We asked some of the most interesting folks in the community to open up about how they think about taking chances and the role risk has played in their lives and careers. Risk is by far the topic folks talk to us most about and we hope the responses below will help shed light on many different perspectives.

Asya Olson | Travel Blogger and Photographer from California

Sometimes I think that I risk too often but it always pays off at the end. I started by hitchhiking across the countries as a teenager. That didn’t look like the best choice for my relatives, but it taught me what travel and freedom of choices is. Read more>>

Arie Sharony | TV & Film Executive Producer

As a film producer, taking risks can be immensely beneficial to your career and creative endeavors. Whether it’s investing in a bold, unconventional script or exploring new production techniques, embracing risk can lead to groundbreaking work that stands out from the crowd. By taking calculated risks, you may also attract new investors and collaborators who are drawn to your willingness to think outside the box. Read more>>

Kelley F | Psychic + Tarot Reader + Witch

To put it simply – there no risk without reward. Running a business in any capacity requires having the audacity to take risks. This does not mean you shouldn’t look where you leap, as some risks can be careless and hurt you in the long run. If you think things through and carefully weight pros and cons, you’ll be golden. Taking risks also allows you to learn necessary lessons, especially if said risk leads to failure. It means there will always be an opportunity to learn from mistakes and better yourself and your business. Read more>>

Jessica Davis | Web Developer, Mom & Baker

To me taking risks is part of life. You can never truly get ahead or to your goals without taking risks. Risk has played an important part in not only my life in many ways. The risk of leaving everything behind when I convinced my husband to take a job traveling all over the U.S. working in his field and again when I decided to open my business. If I didn’t take the leap I would have never opened my business. Read more>>

Natasha/Jennifer Ganes/Griffith | Co-founders, In the Life of Zen

Without risk, there are no rewards. And it can be subjective: everything we do involves some level of risk, depending on perspective. Our company wouldn’t exist if we played it safe, so we can only be grateful we went for it. Read more>>

Erik Egelko | Commercial Real Estate Broker

I believe there is just as much risk involved in inaction as in taking a chance. Often times some of my biggest business-related regrets are not in deals I was involved in but in opportunities, I passed on due to a miscalculation of risk. Read more>>

Teresa Hutton | Author & Content Creator

If you never take risk, then you’ll never tap into who you truly are! Taking risk has guided me to the deepest, truest core of who I am as a whole. Growing up I have always been an introvert within, so when I was younger…well even until maybe three years ago I began to step outside of doubt within and began my self-discovery journey. Read more>>

Bianca Zalez | Singer

I think risk taking is often necessary when striving to achieve big goals. You realize just how limitless your possibilities can be which can really motivate you to try harder and see how much more you can achieve. I believe you gain so much more from taking risks for your dreams compared to confining yourself to the walls of what is comfortable, standard or normal for you. Read more>>

JLynn | Lead Electric Violinist, The Violution

As a musical artist venturing outside the box of what is normally done on a traditional violin, I’d say that my career path is a risk in itself. I did not envision my life as an orchestral musician (although I was put on track for that while at USC) and after graduating I had to blaze my own trail performing with my electric violin. Every day there is a hustle to see my endeavors through and I have to create my own work as an independent artist. Without risk there wouldn’t be the possibility of great success and that drives me to keep going! Read more>>

Alana Frost | CEO | Entrepreneur

Risk is necessary to see results in any area of your life. Risk has been a part of my entire life, when I look back and think of everything that I’ve accomplished, I had to work hard for it. Risk doesn’t necessarily mean dangerous or impossible, it just means that, for whoever you are, wherever you are at that point in your life, it’s something unknown and it puts you in a position where you can lose something. Read more>>