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.

Ramuel Reyes

The biggest risk I did was pretty much quitting my job and just doing freelance without really a plan. To be fair, I was still living with my parents and had a safety net. This was in 2021. Read more>>

Milada Melli-Jones

I grew up in a family of professional musicians in Brno, Czech Republic. My father was the principal of a music school and played and taught violin. My mom was a professor at the Brno Music Conservatory, where she was teaching dulcimer. Read more>>

Nick Reynoso

I’ve been tattooing for 11 years, but when I lost my parents, I hit a real rough patch. I felt lost and knew I needed a change. So, I took a big chance and bet on myself and started looking for my own studio space. Read more>>

Shannon Anderson

I wrote in my senior year diary that someday I wanted to be a teacher and a children’s book author. I finished college and started working as a first-grade teacher after graduating. I LOVED it! One of my favorite things to teach in my classroom was writing. Read more>>

Julie Kreager

Receiving a regular paycheck for over 25 years was a comfortable fairly low-risk work life. But I could not deny that for at least half of those years deep down I had an entrepreneurial creative yearn. Read more>>

Julia C R Gray

I have been told that I am brave or a risk taker. I don’t see myself as brave. I see myself as always needing to grow, as a human being and an artist. After decades of creating original oil paintings and commissions, I felt an overwhelming desire to put my energy to continuing my art education. Read more>>

Robin Jolin

I’m taking a risk by approaching business through a new lens of, does does and will this bring me joy and ease. I spent the first 20 years of my career being driven by money. How can I make it, and how can I sustain it? That came from a scarify mindset. Read more>>

Tarik Sparks

Growing up, my parents didn’t let me get a regular job like at McDonald’s. They said there would always be time for that later. Instead, they wanted me to hustle and learn. So, I started Teenage Chores, knocking on doors, offering landscaping services, and it worked for about two years. Read more>>

Kanesha Hearn

May 2017 I packed a plastic tub with little to no clothing,I had a couple hundred dollars,a bunch of prayers and a rental my best friends uncle helped me get and drove down to Atlanta,Ga with my friends in another car following me to an Extended stay located in Roswell,Marietta Read more>>

Kathy Cano-Murillo

I’m celebrating 20+ of my Crafty Chica brand. It celebrates crafts/DIY with a Mexi-style twist. I noticed the Latino community was not represented in the crafts industry so I created my site to serve that need. I had no idea it would take off so fast! Read more>>

Leea Gorell

Moving to America from Europe in 2002, was probably the biggest and most life altering risk I took. It was a leap of faith I took purely based on intuition at that time.I was born with a great sense of adventure and a wanderlust, so the thought of crossing the pond to a foreign land I had never been to before, was exciting. Read more>>

David Robertson

Taking the leap and leaving my 9-5 job to start my own practice was one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken. With a new house, two kids, and just a handful of clients, it was a no brainer for me :). Luckily, I had the unwavering support of my amazing wife throughout it all. Read more>>

Courtney Richard

In December of 2022 my husband and I took what would be one of the biggest risks we have ever taken together. I quit my corporate job to pursue a dream and vision that the Lord had so clearly put on our hearts for about a year. Read more>>

Lisa Stauf

In 2020, during the C19 Pandemic I had the idea, that I would learn and make embroidery items to sell. One of the unique ideas was to add embroidery/embellishments to denim jackets. Many people had positive responses, so I started sewing and making them. Read more>>

Keisha Mitchell

So, about 8 years ago I worked at a job doing roadside assistance and I hated it but the money was great. I also worked part time at a beauty salon. Working at the beauty salon brought me so much happiness, but I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to survive just off the salon alone because I didn’t really have enough clientele. Read more>>

Dr. Shannon Zingel

Taking risks comes in many forms. All through our lives, we find ways to push ourselves outside of our comfort zones. I was born in Calgary Alberta, Canada. Read more>>

Jazz Lewis

I can think of a few very significant moments in my life where opportunities have arose where I took a big risk which has paved the way for where I am today. Read more>>

Tanzania Fair

The biggest risk that I took was leaving my hometown to pursue an internship in another state. My last year in college at Michigan State University, I knew I had to make a very important life decision when I walked across that stage. Read more>>

Leslie M

Taking risks is never easy– the greatest risk I have ever taken is starting this business– with no way of knowing what will become of it. As the first person in my family to start a business, I was unaware of where to begin and what to do to get this business running. Read more>>

Arielle Beth Klein

It’s the morning of my PSATs in 10th Grade and I’ve snuck into the bathroom to call my dad. I’m panicking because they want me to fill in my intended major on the PSAT form. Read more>>

William McDonald

One of the biggest risks I’ve taken has been starting my own therapy business. I am an LPC-A and it’s something that people say not to do while you are in that portion of your career but I felt I needed to and took the leap. Read more>>

Rebecca Snow

I am an herbalist. Herbalists generally struggle to make a living. A lot of folks that go to school to learn herbalism make it a hobby instead of a job. You might wonder why that is the case? Read more>>

Vivienne Walsh

I took a huge risk in 2020, and swapped hard hats and construction sites for bows, Brides, and stunning wedding venues and honestly, I’ve never been happier. Picture this: It’s 2020, the world is spinning in uncertainty, and there I am, deeply rooted in corporate America, with a solid decade in architecture and a four-year stint in construction management under my belt. Read more>>

Tera Chantelle

A huge risk that I took all myself is moving to Atlanta from Cleveland Ohio. Not knowing anyone here and pursuing my creative endeavors. Now building myself and investing in myself allows me to work for myself and collaborate with other people while making all of my dreams come true. Read more>>

Alex Luciano

The main Story of a risk I’ve taken is the same story I share with everyone. You have to be Strong and willing to sacrifice a lot for what you want. I’ve sacrificed so much just to persue my career in music. Read more>>

Roy Studmire

Thank you for having me! The riskiest business decision of my life would have to be my decision to drop 95% of my clientele because I wanted to align with God’s will for my life. Growing up my mother had a mantra “If it doesn’t give honor to God, it’s no good,” Read more>>

Cara Fay

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. – Wayne Gretzky” – Michael Scott Silly yet poignant, this famous quote from The Office sums it up perfectly; the bumbling Dunder Mifflin Regional Manager had a point.  Read more>>

Esther Banegas Gatica

Life is full of risks, every choice we make feels like a potential risk or reward that we can experience instantly or eventually. I would describe my biggest risk to date, and probably ever, as my dream to pursue a career in the creative arts outside of my native country of Honduras. Read more>>

Dr. Karen Lewis

When I started my real estate company, I had probably a few hundred dollars in my bank account. I just had came back from Georgia, and my husband had just experienced some major health issues all in one year, going blind, cancer, and chron’s disease. Read more>>

Hannah Wicklund

One of my life’s greatest risks was actually releasing ‘The Prize’. I’ve had many obstacles and heartbreaks inside of my career, but the greatest of those came when it was time to release this record. Read more>>

Bella Rockman

I was recently invited to speak at a comedy club. On the topic of mental health, specifically relating to the subject of pain. What a tall order! Comedy Club, Mental Health, Pain and at 8:00 am in the morning no less. Read more>>

Daniela Zuniga Cordero

My business actually ventured out because I took a risk. Here’s the story: I was a recent SDSU graduate and I had recently quit my job at Forever 21 to pursue a paid internship for graphic design, little did I know, there was not clear communication between the owner and his partner at this design firm on bringing me on board. Read more>>

Ngozi Okachi

I had just separated from my partner of 3 years and was experiencing a hardship that was manifesting it self in my body in ways I hadn’t felt since childhood when I lived in a women’s shelter. Read more>>