The capacity to take risk is one of the biggest enablers of reaching your full potential and so we want to create a space where risk-takers can come together to talk about how they’ve developed their capacity for risk taking.

Boris Lugovik

Going through different stages of life, I realized that without risks and curiosity, life would be much simpler. But I’m the kind of person for whom risk sometimes comes on its own, even when I don’t expect it. Read More>> 

Virginie Bavaud

I developed my ability to take risks because I realized that some opportunities are too important to let pass. When I was 20, I decided to move from Switzerland to the United States to attend a dance school. It was a huge step: I would be far from my family, in a new country, knowing no one, and unfamiliar with the language and local customs.

What pushed me to take this risk was that it was something I truly cared about, a goal I had set for myself for years. I knew that if I wanted to pursue my dream seriously, I had to take the chance and embrace the risk. Read More>> 

Alissa Crabtree

I grew up in a farm town where the dirt roads were familiar and the limits were too. Everybody knew your business, and everybody thought they knew your future. When I left, I carried that small-town grit, but I also carried the weight of being underestimated. To many, I was just a country bumpkin trying to play in a big-city world. That sting, the look in their eyes, the quiet doubt, was my first taste of risk. Read More>> 

Drew Young

I developed an ability to take risks by being told no or being unsuccessful at something that I was really invested into. It just made me go harder at whatever it was I was doing or Into. I never looked for hand outs. I just always felt the urge to get up and get it myself. Even if it meant to lose something or give up something. Read More>> 

Brittany Sensabaugh

My ability to take risks came from my own hunger for more. I learned early on that you don’t get anywhere great in life without committing fully. The saying “no reward without risk” might be cliché, but it’s true. I’ve always been willing to bet on myself, even when the path ahead felt risky, and those moments have ultimately led me exactly where I wanted to be. Read More>> 

Jade Graham

I believe everything happens for a reason— even the opportunities that are presented to us. I would rather live with the idea of trying and it not working out than the idea of not trying at all and having a lifetime of regret. I think the moment you give up your dream to pursue something more achievable or to fit societal norms is the moment you fail. Take all the risks and embrace the challenges and different pathways life will take you on— welcome it with open arms. You never know what tomorrow holds for you, and I think that develops my ability to take risks. Read More>> 

Nick Thompson

I definitely wouldn’t say I’m a big risk-taker, though I took a risk with Skagit, particularly during the pre-production phase. I was basically moving forward with this movie as if it was definitely going to happen before I knew for sure that we could make it happen. That was a deliberate choice I made, to try to always stay one step ahead of myself. I knew that if I dwelled on the scope of what we were trying to do and thought about our chances of pulling it off and how I would feel if we didn’t that I could panic and get cold feet. Read More>> 

G Davis

I developed my ability to take risks by watching others around me. In life, I met and observed a lot of people who had a lot of “what if “ or “I wish I would have “ moments. Like what if I took that job? Or what if I moved to that city? I could tell that it really eats them up inside that they did not take those risks. I always wanted to approach the things I do in life as. “If not now, when “ So it makes me take more risks because I know if you wait too long the opportunity could be gone . Read More>> 

Caitlin Rutherford

I can’t pinpoint an exact moment when I started taking risks, but I do remember a gradual shift in my perspective on life. Over time, I came to understand that the most meaningful experiences often lie just beyond our comfort zones. One day, it simply clicked for me: I could either let fear and the opinions of others dictate my choices, or I could lean into uncertainty and see where it might lead. Since then, I’ve embraced a personal motto —  “If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.”  Read More>> 

Carolyn Dean MD ND

My approach to risk is deeply rooted in my upbringing. More specifically, it’s rooted in a philosophy I learned from my dad: ‘Never say no, and never give up.’ It’s a mentality that transformed his life and, by extension, my own.

He exemplified this something special during his time serving in World War II. His commander in the war asked if he knew anything about ‘caterpillars’. My dad, imagining the insect, confidently replied, ‘Sure thing, sir.’ That ‘sure thing’ landed him in charge of a fleet of heavy-duty Caterpillar tractors! Read More>> 

Nina Sacco

I’ve always had an independent spirit. Coming from a family with a very diverse racial heritage, I never really fit in anywhere. This combination was my foundation for becoming self-reliant. Growing up, I felt like a witness to countless broken systems to the point where I didn’t see any security in following a set path. If I wanted any sense of security and stability, some part of me knew that I would have to build it for myself, that I couldn’t depend on anyone else to provide it for me. Read More>> 

Kali Shankar

Risk — or more precisely, the ability to take risks — is not a skill in itself, but rather a side effect of a more complex capacity: adventurism. Adventurism is not some innate “mark of destiny,” but rather a cultivated blend of worldview and behavioral habit. More accurately, it’s a forbidden spark that tears through the fabric of the familiar. Read More>> 

Kay Gutierrez

I grew up near the border of Mexico, where life was simple—but full. My grandfathers worked in the fields, my dad was a mechanic, my mom worked in the school district, and when everyone was busy, our grandmothers took care of us. That kind of upbringing gave me a strong foundation—one rooted in gratitude, hard work, and community. Read More>> 

Tomas Osinski

Recklessness and bravado from growing up in a bad neighborhood. Read More>> 

Aloha Haekyung Lee

Every major decision in my career — from pursuing animation in Korea when it wasn’t encouraged, to working on Squid Game, to moving to the U.S. for animation — has been a leap into uncertainty. Over time, I learned that risk feels less like a gamble when you trust your ability to adapt, grow, and connect with people who share your passion. Read More>>