Risk-taking is at the heart of making a difference, but often we’ve been conditioned to avoid risk as much as possible. So, we asked some successful risk-takers to talk to us about how they developed their comfort with taking risk.
Alexis Amato
My dad taught me at an early age that without a risk, there will be little reward. To be honest, despite this being instilled in me, I still grew up with a lot of fear, probably because I had another side of my family who didn’t believe in risk at all. I knew however, that in order to succeed, I would have to break through my fears and start taking risks to see where they led me. Read more>>
Christina Bjenning
I was born fearless. Given up for adoption at birth and spend my first months at an orphanage until adopted at three months old, I was catapulted into knowing life withouth an anchor – and consequently neve afraid of venturing into the unknown. Read more>>
Alysha M. Campbell
It’s been quite a ride, I must say. Taking risks means stepping out of your comfort zone. And let me tell you, diving into the world of Strategic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) was a risk worth taking. Leading diversity projects and fostering inclusive cultures wasn’t easy at first, but it’s in these uncomfortable spaces where real growth happens. Read more>>
Bradey Hall
My ability to take risk in business was developed when I was a kid. I was the kid who sold candy out of their locker and made money when the schools wouldn’t sell candy. It was a business opportunity that I knew I couldn’t pass up. When I realized money is a tool and you had to make it work for you. I really started looking at risk in a different way. Read more>>
Chris Hamer
There is no reward with out risk. I made a decision years ago that if I was going to work for myself and earn a living and gain the respect of my family and peers I would have to take on a certain level of risk. Read more>>
Karl Stelter
My perspective on taking risks has changed drastically over the years – in my 20s, the risk was moving out to Los Angeles to teach myself filmmaking from scratch, with no discernible path other than I really, really wanted to be involved in making movies. But that risk was mitigated by a supportive family that was willing to let me fall flat on my face and live at home if I failed. Read more>>
Jessica King
Simply put… It comes from my personal experiences that have involved life, love, death and everything in between. I 1st began to develop my ability on taking risks and following my intuition when I decided to serve in the military. I took the risk of joining in order to honor this country, not knowing what the outcome would be. Read more>>
Jennifer Borcea
Risk is such an essential part of growth. Playing it too safe due to fear, or complacency, or because you were told “it was the right way and the only way to do it” I believe contributes to weakening your risk-taking abilities overall. It’s difficult to let go of and a tricky mold to escape once it starts forming. But I believe risk-taking helps to make us who we are, and inspires growth beyond what we thought we were capable of. Read more>>
Chris Kruel
It all started with my pops. He has always been a business and risk taker his whole life just by even coming to this country undocumented and fast forward fixing papers to opening his restaurant in East Los Angeles. So we can all agree that my pops has been a big influence to me and where i got the risk taker from. Read more>>
Kelly Love Jones
In many ways, becoming a mother had a lot to do my risk taking skills. Read more>>
Morgan Williams
The biggest risk I ever took happened the year 2019. I just left my 8th grade teaching position to begin teaching high school English in Baltimore City Public Schools. Although I loved teaching, something felt uneasy about my new position. Read more>>
Ishqa Hillman
I used to be so afraid to say the wrong thing, make the wrong choice – or really any mistake but when I began using cannabis as a medicine at night for my social anxiety it helped me slow down, breathe and realize I have always learned from every experience, no matter how uncomfortable at the time. Read more>>
Kat Flowers
I believe my ability to take risk comes from the support I’ve received during my upbringing. My parents have always supported my decisions when it comes to the direction I want to take my life or what tasks/hobbies it is I wanted/want to take on. From my Dad, it would always be “as long as it doesn’t interfere with your educational/career goals, then go for it”. Read more>>
Lauren Holmes
I would say the real journey started when COVID-19 hit the U.S. Life was unstable and it was the first time we realized that even full-time jobs weren’t secure. I got furloughed from my full-time job, when I was already weighing the pros and cons of starting my own design practice, and decided it was now or never. Read more>>
Cayswinn Music
We live in a very sensitive world. Every social media post is followed by a comment(s) and most of those comments include criticism. Interestingly, If a post is positive or showing someones achievement, 75% of the comments will be something negative. Regardless of the negative comments, some people take the risks of posting even if they are perceived as a failure. Read more>>
Anson Jones
Honestly, I’m still developing it. Academia can really teach you to be a perfectionist, where you have a lot of control, feedback, and specific ways to get a good grade, but it can really block the creative process. When I was studying jazz improvisation, I was always nervous about what the teacher and students thought of my solos. Read more>>
Beth Gatza
Risk comes in many shapes and sizes, and sometimes it can be hard for us to see which risks are good risks and which are not so good. Throughout the years, I have developed a pretty good categorization of risk based on the following scenarios. Read more>>
Erica Wilfong
I have been a risk-taker for as long as I can remember. If you don’t try, you will never know and I’ve always preferred to try and make a mistake rather than regret not taking the risk! Read more>>
Josefine Holmberg
I have always loved to challenge myself for some reason, for as long as I remember. I always strive to be my very best self not for anyone else, just for myself. I find that the more risks I take, the more I love and enjoy living my life. The risks in my life are things that challenge me outside of my comfort zone and things that makes me grow as a person. Both for myself personally but also to help other people. Read more>>
Rodney Remson
I think it’s a fine line between self-medicating and self-care. Taking risks is what keeps me going. And creating is on that side of self-care that gives me permission to take risks. Read more>>
Eric Welch
Risk is something that I see as a necessity to push myself to another level. Since I was little I was always wild and outgoing. It wasn’t until I was 19 that I took the biggest risk in my life. It wasn’t the smartest move to make, but it did take me all over the world. Read more>>
