In our experience, most folks, including ourselves don’t have enough of an understanding of risk and the role it plays in our lives and careers and so we have made a concerted effort as a team to have conversations about risk with our interviewees. We’ve shared some highlights below.

Dara Toulch | Communications Director & Partner at Ballantines PR

Let me begin by sharing, I have a love/hate relationship with risk-taking. On the one hand, risk-taking continues to be a daunting hill to climb. On the flip side, in my experience, it’s a necessary catalyst to break through and achieve new goals. Read more>>

Yelena Friedman | Actor/Content Creator

Right after I graduated high school at 17, I moved to New York to pursue acting head on. I decided to be in an acting conservatory rather than go to a traditional college. I didn’t know many people there besides my older brother who was going to NYU at the time. So making friends and being away from most of my family, was really hard at the start. Read more>>

Nizere Stephens | Music Artist

I believe taking a risk is essential to completing your goals achieving greatness. You will never know your full potential if you don’t take risks. Read more>>

Anastasiia Litvinova | Photographer & Filmmaker

When it comes to taking risks, I see it as a way to grow both personally and professionally. The creative world can be unstable, so if you choose a path to be a creative, you’ve already taken a risk in some way. Where I’m from, people say: “Those who do not take a risk do not get to drink champagne.” Read more>>

Darren Weiss | Actor & Producer

I think when it comes to taking risk’s, it all has to be calculated. For me taking risks has completely changed my life and career to what i have always wanted and imagined for myself. Without taking risk and staying in your comfort zone you’ll never get to where you want to be. Read more>>

Isaac Zoller | Photographer, Filmmaker

I believe that without risk there is no real reward. One must be confident enough to take risks in life in order to get anything out of it. Read more>>

Reyna Perez | Licensed Esthetician | Brow Waxing Specialist

To me risk is a part of life. I don’t mean any type of risks, I mean the risks that you have thought over and over and dreamt about but have always been to scared to take in fear of failing. I have taken risks all my life in hopes to be something more, someone I can be proud of, I knew opening up a business would be the biggest risk of all. Read more>>

Ashly Nicole | Photographer

Most times risk in my field involves taking chances and asking questions that might not result in what you want. My outlook on taking a risk, is as long as it doesn’t harm anyone or any relationships, you’re golden; the worst thing that can happen is rejection, and then you try again. Read more>>

Amy Liu | Principle Creator

Risk taking or decision-making is an inherent part of small business life. As a small business owner, stakes are greater because of limited funding and time as we try to expand our business. We spent countless hours discussing about the pros and cons of different choices and how it will impact our business in the short-term and long-term. Read more>>

Rael Diaz | Singer

Risks, which I prefer to call opportunities, are all about embracing them. Opportunities are present for us to seize. You don’t have to wait until you feel fully prepared to grab hold of an opportunity. These chances are what help us grow in life. Read more>>

Jacob Abraham | Musician & Audio Engineer

It’s been my stage dive into the unknown. Rather than following a more conventional career path, I learned how to play guitar, mostly self-taught, and formed Copper Planet. Just me, my guitar, and a whole lotta heart. It was a leap of faith, but once Copper Planet started getting buzz, my folks suddenly said, “Whoa, this music thing’s legit!” Read more>>

Cecilia Salinas | Actress

Since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved the thrill of taking risks. Whether it be in a performance or in my everyday life, I have always enjoyed putting myself in situations where the outcome could ultimately lead me to something great…or possibly something that I could learn a lesson or two from. Read more>>

Kimberly and Tiffany Le | Luxury Proposal and Picnic Planners

Hello! We are Kimberly and Tiffany aka Something Special Twins! We set up luxury proposals and picnics. Something Special is a venture that we both started together. Before becoming proposal and picnic planners, we were both elementary special education teachers. As much as we loved the classroom and our students, we decided to take a risk and take a break from teaching. Read more>>

