Are you a risk taker? Do you think you have a stronger appetite for risk relative to your friends and family? We asked some folks from the community about their approaches to risk and have shared their thoughts below.

David Pfahlert | Video Marketing & Live Events CEO

I look at risk as an opportunity to challenge my offerings and limitations and use that as a stepping stone to level up. This thing for me is that risk doesn’t scare me, I almost always just see the opportunity behind the risk and feel compelled to go for it. If you stay in your lane for too long, eventually that lane will end. Risk has definitely broadened my career because I have often taken on projects that have elements beyond my scope and in return it has expanded and advanced my skillsets. My attitude towards risk is reflected in my relationships & partnerships over the years where I have set a vision or a goal and have been able to inspire and encourage others to get on board and make that dream happen!. Read more>>

KARA RAINER | Actress

I love risk! Now, this is total opposite of where I was about 11+ years ago. Slowly, slowly, I began to love risk and learned to embrace risk in order to Dare to Be My Authentic Self. Daring to take risks is what gave me the gusto to jump into my purpose, to my dream career. Was it scary to take a risk? Yes it can be. Is it scary now? No, absolutely not. Risk is taking the steps that you need to take to get to where you want to go. If you don’t take a step in that direction, you will never get there. You have to take the risks to get there. Read more>>

Kaylynn Jaycox | Freelance Prop Stylist

I truly don’t think that you can accomplish anything great without risk. Everything I have done that has lead me to where I am now, has come from a risk. Whether that risk is minor or major, it all adds up and it all pushes you out of your comfort zone and forces you to grow, change and expanded yourself. I will never forget how scared I was when I started freelancing on my own with no safety net. But the one thing I have learned along the way is that it will always work out if it is suppose to work out. And if it doesn’t work out, that risk is leading you in a different direction. It doesn’t mean the risk wasn’t worth it. Read more>>

Isha Gaines | Wellness Educator + Formulator

I am actually a huge risk taker and I didn’t realize it until other entrepreneurs started pointing it out and started asking me for advice on my personal philosophy on starting something new and just going for it. I realized that I always have a bright idea or an innovation or a new way to rework a current situation and I guess because I am so solution oriented sometimes taking a risk can be the answer to a problem that I may be having in my business. Whether it is the flow of income, whether it is retention of customers, whether it is rebranding, I am always looking for a solution, So it causes me to take risks more than average. With my current venture I wanted to provide something that was essential to everyday living for a woman and so I am always in the mindset of how to make this product better, how to reach more women, how to communicate that this product will be good for certain Feminine issues. So I take a lot of risks with my new business venture because I for one want to be competitive and two I want people to know about the goodness that can come from herbs and plants. Read more>>

Dominique Turner-Rambo | Artist, Fashion, Design, Art Coordinator

Risk taking is important, because you’re not going to always take the traditional route, and you’re not always going to know what’s on the other side unless you jump. College isn’t for everybody. 9 to 5s isn’t for everybody. It’s okay to take new routes, find new things, and venture into your purpose, and doing what you love to do. Read more>>

Rachel Brown | Artist

I think that all Artists + Creatives are inherently “Risk Takers”. To willingly throw oneself into a career path as a Creative means entering un-chartered territory with so many unknowns. For me personally, I LOVE the challenge and “risk” associated with being a Creative Entrepreneur… the mental stimulation that comes from pursuing this particular path has become something that is rather addictive. Risk-taking is in my genetic code I suppose- my parents are adventure junkies, which means from an early age I was on the back of motorcycles, climbing mountains, (willingly) jumping off cliffs, and learning all about conquering my fears. In my early twenties, I scratched this itch with travel to off-the-beaten path places and moving from my small Missouri hometown to Los Angeles, CA… where I eventually discovered my real passion, which is combining Art + Entrepreneurship and starting my own business. Being a working Artist means you have to be fearless and vulnerable every day- by continuously putting yourself out there and exposing yourself to criticism and rejection. Once you get over the fear of looking like a fool and making mistakes (which are inevitable) the world is truly your playground. Read more>>

