In our experience, most folks, including ourselves don’t have enough of an understanding of risk and the role it plays in our lives and careers and so we have made a concerted effort as a team to have conversations about risk with our interviewees. We’ve shared some highlights below.

Scott Girod | Chef Owner

In general I think of risks as experiences. My mind converts the risk to whether I’ll ever be able to have that experience again or not, if I have done it before and lastly my personal safety. All things in life are risks and I want to experience life so I push ahead to new things as it makes life exciting and difficult. Risks or experiences comprise my whole life up to now. There wouldn’t be Anello or living in Japan and traveling or having a family if I didn’t take those risks. Those risks are all worth it for I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t. Read more>>

Cassidy Coleman Lily Noordyk | Interior Designer/Owner

Risk taking comes with fear and the unknown but without risks you’ll never know if you could get to the place you’ve always dreamed about. Taking risks dares you to dream and step outside of your comfort zone. Stepping out college and into the work world, we both wanted as low of risk as possible with stability and consistency. Yet after working for several years at different professional firms, we realized we wanted more out of our careers and lives that could never be fulfilled by working for somebody else. We decided we wanted to build our own dreams rather than fueling somebody else’s. With this goal in mind, we decided to take the risk to create a future that gave us freedom in every aspect of our lives. Read more>>

Natalia Guilliod | Photographer/Artist

You can’t make a change in your life unless you risk something. I like to think of it as two roads, you can take the road of no change, continuing the same lifestyle/cycle as you are for the next 50 years or you can take road of risk, learning who you are down to the core and creating a life of things that make YOU happy. The key to starting your craft or getting anything done for that matter is solitude. Read more>>

Aileen Hitomi Lane | Licensed Massage Therapist & Reiki-Master Teacher

I have always felt the call to be of service to others. This started when I began working as an Occupational Therapy Practitioner back in 1994; and during this career, I have worked with infants to adults in a variety of settings including: Infant/Toddler State Program, Special Education, inpatient rehabilitation, Spinal Injury Service and Outpatient Pediatric Clinics. Working in the field of Occupational Therapy was lucrative and provided job security no matter where I lived. Read more>>

Ruth Hammond | Freelance illustrator

Being brave and taking risks is such a scary thing to do, but it’s also something I attribute to the growth and success of my business so far. So I would say that if you want to grow your business then taking a risk is imperative as you’ll never find out if an idea can be a success and therefore push your business forward. Read more>>

Ryan Fila | Storyteller, Filmmaker, & Public Speaker

Taking risks and betting on yourself as an entrepreneur or creative is among the top 3 most necessary pieces of action you’ll take throughout the journey. If you don’t have a high risk tolerance, and self confidence to believe that you’ll dig yourself out of the holes you WILL ultimately dig for yourself, the solo/entrepreneur route isn’t for you. I will put a small caveat in this though, there are different levels of risk with different types/areas of entrepreneurship. But, regardless, you have to believe in yourself more than the average person. Read more>>

Isaac Geesling | Photographer & Videographer

I have a mentor, Scott Mitchell, who also does photography. He once told me to say yes to any job that comes my way, even if I don’t know how to do it yet. Just figure it out along the way. It’s taught me that I either sink or swim in this field, and more often than not, I’ve been swimming. Read more>>

Thurro Alexander | Hiker/Social Media Influencer/Producer

I believe taking risks plays a big part in our lives. Just leaving your house & driving on the highway is a risk in itself. It’s a calculated risk but a risk never the less. Taking the ‘right’ risks have always allowed me to excel in life. Taking that risk and asking for a paid position when I was an intern at Miami’s top 5 recording studio allowed me to ascend from an unpaid intern to a paid department manager! Risks are essential in life, it’s all about taking the ‘right’ ones Read more>>

Tyler Honga | The ANTIBACTERIA Cafeteria Creator

Without risk there is no reward. It’s always easy to take the path that has already been created before you. In that path, the reward goes mainly to someone else/ someone else’s dream. As a retail manager most of my professional career, it took me a long time to be able to think outside the box. Creating The ANTIBACTERIA Cafeteria with my friend, has allowed me to do just that. Read more>>

Lisa Mann | Singer-songwriter, bassist & vocalist

I can think of many instances where risk taking played a role in my career, in fact risk seems to be at the heart of things. As a professional musician for most of my life, every time I take up a different style of music or new method of performance or recording, I am taking a risk. Read more>>

Jeri Royce | Nonprofit CEO and Fly Fisherman

My thoughts on risk have changed throughout my life and career as I began to realize that taking risks is a part of living life. If you are living, developing, evolving and responding, you are taking risks. I now think about decisions I make every day not in terms of risk but in terms of the consequences. What are the possible consequences of the decisions and choices I make and do I feel equipped to live with or manage the consequences. Some of the most important and life-changing decisions have also seemed the riskiest at the time. However, navigating my way through what followed each decision, strengthened my leadership and resilience. Read more>>

Jenny Hermosillo | 1:1 Fat Loss & Mindset Coach

If you were to have asked me this question before 2020, I probably would have said “It means doing something you’re afraid to do & not think about the repercussions”, then, not even understanding the meaning of what I just said, would have continued on without blinking an eye. Fast forward to 2022 ME, CEO ME, MOM ME, WIFE ME, DAUGHTER ME & JUST ME, I will tell you something completely different. Read more>>

Danna Gift | Lifestyle Content Creator and Speaker

I think it’s important to consider the actual definition of risk. Risk is exposing (someone or something valued) to danger, harm, or loss. When you see these words – danger, harm, loss – it places you in a position of fear and anguish when thinking about taking risks. This is where my mental constructs are a bit different. I don’t consider risk as a negative outcome, I see risk as an opportunity for growth and development. Since I was younger I’ve heard the phrases “you got to risk it for the biscuit” and “risks lead to greatness”. Read more>>

Chris Avena | Publisher of American Outdoor News

I have always been a risk taker for both personal and business. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it dont. You just give it your best shot. When it works out, it is a great feeling knowing that you took a chance. You rolled the dice and it came up seven. There is that high that you get from the success. Read more>>

Carol Blomstrand | Marketing Consultant – Digital and E-commerce

I’ve always been a natural risk taker in sports and business. And for some reason I’ve always been a futurist thinker. My father was an entrepreneurial risk taker and he built two shipping companies so I guess it all rubbed off on me. I was never happy settling for a secure (boring?) job. My adrenalin and desire to continually conquer new challenges in life drove me to succeed in one after another stepping stone business positions. From being editor of Chicago Magazine, to being a commercial real estate broker for 20 years, Read more>>

Matt Ryder | Artist

I’m a British artist living In Dubai, without taking risks in my career I would’t have made it out to Arizona to both show my work and teach my techniques to American students. I think as artists we take a risk the second we decide this is the career path we choose, and that needs to continue throughout. Ultimately without risk there is no reward and I always keep that in mind when looking to the future. Read more>>