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.

Simon Cardell | Democratic candidate for Texas’s 4th congressional district.

Taking risks is freeing. It makes you feel alive and let’s you know more about yourself and the world around you. When you take a risk it is because you have a fire in you and you are chasing something that you care about. However, before you take a risk you have to deeply think about it. You have to envision your path and why you are doing it. In my own experience, I left a promising career within the Republican Party to go back home and run for the U.S House of Representatives as a Democrat. Read more>>

James Alame | Hospitality Entrepreneur

Risk is something that you can’t avoid when starting a business. You can make a business plan and try to project potential risks but you never know for sure what obstacles you might have to overcome. You can’t be afraid to take risks or you will never get anywhere, but at the same time you should always plan for the worst so that when something unplanned happens you are prepared to handle the situation. Read more>>

Jamil Fristoe | Model & Fitness influencer

Taking risks is crucial for character development. It forces us out of our comfort zones to tackle challenges we might usually avoid. This has significantly influenced my life and career. Often, I hesitated to take risks due to uncertainty about the outcomes, but staying in my comfort zone would have prevented many of my achievements. Read more>>

Brandon Delgado | Entrepreneur & Filmmaker

I believe that taking risks is essential for growth and success. At this stage in my career, I’m comfortable embracing risk because I have everything to gain and little to lose. As the founder of BTIXist Productions, I’ve taken significant risks to establish and grow the company, from taking out loans to produce films to venturing into new industries like app development and music production. Read more>>

Kendall Quirk | Registrar & Director of Exhibitions

There are a lot of moments I think back to and wonder what would’ve happened if I had made a safer choice for either myself or my career and while there’s no way to know what “could have been”, I’m grateful I risked so much. My first risk was choosing to be an English major. So many people would laugh and ask what I could possibly want to do after school with that degree. In reality, it has been a huge asset in my life and I’m so glad I took a risk to learn how to read, analyze, reflect, and write in a way that has benefited my career so much. Read more>>

Schatze Parham | Realtor. Entrepreneur. Supermom

When I think about risk, I see it as an essential part of achieving greatness! Risk hasn’t been about recklessness; but about making calculated moves that others are too afraid to take. In my life and career, taking risk has been the key to my success. Every bold decision, whether it led to a win or a lesson, has propelled me forward. Read more>>