How do you think about risk? What role has taking risks played in your life/career? Check out responses from hidden gems from our community below.

Anela Tayan | Model & Dog Sitter

When I think about risk, I think about how uncomfortable decisions can influence greater outcomes. The last few years of my life have been driven on the possibility of successful and not-so successful risks. Prior to starting my career journey in Arizona, I didn’t take many risks. To be fair, I didn’t have many options to pursue in my previous location. Small town in a small state. Feeling limited to the paths I could take – a family member of mine who at the time I wasn’t too familiar with – offered me a place to live. A new door to start over. I barely knew this family member, but I jumped shipped and went for it. Read more>>

Brandon Trowbridge | Real Estate Broker

“You sometimes lose by taking risks, but you always lose by holding back”. I learned early on that if I wanted to achieve more in life, I was going to have to get uncomfortable & take some big (calculated) risks. That started at the age of 20 when I left the safety, security & comfort of home in Spokane, WA to enter the United States Air Force. During basic training I was singled out by my squadron commander based on my PT test scores to enter the Special Forces testing portal. This was a risk that I was totally unsure of where it would lead or if I would be capable of finishing because I wasn’t a good swimmer. Read more>>

Andrea Laughlin | barre3 (Chandler, AZ) Studio Owner & Instructor

I talk a lot about risk in starting my barre3 business and how it played a role in making the decision to become a franchise owner and ultimately opening a studio. For me, believing that I would be successful had less to do with risk and more to do with how confident I felt in the product and building a community that would support my dream. I give the example often that in my marriage I’m typically the dreamer and risk taker, and my husband is analytical and not so much up for risk. Read more>>

Jeff Senour | Professional Pilot & Singer/Songwriter

I think this is a great question since we seem to live in a world that appears fearful of so many things. I have spent my career flying aircraft professionally from Airlines, helicopters, jets, movie stunt flying among other things. I have over 29,000 hours logged and one thing I learned from Aviation is that life is full of risk. I learned a long time ago we can’t eliminate risk from our lives but we can mitigate risk by doing certain things. Everything we do has some form of risk. When we drive a car, get in an airplane, even so much as slipping in the shower, they all have risk so we can’t completely eliminate it. Read more>>

Cherie Pittman | Aesthetician, Massage Therapist, and Spa Owner

1 question. If fear of “risk” wasn’t a thing or an emotion or thought, what would you do or what would you be doing right now in life? How many times have you let fear control you and your life? I tried to let fear of “risk” stop me when I decided to quit my job at a Medspa and open my own skincare practice. I started my business with zero clients, a whole lot of faith, and a passion for fulfilling a dream that was created in Cosmetology school in 2006. I kept saying “what if I fail, this is a huge risk” and my husband said, “there is no plan b and there is no option for failure, and you will make it work.” Read more>>

Lindsey Lujan | Licensed Esthetician, Owner of Ethereal Skin and Beauty

I never truly knew what I wanted to do with my career. I always thought something would come along and my career would just click into place. When asked as a teen, “what do you want to do/what degree to you plan to get?” I never knew the answer. In college, I switched my trajectory numerous times. In the beginning, I was a marketing and business major. I knew I liked the idea of owning my own business. Fear and insecurity drove me away from being an entrepreneur however and I eventually landed in the Health Science program at The University of Missouri. Read more>>

Julius Aguilar | Digital Creator: Photographer/Cinematographer

Personally, I believe taking risks is important in any endeavor, creative project or in your personal life. The beauty of risk taking for me is not what the result is going to be, although that is a part of the thought process, but is the fact of not knowing what is going to happen as you progress through it. It is the learning and the experience in risk taking that excites me; in my creative/artistic career, each progression to the next stage has always been a risk-taking decision. From shooting photos for fun to shooting concerts for publications, to understanding video production/editing to working on music videos. Read more>>