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.

Paige Olvera

I went to work right after high school. But even before then, I would babysit my little cousins for money, and sell food and candy at school! For my 15th birthday, my mother bought me a Canon Camera, and I took pictures of people around the school for portfolio experience. LOL. I also enjoyed my Web Design/ Digital Media class and worked on projects to add to my school portfolio as well. With all that said, I clearly always enjoyed working and doing something creative! Read more>>

Jodi Miller

I don’t know if I would have ever thought, “I’m a risk-taker,” but looking back over the years, I think that I, along with my husband, have taken a lot of risks—driven by vision, hope and faith. In 1998, we got married and moved from Idaho to Denver, CO with nothing but our college diplomas and hearts full of dreams. For two years, my husband toured in a rock-band before we moved again to Seattle to further follow our creative dreams in music and design. Read more>>

Melinda Olsen

In my world (the world of the entrepreneur), in my little pocket of the world (Silicon Valley), taking risks with your business is the status quo. There’s a joke here in the valley that you’re never really taken seriously as a business owner until you’ve shuttered at least one along the way. The story of risk is usually something akin to “go big or go home” or “work your ass off when no one believes in you”. My story of risk taking is a bit different. Read more>>

Mandy Brooke

To me, waking up everyday and deciding to entertain people is by far the biggest risk I’ve ever taken. It would be really easy for me to relax into a day-to-day 9-5 routine. It’s harder, I think, to discipline yourself enough to show up and say, “What will I make today?”. I think a lot of creatives can relate to this… especially in the world of social media where EVERYTHING is exposed. Read more>>

Mike Vercetti

Ive been taking risk since the beginning with this sh**. It was never promised, only thing thats guaranteed with this lifestyle choice is a Failed Attempt or a Successful Attempt. Thats the biggest risk in all of this is understanding that its not promised, its all about what you put into it, is what will base what you get OUT of it. That in itself is a huge risk if you ask me. Read more>>

Gabrielle Gutierrez

In the spring of 2021 I was contacted by SSM Nashville Label through an email and they were interested in perusing me as artist. At this time I did not know if it was a scam or if it was a record label reaching out that was real and interested in what I was doing as an independent artist. At this point in 2021, I was working back home with a local musical engineer making music that I would write by myself. Read more>>

Kate Sykes

One of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken was deciding to pursue music full time. Although I grew up playing music and writing songs, I spent a good ten years of my life earning money as a model and putting my music second. Through modeling I got to travel and see the world which is an experience I will always cherish but ,my heart was never a part of that industry. Read more>>

Michelle Vande Hey

One of the biggest risks I have taken is to share publicly on social media that I am an intersex person. I want to start by saying that I am not an expert on intersex and have only recently done more research myself because I was ignoring this part of me for so long. I recommend learning more here: https://interactadvocates.org/ Read more>>

Monica Farber

In September of 2019. I put in my notice at my then full-time corporate job to pursue entrepreneurship. I knew that I had a skill (that was being utilized in that position, as well as others prior), but I was being worked to the bone, unappreciated, and unable to direct my own work. My husband pushed me to make the leap. October 1, 2019 was the first day since turning 15 years old that I found myself technically “unemployed”, although I was already beginning to take work from clients. Read more>>

Michael Howes

OOO I love talking about risks. From the moment I was born, I always knew I was not here to live by a societal standard.. no matter how uncomfortable I was (or still am sometimes) doing something that goes ‘against society’, I have made many decisions that are seen as crazy and/or stupid. Read more>>

Dave Schearer

So a risk taken, in 2016 I decided that I had had enough of the corporate world of things and decided it was time to throw all my eggs in one basket to open my own tavern in Clayton. I had a great paying job, a job in the wings that I was about to accept that would have required relocation to Asheville, NC then after a year to Knoxville, TN. I had a 401K, made pretty much my own schedule, paid vacation, plus great health insurance. Read more>>

Thomas Snow

Growing up in Texas, I always assumed I would spend my life in this state. Of course, everything is supposedly “bigger” and “better” in Texas. At the age of 20, however, I had a strong feeling that I needed a new direction. I took a risk by changing my college major and loading up my car and driving to a private college in Tennessee with nothing more than my clothes and a Rand-McNally map to guide my 730 mile path. Read more>>

