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.

Enrique Ferrer Alcala | Sound Engineer & Music Producer

It is easy. You can’t win if you don’t play. And you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. So, yes, if you don’t go out of your comfort zone and risk some things here and there, you will never win anything. This applies for most things in life, specially in the business side of things. Read more>>

Alicia Adams | Attorney & Non-Profit Executive Director

Life is all about taking calculated risks and trying new things – and almost everything is worth trying at least once. You don’t know if you will like something or be good at something until you try it. Similarly, you don’t know if an idea will be successful unless you put in the work and try it. I try to use this as a guide both personally and professionally. Personally, I use this mindset when thinking about new ventures or activities as a way to keep myself open to new things and to explore new places and areas of interest. Read more>>

Gaston Ortiz de Rozas | Sport & Clinical Psychologist, Heliski Guide, Ski Instructor, Restaurant Owner

Risk is inherent in living, just the fact of surviving everyday, demands a level of alert to overcome the different variables in action, we live in a complex world, being in natural environments demands you to face natural risks, being in the city you face the complex system human beings have created and also you face the potential power of a single person or the society, but the question is more personal I guess…. Since I was a child, Read more>>

Danielle Matthews | Entrepreneur & Post Traumatic Growth Facilitator

I view risk as something that leads to building confidence if I take the risk and things work out well my confidence in myself goes up. If I take the risk and it doesn’t work out, then I build my resiliency. My ability to handle difficult times and not let it throw me off from my ultimate goal and purpose for too long. In business moving forward with risk will inevitably allow you to earn or learn. Learning from failed attempts is what has allowed me to build an international business. Read more>>

Denise Savela | Shop Owner, Craft Maker & Marketing Specialist

I had always lived a small, safe and relatively conservative life as it applies to taking risk. I like security: knowing my salary & job duties, living in the same area and having my routines. I am definitely not a gambler nor had I been willing to step outside my comfort zone. Read more>>

SueAnn Walentuk | Visual Artist

When I think about what it means to take a risk, on the face of it, it seems like something one shouldn’t do – it’s something scary or possibly harmful to oneself. And there are capital “R” Risks and small “r” risks. In my life, having taken many actions that might have seemed “risky” in the small “r” way with a couple of exceptions that were capital “R” risks, I have seen that my risk-taking led to opportunities that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Taking the risk meant that I had to rely on myself to get through the scariness while staying focused on my goals. Read more>>

Heather Chura | Realtor, Mentor

Taking risks has always come naturally to me – it’s in my blood. If I am willing to accept the consequences, good or bad, I jump right in. I believe that the potential reward outweighs the pain of the consequence if it doesn’t work out I have no regrets. Growing up in a survivalist environment and having a strong faith that things will work out because God has my back has made it easier for me to take on challenges and put myself in situations that others might shy away from. Read more>>

Jodelle Duverseau | Founder

My brand is built on taking risks and creating a captivating image requires a fearless attitude. When I chose to follow my dream to build a sensual brand I had two options: to suppress my innate sensuality due to the fear of judgment and criticism, or to take a daring leap and wholeheartedly pursue it. Read more>>

Gillian Becker | Photographer

I took a risk by simply deciding to become an artist, but it was something I just knew I had to do. Risks can certainly put me out of my comfort zone, but if I was always just “comfortable” I would never grow as a person or an artist. I think taking risks is a vital part of life and any art career. You have to be willing to put in the work and be okay with failing. Read more>>

Cynthia Curtis | Jazz Vocalist.Voice Teacher

Taking a risk has played an important role in my life and career as a musician The risk I.took was necessary in order to perform music as my full time job and grow as a musician and follow my dreams I was working an office job from 9 to 5 Monday thru Friday and taking the occasional singing gig An opportunity to work a 6 nite a week gig came up and I knew I could not work.my day job and the music job Read more>>

Swarm Wood | Tattoo artist and owner Hive Tattoo

I think I definitely took a huge risk by opening my business during the pandemic. I was literally building out my shop in the height of 2020. I went into it with the now or never attitude. The pandemic opened my eyes to really understand how I did not want to work for anyone else ever again. I brought on board some of my closest buddies so they also could enjoy a stress free artistic environment. Deleting a regular schedule from my life forever. Read more>>

Ebony Denise Turner | Certified Luxury Travel Goddess

With no risk there is no reward. You can’t afford to be afraid to take chances because you’ll never know what is on the other side. Risk taking has made me into the person I am today. I played the safe way for the longest and I’m sure I missed out on some major opportunities. I cant look back at that now the only thing to do now is push ahead full steam with no safety net. The bigger the risk the higher the reward; that’s the motto behind me starting my journey to entrepreneurship. I can’t keep my head down any longer I have to jump out onto faith. Read more>>

Marieken Cochius | Artist and professional organizer

I think risk taking is something that you can learn to get comfortable with. Leaving the known is the hardest part. Once you have left, a lot of times things will start falling into place. I emigrated to NYC from the Netherlands in my early 20s. I didnt know many people, nor exactly what I wanted to do. I just knew NYC was where I needed to be. I worked many odd jobs, and kind of sideways found my ways, also into being an artist. And I was very lucky to win a greencard in the greencard lottery. Read more>>

Nicole Schultz | Artist & Custom Framer

In my practice as an artist, I feel risk has been a catalyst for growth. Not without its own anxiety and discomfort of course, but often followed by greater reward. Combining painting with the sculpturally-driven fractured framing technique was a huge leap for my work in terms of literally breaking the framing traditions to pursuing something unfamiliar, unorthodox, but truly authentic and exciting! It was an open door to something completely new, and to something that felt so very honest and natural to my background both as a professional framer and an artist. Read more>>