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.

Whitney Briggs | Entrepreneur/CEO/Boutique Owner

Coming from a small city in Virginia, Charlottesville to be exact from birth I’ve always felt we all were born to take risk! I’ve learned different results from taking different risk. Like, being afraid to take risk or not thinking twice about taking risk. We take risk everyday wether it’s us going outside, being in the comfort of our own homes, in the cooperate/business world and so much more. To sum it up I’ve overcame risk by recognizing the opportunity from taking risk! I was 23 years old when I first opened “Dop3 Fashion” I was young and I lot of people doubted me. Read more>>

Nick Laiuppa | Marketing Man

I am definitely not a gambler. Every time I have actually gambled I’ve lost my money, so I gave that up pretty quickly lol. When it comes to risk in business and life, I prefer to look at it through an “investment” lens. I ask myself a few questions when I face a “risky” decision. Can I afford to take this risk? If it all goes south will I be okay? Who’s in control of the risk working out? (I usually feel better about it if it’s something that I can control because I know that I’ll make it work if I need to) Will this help me get to where I want to go and is that reward worth the risk? Read more>>

Dominique Gonzales | Founder, Root Elixirs

I guess there are a couple of types of risks I could speak on: calculated and intuitive risks. Taking risks is not all about ‘going all in,’ that’s a gamble. When taking risks, it’s important to calculate these decisions. In business, it’s essential to know your end game and have a clear vision of where you want to be. Then, surround yourself with advisors and do your research to see how you will get there. Intuitive risk to me is living a life that makes you come alive. Entrepreneurship doesn’t always follow the same traditional path. It’s hard to put yourself out there, but you can’t shake it when you feel it in your gut & you know. Dream big. Read more>>

$hadow | Rapper

“If it’s not risky, it’s worthless!” Going outside is risky but we go outside for enjoyment, necessities, and curiosity. If going outside is worth the risk just imagine taking the risk to pursue your dreams. Im risking it all to pursue my dream and I know one day it will payoff. The universe only accept two types of currency which are time and risk. Im paying with both and you should to. Read more>>

Joselin Chiu | Licensed Mortgage Loan Professional & Mommapreneur

Risk taking is necessary for growth. Risk brings Reward. Risk brings Evolution. Insight. Clarity. Confirmation. All the ingredients needed for growth. Risks are such an important factor in my career and also personal life. Risks have always shown up as an opportunity for major gains; and in some occasions, where maybe it did not turn out in best case – taking the risk and not hitting the exact spot intended undeniably turned out to be a great lesson and stepping stone to a better and more clearer forward motion. Read more>>

Morgan Johnson | Model & Content Creator

RISKS are what changes your life. In order to know in life, you have to take risks because your questions will have answers. I took a risk and I moved across the country in hopes of becoming a plus size model. I didn’t have any job or a place to live but I told myself if it’s for me then it’s for me. If I didn’t take that risk I wouldn’t be signed by two agents working weekly as a plus size model. Read more>>

Pamela Espinoza rebolledo | jeweler & traveler

I believe it is essential to take risks to be able to advance in all areas, in my case as a jewelry artist it involves and joins the personal life with the professional one and it was there where I took my first big risk. When I started Ave Joyeria I knew of my potential and saw something special in my work, the question was whether people would like my jewelry and would want to buy it, essentially if they would love my jewelry as I do. Read more>>

Timmy F | Street Wear Designers & Emerging Artist

There is a few quotes that I live by. One Is, “Success is on the other side of fear”. The other one is, “to get something you never had you must do something you never did’. Risk are always scary for me so I’m sure it would be for anyone else as well. The worst feeling is when your sitting there thinking to yourself what could’ve or would’ve happen if you took that risk. I’ve been there before and its not a good feeling. When I was younger I was in a program sponsored by Derrick Jeter called Turn2. Read more>>

Alexandra Fisher | Mom, Writer, & Social Media Manager

I am an adventurous person who likes to have fun. I have been an EMT, so I guess you could say, I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie, too. However, I like “controlled risks”. I don’t like “real risks”. I took a big risk becoming a single mother (by choice). I’m not afraid of trying new things, necessarily. But, when it comes to my career, money, or lives- that’s where I’m pretty conservative. Read more>>

MIDABI | Artist | Philosopher | Interventionist

Risk is the interaction between intuition and the unknown; the foundational process of discovery. The choice is not to approach or avoid risk, but how deep and at what point to enter it. The modern world often looks to historical patterns or potential returns in order to make this choice. But in the expansive world of knowledge, risk is a razor thin doorway through which we pass in order to shave away the ignorance that bloats our perception. Creativity, and indeed creation, is a supreme form of discovery. Nothing is to be discovered or created without risk. Read more>>