I realized the importance of having a healthier lifestyle. Since I always worked out on my own, I always had others pick my brain on my exercises. For instance, the joke that I have always received is that I have “spartan abs,” and people are always interested in knowing the additional exercises that they can implement to have a nice core. With this in mind, I decided to pursue a certification in personal training and nutrition. Read more>>
Keith Alexander Lee
I came into the illustration field later in my life. I start actively pursuing drawing after I graduated from my undergrad program. I started a draw blog while I was working at a bankruptcy firm. The blog started off as a personal blog to document my time with my wife. To my surprise, the blog began to gain some traction. I have been taking some classes to learn more about illustration. And Eventually I stumbled across Savannah College of Art and Design’s Opening Day. Read more>>
Demarra West
When I started my consulting practice fourteen years ago, I left a stable job with benefits to enter into a world of pure unknown. I had no road map for entrepreneurship, I knew no one who was an entrepreneur, and yet I felt that I could do more to help individuals and companies succeed in business after being on the management team of my company and seeing what consultants did. I started to do research about the field of consulting and discovered there were consulting pools you could apply to get into which could align you with work. Read more>>
Yena Kim
This industry wasn’t so promising a few years ago. Now that PMU is so popular, we are oversaturated in this line of work which now is looked at like a hair stylist. But when I started about 3-4 years ago, everybody thought I was a little crazy to bet on myself & my abilities to start a brand new career that I hadn’t even learned the skills for. Because I had been in the service industry for almost 10 years, I was ready to take the risk & start my own business. Read more>>
Mac Cushing.
I started working in film and television in 2006 in Syracuse, NY and over the course of the next 14 years had moved to Nashville, TN and then Brooklyn, NY to become a Grip doing lighting and camera support on set. As a freelance technician it’s always a gamble on moving to a new market because nothing is guaranteed- your ability to get work is based on how well you can network and how well you work once you get on set. Read more>>
Deveneux Hill
One of the biggest risks I’ve taken actually involves travelling across the country to pursue this passion. It started when I caught wind of a scounting combine endeavor by the internationally renowned esports organization, Team Liquid. The Next Wave, it was called. It was touted as a chance to either become one of their roster for a game they represented, or a content creator under their name. The chance of a lifetime for a creator such as myself! Read more>>
Matthew Morgan.
When I first started performing in front of people, which was right before Covid hit, I would do an open mic at Spring Park Coffee, or the Atlantic Beach Songwriters Night. And that’s it. I played about 5 times, alternating between those two. So with about five performances under my belt, I ended up in a conversation with the Murray Hill Theatre, who invited me to play a show with them. Read more>>
Eddie Garnett
The risk I took was quitting corporate America and joining the box truck industry. It was a big transition leaving from a job where I was making consistent revenue every week to chasing after a vision that I was not sure that it would work. By the grace of God I teamed up with my first Cousin Phillip Garnett who’s more like a brother to me. That made it easier to overcome all of the obstacles that were presented. Read more>>
Dr. Kierstin Beaman
Taking a risk and pushing yourself to see it through can help you attain your dreams. A few years ago my husband and I had just moved into our new home and we were just a few short weeks away from his big cancer surgery. Finances became tight and working for someone else was not the solution. I was working extra hours and longer days to make things work. During this time, the idea of taking the leap and opening my own practice was recurring in our conversations. Read more>>
Simone Henderson
Life is all about taking risks when your in the industry of modeling and wanted to pursue acting. But before I go into that I have to start from the beginning.I would say If it wasn’t for sports I wouldn’t have dabbled with the idea of wanting to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Growing up I was always playing sports my whole family has an athletic background. My parents were also very strict and hard on me growing up probably because I was the only girl in the family. Read more>>
Brandon (GHOSTX) Long
Everyday I wake up and decide to continue pursuing music, invest finances into music projects, and focusing energy on music is all a risk. Nothing is guaranteed, you take a lot of losses and sacrifice a lot whether it be relationships with family, friends or a significant other. It’s a risk everyday and in almost every situation with music, you’re risking something. Read more>>
TIFFANI D
Most rappers come on the scene in their 20’s. The journey gives them time to hone their craft and develop as an artist. That wasn’t the case with TIFFANI D. Imagine going about your life as a wife and mom, the world “shuts down” but the heavens open up and beam down an unexpected gift. Sounds like a fictional sci-fi scene but that’s how TIFFANI D describes how her journey in music began. Read more>>
Jasmine Jackson
During the pandemic when everything was shut down or had limited access, I went on the hunt for a new location for my business. I wasn’t really thinking “big” at the time. I just wanted something nice and convenient for my clients. I came across a store front that was available for lease and I called to set up a walk through. I never thought it was something that I could do, but with a couple of months of negotiations they practically gave me the space! It was truly God showing out in my life and showing me what I am really capable of achieving. Read more>>
King Lyrikz
I Would Say Like Right Now The Last 4 Years I Have Stepped Out On A Leap Of Faith With This Music Game & Kind Of Stopped Working Regular Jobs & Soley Fully Focused On What I Have To Do As An Artist & Not Letting Anyone Make Those Decisions For Me In My Life Read more>>
PaQuita Pullen
As an African American, First-Generation College Student, and Cisgender Female I have certainly taken my fair share of risks. If you are familiar with the research on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), you might be surprised to learn that my score was seven out of ten before adolescence! I do not share that for sympathy but rather as a testament to my faith and the power in taking risks. Read more>>
Leanne & Colin Brooks.
