Embracing risk is one of the most powerful things anyone can do to level up and maximize the probability of reaching your full potential. Below, you’ll find risk-takers across industries sharing their stories of how they began to embrace risk.
Andrea Figueroa Chávez
I think I have to go back in time for this one to one of the most tender and challenging memories I have from my childhood. I was 6 years old and I was collecting plums with my grandmother from her garden in San Miguel, Mexico. The highest tree had the most sweet and red plums. I wanted them but I feared falling from it. Read more>>
Sam Ferrara
Taking a risk is something that is for most people very difficult to take, Taking a risk means taking a chance, the possibility of failing. But how do you develop that ability? Read more>>
Jordan Dampf
I used to be terrified to take risks, especially when it came to pursuing music. But I don’t think anything good has ever came from staying inside your comfort zones. I think the first few risks I took starting out were the hardest, but it becomes easier as time goes on. You need to allow yourself to be uncomfortable if you want to see progress. It’s all part of the journey. Read more>>
Jodie Shihadeh
After being a partner at another entertainment law firm for 9 years, it became time for me to start a new professional chapter and so I started my own firm in 2020 at the height of the global pandemic. This was certainly the biggest professional risk to date of my career, but I knew this was the right step by trusting my intuition. Read more>>
VyShawn King
At a young age i learned that some risk had to be taken, no doubt about it. Without risk you never know if your going to win or fail! Everything you do in life has a 50/50 percent chance of failing and succeeding. But, you literally will never know if you never try. Which plays a big role in my life today. Read more>>
Eric Kim
Taking smart risks has been critical to growing my SaaS company and achieving over 27 years of success as an entrepreneur. I started my first business back in 1995 and have since launched multiple companies across 5 different industries (Software, marketing, chemical distribution, construction and retail – never afraid of uncertainty or change. Every new venture required me to take a chance, leave my comfort zone and embrace risk head-on. Read more>>
John Berry
My journey with risk? That’s a good question. Each time I have come to a crossroad in my career or in my work, I’ve always approached it from the standpoint of, “what do I want to do” or “where do I want to see myself in a year”. Read more>>.
Shelice Johnson
Developing the ability to take risks was a challenging but transformative process. Read more>>
Shelby Brown
Life is all about risk taking. My partner, Nick, and I developed a sense of risk avertness when he was diagnosed with drug-induced Lupus after an already rough few years with Crohn’s disease in 2020. We realized quickly, that life isn’t guaranteed, and we are very much dependent on our bodies staying healthy and functional. We did everything “right” by going to doctor after doctor, and even applying for disability as it seemed as our only option at the time. Read more>>
Loundie Chery
Growing up as an immigrant gave me the ability to take risk. If my mother and father can bring 8 children to the US without a plan and no money, that’s all the risk I needed to witness. Read more>>
Mia Koern
Life has hurdles regardless of which path you choose, and risks will always be a part of the process. By keeping this absolute in mind, I take strategic risks that will either guide me to my dream life, broaden my perspective or lead me to an adventure. I never lost my curiosity and have the much greater fear of: what if? After receiving my degree from UT Austin (Hook Em), I felt as if the safe, secure path I was going on wasn’t for me, so it was that first big risk to change my trajectory that was the hardest. Read more>>
Christina and Edward Sledge
We developed our risk-taking skills pretty early on. My husband, Eddie took a trip on the New York City subway by himself at nine years old to see his favorite baseball team play. I went alone to obtain a summer job when I was 14 years old and waited in line for over 12 hours. Read more>>
Ashis Dhakal
As a young child growing up in a refugee camp, due to ethnic cleansing, my family fled Bhutan to Nepal. We were forced to live in a refugee camp. In the camp, poverty and hunger were daily challenges and I slept on a bed made of bamboo, full of bed bugs, and surrounded by mosquitoes. I did not have access to clean drinking water, fresh air, electricity, or a decent home. Read more>>
Lewana Kidane
Taking Risks, is risky and not easy when first starting! Furthermore, taking my first risk was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, not being secure & safe in my decision making always sounded quite scary at first until it’s successfully done. Read more>>
Rush Johnston
Risk taking has become an essential element of my creative process and the way I navigate the world, but it hasn’t always been this way. From age 3 I studied ballet, working inside a very precise skill set to grow and excel, but I never quite fit the mold. I struggled to keep up with my peers and earn the praise of my instructors. It wasn’t until I was a junior in high school when I tried my hand at choreography for the first time that I felt unbridled creativity flowing through me along with a desire to choreograph more. Read more>>
Damaris Ryland
Until I began to realize that everything I have now and have had in the past was a result of taking risks, which has led me to where I am today, I really wasn’t big of a risk-taker. I wouldn’t say I tend to take chances; alternatively, I’d say I choose to go against my better judgment. It’s never an undesirable decision to give anything new a try. I continually encouraged myself to keep going, remain creative outside the box, refuse to take “no” as an answer, and never give up. Risks and attentiveness lead to success. Read more>>
Stefani Reeder
I was fortunate enough to grow up with parents who switched careers often and was raised in a family where nobody pressured me to do anything I didn’t want to do. I was encouraged to try everything that interested me, but I also wasn’t stopped anytime I wanted to quit something. Read more>>
Manon Harbulot
Working in the entertainment industry is already a risk in itself. There is fierce competition and limited room to establish oneself, so perseverance is crucial. Once you take the plunge, you have to go all in. That’s why I decided to move to Los Angeles; if I wanted to succeed, I needed to take every possible risk. Read more>>
Tonya Kassler
This is an interesting question because, I do not have a straight forward answer for this as to where it even came from exactly. My journey started at a young age, selling lemonade in my make shift stand of course with my moms lemonade. I sold 11 lemonades at 10cents each and I thought, “WOW, this is great”. Read more>>
Keya Isler
I developed my ability to take risks by first, understanding the benefits of taking risks. You do this by recognizing that taking risks can lead to new opportunities, personal growth, and increased self-confidence. Embracing risks can help you overcome fear and achieve your goals & learning to be ready for whatever the outcome may be. Read more>>
