Increasing Your Capacity for Risk-Taking

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.

Alessandro Sasha Conte

I developed my ability to take risks by building YEMAT from the ground up. Leaving a stable path to follow a vision rooted in sustainability wasn’t easy, but I knew it was what God placed on my heart. Every risk from ethical sourcing to turning down quick wins felt like a step of faith. Read More>>

Jeff Thon

You know, I’ve always looked at risk a little differently. Most people hear that word and think of jumping into something uncertain, but in business funding, it’s really about understanding risk, not just taking it. At Clear Skies Capital, we don’t make decisions blindly or emotionally; we make them based on patterns, behavior, and data. Read More>>

J. D. Brink

That’s a good question. I’m not sure I know the answer. Or rather, some things that others outside of myself might have seen as risk-taking, like joining the Navy when I was 22 and graduating from college, I didn’t feel risky about. Other things that others saw as common life stuff, like asking a girl out, I trembled at and could not fathom. Read More>>

Julissa

I’m still early in my journey as a music artist, but I’ve really grown in my ability to take risks. For a long time, I kept holding myself back because I thought I needed to “look a certain way,” “have more money,” or “already know the right people” before I could even begin. Read More>>

Andrea Lewis

I learned to take risks by saying yes before I had all the answers. When I began my business, nothing about it followed a typical roadmap — I didn’t have every step planned out, just a few goals in my mind, and a deep pull toward building something meaningful. Read More>>

Steven Howard Jr

My ability to take risks truly developed after I made one of the biggest leaps of my life in the fall of 2023: moving to Los Angeles. I don’t believe many people are born with an innate willingness to step into discomfort. Most of us are wired to do the opposite—do what’s logical, do what’s safe, stick to what we know. Read More>>

Lauren Olds

There’s a line that I repeat often to a few friends of mine – ‘we’re all going to die eventually.’ Morbid, I know. But it’s a line and a mantra I’ve repeated in my head over and over again for the past couple of years. For most of my adult life, I have decidedly *not* been a risk taker. Read More>>

Hank Mattson

I started skateboarding when I was nine years old. Initially, I was terrified of landing on my board. The desire to learn new things and keep up with my friends drove me to eventually overcome that fear. About half way through my twenties, I was still skateboarding weekly, although mostly alone. Read More>>

Tim Finnegan

I would say that I developed my ability to take risk by moving out to Los Angeles to pursue my dream career in the entertainment industry. Read More>>

Kennapolis Simon

I would say, that came from just knowing that if I wanted the results I seek in life I would have to do things that I either normally wouldn’t do or just things that would take me out of my comfort zone. Read More>>

Andrew Vanderpoel

I didn’t learn how to take risks from a book, I learned it by living through real-world decisions with everything on the line. Before I started Superior Nutrition, I was on a completely different path. I studied Law Enforcement, earned my degree, and worked as a reserve officer. Read More>>

Whitney Duhart

I developed the ability to take risks by trusting my vision, investing in my education, and learning to move even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed. Coming from a background in customer service, the military, and later transitioning into entrepreneurship, I had to get comfortable making decisions that stretched me. Read More>>

Leanne Kampfe

I’ve developed my ability to take risks in seasons, usually the ones where I realized staying comfortable was actually the bigger gamble. When I went to college, everyone assumed I would major in music. While I loved music (and still do), I also craved financial stability, so I chose to major in accounting. Read More>>

Michael Kessel

My ability to take risks has evolved over time, but it’s always been essential for my personal growth and for building my business. It really started when I first left home. I grew up in a small community where the world outside was often painted as intimidating or dangerous. Read More>>

Nikko Najih Bey

From an early age I always knew that I would never have a boss for my career. I didn’t know how that was going to look at that time. But at age 8 I told my grandmother I would never work for somebody. I think now it just became second nature and honestly, it’s me having to adapt. Read More>>

Cory Say Senior

I love this question. I don’t think that I can fully say “I developed the ability to take a risk.” However, at the risk of sounding preachy, I think this stems from what I learned in my faith. Messages on fear, and dangers of succumbing to them really made an impact on me. Fear can be a powerful force that stops you from moving. Read More>>