Whitney Gilliard

“This can either go really good and save a lot of lives, or it can go really bad and I lose everything”. Those were the constant thoughts that went through my head during the development of Gilliard and Company. Growing up in the system, I didn’t have traditional schooling. There was no classes like regular public school that I went to where my focus was education. Read more>>

Felicia Canizales

2020 was a weird time for us all, to put it gently. The positive side of it, for me personally, was that is inspired me to think outside of the box or the norm and get creative with what I wanted to do, and how I wanted to make money. At the very start of the pandemic I was a Patient Service Representative in a medical clinic working a 9-5. Read more>>

Nicole Denny

I have always considered myself somewhat of a risk taker. Throughout my life, I’ve consistently thrived under pressure and have enjoy the challenge of execution. There is something beautiful in facing a challenge, maintaining grace and composure while unflinchingly going for your goals. After separating from my husband I found myself in a predicament. Up until leaving my marriage I had taught primary school. While I loved many aspects of teaching, I was burned out and not convinced I could sufficiently raise my children on a teachers salary. Read more>>

Jasmine Highsmith

I have been desperately wanting to get back into writing for quite some time now, but I wasn’t ready to dedicate too much time to the creation of a full book. I wanted to come up with something that aligned with the work I was currently doing, both content creation for the black community and communications. In one day, I created an e-book for black business owners called The Black Ass Customer Service E-book. In less than a week I had received edits and great feedback from this 16-page work. Read more>>

Kaylee Friedman

I started my career as a therapist right around the time that Instagram was becoming very popular. I followed a lot of yoga and wellness pages that clearly attempted to be supportive and help people, but ended up giving less than great information. I saw a real need for psychoeducation on social media that could help people learn self reflection skills. Read more>>

Janelle Lynnae

I used to lack the confidence I needed to take big leaps of faith. I talked to big talk but I didn’t walk a big walk. I would talk about moving to California or Australia so I could live by the beach (I was living in Colorado at the time). I would talk about starting a company one day. I would talk about the massive impact I wanted to have on the world. I had all of these big dreams that I would constantly talk about and then I would tell myself that I would do it one day, in the future, when the timing made more sense! Read more>>

Hailey Hughes

I took a risk when I started my private practice right out of grad school. Most new therapists build up a safety net and put in time working at an agency before branching off to start their own business. I knew it would be a risk to take an alternate route and jump straight in to running my own therapy practice full time, but I hoped that it would be rewarding in the end. Read more>>

Bethany Hawkins

One of the largest risks I have taken in my life was creating this business. Having a degree in criminal justice is not the foundational information needed for working in audio! However, I knew it was the right move for me. Read more>>

Ginette Nean

8 years ago i had the dream of owning the building of my own shop, soon after that the owner of the building we were currently renting decided to sell the building and we had about 4 weeks to find another location. so with a lot of stress i started driving around conyers to find a new location. while on i-20 driving down, i saw a sign on the access road for lease. it was an old building that required a lot of work . Read more>>

Keorah Strain

One of the biggest risk I ever took was moving to Las Vegas Nevada from Texas for a goal that meant a lot to me! I had a goal in mind and I wanted to move and execute that goal. I was in school full-time in Texas; I was in a really good space but I needed more. I needed that old spark back if you know me you know that I’ve always been goal driven and motivated. If I want it . I plan it then execute it. Read more>>

Manny Street Guevara

I’m from a city that really has small town thinking…hang with your friends through high school and college, leave for college, come back and raise your family near the friends you grew up with and everyone knows everyone. And I’m sure there’s cities around the world like Jacksonville, Florida that give you those surroundings even in LA. Read more>>

Anita Faye

I left a very lucrative corporate job on June 30, 2021. As I drove away from the parking lot, I literally let out a yell and said, “Oh my God! This is real. I just left my job. Ok, Lord let’s go!” Read more>>

Shanele Lundahl

After being let go from what I had considered my “dream job”, I felt like I had hit rock bottom. In school, it was my dream to work with athletes. I grew up being an athlete from a young age, eventually focusing most of my competitive years on soccer. Being an athlete taught me so much over the years and gave me some of the best of friends, there was no way I wanted to walk away from that world completely. Read more>>

