Legend holds that Cornelius Vanderbilt had built a massive fortune in the steamboat shipping industry, but then realized the railroads were the way of the future and invested almost his entire net worth into railroads. The gamble paid off and made Vanderbilt one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs ever. But risks are inherently…risky. How do you think about risk and how has it affected your life and career? Some of our community favorites share their perspective below.

Nick Proof | Music Producer and DJ

From a young age I’ve always been a risk taker. Starting in my early teens I got into parkour which was a challenging and dangerous sport which to progress in or be a successful competitor in, required taking a lot of calculated risks. As I became an adult I started my own business which was also very financially risky but I believe that progress, growth and the greatest rewards all require taking risks. With music production and DJing, I’m investing a lot of time and money into developing it into a career which is risky as it may never turn into anything but I think the potential payoff of being able to do it full time and travel the world is worth it. Read more>>

DHARNI PATEL | CEO and Founder of KINDIA

I approach risk with a mindset that might seem delusional or crazy to some, but it has consistently played a crucial role in my life and career. Rather than shying away from risk, I embrace it because, in my experience, it has often worked to my advantage, even when it initially appeared unfavorable. To me, risk holds an inherent excitement. It’s like venturing into the unknown, conducting experiments to discover what truly works and what doesn’t. Sticking to a monotonous, safe routine can be stifling, especially if you’re dissatisfied with your current circumstances. Risk-taking, in my view, is a means of personal growth, continuous learning, and sharing what I believe matters. Read more>>

Jadon Cal | Actor and Filmmaker

Taking risks might seem like they can lead to failure, loss, or disappointment, but in reality, they are the KEYS to success. The best opportunities I’ve ever come across and had the priviledge of experiencing came directly from “risking” something. Whether it was money, time, relationships, etc. Read more>>

Rianne Vestuto | Creator of Aura Toning – a movement class to cleanse & bless the waters of your body

I created a movement class called Aura Toning, which is a unique, transformational workout that helps you transform your energy using movement, water and light. Each of our workouts is a water blessing – we use movement to cleanse, bless, and harmonize the waters of our bodies to help us radiate intrinsic beauty and strength into our lives. I really believe in bringing a love-based lens to exercising. Aura Toning is a way to remind us that we are water, which means that we are love, and we are sacred. I knew when I was first creating this class that I wanted to create something that not only inspires us to love and respect ourselves, but to love and respect all life as precious. Read more>>

Emily Thomas | artist / creative

I don’t consider myself a risk taker, but now that I think about some the major risks that i have taken, it could seem that I am, in fact, a risk taker. Some examples include + Moving to Southern California, from Portland Maine, alone, not having a job, and not knowing anyone. + Focusing primarily on rock climbing, mountaineering and canyoneering- Climbing sketchy run out routes on well known mountains, modified versions of that in the winter, on skis, rappelling into canyons, and, these days, training for ultramarathons. + Leaving a perfectly nice, stable, stress free job to jump into the unknown to work as a full time artist. So maybe I am a risk taker, but I don’t go out and search for risk- it seems to present itself to me through opportunities I feel I can learn from. So I take them. Read more>>

Lilian Rebelo | Actor and Artist

I never would have considered myself a risk-taker, although I do love a good thrill or experience; I’m not huge on rollercoasters, but I have been skydiving! However, the biggest risk I’ve taken was choosing my acting career. Entering into any creative field is a risk. Some people know that going in, some figure it out along the way, but regardless it is a career of uncertainty. For me, every time I get to make art, the risk pays off. My mom always taught me “it’s not the things you do that you’ll regret, it’s the things you don’t do.” I want to fill my life with exciting and valuable experiences, and acting is the best opportunity to do new things everyday. I would much rather live a life of risk than regret. Read more>>

David Hajjar | CPT

I think of risk as one of the most necessary pathways to unlock a person’s potential. Risks are filled with uncertainty that can lead someone feeling anxious, scared, overwhelmed, disoriented etc…. These overwhelming sensations created by the uncertainty of a risk can be taken as a voluntary challenge by the individual. The challenge of conquering your fear by acting out of courageousness. I’ve come to realize that i have never regretted failure in my life because failure indicates that you actually tried to move forward with an idea. However, what i did regret are things that i have not done in my life because i will never know the outcome of those. Once i understood this, i found a great sense of freedom from fear when taking risks. Read more>>

Marty Katzoff | Visual Artist

Choosing a career in the arts has always felt like taking a wild risk. I still question what it means to call myself an artist, and Im constantly shifting that definition based on my experiences. I never thought that dropping out of school to paint on walls would lead me into a career where the heart of my creative experience flows through art education. Of course, there have been risks that didn’t go exactly as planned, but that’s also what has provided me with the foundation to know how to bounce back from unexpected moments in life while I work through a creative project. As a painter, risk-taking is ever-present, and for me, the result is mostly about perspective. How does movement flow into form, and what can another person’s shared experience with my work reveal that was hidden from me at the time? Read more>>

Lacey Wissmann | Realtor & Influencer

Taking risks is what allowed my entrepreneurial spirit to dream and create the new life for myself that I live today. Because I have not yet achieved the success I dreamed, I know there are still many more risks that will be faced in the future; those unexpected risks provide growth and learning opportunities leading to a more lucrative level of business outreach. Read more>>

Taylor Johns | Cinematographer

Risk can be an uncomfortable beast, but being uncomfortable can yield some of the greatest results. I began my career with, at the time, the biggest risk I’d ever taken. I decided to not go to medical school and pursue a career in documentary filmmaking. Yeah that was a fun call to my parents. From a creative lens, if it’s safe, it’s probably boring. I need some element of risk to grow. Read more>>

