Legend holds that Cornelius Vanderbilt had built a massive fortune in the steamboat shipping industry, but then realized the railroads were the way of the future and invested almost his entire net worth into railroads. The gamble paid off and made Vanderbilt one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs ever. But risks are inherently…risky. How do you think about risk and how has it affected your life and career? Some of our community favorites share their perspective below.

Audrey Galex | author, voice over and on-camera talent, storyteller

I decided to take the scariest question on the list, the question about risk, because, by and large, I have been risk-averse throughout my life: I will get right up to the edge of leaping, and then find all the excuses known to humanity not to do it. (i.e., there’s not enough time. I don’t know enough. I don’t have the financial resources. I don’t know where to go for support. )The list goes on and on until, in exhaustion, I’d ask myself why I wanted to take a risk in the first place. I also needed everything to be perfect before taking the risk; even while knowing that nothing is ever perfect in life.  Read more>>

Jen Polt | Authenticity Warrior & Confidence Coach for Women in Midlife

I’ve always lived by the motto “Great things come with great risk.” It’s my way of gut checking myself–how BAD do I want this? Am I willing to take the chance without knowing if it will work out? Will I live with regret if I DON’T bet on myself? Read more>>

Lydeah Kearse | Choreographer & Producer

Risk has always felt like my shadow. A constant presence that I’ve learned to embrace instead of fear. Growing up in Kansas, I always felt a pull or an energy telling me that my story was meant to be written somewhere else. So, at 18, I made the riskiest decision of my life. I packed up everything I knew, applied to one school—North Carolina A&T and moved 18 hours away, without knowing a single soul. No backup plans. Just a suitcase and a dream. It was terrifying, but for the first time, I had the autonomy to create the life I truly wanted. Read more>>