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.

Sara Aceves

To me risks are exciting, even though they can be super scary I try to think about the pay off more, it helps my mind relax and just go for it. I went skydiving with my boyfriend last year and it was such a scary feeling knowing I was about to jump out of a plane, I was scared! But I made the conscious decision to push those thoughts out of my mind and think about how awesome it would feel free falling. It was one of the craziest experiences but I LOVED IT! Read More>>

Travis Tan

I’ve always felt like life is a screenplay—if you don’t take risks, your story’s going to be flat. I’m a risk taker, and honestly, everyone in the creative industry is. We don’t have stable jobs, and many of us barely make enough to get by. That’s already one of the biggest risks we’ve taken—choosing passion over comfort.

I grew up in a small town in Malaysia and moved to the city alone at 16 to pursue a better education. Leaving my family and friends behind wasn’t easy, but it shaped me into someone independent and confident. Starting over in a new place, meeting new people, and rebuilding my support system again and again has made me stronger. Read More>>

Paul Madahan

Over the years, I realized that taking risks—the right kind of risks—is where real growth happens. It’s not about acting impulsively. It’s about preparing carefully, then trusting yourself enough to take the leap even when the outcome is uncertain. Some of the proudest moments in my career didn’t come from times when everything felt safe and certain—they came when I stepped into the unknown and had to figure things out as I went. Read More>>

Joel Graves

To answer this question in reverse, risk has taken a large role in my life and career (they’re abnormally intertwined) because I feel that just as chaos plays an accepted role in contemporary physics, risk seems to be the necessary component to tapping into the sweet pain of growing and evolving. If you’re too safe, you miss the beautiful pathways and misadventures, and it’s more fun to follow where a hunch can take you. I try not to think too hard about risk, because focusing on the negative side can become a feedback loop that is not helpful to me. Read More>>

Sheena Gao

Risk-taking, for me, has always been rooted in alignment and analysis—never recklessness. I view risk as a necessary and strategic part of growth, both personally and professionally. I take calculated risks by evaluating potential outcomes, weighing both short- and long-term consequences, considering my passions, and ensuring the effort aligns with my values and long-term vision. Read More>>

Jessica Garver

I don’t think of myself as someone who enjoys playing with risk, but when I look back at my life, I see it’s been a series of big leaps.

After high school, I joined a humanitarian aid program instead of heading straight to college. I raised the funds myself and moved from my small, safe town in northeast Ohio to one of the roughest neighborhoods in San Francisco, where I worked with the homeless. That was followed by time in Thailand and Vietnam — my first experience traveling abroad. Read More>>

Stephanie Stichler

Title: Step Out of the Cave: Why Saying “Yes” Is the Fast‑Track to Growth

I’ve spent years helping women rewire their brains, break up with fear, and write new chapters that actually belong on the bestseller list of their lives. Guess what every plot twist has in common? Risk. Read More>>

Manuela “Manney” Yeboah

Being an Entrepreneur Is All About Risk-Taking! As a Christian, I’ve come to understand that entrepreneurship is deeply tied to faith—and faith itself is all about taking risks. One of the foundational scriptures that has always grounded me as an entrepreneur is Hebrews 11:1, which defines faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” That verse reminds me that faith isn’t just an idea or an abstract sense of hope—it’s real, and it carries the promise of something greater ahead, even when we can’t yet see it. Read More>>