We asked some brilliant folks from the community to talk to us about how they think about risk and the role risk has played in their lives and careers.

Valerie Veteto | Writer and Filmmaker

I spent my twenties working for a record label, moonlighting as a music journalist, and working my ass off for any gig related to the music industry or writing available to me. Eventually, my intense interest in music morphed into film, and I had the chance to co-write and co-direct a short narrative film called Strawberry Milk with a close friend. Read more>>

Jalen Gage | Fashion Model & Content Creator

At some point in life, you’ll come to the realization that you want to advance and need to invest in yourself. So I had to take a leap of faith and trust in God’s leadership to direct me in the right direction. I also realized that Fear prevents us from taking risks, and without going out on the branch, we’re never going to get the best fruit. Read more>>

Sonia Wang And Johnum Palado | Composers and Co-Founders of “CrossRoads Music Services”

For us, risk offers us more of an opportunity to challenge ourselves within our current circumstances and abilities. Our most recent example took place this past summer in July 2024, during which a short film required us to re-orchestrate 5 minutes of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, write two original cues that would fit within the Rite of Spring soundscape, recruit a 35-piece orchestra in NYC, and spearhead a recording session with said orchestra – all in less than a month. Despite many stressful moments and a couple of close calls, we came out of that experience with a recorded score and a surreal experience that no classroom setting could ever prepare us for. Read more>>

Kara Fabella | Fashion Consultant, Wardrobe Stylist, & Ethical Fashion Advocate

Every day since I decided to pursue my business has been a risk.

I never considered myself much of a risk taker when it came to my career path, but looking back on the last few years since I started working for myself, I realize now the courage it takes to reinvent oneself. Read more>>

Cece Woods | Investigative Reporter

Risk is a big factor in everything I do in my career – especially as an investigative reporter. Decisions are very intuitive for me. If something doesn’t feel right, I won’t do it or something will energetically stop me from doing it. I pay very close attention to my intuition. Read more>>

Rudraa Pratap Singh | Actor

Taking risks has always been daunting to me. As a child, I found the very idea overwhelming, yet I’ve come to realize that I was taking risks all along—without even knowing it. Choosing to pursue a career as an actor felt like stepping into the unknown, a leap that terrified me but also fueled my passion. Even as a kid, I would speak my mind boldly, often landing myself in trouble, unaware that such honesty was, in its own way, a risky act. Read more>>

Arzo Yusuf | Nonprofit Executive Director

We are often taught not to take risks or be extremely careful when facing making the decision of taking risks. Risks can be very dangerous so to choose to take a risk requires a combination of analysis, knowing the consequences of the outcome, making as best of a decision as you can, and definitely using your gut as an indicator. I have taken many risks throughout my life. Some of them worked in my favor, and some of them led me to unfavorable outcomes. The quote, “with great risk comes great rewards can be true, but it’s important to know that it can be costly in many ways. Read more>>

Richard Mcwhorter | Managing Partner

I think risk needs to be calculated. The idea of taking risk is essential in anything we do but understanding, to the best of our ability the downside to that risk, is the most important thing to try and understand.

When risk pays off, everything is good. When risk results in failure, that’s when need to understand the downside and be able to accept this potential. Read more>>

Brittany Friedman, | Author/ Sociologist/ Intuitive Herbalist & Artist

In a society that often rewards conformity, being your authentic self is the biggest risk you’ll ever
take.
We are raised in a society where we learn in our schools, families, and ethnic cultures that we
must follow a set script dictating your path in life. For example, how many of us were too afraid
to speak up in class for fear of what the other kids might say? Or how many of us have felt the
pressure to meet the love of your life in college, get married not too soon after graduation, Read more>>

Gexuan An | Film&TV Composer

For me, Taking risks means having the courage to follow what feels right, despite fear or uncertainty. One of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken was deciding to leave my studies in design in Australia and pursue music. It wasn’t just a decision about my future—it was something that deeply impacted my family as well. Read more>>

Timbray Shafer | Writer, Sketcher, Teacher

As a culture, we love to idolize artists who take huge risks and strike it big. But it’s important to remember lots of amazing artists take the same risks and fail, or choose to create in safe anonymity. And I think that’s okay. Artistic risk is something of a privilege. I often wonder how my life and writing/art might have been different had I taken more risks, and attempted to forge a more mainstream creative path. But I have also learned to enjoy the ‘safe’ road I took instead- choosing a more traditional career path and pursuing a full devotion to art alongside it. Read more>> 

Liston Gregory Iii | Artist, Content Creator

Risk taking has some of the greatest rewards in the world if you ask me. This process has been apart of life since the early age of 12 when I had to decide if music was really going to be apart of my life. The role is integral and now for the past 17 years I’ve been living in a dream that doesn’t stop. Read more>>

Jimmy Douglas | Founder and CEO

I’ve had two significant “level-ups” in my career, and I am hopefully now on my third. In both of those past situations, I had to take a risk i hopes of raising my own ceiling. That meant scaling back my income and lifestyle, pushing through the discomfort of surrendering my stature as a subject matter expert in my field, and having a vision of what success looks like if I make it to the other side. While it’s risky to exit a high-point of a linear path to start over on a new one, now I think the real risk is maintaining course (and comfort) when I know I’m capable of more in a new environment. Read more>>

Athena Layna | Beauty content creator

I hate having to say being authentic but I think a lot of people like to put on a character. there’s way more beauty in the madness! Letting go was probably the biggest risk I took! I tried to act very professional in the beginning of my career and that definitely held me back because there’s more relatability in chaos. The biggest risk ended up working in my favor. Now when I meet people who have connected with the content I make it’s really cool cause they’re meeting exactly who they see online! Read more>>

Victoria Ratermanis | Actor & Filmmaker

I really think certain risks make life worth living, obviously there is a fine line in what I am about to say, but I truly believe that life is too short to let fear or vulnerability hold you back from experience and growth. My entire career and passion involves great risk, risk of embarrassment, rejection, failure, all of the above really but in a very public manner. As an actor and a filmmaker you quite usually write what you know, share your deepest and darkest fears and place yourself physically and emotionally in life or death stakes often. Read more>>