We asked some of the most interesting folks in the community to open up about how they think about taking chances and the role risk has played in their lives and careers. Risk is by far the topic folks talk to us most about and we hope the responses below will help shed light on many different perspectives.

Sandra Heard | Model

I have taken risk by stepping out of my Comfort zone by taking modeling jobs with different brands I have not used. Read more>>

Jan Jackson | Founder and Creative Director

I’m at a stage in my life where I’m taking many risks to get to my purpose. It takes an extreme amount of courage for me to quell my fears and take risks, but I’ve found so much success on the other side of it. I realize when I’m most uncomfortable is when I’m being stretched and enriched, so I lean into taking more risks now. I process risk-taking completely differently today, and it has made a huge difference when managing the Bella Grind Brand. I’ve been able to accomplish a lot in a year because I bet on myself and put myself out there. Many opportunities have been presented to me, and I’m taking full of advantage of them. I’m in spaces that I never thought I would occupy and growing my network exponentially. Read more>>

Deanna Rice | Creative Wardrobe Stylist

I’ve actually always been a risk taker. I tend to do things that scare or intimidate me, though some risks take a bit longer for me to muster up the courage to tackle. The ability to push yourself past your fears leads to victory, even if it appears that the risk may not have paid off in that moment or in that season. Recently, I had an incredible opportunity to go to L.A. and style a shoot for Playboy, and I was so excited yet afraid to go. I had never been to California, or even the West Coast for that matter, so the idea of travelling to a new city seemed like a fun and scary adventure, which it absolutely was! Read more>>

Lánre | Singer, Songwriter

On a big scale, I believe that taking risks is what pushes society forward. If our ancestors didn’t step out of their comfort zone to explore new lands or create new innovations, we wouldn’t have the society we have today. It takes courageous people to take risks and go against the grain of the ‘societal norms’ like, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Einstein, etc. Read more>>

Isaac Barkley | Music Producer

I think risks are an important part of life, especially when it comes to creatives or people starting a business. Taking risks can help someone get out of a routine or something in life that makes them feel stuck. I feel they are good to take as long as they are thought out and all of the outcomes are considered. I definitely believe backup plans are important to have too when taking risks. It’s also important to be ok and at peace if the risk you take doesn’t go the way you had planned. Read more>>

Tom & Kat Vaughan-Johnson | Owners & Printers

We often don’t look to things as risks too often. When we have a good feeling about something we do it. When choosing new products or offerings we often think “would I want this?” If yes, we make it reality, sometimes it works out, other times not so much. Nothing would get done around our shop if we worried too much about risks. The role risk has played for us was that it lead to us here. We pivoted, and made our shop real in just a few months. We are just two people and have a small niche clientele, if we spent any time looking at that we wouldn’t exist. Read more>>

Johnathan Pitts | Executive Chef and Owner

Risk taking is Business, I’ve always thought that taking risk is the only way to excel at business…..I can be a very methodical person so this was a challenge for me……overcoming fear and doubt is always the adversity that most business owners come against. But that’s where the vision comes into play of your business and taking a risk should be apart of your business plan and vision because it’s going to take courage and the belief that this is going to succeed and doubt has to to become your foot stool to your destiny! Read more>>

Lexi Johnson | Missionary, Financial Coach/Consultant, & International Speaker

The risk vs reward theory states that the higher the risk, the higher the potential return. Conversely, the lower the risk, the lower the potential return. Taking risks can be scary and nerve wrecking. I am not sure that there is any human on earth that is completely okay with uncertainty in every aspect of life. When it comes to business, I am a believer in taking calculated risk vs foolish risk. Foolish risk could bring about positive returns but you go into it completely blind. Calculated risk involves a fair amount of due diligence. You’ll never know results with 100% accuracy. What due diligence does is help me to discover the indicators that will help me to believe the particular action is going to go positively. Read more>>

