There is a wealth of academic research that suggests that differences in risk appetite are at the heart of differences in career and business trajectories. We wanted to go beyond the theory and ask real people from the community about their perspectives and experiences with risk and risk taking.

Anna Ly-Luu | Marketing Manager at W Scottsdale

Taking risks to me is stepping outside your comfort zone and embracing new challenges or strategies. One significant risk I took in my hotel career was transitioning from a coordinator to a manager role, which was particularly risky during the pandemic. It involved stepping into a more demanding position with increased responsibilities while the hospitality industry was facing unprecedented challenges. Challenges I encountered included navigating the shift from team member to team leader and adapting to the post-Covid landscape. To overcome them, I sought professional development opportunities, fostered open communication with my team, and implemented innovative marketing strategies. Read more>>

Mike Broomhead | Talk Host at KTAR News 92 3

I think risk is necessary for success. I focus on the benefit of success as opposed to the cost of failure. But, even in failure there is benefit. The most valuable lessons I’ve learned have been through failure. Read more>>

Cesar Figueroa | Owner of Golf Apparel Brand

I am very much an act first and think later. I operate more on instinct than rationale thought, which for the most part has been beneficial throughout my professional life. Because of that, I feel comfortable failing fast, and moving on. I don’t tend to hold a lot of weight in “what ifs”, I think about life as one direction, forward. Which I can’t think of a better way to think about risk when starting a business, because it is 100% the unknown, you must be comfortable being uncomfortable, and that is my favorite part of the journey, not knowing what is next, but believing you will figure it out. Read more>>

Jessica Brewster | Artist & Scientist

In my life, I have come to known as a “Jess of All Trades”. people often ask me “what dont you do?” truthfully, there are so many things that I dont do, but I am always willing to give it a go. My formal education is in Neuroscience. after years of work in academia, I have finally let my artist self run the show. I have been a waitress, a gym instructor, a salmon fisherman, a ranch hand on a cattle ranch, a cook, a neuroscientist, a seamstress, the list goes on. without taking risks, I would have no idea that I could pursue whatever goal sits before me. As a student and then professional in academia, it is so scary not to be taken seriously, so jumping into the art world guarantees feelings of silliness. Read more>>

Anthony medina | Owner/operator at Medina’s Interior Design

Risk taking for is a huge personal challenge , I am the type of person that doesn’t like/want to ever live in regret or wait for someone to do something for me that I’m fully capable of doing for myself.I spent alot of my younger adult life letting opportunities pass me by due to being afraid of failure and not taking risks.these days I choose to go at things head first and if I do fail I pick myself back up and figure out another route to take until I get to that goal that I’m trying to achieve but most of all I have learned to not let other people project their fears on me which in turn would make me not take the risk. Read more>>