Erin Cavenaugh | Content Creator & Digital Marketing Manager

“The greater the risk, the greater the reward” – one of the biggest takeaways from my college days that I repeat to myself over and over. It was 2019 and I was working a job where I couldn’t move forward, while dreaming of living the life of a digital nomad. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do or how I was going to do it, but for some reason I just KNEW I could. So I decided enough was enough, packed all of my belongings into storage, and bought a one way ticket to the UK. I went from documenting my experiences on YouTube and Instagram — to going on tour with DJs as a videographer — to running into an old friend in a random city who helped me turn it all into a business. Opportunities fell into my lap because I was passionate about the dream that was finally becoming reality, all because I was crazy enough to risk it all. Read more>>

Sharita Humphrey | Award-winning Finance Expert & Money Mentor

I think of risk as a gateway to a possibility of a new beginning. With that being said, I’m a person who takes calculated risk and it wasn’t easy to get to this place. One of the biggest risks that I took was leaving my government job to start my own business. In full transparency, I thought I would retire from my government position because it was my bucket list job. After a few years at my job, I wanted more for my life but most importantly I wanted time freedom. I was scared to just quit without a plan. I knew it was a risk to leave my job but I was so determined that I gave myself six months to quit. I knew I was risking my stable income but I was willing to take the risk to chase my dream. I gave my two-weeks notice and that was the day risk stared me in the face. Quitting my job was not an easy decision but it truly changed my life for the better. I’m now a nationally recognized and award-winning finance expert and money mentor. Read more>>

Toshira Salomon | Mother, Credit Repair Business Owner & Mentor

I believe you have to take risks. I’m not saying to risk it all but in order for you to achieve the things you want there has to be risk taken. The Bible says Faith without work is dead. I truly believe that. I know in my life, I first took a risk by joining the Marine Corps. If I had not taken that first risk right out of high school who knows where I’d be. I learned so much and grew as an individual teaching me discipline and how to be a leader. With that I was able to have the willpower to achieve my goals that I set for myself. So yes, I believe in taking risks. Read more>>

Robert House | Photographer

Everything evolves around taking risk. In nature the baby birds have to take the risk of testing out their wings by jumping out the nest. That’s pretty much like someone taking the risk of getting out their shell or their comfort zone to discovering a new career or hobby, but also like the bird you have to have confidence in yourself. Taking risk has played a big part in my life. There’s always a risk of failure but when you let the good things out weigh the bad good things will continue to happen. Read more>>

Christine Maiato FitzGerald | Artist/Yogi/Entrepreneu

Throughout my life, I have always played it safe, absolutely terrified to take any risks for fear of the unknown. To some degree, I can still play it safe with certain things, but my position on risk-taking completely changed about 10 years ago. I put myself through art school, obtained my yoga instructor certification, and got divorced, but not necessarily in that order. I set an intention back in 2019 that I would open my own art/yoga studio gallery. However, after making all the preparations to open in 2020, Covid it. We put off our initial opening, but decided to take the risk and open in December, 2020. Of course, anything associated with yoga was put on hold and still is…for the moment. I could just feel that it was the right time to move forward with launching the art gallery side of the plan, despite the pandemic. We decided to take the risk and pull the trigger on my dream and haven’t looked back in the rearview mirror. Read more>>

Merav Levkowitz | Content Strategist & Consultant

I’ve never considered myself a risk taker–I’m very calculated in everything I do, I’m not impulsive, and I can easily get bogged down in the tiny details. Funny enough, though, a couple of years ago I realized that despite not considering myself a risk taker, I’ve taken a couple of big, impactful risks that have felt very antithetical to how I think of myself. The first big risk was quitting what was supposed to be my dream job just 6 months in, when I realized that the environment wasn’t right for me and was making me miserable–without any sort of plan B. I always knew I wanted to be my own boss, but I imagined I would have some great idea and found a startup with a cofounder, and that it would be very planned, like a natural next step. Instead, I quit my job with no job lined up (in fact, I was so ashamed to quit that when my boss asked where I was going, I lied and said that I was joining a very early stage startup with friends in stealth mode. Read more>>