Eliana Melmed | Wedding & Family Photographer

I’m naturally risk-averse and really like to play it safe. That said, I’ve realized that sometimes risk is necessary in order to learn and grow! When I quit my “real” job in 2022, I had no idea what my future would look like and what it would be like to run a business full-time. It’s been more than a year since that decision and I’m so grateful I took the plunge! Read more>>

Kim Garcia | Artist

Risk is something that shows up constantly in any creative field where there is no clearly defined outcome. There’s no guarantee that anything will be summed up with a happy ending or tied up nicely in a bow. Yet, risk also presents an opportunity to navigate discomfort and vulnerability, offering the greatest potential for growth and change. Read more>>

Shane Shiloh | Actor

I’ve always been delusional in all aspects of my life and when it comes to risk taking there’s no exception there. Everything that’s wholesome and transpired in my life thats granted me favor has always come from me taking a risk and believing in myself despite the odds. One major recent risk that I took was moving to one of the most intimidating and arduous cities to make it in. Read more>>

Edith Saldana | Pastry maker & Operator

In the wise words of Barry Farber “There’s no reward in life without risk.” If you would ask any of my close friends and family if I am I risk taker, you would be hard pressed to find anyone who wouldn’t think so. To be completely honest, I both enjoy and am terrified when taking on a new risk, but know the outcome has always been better at the other side of it. Read more>>

Kiarash Naderi | Photographer, Writer & Filmmaker

When I reflect on the concept of risk, it’s deeply intertwined with my journey and has shaped who I am today. At the age of 21, I made a life-altering decision to move to the United States, leaving behind my familiar surroundings and loved ones. Graduating with a BA in Multimedia Studies, specializing in Film, was a significant achievement, but it was what happened next that truly defined my path. Read more>>

WenChun Catherine” Cheng | Film Producer and Director”

In my approach to risk-taking, I embrace proactive problem-solving, adaptability, collaboration, quick decision-making, and resourcefulness, drawing from my extensive experience in the film industry. These principles have consistently guided me in effectively managing risks throughout my career. Read more>>

Abraham Justice | Action Actor, Author, Producer

I’m a risk taker and I always had high risk jobs, I was a police captain in Egypt and I work as an action actor and a producer, so taking risk is something I’m comfortable with and I understand that high risk gives high reward. Read more>>

Aaron Le | Artist and Scholar

Life is all about taking risks… I believe in the saying “No risk, no reward”. I have taken many risks in my life and I am grateful that I did because it put me in situations where I am forced to grow. Some risks were rewarding while others taught me lessons. Either way, taking risks is what makes life fun and exciting. Read more>>

Maurice Tillmon | Actor & Pediatric Registered Nurse

I view risk as an opportunity to explore all of my fears. Each day the universe gives me a chance to make a difference in my life; and as I see it, it’s one step at a time. When I have the option to choose, the polar opposite always presents itself in a way that makes risktaking difficult. When I think about risk, the question I ask myself daily is, “how do I want to make a difference in my life today, and how will this specific decision affect my tomorrow?” Read more>>

Nadège | Sex Scholar, Coach, and Bestselling Author

I am a big fan of taking risks. It is the clearest path to personal growth. As a sex scholar and coach, I’m often helping people take risks in their personal life that lead to positive breakthroughs. Things like opening up about sexual preferences with a partner, exploring ethical non-monogamy, or living your single life to the fullest by putting yourself out there and exploring sex-positive experiences (like a BDSM class!) Read more>>

Brie Spiel | Artist

Like most artists, I grew up constantly hearing that I shouldn’t be an artist, that I would starve and there was no stability. I played it safe for a while doing what I thought I was supposed to do. I took small risks here and there but I always had a safety net. I’ve never had the patience for calculations but I had a hunger for more than what was provided to me as options. Read more>>

Nubiiian G | Producer , SingerSongwriter

Without risk there is no reward . I was moreso taught to play it safe a lot of my life . Playing it safe was not only boring to me , but it kept my life in this consistent routine that often had 0 excitement an left me many times to be unfulfilled. Taking risk brought excitement to my life which broke the routine I was on. Read more>>