The biggest risk that we have taken was making a leap of faith and investing ourselves fully into the business. We have both had full or part time jobs while working on Sweet Peach Confections on the side, and for a while we were always doubtful or afraid of losing that safety net of a job. Will there be enough orders? Will we make enough money to support our family? There is always going to be that little bit of doubt in the back of your mind when pursuing something where you can only fall back on yourself. Read more>>
Crystal Djordjevich
3 years ago, two little baby goats enter our lives. That tuned into more goats, horses, cows, alpacas, a donkey and a lot of birds! The need for rescue and the love the farm life quickly took over. Just recently, I left the corporate world, the long hours and the guaranteed paycheck to focus on the farm. This was a risk we discussed and decided was necessary to give these animals the care and commitment they deserve as we started to grow and the need became more evident. Through events, my goat milk products and donations, it has so far proven to be a success! Read more>>
Marie Mott.
Last fall, I had the wonderful opportunity to apply to the Spring Harvard Emerging Leaders Class. Several Harvard alumni’s kept encouraging me to apply because of my work in the community. For quite sometime I felt that I wasn’t worthy of such a prestigious program. Going from Chattanooga to Harvard seemed like an impossible jump. I finally caved and applied the same week I did TEDx Chattanooga. A week and a half later I received an email and was accepted. I have been constantly reminded along my journey that no risk will bring you no reward. Read more>>
Jessica Chambers
Starting my own business felt like a risk at first. It made me nervous, but this was a risk I knew was worth taking. I’ve always been passionate about health and fitness, so I knew that this was something I would enjoy despite the feelings of anxiousness. Knowing that I would be helping others transform their lives and adopt healthy habits brought me much joy. Read more>>
Brooke Warner
The risk of starting my publishing company, She Writes Press, which is touched upon in my TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a0w4KgWyP8 Read more>>
Samuel Dunson
Although taking risks is inherently “built in” to the process of making art, there are times we take more risks than others. I would say I have recently taken a major risk in my work that may change the way I create from this point forward. Many years ago, as a college student at Tennessee State University, I took a risk as an investment to my future. I changed my major from Architectural Engineering to Studio Art. Read more>>
Lucja Leonard
It was 2004, I was overweight, unfit and not comfortable in my own skin. It was time for a change & a big one. My then fiancée now husband, Dion & I decided to move from New Zealand where we were living (we are Aussies) to London, UK to embark on a new life. As part of that change I decided to start focusing on my health & took up running. Not even able to run a block I started training myself with a run/walk strategy, eating better and going to the gym. Read more>>
Shawanda T. Robinson
Shawanda T. Robinson is a knowledgeable and energetic REALTOR® who stands out for strong passion and great dedication to ensuring that real estate buyers, sellers, renters, and investors have a seamless experience as they reach their real estate goals. Growing up, she always loved houses inside and out and nurtured a deep love for the real estate industry from a young age. When she finally left her career at Nasa, Shawanda pursued her dream career as a realtor to help change people’s lives, solve their problems and raise their living standards. Read more>>
Julian Parisi.
Its hard to believe that it has been 2 full years since I packed up my desk and left my engineering career to enter into the art world as a full time custom creator. I have always had a passion for metal work, but while in college I gathered more skills than a degree. Glass blowing allowed me to re entered the art world as an adult. Wood working soon followed. Read more>>
Jermaine Griffin
A few years back I decided to take a big risk. I wanted to have an Art show but wasn’t sure about what I need to make it happen. I had to find a location and figure how to display my artwork, when finding a location it had to be affordable for me. I’m so glad to have friends that believed in me and had a venue that I could use at a great price. Even after get the venue I still had one problem, that problem was myself. Believing in myself and knowing that my art was go enough was something I had always had issues with but once again having people the believe in you will help you get to the next step. Read more>>