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.

Allison Cadrette | Hairstylist

Taking a risk in business is important and necessary. I used to be so afraid to take risks and as soon as I let go of the fear, great things started to fall into place. I try to be as calculated with risks as I can. Read more>>

Leanne Tarrab | Singer-Songwriter & Actress

Since high school, my motto has been “you need to step outside of your comfort zone to make it bigger.” That’s something I’ve constantly preached to my friends. I think the quote has really stuck with me because I’ve had anxiety for my entire life, but I have also always had the desire to be fearless, as I know that’s the only way I’ll achieve my goals. I think I’ve had a lot of missed opportunities due to fear. I’d say most of them have been small, but when you look at them in hindsight they add up and can really take a toll on you, especially if you’re an over-thinker, which I am. While I’ll admit that I don’t always follow my own advice, that quote is definitely one that has a permanent place in the back of my mind, and it’s the primary sentiment that motivates me to do things even if they seem scary at first. In that regard, I think risk is crucial, especially in unpredictable, scary, and/or unconventional career paths. Risks are necessary; they’re like stepping stones. I faced this first and foremost in high school when I felt less and less nervous with each singing performance, later on in my acting journey when I felt less and less nervous with each shoot, and now as I’m booking gigs as a solo artist. My very first live show singing my original songs I was so terrified I got sick and threw up eight times before. I am pleased to say that leading up to my last gig, just three shows later, I did not throw up at all. My anxiety was significantly reduced compared to my first show. I think risks not only help you career-wise but also really help you if you have issues with anxiety. They expand your comfort zone so that you can do more things with less discomfort. For instance, the evening after my very first film shoot, I went to the grocery store by myself for the first time. I was 19 years old, mind you, so it was a big deal for me. I had always been too scared to do that, but after a full day with the cameras on me and tons of people watching me act, I wasn’t too anxious to go buy myself some dinner! That was actually a big validating moment for me — I felt even more sure that I was meant to perform, and that performing significantly improves my quality of life. It makes the world seem less daunting. I am more determined than ever to keep my anxiety at bay so I can keep doing what I love without burning out, and the more risks I take, the less fear I have. Read more>>

Elise Blasco | Filmmaker & Photographer

At some point, you have to take a leap of faith! In college, I was hyperaware that a film degree wasn’t necessary, and having zero work experience weighed on me. I was confused about the course of my career and how to turn my creative skills into something concrete. In my sophomore year, I got my first gig at a small donut shop creating reels and being a part of the social media team. This one gig gave me the confidence to do social media marketing as a day job while pursuing projects as a filmmaker and photographer. That fall, I decided to take the risk and not go back to school. Of course, it was scary breaking the news to my parents. They were already side-eyeing me for choosing a creative industry. Read more>>

Melissa Ortiz | Actor/Producer/Coach

That’s an interesting question because I personally am very risk-averse, which makes being an actor really hard. In the beginning of my career I followed acting as a craft because I loved it and I didn’t really think about anything beyond that. And then as I continued to pursue it as a career I always had a safety net of a part-time job or a full-time job that would give me benefits and security so I wouldn’t have to deal with the risky business of acting. But at a certain point in my life I realized that I was unhappy because I wasn’t giving myself fully to this art form. I wasn’t taking the risk and seeing how far I could actually get with this career. So once 2020 hit and the pandemic happened I decided that it was time to risk it all on me; to bet it all on my acting career. Since then I’ve given all of my time to that and it’s been really, really rewarding and I guess that, yeah, with no risk no reward right? Read more>>

Lory Jones | Novelist and artist

If I hadn’t left my familiarities in Southern California to pursue my career goals in Washington, D.C., I would have never written my first book, “My Interview with Beethoven.”

And if I hadn’t been in a relationship a few years ago, and broken it off, I would have never written, “It Happened One Morning…”, my current work which is due out this Fall. Read more>>

Sharon Jensen-cody | Birth doula & pediatric sleep consultant

I am not naturally a risk taker. I am a creature of habit & generally enjoy the normalcy of life. That’s why choosing to leave my scientific career that I worked so hard for, to start my own business as a Birth Doula & Sleep Consultant was so surprising to not just myself, but those around me. While self doubt creeps in here & there, I would do it again in a heartbeat. I think taking risks & betting on yourself is one of the best things you can do for your growth both personally & professionally. Read more>>

Jim Vitale | Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist

The only risk is to risk nothing at all. Lead with what you’re animated and inspired by and you’ll see opportunities instead of so-called risks. Have a plan or vision but be able to modify all that as needed in order to improve and to move things forward. Roll your dice and move your mice! Read more>>

Camila Pino | Ballet Dancer, Costa Rican, Professional Communicator, Accountant

I think I would not have a career in ballet if I had not taken risks. I took a risk when I moved away from home at 18 to start training at a professional ballet school for the first time. Moving away was a risk because at 18 I was already quite old to begin training seriously (most people start when they are 12-15), and there was no certainty that I would be able to get to the level required to become a professional. It was also a risk because I did not know what I was getting into. I had attended a couple of summer intensive programs before, but I had never trained intensely for more than a period of 5 weeks, so I didn’t know if I was going to be able to handle the demands of training and if I was going to like it or not. Read more>>

