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.
Mariana Leon
Well I’ve been a risk taker most of life! The risk of rejection was basically my previous career. Being an actress really taught me how to go and run with whatever comes my way! Being told no you didn’t get the role constantly was a lot. I feel like my biggest risk was completely changing careers from being a performer to being a portrait photographer at 30 years old. Read more>>
Alyssa Russo
When I graduated high school in 2018, I never thought in a million years I would have my OWN business. I knew nothing about it, had no money to do anything, and simply didn’t think I would have the talent to be successful. Little did I know, my love for photography blossomed literally out of no where and took off to become the best thing to ever happen to me! Read more>>
James + Millie Hesser
Millie and I had been playing together as Waterplanet for some time but had never gone on a proper tour. So, after recording our Ghost Hypnotic album at Baltimore’s Mobtown Studios we decided it was time. Around the same time, we were contacted by a promotion group in another region – not an everyday event for us – that wanted to work with us. Read more>>
René Villa
I guess being a musical artist is an act of risk-taking in itself – you really have to put yourself out there in a public way, be vulnerable & think positively that people might actually like you & your work. You could be a sensation or a flunk! Read more>>
Elizabeth Loranger
Ever since starting a family 5 years ago, I became very conscious about ingredients of basically everything that comes into our home. Body care, hair care, medicines, food, materials of housewares and toys, and the list goes on. I found myself obsessed with learning about all of the toxins we are in contact with in our every day lives, and how to best eliminate them as much as possible. Read more>>
Quentin Super
Risk Read more>>
Sarah Pickard
Back in 2019 I decided to make a big career change. After working for a government agency for twelve years, and following a traditional career path, I decided to venture into something that was more aligned with my passion. A few years prior I had fallen back in love with my passion for art. Read more>>
Stephanie Stewart
Taking risks is not something I am comfortable doing generally. I love routine and knowing what to expect. And I really enjoy being at home, so when I went through my divorce I felt pretty isolated. I went on a few dates with men I met online and it just wasn’t for me. Read more>>
Tom Corbin
Rings and Columns Read more>>
Amanda Dougherty
Starting Events by Amanda (EBA) was a huge risk. But let’s take it back to the beginning:) growing up I was an athlete, my parents are so amazing and I am so forever grateful for everything they did for me. Read more>>
Kayla Little
When COVID-19 shook the world, I- along with so many others- had to make a life shift. My husband and I were both suddenly unemployed in March of 2020, and were left reeling, trying to figure out what our next step was. Going through that process, with unemployment, closures, and anxiety surrounding the virus changed me forever. Read more>>
Nadia Medina
Butterly baked was created and designed in God’s heart. Read more>>
Tracy Yates
Risk goes hand in hand with entrepreneurship. It’s a natural part of building a thriving business. Growth, whether it’s business or personal stems from saying yes, even if it’s not perfect or the outcome is uncertain. And, as a serial founder who’s built three thriving companies, I’ve learned how to lean into risk without the fear of failing or it not working out. Read more>>
Stacie Ford
When I first started my Hypnosis Business I had a full time career in the Commercial Insurance Industry. I took small steps I felt I needed to in order to phase out the the career I had built for over 20 years. I started my business from my home part time in the evenings helping clients. Read more>>
Blaze Baxter
My husband and I were living the “California Dream” with our six figure jobs, a gorgeous home & all the stress that went along to maintain that lifestyle. We found ourselves living for the next vacation & missing our children’s special moments along the way. Read more>>
nicole gervacio & cat petru
There is little about We Rise Production that isn’t a risk. Read more>>
Cee
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to live in North America. As a kid, the NTSC TV footage made it look very different than the PAL system we had in Australia, and I thought it actually looked like that in real life. In 2004, I finally got the opportunity to live and work in Toronto for a year on the Working Holiday program. That wasn’t a huge risk, but it changed my life entirely. Read more>>
Vicki Somers
The biggest risk I’ve taken in my artistic career thus far is my decision to open a brick and mortar studio storefront. I had grown exhausted working from home, my work/life balance was in shambles, and I never felt like I had permission to “turn off.” Read more>>
Tierney Royal
I always wanted to own and operate my own restaurant. I have been working for Fortune 500 companies since college and I was comfortable with my earnings. I started a family and became complacent. One day I made some sweets and they were eaten on Facebook live and everyone went crazy over them. Read more>>
Ally Ponte Kelly Schur
Being entrepreneurs and business owners invariably involves a certain degree of risk. Some called us risky, others called us crazy, but we decided to open a brand new fitness studio in the middle of the pandemic. While many facilities were closing their doors to the public we opened ours, carefully and safely. Read more>>
kevin mcgriggs
the bigger the risk the higher the reward i havent taken one big risk but many. in 2017 i was looking at time and because of a record, i couldnt do much in fact the deciding factor was when i couldnt get a apartment of my own for 7yrs… i took the big risk but followed up with consistency and said i would never punch a clock again n depend on someone elses decision with the direction of my life. Read more>>
Rachel Rey
I was looking for another way I could make an impact. I loved my career as an occupational therapist, but to put it simply, I was getting burnt out. Then an ad for a course called “Write Your Way to Freedom” by Sarah Turner found its way onto my phone screen while I was scrolling on Instagram one day. Read more>>
Alicia Hopkins
Back in 2020, I was completing an internship so I could gain clinical hours for my master’s degree at Southern Connecticut State University. My internship site was originally at my job site. At the time, I figured I would kill two birds with one stone. However, I noticed that my site was not providing what I needed in order to complete my clinical hours. Read more>>
