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.

Alie Bernard Garza

Risk has never been theoretical for me—it’s been bone-deep, all-consuming, and brutally personal. There was a time when drinking water, eating a bite of food, stepping outside felt like life-threatening decisions.  OCD convinced me that safety could only come from obeying its rules—ritualizing, avoiding, shrinking. But when I finally found Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, everything changed. Read More>>

Malkohm Horn

Taking a risk means stepping outside your comfort zone. It requires a combination of preparation and trust in ones abilities. It’s important to know the difference between risk taking and reckless impulsivity. Taking a risk involves an assessment of risk, an understanding of what can be lost and what can be gained. When I started my metal design and fabrication business, it was a serious financial risk. Read More>>

Hannah Joy

I loooove this question. I think about risk taking as a form of liberation. Risk taking takes both bravery and courage. It pushes you to meet your fears head on. It’s uncomfortable. It’s edgy. It’s scary. It is also exciting and courageous. To give yourself permission to step into the unknown, to release, in order to receive what you are looking for takes so much strength. Risk taking is an integral part of our personal growth. It allows us to experience life more to the fullest. It opens up new opportunities that might not have arrived if we didn’t take the risk, if we didn’t step into the unknown. Read More>>

Joseph Bijou

Risk taking is an important part of life for a fella like me Without some type of risk there is no kind of rewards, In owning your own business there are many risks that you need to account for such as a financial risk, day to day operations and creative challenges. There are so many challenges that you will face owning your own business, but you have to take risks in order to succeed not only business but life in general.  Read More>>

Jessiah Bethea

To me, in a roundabout way, life is all about risks. In fact, I think they might be full of them. It’s up to us to figure out and decipher which ones are for us and are worth taking. In 2023, I took the chance or “risk” as we call it and moved out to Los Angeles, CA. I packed all of my things into a tiny Honda civic and made the drive out there. All alone. 1,200 miles of just myself, the road, and my thoughts about achieving a different lifestyle in a place I had been to only once before, yet was so unfamiliar with. Read More>>

Tiana Mandrigues

What role has taking risks played in my life and career?

Taking risks has been a defining theme throughout my life—starting all the way back when I was a teenager graduating from high school. I left my hometown in San Jose, California to pursue a calling as an Evangelist and enrolled at Oral Roberts University, moving to a state where I knew no one. At age 18, I had a profound experience with God that made me want to pursue a spiritual path. That leap of faith set the tone for how I would navigate life: by choosing purpose over comfort. Read More>>