Sean Barnes | Rapper & CEO

Risk taking is essential in life, you gotta take risk to grow and expand life with out risk is no life at all. Read more>>

La Papeleria | Fernando Aburto & Lilibeth Martinez

Taking risks is the best way to make changes in your life. Unfortunately, we didn’t always see it that way. Prior to the COVID outbreak, we were stuck in a monotonous cycle of every day life. Instead of viewing the pandemic as a negative, we chose to focus on the positive aspects of it. Thanks to this break, we were able to regroup & really focus on what was important to us – Friends, Family & Quality of Life. Read more>>

Surbhi Saxena | Aspiring Model

I believe that much of life’s greatest achievements are attained by going outside of your comfort zone. Whether it means overcoming shyness to perform onstage, investing money to help your business grow, or simply just putting yourself out there—some of life’s most rewarding experiences come from doing something risky. It’s important to take risks, cause you have a 50/50 of succeeding or failing. You won’t always win when you try something new. After all, failure is an important part of growth. It helps build persistence. Read more>>

Joshua Lewis | Rising Actor and Entrepreneur

I think about risks in the aspect that they’re tons of individuals that want to be more in life. They are following their passions of wanting to become either a professional entertainer, artist, entrepreneur, or athlete. I believe in betting on yourself and having the guts to compete against others is a huge step in gaining what you want in this world. I’ve always been a risk taker, but with acting I chose to explore a different career path. I noticed those closes to me laughing and not taking me seriously when I put my mind to something. I just ignored them kept working and being motivated. I said to myself, ” Someday someone is going to notice me and it’s all up from there!” Read more>>

King Cutler | Upcoming Entrepreneur/Artist

The late legend Nipsey Hussle said it best in my opinion, “I’d bet my life i’m a dice shaker”. Personally I live by that line I risk it all if the scale is tipping in favor of the reward. Me personally I’m not afraid to take a risk or gamble we gambled a lot when we were younger trying to survive. When you’re hungry it does something to your mind it puts you into a different mode and as a kid when you come up in that mode you start to think about ways to move you away from that environment. Nobody wants to starve and nobody wants to be left behind the difference with me is, what ever it takes to get to that next level im willing to do as long as i’m not selling out or setting myself short. Read more>>

Tonio The Great | Musician & Songwriter

Taking risk is the key to life. Without risk we will get nothing out of this life that God has given us. My whole life I’ve had no other choice but to go against the grain and I’ve been blessed for doing such. Taking risk I have connected with people that have propelled my career, been placed around people that others may dream of, and sealed deals that some may say only come once in a lifetime. Read more>>

Sharonda Moss | Skincare Enthusiast & Entrepreneur

In my opinion, taking a risk sometimes is needed for success. Living in fear can hinder your true potential and creativity jumping out there with no regrets is what I think plays a role in most entrepreneurial career growths. Even starting a skin care business with no help, no mentor or peers to plan and organize with when I first started to create products was a risk but it showed others and myself what I was capable of. Risk gives us lessons and sometimes may take us on a greater path for our future. Read more>>

Shaquana Wise | Model & Entrepreneur

I think about risk like taking a step forward BUT in the right direction that suits you, risk is tricky and has to be taken serious especially if you are going out on a leap..any leap. A risk should be strong and hold no emotions. Taking Risks in my life has been challenging and gracefully rewarding because I am learning and healing myself at the same time ; while I apply what I am learning for myself to be mentally and emotionally stable to push to a career that is not only energetic but feasible. Read more>>

Halston Farmer | Producer & Artist

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about taking risk is networking. I feel like risk taking is necessary for my career mainly because I was, and still am, doing it all on my own. If it was not for risk I would not have received the recognition, plays, and support from people who I do not know from a can of paint. The bulk of my success was from taking risk. I had to pay to be apart of my projects, performance opportunities, and even features. I knew after a while that I was in this alone and if someone wanted to help me advance my career then I was more than willing to give it a try. Read more>>

