There is a wealth of academic research that suggests that differences in risk appetite are at the heart of differences in career and business trajectories. We wanted to go beyond the theory and ask real people from the community about their perspectives and experiences with risk and risk taking.

Tyrone Hermitt | Entrepreneur

Biggest risk I ever took was moving abroad for many reasons. It takes it right out of your comfort zone and you need to adapt and make connections quickly. It’s played a huge part of my career and I would be in Miami networking with the best of the best if I didn’t take a deep breathe and take the risk. I can see why many people are scared to leave the easy life in a country which suits them best but in my experience you won’t reach your maximum potential and that scares me. Read more>>

J. T. John Thomas | Owner of PROFILE

Fear is one of the biggest causes for us not taking risks. “What if it doesn’t work out.” “I look silly doing this.” “I’m not smart enough.” “I don’t have the money.” These are all mental blocks stem from our personal life experiences, that stop us from pursuing the career or life truly want. Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Michael Jordan, Kanye West, & Muhammad Ali are all legendary men who all had to ignore life disadvantages and comforts and take risks to become who they are today. Read more>> 

ALE CASTELLANOS | Mexican storyteller

Risk has been a crucial factor in my career as a wedding photographer. From the very beginning, I trusted my intuition and took a leap of faith, fully committing to my dreams. Every time I face significant decisions in my career, I reflect on that pivotal moment when I chose to leave everything behind to pursue photography. Following my heart has always led me to new challenges and opportunities, reinforcing my belief that embracing risk is essential for growth and success in my field. Read more>>

Dario Rodriguez | Tattoo artist

When we feel stuck, that we are not moving forward, it is because we are in our comfort zone, a zone that tells us that there is no type of risk for us, we feel comfortable and I think that it is 100% necessary to take risks to continue moving forward, growing. , and learning in every area of ​​our lives, not only on the professional side, since every decision we make in our daily lives carries risks that make us grow and learn constantly and over time we realize that every risk we take It comes with a great reward, as they say he who takes no risks never wins, and I am a winner. Read more>>

Leslye A. Alvarez | Photographer/Videographer & Senior Recruiter

Risks are just unrevealed steppingstones to reaching your lifelong destiny. I’ve seen firsthand how taking a risk or chance on an opportunity can change one’s life for the better. For both, my Photography & Videography business and also for my role as Senior Recruiter, at Fortune 500 Northwestern Mutual, I needed to take a leap of faith. Although I have been a creative my entire life, I never thought of it as a profession, it was always just for fun. But, one day as someone reached out to me and told me they would pay for me to take photos and create a promotional video for their business, everything changed. Read more>>