Christopher Aram Ohanian | Owner & Founder of Public Estrellas

I started by working hard and smartly to be bold in my passion for fashion. I trained myself to establish ambition and drive since I was helping out in our family’s company in Germany and continued to where my life guided me. Besides my mother, father, and brother, I had to isolate myself from everyone else to start building my vision into reality. I changed my mentality to take risks when I decided to have my own company. Owning a business, especially a physical space, has many advantages to stand out and build a tremendous reputation compared to doing it all online. Owning my professional space to the public automatically enhances who I am. Because in this space, I create my own vision, community, and utopia. I took risks to improve my self-confidence so that I became a shield. As a proud Armenian, I know what it takes to survive and continue being a warrior because we have survived to this day despite the atrocities in the past. So, I must be an example for the future and the children. Throughout my journey from a few years ago, I have been endlessly blessed to say that thanks to my capabilities and work ethic, I was able to live in Japan and Armenia to risk trying to work and live abroad for my potential business and future. In two different countries and continents, I experienced lifetime experiences that entirely grew to my absolute self. Read more>>

Neil Zafar Haeems | Writer, Director, Producer

Risk taking is an absolutely essential part of the filmmaking process. Every film is a gamble—you take a bunch of money, use some skill and a good deal of luck, and hope you end up with something that bears fruit and resonates with an audience. Every decision pushes you into unknown territory and it is your ability to adapt and develop creative instincts that allows you to achieve art. There’s always the danger of falling flat on your face, making the wrong decision, and ruining the film. But, that’s the real job of the filmmaker: to stay true to the characters, themes, and heart of the story you’re telling, through that fog. Read more>>

Hannah Mathews | Singer/Actor

Risk is equivalent to faith. My whole life has been led by faith and taking risks & I’ve never once regretted it! My faith has provided a rock solid foundation to move forward with confidence and it starts by taking tiny steps. Most of the time, we’ll only have enough light to take for the next step in front of us & that’s enough! Seeing the rewards of taking those tiny steps is what keeps me going & continually taking risks in my career/life. Read more>>

Loni Swain | Digital Media Creator & Strategist

I think about risk as necessary for growth. I’ve found that the bigger the reward often comes the bigger the risk. Risks have been a huge part of my life and career. I, like most people, enjoy the comforts of familiarity and the seemingly secure stability found in routine. I noticed that in my desire to stay close to my comfort zone, my comfort zone would eventually start to get more and more uncomfortable until I would be dragged or forced out of it. I eventually realized that I did NOT like the feeling of being dragged or forced out and vowed to take ownership of when and how I transitioned from one adventure, job, client, career, or relationship to the next. The biggest responsibility of that ownership, and the most challenging, is that I often have to leap and take risks long before I feel ready. In every instance, I rise to the occasion, make deposits in my self-confidence bank, and help each risk going forward to feel a little less scary. Read more>>

Keymo | Rap Artist & Business Owner

Me and my brother are certified risk-takers. I think risk taking is both crucial and essential to success. Where my family and i come from, you don’t find many successful people who aren’t dice-rollers. My brother and I made it to LA during covid, low on cash, with the help of two friends and in a car soo janky that it broke down in Colorado on the way. We still made it though. Once here we quickly realized LA had a much higher cost-of-living then back home in Chicago, but we also quickly found out that there was a lot more money to be made. I also come from a logistics background, and i used to book freight/loads for 18-wheeler trucks, and prior to owning our store on Melrose, we started our own trucking company, and if you want to make money in that industry, you need to know how to take calculated risks. Read more>>

David Dephy | Poet

If you are a poet, you should know that you belong to the high-risk group. It means that we are the high-risk individuals, high-risk persons, or high-risk population on the planet, and we still believe that poet’s voice is the voice of the world, poet’s voice always has a message. Leaving in exile in New York already contains all the combination of risk factors. Read more>>

Jolleson | Fashion Designer & Artist

Risk is part of my artistic and entrepreneurial journey.

The universe constantly presents me with scenarios in which doing things that are close to my heart are challenging and sometimes result in pain or disappointment. These obstacles are a perfect mystery to make sure I’m willing to have faith and trust in the process to achieving greatness. Read more>>

Kendel Abrams | Golf Instructor & Gamechanger

Doubt can deter us as human beings from reaching our full potential. Predicting unforeseen events can hurt us more than not trying. It’s essential to take risks. No risk is too big to take. Whether we learn from our mistakes or succeed, it’s ultimately a sign of growth. Read more>>

Isabella Colby | Actress

I used to be terrified of taking risks, constantly worried about what might go wrong. Eventually, I found the courage to step outside my comfort zone. I discovered that even if things didn’t turn out exactly as planned, the experience was worthwhile because I grew so much in the process. I try to remind myself that life is short, and I’d rather aim high and fail occasionally than stay stuck in my comfort zone because of fear. Read more>>

Bar Daniel | Performing artist and an all around musical theatre nerd

Throughout my journey, I’ve found that embracing leaps of faith is fundamental to being an artist. Every day presents new opportunities that require risk-taking, and I’ve learned to thrive in that environment. When I reflect on my decision to pursue my passion for performing in Los Angeles, it’s clear that it was a defining moment for me. Some may have doubted my choice, but I was driven by a deep conviction that this path was meant for me, and I still hold onto that belief today. Read more>>

Kamiyada+ | Vocal Artist & Songwriter

Risks are just keys that unlock the doors to growth. If you’re afraid to fail you’re essentially afraid of living because it’s all apart of life.

