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.

Athena Desai | Acupuncturist, Herbalist, Reiki Master, Spiritual Consultant, Yoga Teacher

Sometimes I look back on the choices I’ve made about work and being in service, and they all look like risks. Becoming a journalist. Leaving journalism. Becoming a healer. Evolving and changing in what I offer as a healer. Making a record. None of those have safety or security as primary qualities, it kind of makes me laugh. Because I am also someone who is very in touch with my fears, and doubts. All the things that I do also scare me. Read more>>

Lila Ealy | Photographer

Sometimes, I like to think I am a risk taker. Sometimes, I am not. When it has to do with my business, I am all about taking risks. Everything about owning my own business is somewhat of taking risks in a way, and I feel like that’s a good thing. I take risks when; I meet people I have never met before, when I invest in equipment not knowing whether or not I will make any sort of profit, or even when I showcase my work in hopes of people liking them. Read more>>

Kenny Tiller | Actor, Writer, & Cartoonist

To me life’s a gamble. The bigger the gamble, the bigger the reward. I took a risk moving from Dallas, TX to Atlanta , GA to accelerate my career as a writer, actor, and cartoonist. So far the risk is paying off for me. Read more>>

Jace, Trey Baxter | Founder-Fortunate Sons Trading Company

Jace: I’ve always been pretty comfortable with risk, sort of impulsive, like deciding at 20 I wanted to be a cowboy and moving to Montana to work on a cattle ranch, or going out for special forces and joining the army on a whim. When I do think about risk and weighing my options before deciding whether or not to do some thing, I think about what is the worst possible outcome and what is the most likely outcome. The closer together those two things are on a scale, the more likely that I’ll choose not to go through with it, although I have pushed the boundaries on that before. It all depends on how bad I want my most desired outcome. Read more>>

Zeynep Shahid | Furniture Flipping Artist, Owner of Nuvelties Furniture and Home Decor

Taking risks is all about challenging myself and so moving forward in life. When I say challenging myself I mean learning new skills constantly. I had no idea about furniture painting up until 3 years ago. However, I always had this artistic side ever since I was a kid and I knew I had to start from somewhere because it was in the back of my mind whatever I did! I had to give it a try to not to say “I wish I tried!” and regret sometime in the future. Read more>>