Shoot your shot? Take a chance? Society bombards us with messages, phrases, examples and stories of how taking risk is the key to success, but is anything ever that simple? We asked some of the brightest folks we know to tell us about how they think about risk. We’ve shared their responses below.

Kassandra Nordhoff | Director of Business Development & Business Owner

“You miss out on 100% of the shots you don’t take” is truly what motivates me to take those risks that others may be too afraid to tackle. There are good risks and bad ones, big ones and small ones. There is no “how to” book on life so I’m a firm believer of learning through experience. It’s not about how many times you hit the wall, but rather how many times you get back up and try again. The biggest risk I’ve taken is buying a home in the midst of the pandemic in 2020. Prior to being laid off I was actually in the process of finalizing my home buying paperwork and then the unimaginable happened and in that moment I felt like my world had fallen apart. I cried and felt helpless, but I also knew that crying wasn’t going to get me where I wanted to be, so I applied online and was willing to take any job that would allow me the opportunity to try again. I had worked on this goal for years and I wasn’t going to let one set back keep me from achieving my dreams. Read more>>

Hannah Fisher | Dance Educator

Such a great question. I did an entire show on this very topic about a year ago. To me, risk-taking is the whole game of life. It can be daunting, but without risks there aren’t noteworthy rewards. You truly will never know what’s on the other side of your fears until you step out into confidence. How will you know if you never attempt? Whatever lies on the other side of your fear, just might blow your mind. All admirable success stories are those who choose to take risks. The biggest risk, the bigger potential for reward. Anything chalked up to failure, can simply be used as a learning experience. For me personally, I typically operate like this if I know something is worth it: make the decision to jump in, and figure out how along the way. This has served me well both professionally and personally — if you wait until you’re ready to try something new, you likely never will. Read more>>

Chris Bowen | President of Lvl Up Consulting and Marketing and Host of Lvl Up The Podcast

In considering risk, it’s essential to acknowledge its omnipresence in both personal and professional spheres. Personally, I’ve come to recognize that risk is an inherent component of growth and progress. Reflecting on my own journey, I experienced a significant shift in perspective following the failure of a business venture in 2022. Read more>>

Jerrod Lemmons | Founder of Kitchen Combine

Opening a restaurant is one of the most expensive, exhausting, scary, and risky ventures any entrepreneur can start because it requires an immense amount of time, money, equipment, and people. Even if you overcome all of that just to get open, the restaurant industry has some of the highest failure rates and lowest profit margins. Kitchen Combine is helping foodpreneurs at the beginning of their journeys when risk is greatest in order to support them in managing risk when it matters most. Read more>>

Will von Bolton | Photographer & Writer

The freedom that comes with being a photographer, writer and pursuing BecomingConscious.com has forced my tolerance to be pretty high. I am grateful for challenging choices along the way – they test how much I want to accomplish something. Read more>>