Elena Camerin Young

I believe that all artists/musicians are taking risks on a daily basis; the possible success or failure of your project, accepting gigs without a written contract, starting a collaboration with others… I think my first risky move happened when I resigned from a former “normal” job to dedicate myself full time to music, in my mid twenties. Read more>>

Violet Tobacco

It can feel like a gamble trusting yourself to have the skill, willpower, and timing to follow a career in the arts. Even if you have a good support system, there is doubt from all sides. Friends and families being cheerleaders but also giving words of wisdom if things don’t work out. Read more>>

Rose Jasso

I took a “Risk” by leaving an hourly wage job as I was once so accustomed to for many years onto getting a job at a barbershop with commission as a new type of pay. I was VERY NERVOUS & just believed that this would soon be an opening door for several avenues holding future opportunities in the industry. Read more>>

Arnita Taylor

In pondering this question, I realize that my life is saturated by little and not so little risks. Risks always come into play when the time comes to make choices and to face change. Risks are part of growth and development. As a leadership and personal development coach, I am often invited into conversations centering around risks and cost benefit analysis of them. In 2007, I took a major risk in the form of a total career shift. Read more>>

Robin Smith

In my previous job I was responsible for student leadership at a Christian university in Michigan. One of the activities I did each year was lead a missions trip over spring break with about 20 student leaders. We came to Las Vegas and worked with about 15 non-profits over the course of a week. One of those non-profits worked directly with victims of sex trafficking. This was my exposure to this line of work. Read more>>

Adrienne Brown

Making the decision to leave a salaried job to work as an independent contractor. I say this was a risk because as a single parent a w-2 job is a guaranteed pay check bi weekly with vacation and sick time. However as an independent contractor you are uncertain of what you will get paid when you experience cancellations and being ill that causes a decrease in pay. Read more>>

Noel Lewis

I risked everything for change, life, job, marriage, for something different. I was tired of the merry-go-round of life. I was tired of the depression and unhappiness that clouded my decision-making. I knew something had to change, and it started with me. It all came at a price: I gave up the lie that I was living for his truth. Read more>>

Marco Bonacquisto

I was two years into an exercise science degree at a school I followed a girl to, I was just below a 3.0 gpa wise, I cut ties with my fraternity and my relationship of 4 years had ended. Its easy to say I had nothing really going for me at that school left, except for two things: my job as a personal trainer at the school’s gym and $26,000 of debt coming my way. So I called all the people in my life that I loved and trusted and asked them all what they thought about me dropping out of college. Read more>>

Sara Oliva

The thing about risks is at the time they felt like normal, everyday choices! Right after graduating college, I moved to Chicago by myself, with no job, I didn’t know anyone. I wanted to be where the best actors were, the best companies; and that’s were they were, so that’s where I went. After a few years there, I left to get my MFA in Acting. It felt like a risk to leave – I was breaking up a momentum, leaving behind friends, connections, finally feeling settled. Read more>>

Dana Hampton

Allie and Dana met at age 19 at a local university, Millersville University of Pennsylvania. We were both psychology majors and in the psychology honors program. We became friends through mutual friends and often worked together on our honors thesis and later graduate school applications. Allie went to graduate school at La Salle University in Philadelphia for her masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. Read more>>

benzo

One of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken was moving to Los Angeles to pursue music, modeling & acting. I was living in Louisville, Kentucky, my hometown; after just finishing college. My life was becoming more & more complacent with each week that passed by. I had a few friends of mine tell me that I should start modeling but I never really gave it a second thought. Until one night at the two in the morning, Read more>>

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I’ve been passionate about health and fitness for years now. I love staying active and moving, primarily through rock climbing, hiking, and HIIT workouts. I’ve created fun workouts for friends, neighbors, and colleagues here and there but I have been wanting to transition into the field officially and professionally for the past couple years. I currently work full time as a project engineer but a few months ago, I finally started working toward my dream of immersing myself in the world of fitness by studying for the personal training exam and earning my certification. Read more>>