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.

Tia Rix

My name is Tia Rix and I’m a jazz musician in Atlanta, Ga. Specifically, I’m a vocalist. I grew up listening to jazz music. Both of my parents were professional musicians. My mother, Phyllis Rix, sang with big bands and toured mostly in the eastern and southern parts of the United States. My father, Bob Rix, played the upright bass. He toured with the Buddy Morrow Orchestra, Bob Crosby and the Bobcats, and many other big bands throughout the United States. He also worked as a bandleader here in Atlanta. Needless to say, I heard the jazz genre since I was in the womb! Read more>>

Million Cooper

May 21st, high school graduation day was one of the worst days of my life. It was all Carmelo Anthony’s fault. As a 5 year old kid growing up in Denver, Colorado, Carmelo Anthony was THE goat. He made basketball look fun. He made basketball look easy. He made me feel like I could be the most famous basketball player in the world. But when high school came around, why didn’t he talk about the anxieties that came with being a kid? Why didn’t he tell me that fear of failure existed. So much so that I allowed anxiety and fear of failure to stop me from trying out for the basketball team. As a kid I thought basketball was in my future. Come graduation, being a loser was my present. I couldn’t even consider myself as a failure, because fear of failing was my past. Read more>>

 Jaxon Northon

I think, fortunately, I came to the realization quite young that I would have a hard time in life if I didn’ t take the risks that would lead to a more mentally and emotionally fufilling life. I was very, very shy as a little kid but growing up in Reno, Nevada and the mountains and the desert and all that affords (sports, lakes, motorcycles, things to jump off of and into…) allowed me to realize that when i literally stepped or skied off that cliff life got much more exciting. It also developed in me a, I think, healthy death-wish that made a life that didnt take bravery and risk to live it seem revolting to me. Maybe it also had something to do with Reno being a gambling town. Who knows? But, I had always been fascinated with drawing people growing up and when I approached adulthood I found myself realizing that I wanted to spend my life making art. Or, perhaps ‘needed’ to spend my life making art is a more appropriate way to put it. Being the over-thinker that I am, I realized what kind of sacrifices a life like that would take, and I was down. I very clearly remember making a decision around 20 years old that I was going to paint people for the rest of my life and I have never gone back on it. It hasnt neccesarily paid off in any financially stable sense, but I have lived an incredible, satisfying, eventful and emotionally full life up to this point. And I’m still very excited about my future at 45 years old. But then again, a lot of this could have to do with a dentist’s error also around the the age of 20 that basically gave me mad-hatters disease for the next 20 years of my life. Looney-Tooth. The jury is still out on it all, I suppose. Read more>>

Ashleigh King

Developing my ability to take risks has been a journey shaped by both experience and intention. I grew up in an environment where I saw firsthand how fear of failure could hold people back, and that pushed me to start questioning my own limits early on. But taking risks didn’t come naturally; it took practice, a willingness to fail, and learning how to trust myself. Read more>>

Francesmary Loughead

I developed my ability to take risks by realizing that without stepping out of my comfort zone, nothing would truly progress. I learned that if I wanted to make a difference, whether in my career or personal life, taking calculated risks was essential. By taking that initial step, I’ve been able to create spaces where people can connect and build meaningful friendships. It’s incredibly rewarding to see others benefit from the risks I chose to take, and this only strengthens my willingness to embrace new challenges moving forward. Read more>>

Yeon Chung

It’s not so much the ability to take risk, but sometimes life will throw you into a situation and you have to either fight or flee. Freeze may not be an option. I had no choice but to fight in order to take care of my family. And even though I may not have loved myself enough at the time to take the risk, I loved my family deeply enough to know that I had to take a leap of faith and give it all I got! Read more>>