I wouldn’t have accomplished anything without stepping forward at times when I couldn’t see what was in front of me. Read more>>

Alice Liang

There is an old saying: the only constant is change. When things change in life, uncertainty follows. We often see uncertainty as risk. We can either passively wait for change or actively make change happen, which is also seen as risk-taking. I view risk as an essential component of growth, integral to both my personal and professional life. Read more>>

Lena Ransfer

Starting a non-profit is a huge risk, but it was something that felt right. Circadian Haus was a brain child of mine that gnawed at my subconscious and became the first thing I thought about post slumber. Once I started planning and taking initiative, the artist for my logos, the excitement to create community and the confidence to do this with my life came into alignment. Read more>>

Katherine Beggs

My whole career has essentially been about taking risks, especially as an artist. Choosing to pursue a non-traditional career path was not easy and took some blind faith (and still does). It went against the expectations of my family and my peers to do music professionally. Many people still do not know what film composers do, so I constantly have to explain what exactly my work consists of. I know deep down that if I never took this risk, I would have lived with a lot of regret. There was a moment when I was working at a record label on the music data analytics side. I had a moment where I was working at my desk in the office and thought to myself I want to be the one to create the music, not analyze the charts of other artists. I am certainly glad I took the risk that I did. Read more>>

Slamz

Risk taking is essential to any pillar of personal success. If you don’t take the risk on something you want to try in life, you will only be left with a ‘what if’ down the road in life. Read more>>

Jay Stefanson

In my life there are times where inside of me I knew that doing something outside the norm would be a big risk. Nothing was easy but that’s where you become the best version of yourself but when life sets the greatest challenges you have nothing but yourself to rely on. Read more>>

Marina Mara

I have always approached life with an investor mindset, viewing risk as the price of potential and opportunity. For example, when you invest in international shares, you enter markets characterized by greater volatility, economic fluctuations, and political uncertainties. This heightened risk is a double-edged sword: it can yield substantially higher returns or lead to significant losses. On the other hand, a cash investment offers security at the cost of opportunity, providing modest returns in exchange for stable, low-risk growth. Read more>>

Angel Mcneil

Risk-taking is at the heart of any influential impact you can create on this Earth.

All my life, I struggled with debilitating fear. In preschool, classmates thought I was a functional mute because I was afraid to speak. In middle school, I sat at the lunch table alone every day, dreaming of what it would look like not to be a shy outsider & in high school, I was battling severe isolation in the midst of a family crisis, hoping that somehow I could find any meaning that could outweigh my suffering. Read more>>

Natali Starikova

The most significant risk I’ve ever taken was moving to the United States from Ukraine after Russian full-scale war erupted in 2022. This decision profoundly altered my life. In Ukraine, I had established a flourishing artistic career, running my own art school and even working towards opening a franchise. However, relocating to a foreign country meant starting anew and leaving all my previous accomplishments behind, which was daunting and filled with uncertainty. Read more>>

Guadalupe Perez

Wow, I love this question! I think taking risks is something that’s both scary and exciting at the same time. I love taking risks. I think one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken in my life was leaving my country, my beloved Mexico, where I grew up and where my family is, to come and explore new opportunities, grow my business, learn, and meet new people. It has been a risk that has been well worth it, as I have grown so much as a person and learned countless things. I believe that taking risks is necessary throughout our lives. Read more>>

Tennessee Martin

The definition of risk is “the potential for harm and financial loss” and whether or not I’m a filmmaker in Los Angeles or a 9-to-5 banker in my hometown in Tennessee, there is no way to avoid risk. When you perceive risk for what it is – an evolving amalgamation of things you can and cannot control – it frees you from the fear around it. Risk is just something inevitable that I weigh heavily against possible reward. Read more>>

Bohan Zhang

Story is everything. The formation of human civilization lies in the affirmation of one story after another. Storytelling, expression, and communication are prerequisites that enable us to write to each other, convey information, depict visions, and ultimately execute them. Read more>>

Leisl Adams

I like a challenge. If I feel like it’s something I’ve never tried, or I may never get the chance to do again, I’ll probably take it on. That’s probably why I’ve done so many different things. I’ve tried my hand at almost every department in animation at least once in my career. I’ve directed, and I’ve made a graphic novel. I like feeling like there’s some kind of progression as well. My goalposts are always changing. Read more>>

Sangwoo Yoo

Taking risks is an inherent part of an artist’s life. The profession of an artist inherently involves financial instability and uncertainty about the success of one’s creations. My journey as an artist has been defined by taking risks, from choosing to pursue a career in the arts to challenging myself with new ideas and experiments. Read more>>