Rama Kazi | Music Artist & Researcher

Imagine reading a book where the protagonist was called to action for a life-changing adventure but they instead decided to stay home and continue scrolling through Twitter. How many pages would you have remaining before that book became a paperweight? The fear of failure is often what holds us back from our true potential. Just a few years ago I was clocking in for hourly wage jobs with no real sense of identity outside of being both Black and South Indian. This was the me that had filled out multiple cycles of medical school applications after earning a Neuroscience degree from Vanderbilt and a Master’s in Biomedical Science with the loans to match. Read more>>

Selena Lightfoot | Artist, model, entrepreneur, public speaker

I think about risk as taking a leap of faith.quitting my regular job last year in May to fully pursue my career, has played a big role in my life. It really made me recognize who I really am and who I want to truly become also a clarity on what I want to do in life.. Read more>>

Zollyann Howell | Amazon Best-Selling Author, Educator and Entrepreneur

What I think about risk is pretty simple-Progress always involves some type of risk. Every single decision I’ve made in my adult life and as an Entrepreneur happened because I took a risk. I took a risk on believing in myself and my potential despite others doubting my ability. I took a risk and walked away from my fulltime career as a classroom teacher to pursue my dreams. I took plenty of financials risks as an entrepreneur because I had a vision. Most often I think many people fear taking risks because of their mindset and limiting beliefs. Fear is one of our biggest limiting beliefs and it is something that holds many of us back. The fear of taking risk can sometimes hold you back from your truest potential in life. Read more>>

Eric & Lavena Bassette | Entrepreneur & Business Consultant

3 years ago I took one of the biggest risk in my life which was quitting my 6 figure jobs to become an Entrepreneur with no real plan on what I wanted to do. I just kept hearing the voice in my head telling me to take the leap, Fast Forward to today my wife and I look back at the special moment as a sign that you have to be willing to take risk and bet on yourself to put yourself in a position to Win. So taking risk is a huge part of how we live life, we are open to failing and I believe that’s what really helps us win, because we know failure is a part of success. Read more>>

Santia Fox | My thought on Risk

Risk? What do we think about it? Our entire business was built on taking a risk. Six years ago, we created Eight 11 Homes with no idea that it would be what it is today. My husband and business partner grabbed each other by the hands, looked each other in the eye, and said “What do we have to lose”. Taking that risk played a significant role in our lives where the risk turned into a realized reality instead of a chance. No one prepares you for what is to come. The initial risk we took prepared us for the next risk and the risk after that. The risk in my opinion never stops unless you decide to stop growing. There is something exciting about taking risks because the reward is so much greater. Read more>>

Rockmyer Estes | Actor, Writer, Entrepreneur

We take risk in everything we do. If you’re walking down the street you risk tripping or fall. If driving on your way to work, you risk getting into an accident. Save for your 401k, you run the risk of the market crashing and you lose everything like people did back in 1929. Those are just the unfortunate risk. However, risk are suppose to be “calculated”, well thought out, and executed. That’s exactly what I did to get where I am today. I created a plan of action and took the necessary steps to make it happen. Read more>>

Dominique Noëlle | Makeup Artist & Creative Director

Risk taking is an essential part of growing in your life and career. My favourite quote is, “ If you never ask, the answer is always no” I evaluate risk by asking myself “If this works out, will you be closer to accomplishing one of your goals. And if this fails, will there be a more impactful lesson in the “failure” than if you stay where you are “ Read more>>

LaKisha Malcom | Expanded Duty Dental Assistant & Owner of Still Moments Photography

The biggest risk in life is not taking a risk. Nothing is guaranteed but death…. Everything else in life that you want you have to take a risk to make it happen. I never dreamed when I was young that Dental and Aesthics would be my career or even passion, however I met one Doctor who believed in me and I changed my entire career path in the blink of an eye and now I can’t imagine my self doing anything else. Read more>>