Emily Margetts | Psychic Medium & Reiki Practitioner

I had my own Digital Marketing business in the UK, that’s where I was born and raised until I was 32. Starting any business is a brave and risky thing to do in the first place, you don’t know if people are going to want your services, you don’t know how much money you’re going to make and if you can live on this; there are a lot of risk factors to consider. But, if you don’t try, you’ll never know and I’d much rather try and fail than never know. When I moved to the States it was a risk in life, let alone in my business, but I was desperate to get here to see what opportunities would come knocking at my door. I’d always known I had ‘gifts’ but it wasn’t until I’d moved to Chicago and honed in on them that I realised how strong they were. Read more>>

Shawna Christian | Owner of tansy

Risk is everything. Life, as well as starting your own business is nothing but risk. When starting Tansy back in 2019, I had previously been at the same place of employment for over 20 years. I loved that job, it afforded me a wonderful life and afforded a comfortable life for my children as well. However, after 20+ years as a creative working in a corporate environment, it was time to risk everything and try something new. I quit my job of the past two decades, put all of my money into starting Tansy, and prayed for the best. After four unbelievably long, but fulfilling and incredible years, it was time to risk everything again, and open a second location in Seattle. Many people will speak to you, as the risk is something you need to be afraid of. Read more>>

Val Cripps | Fckyeah Frequency Artist/Guide/Mentor

I have taken what appeared to be HUGE risks … for ME, it was a path lit up by my intuition and divine knowing, and nothing else was clearly open like the one I was being called to. For others around me, they might see risk, potential to lose, unknowns without “security” and known outcomes. For me, it was obviously what I needed to do, and failure wasn’t part of my understanding, only following the instructions/guidance I felt deeply in my soul. If I hadn’t have followed my own intuition, I wouldn’t have reached some of the biggest goals in my life that I’ve achieved and make me who I am. And following my knowing means taking risks. It has gotten more tricky to follow these risks now that I am a mom, a single parent sharing custody – I don’t have the freedom to pick and go where I might be called. Read more>>

Jomo Lee | Professional Dancer, Brand Owner, videographer and photographer.

Risk taking is very important to practice. We hold ourselves back a lot due to trying to predict the end result when trial and error contribute to your growth in a huge way! Read more>>

Jordan Urgin | Filmmaker

Risk is a two-edged sword. It’s impossible not to take any but taking too much can lead to failures none can overcome. I took many risks in my life, in order to be able to call myself an “artist” without blushing. I had to leave my country, my job and my family behind to start from scratch in a foreign land. To make my first feature I invested all my savings. When this movie got destroyed in the making process, I ended up with nothing. Not even a roof for the coming month. It would have been difficult to reach rock bottom harder than this, and yet, I found solutions. Today, the movie has been finished as my first feature film and is getting recognition all over the world. I wouldn’t advise anyone to take that many risks, and I honestly wasn’t considering going that far. Read more>>

Rebecca Ho | Actor

When I look back at my life/career, the biggest leaps forward have been due to a giant risk that I had taken. I’m from Brisbane, Australia. Making the move to New York was maybe the biggest risk of my life – and it’s paid off in spades. And then, I thought that I’d only be in New York for maybe a year or two – kind of a Gap Year equivalent. I’ve now been here for almost 6 years! Which is absolutely crazy. Nowadays, I am actively trying to face the things I find ‘scary’. There’s a saying I learnt in a clown class that is the mantra I live by when doing ‘scary things’ – “Louder than your Inner Critic, Faster than your Worry”. I think it’s the most beautiful way to make that first step into that risk, which let’s be honest, is always the hardest step to make. Read more>>

Nikki Reifler | Creative Producer & Drag Artist

A principle I follow is to always venture towards the thing that makes you afraid. This led me to a career full of unpredictable shifts. From producing short films in college at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, to production designing music videos for artists such as Trisha Paytas, Junior Producing at RPA, and even performing and producing drag shows across Southern California, I am constantly undertaking new risks. My professional career began in 2020 at the onset of the pandemic. I worked in art department to get my foot in the door. This escalated to full time work for two years as a production designer. Every project requires you to create something you have not done before. Read more>>

Nick Cohen | Chief Operating Officer, Legal Tech

I think about risk a lot – if there’s no risk, and you knew exactly what was going to happen, wouldn’t life be boring? Risk doesn’t mean flying blindly into the wind and hoping everything is going to be okay. I’m a bigger fan of the calculated risk; you still don’t know what will happen, but at least you’ve played it out a bit in your head. The biggest risk was moving out here for college with no connections and no friends – yet it was the best decision I’ve made. The next biggest risk I took was a job out of college where I could barely afford rent. I loved the business and figured I could get by for a year on very little money while learning a ton. That experience has been such an asset as I’ve evolved in my career. Read more>>

John Lauretig | Retired & Rock climber, President of 501 c 3 Friends of Joshua Tree

For 25 years I worked as a Federal Law Enforcement officer for the Deportment of the Interior and after 911 the Transpiration Security Administration. Read more>>

Mike Bowers Actor and Director | Actor and Director

I want the work I do to have an impact, and sometimes that means going against what is traditionally done. I moved to Los Angeles just over ten years ago with no industry contacts and only a few friends, working for $9/hr doing retail at the time. That was a huge risk, leaving a city where I had some career momentum and a network of theatre contacts. But I don’t regret it. It forced me into a new paradigm that forced me to hone my skills as a writer, something I’d been interested in for a long time. And eventually I was able to find a theatre community here that has given me opportunities to act, write, direct, and produce. Taking risks is necessary to force yourself to grow as a person and an artist. Read more>>