How do you think about risk? What role has taking risks played in your life/career? Check out responses from hidden gems from our community below.

Kelly Mark | Owner of Kelly Mark Florals

My husband jokes I used to be the most “risk-averse” person. Now that I run my own business, I have to make brave choices every day. There’s a term called “Micro-Dosing Bravery”, and it’s the idea that practicing small acts of bravery can help you work towards a larger goal. I’ve competed in Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, run the Boston Marathon, even had my daughter without an epidural ha. And I don’t share these things to brag. I share because I once was an extremely timid, indecisive girl! Practicing overcoming became a muscle; a muscle I still exercise daily. Read more>>

Dianna St. Hilaire | Opāru-Musical Artist

I think risk taking is absolutely essential to doing anything in life. When you don’t take risks your life becomes stagnant and uninteresting. The more ridged you are about not taking risks the more stress I believe you have in your life. There is this idea that not taking risks means your life will be long, peaceful, easy and calm, but even if you chose a life without risk you are not risk free. Every step you take is a risk, anything could happen at anytime, so it is a much better feeling to know that you took every chance and every risk you could to be where you are today. It will be more rewarding that you put 100 percent of yourself into what you enjoy and love in life, rather than to be frustrated that you never tried to do those things. The only thing that prevents us from taking risks is our own fears. Read more>>

Bethanie Ackerman | Producer

I think risk and taking risks is the biggest part of success and figuring out who you are. If risks aren’t taken, you can’t figure out where you truly should be and what you truly should be doing. Read more>>

Nina Anto | Singer, Songwriter, Pianist, Music Producer

I think there is a massive risk in becoming a musician, becoming an artist. I’ve been terrified many times because the risks I am taking on a daily basis are extremely high, but somewhere deep inside, I feel secure, as I know exactly what I want. I’ve taken these risks so many times they start to feel much more natural, and each time I have more capacity for each risk. I just don’t want to live a life that feels secure but also feels like it’s not my life, not my dream. I wish my profession was easier, but I don’t really think I chose anything. I loved music more than anything else on the planet since I was a child, so there was no other choice for me. It has always been about music, and I just cannot stop or change who I am. Read more>>

Hannah Cohen-Lawlor | Writer, Actor, Musician & Producer

I think I’ve just always been aware bad things can happen no matter how safe you play it, so you’re always better off throwing yourself toward what you love, and not wasting any time. Most things are learnable and failures are inevitable, staying down is not. If I only get one life and I’m sitting on a celestial couch someday with my ancestors crowded around, I want to feel like I gave them a good show. I’ve been performing, writing stories, making music my whole life- pursuing these things professionally never really felt like rocket science. I genuinely love art and want more of it to exist. I want to make the films I’m hungry to see and write the songs I need to hear. I have always processed life through writing and the creative process- it’s how I am, and there is no quitting. Of course, day jobs are a thing. Some of the writers on our most beloved shows also work at Target. But we need the people who actually have something to say and enjoy making art to keep making it. We’re Hollywood’s last hope. We can’t just let celebrities’ nephews and robots take over that easily. Read more>>

Gregangelo Herrera | Artistic Director

The Evolution of the Gregangelo Museum

Opening any business entails a leap of faith and a risk. Launching a niche-market arts and entertainment venture that serves the public is a daring adventure!

For artists, risk-taking is intrinsic to career development. There’s no safe or conventional path to success. Read more>>

Crewsheff

“You never gone make it if you never roll the dice!” – Dom Kennedy

Risk taking has been paramount.

If I never decided to leave my biomechanics class that day and prioritize my passion for music, my career in music would nonexistent. Read more>>

Paulina Pinsky | Writer & Writing Coach

I have been writing coaching for the last decade, but I am constantly innovating the way I encounter my students. I like to say that all my jobs are made up. As a writer, writing coach, and entrepreneur, I am always trying new things. I have moved from one-on-one coaching, to leading workshops and classes. And now, creating downloadable course content. Read more>>

Christina Sledge | Co-Founder of Sledge House Media, Author and Filmmaker

We developed our risk-taking skills pretty early on. My husband, Eddie took a trip on the New York City subway by himself at nine years old to see his favorite baseball team play. I went alone to obtain a summer job when I was 14 years old and waited in line for over 12 hours. We both have the drive to succeed and determination which makes risks less scary. During Christmas break in 1999, Eddie proposed on a whim, and we were married two months later with only fifty cents in our pockets. We took a leap of faith which was very risky. We had faith in our union that it would all work out for the best to guide us and here we are 23 years later, happily married and running a media company which was also started by taking a risk. Read more>>