Story Slaughter
I took a risk when I put out my first single “Ranch Water.” It was the summer of 2020, mid-pandemic, and my road to an acting career had come to a halt. I was creatively stifled, the world was in shambles, but I think (like a lot of creatives at the time) I felt the freedom to try something new. Read more>>
Dawn Bennett
The year was 2014. I knew I was being called into ministry. I also knew I had spent 15 years kicking and screaming about how I didn’t want to go. Before my Dad died he told me, “If there’s anything you want to do in your life before entering ordained ministry do it. Read more>>
Tiffany Tiffani Michele” Walter”
At times in life, it can be easy to get stuck in a rut—we find ourselves in a situation or environment that is no longer serving us, but we are too comfortable to change it. We think that making changes will mean taking risks, and we don’t want to risk failure. Read more>>
Tonya Denmark
Quitting a job is always risky. Quitting when you don’t have anything else lined up, and two small children at home is even riskier. While I had worked from home since my second child was born, taking shifts when my husband was home, I found myself unhappy in my current working situation. Read more>>
Michael Steinman
Starting a business just a few weeks before the COVID shut down was a huge gamble for us because no one knew how long the effects would last and buying a custom piece of furniture wasn’t a priority for most people, but we didn’t want to wait years to give the business a try so we dove in with our fingers crossed. Read more>>
Luisell Perez
My passion for skincare started when I was a teenager. When I became pregnant I realized how hard it was to find childcare and work at the same time. As a stay at home mom I decided to go to school and learn more about something that actually interest me. I was nervous at first but I thought if I could find a short term profession, I can also get something out of it. Read more>>
Amy Lundy
After graduating from college shortly after 9/11 the job market was bleak, and that’s putting it mildly. I had studied communications, marketing, and history, and while I had worked some while in college and had summer internships, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do for my career. Read more>>
Karolina Bakalarczyk
How I got where I am now. In 2010 I quit my job as a teacher to follow my dreams to travel the world and work as a dive instructor. In Germany that means leaving a very secure life – teachers have tenure in Germany and great social security, best health insurance, etc. Read more>>
Kate King
I took a massive risk in the past year. After feeling quite burned out from being a front-lines mental healthcare worker during the pandemic, I took at five-month sabbatical from my private practice. My clients didn’t love it, my colleagues thought I was crazy (but brave), and my family was unsure about my choice as well. Read more>>
Rini York
A year and a half into the pandemic, my husband and I were still figuring out how to adapt our businesses for the pandemic and I got a power intuitive hit that it was time to sell our house and move. We had been talking about moving since 2008/9 but with the recession, we knew it was the wrong time and we had the benefit of not needing to move- so we waited. Read more>>
Clarissa Wright
I think a lot of times, we as people stay in certain situations even if we’re not happy or not realizing our full potential out of comfort or fear. For me that was exactly the case. I was working in the corporate world as a Digital Marketing manager, working in an environment that was less than fulfilling. Read more>>
Olivia Mott
The biggest risk I have taken was following my gut, my senior year of college. I went into my freshman year of college declaring my major as Speech Language Pathology. I have always loved interacting with others, lending a helping hand and being on the go. Read more>>
Heather Zade
Well to start it is very safe to say that my whole life I had a passion for all things beauty. My second passion would be helping people and making them feel the best that they can feel. After high school I decided to pursue a career in nursing and I specifically chose to work in the field of pediatrics. Read more>>
Ashley O’Quinn
Jumping right in the deep end… I was a 33 year old, single mom of two beautiful girls, jobless, and practically homeless. I felt like my life’s purpose had just been extinguished. Every thing I’ve worked so hard for and sacrificed family time for was just *poof*- gone. Read more>>
Deanna Fitzpatrick
Prior to March 2005, I worked at a local credit card bank. I had been there for 18 years at the time that I left. I was leaving to take the biggest risk of my life. So much had changed in the past five years but now it was time to embark on even more change. Read more>>
Angela Marshall
Stuck between two worlds, I didn’t have the confidence to dare to be different. I was a counterfeit everything to everyone but an authentic nothing to myself. When you’re not sure who you are, the folks with whom you surround yourself will gladly attempt to turn you into what they want you to be in their lives. Read more>>
Mitch McGinley
I got in on the ground floor of a start up that I loved, where I had equity in hotels we were buying, fixing up, and then selling. One day my wife Karson and I received a call from the owner of our favorite yoga studio, and she said “I want to sell, and I want to sell to you”. It was a dream that we had always had, but the business itself was not doing well. It was not profitable. Read more>>
Jed Demlow
I lived in Reynoldsburg, Ohio (East side of Columbus, OH) with my wife Debbie and two daughters Kayleigh and Kristin for 27 years. My wife is an elementary school teacher and I did everything from produce country demos for singer/songwriters, operate my own entertainment booking agency, teach piano lessons and play full time as Entertainment Director for Howl at the Moon Dueling Pianos. Read more>>
Tashell Johnson
When starting a business you are automatically taking a risk and as you continue to grow your business you will be taking infinite risks. Every new idea, collection, collaboration, product, etc. I’ve taken so many risks with XOTIC from the very beginning when it was just “XOTIC” to then becoming “XOTIC LLC.” & Now known as “XC XOTIC LLC”. Read more>>
Alister Miller
I took a risk and decided it was time to quit my safe, full-time office job in order to pursue the freedom to work for myself as a creative. I was scared to try and start my own business, but I was more terrified of being locked in a corporate environment working for someone else forever and feeling my energy and motivation drained every day. Read more>>