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.

Rebecca Nile | The Bubble Lady & Co. /Performer & Owner.

Honestly, I don’t consider myself a big risk-taker. On the other hand, starting my own business was a big risk. I knew that in order to succeed, sooner than later, I needed to let go of splitting myself between several jobs and totally focusing on one. When I did that my business took off and I was available! I moved to the States from Canada with my husband and one-year-old and no family to rely on. That was a huge risk, but it played out in ways I never could have imagined. My daughter has the best of both worlds. Canada and the U.S. and Is a happy camper. The risk turned out to be worth it! Read more>>

Jacqueline Macias | Self taught MUA

Taking risk is what brought me to where i am. I took the risk of pushing myself to start creating and publishing content, expecting positive/ negative comments and more. Read more>>

Cole Withers | Singer/Songwriter

I have thrown caution to the wind when it comes to my life/career. I tend to ignore the downside and live in the upside. It’s willful blindness to a certain extent but it pays off in realizing the rather ambitious goals I set for myself. I have lived the life of a creative and I can see how each incarnation of that has merged into the creative I am today. What I create today is built on everything that has come before. Creativity inherently involves risk of all kinds. When I risk, I am vulnerable. Vulnerability is everything. Read more>>

Valerie Mead | Professional Artist

I have learned that being a business owner is about taking risks, doing something that you are afraid to, may not fully understand, and putting yourself out there. When I first started Exhale Art Studio, we were just coming out of Covid Quarantine, my husband was sick and we were financially drowning. I opened my doors with only $48 to my name. I was afraid of how my art would be recieved and if I was good enough. I was afraid but determined to make my life long dream of being a professional artist a reality. Read more>>

VANESSA COVARRUBIAS | Certified Plasma Pen Fibroblast Technician

I had wanted to start a business ever since I was in High School. However, I had taken Advanced Placement courses, and my counselor urged my mother to encourage me to apply to college. I didn’t want to, but it was safe. There was only one college that was still accepting applications, which was San Diego State University. I knew I wanted to help people, so I decided to focus on becoming a Registered Nurse. I had been diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus at 15 years old and then was diagnosed with kidney failure a few years later, so it felt right to me. Read more>>

Joan Gladstone | Artist

I grew up as a cautious kid (riding the Cyclone roller coaster in Coney Island was a daring as I got!) so I grew into taking risks over time. First was leaving home to attend an expensive university to study art when my parents weren’t in a position to provide any financial support. After graduation, I traveled alone on a long overseas backpacking trip, then moved to California with no job prospects. Later, newly divorced, I started my own public relations firm with no money in the bank. Read more>>