Willy Beaman | Music Producer

I always took risks especially early on in my career. At the very start, I was at Berklee College of Music. My friend and classmate Claire wrote to me that she had been called back for an audition for Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball tour. I responded, “WHAT SHE HAD AUDITIONS!?” And Claire said yes, it was an open audition and she just happened to go and had been called back. She sent me the flyer, I messaged the point person and they said to just show up. When I had arrived, there were hundreds if not thousands of people from both New York and LA. There were musicians from every stage of their careers including a few famous touring keyboardists that I idolized. After a series of intense auditions, I ended up getting called back and basically offered the job after meeting Gaga and playing for her. It was absolutely mind blowing and I was scared for my life albeit happy and immensely grateful that I was being considered. That being said, when I went to the rehearsal, I got placed and moved around the stage a bunch until Gaga basically said it didn’t look right with two keyboardists (the other keyboardist Brockett has been with Gaga since that tour). So I got sent home, but the music director, Joe Wilson took my number down and said he call me for other things. I didn’t believe him, but lo and behold a few weeks later I got called for Kesha for a TV performance, then Kelly Rowland (who I did live shows with) and then Nicki Minaj and a bunch of others. That’s when I dropped out of Berklee and was on the road performing with top 40 artists. Read more>>

Ashley H. Zhong | Photographer | Realtor | Loan Officer

Risk has been a constant companion throughout my life and career, shaping my approach to challenges and opportunities. From a young age, I embraced risk-taking through artistic pursuits, whether it was competing in national dance competitions or showcasing my paintings on a public stage. These experiences taught me the value of courage and resilience in the face of uncertainty. Read more>>

Kyra McCaffrey | Hairstylist

I used to be a huge risk taker, to be fair I didn’t have a lot to lose at the time. I was 21 and moved to LA January of 2020 with no idea what was in store. I swear by the time I had finally settled and gotten a job the pandemic lockdown went into effect. I took a huge risk by staying in LA. The very few people I knew all moved back home, I was working a pretty brutal assistant job, and overall pretty unhappy. My family wanted me to come home. I didn’t know a single person that wasn’t an 8 hour drive away. I didn’t want to give up, I had just made the move to LA. That decision shaped my career and for a while I felt like all was in my favor. The lack of working hairstylist gave me an advantage to get into a pretty competitive industry. I was able to start working at an amazing salon with practically no experience. Read more>>

Chase the Comet

Hello, there, we are Alex (guitar) and Nika (vocals) from the music band Chase the Comet. Well, actually, we are Chase the Comet. We came to the US from Russia back in 2016 and for us, risk is everything. We have a saying in Russia – “who doesn’t risk, doesn’t drink Champagne”. It means that if you’re not ready to take a risk, you’re not gonna get the best from this life. We learned it the hard way on our path – when we were getting ready to venture to America, we wanted to bring our whole band with us. Cause we had a fantastic line-up and we wanted to try our luck, to see how things would go if only we were in the land where everything happens. But some of our musicians were asking for “guarantees”. Ridiculous, ain’t it?! Nobody EVER gives anyone any guarantees in life, let alone when you travel to the other side of the globe! Read more>>

VIXEN LA

Choosing a path of a fashion designer, especially a store owner involves a certain level of risk. Fashion is inherently about pushing boundaries, innovating, and staying ahead of trends, while trying to hit sales quota. Read more>>

shayne Maratea

I think the idea of risk has changed over time. When we started everything was a risk, we were pioneering a small international business as designers, manufacturers, producers and distributors of our own hand made goods. in 2006 there were not many resources for small businesses. We would have an idea and pursue it and find endless dead ends, so out of necessity we essentially designed our business to fit our dreams and visions and lifestyle . In this process of continually coming up with our own way, which included everything from what materials we used to how we shared our goods with the world, we were living in risk. It wasn’t so much a question of whether it would work in the long run, that came further down the road, it was, at that time, how do we get to do what we want to do. We started with no money and a lot of ideas and conviction and some serious work ethic. We were fueled by dreams and the risks were part of achieving them. Our work was our life and that was how we designed it. Now, 18 years later we are here! Now, risks feel much more calculated, not nearly as much fun as they used to be! I feel like it has been a continually process of re-creating ourselves, and change is risk, and one thing we know is that change is here to stay. Read more>>

Paris Volsch

Bravery is such an important characteristic to possess to conquer the path to success in life. I’ve always firmly believed that taking risks in life is necessary and true growth only comes from doing things that make you uncomfortable. You would be amazed what one can do when you push through those nerves and do something new and exciting. Read more>>

CAEV

Risk taking has pretty much defined my life since the day I decided to drop out of college and pursue my own truths.

In my humble opinion: there is no real progress without risk. A step forward can sometimes (if not often) be a step into the unknown. Your faith quotient must be greater than your fear of risks. Read more>>