How do you think about risk? What role has taking risks played in your life/career? Check out responses from hidden gems from our community below.

Ivy St. Valentease | Burlesque Performer

I don’t think I ever started even thinking about taking risks until around 22, 23. I grew up in a really small, really conservative town where you were put in a box and expected to stay there, you were excepted to look and act a certain way. Needless to say, I didn’t really fit in–I never did. I’d gotten tattoos and piercings and colored my hair a bunch, but I feel like my first real risk was when I cut all my hair off in 2016. I feel like it was the starting point in a long journey of self-disovery. I started allowing myself to follow new impulses and goals–going to cosmetology school, traveling a lot more, pursuing fitness, shaving my head. Read more>>

Tama Kieves

I teach my clients and students that “Any choice is a risk, except the right one.” It’s natural to want safety, but there is a kind of “safe” that isn’t safe. There is no safety in denying who you are. My whole career is based on one huge risk I took, followed by many others. Having graduated from Harvard Law School, and on my way to making partner at a prestigious law firm, I felt empty and fulfilled. Read More>>

John San Filippo | Owner and Coach, Front Range CrossFit

It was definitely a risk. When I left my corporate job to start coaching full time, I was only making $400/month from coaching. It took a little while to pay off, but realistically, it was the best decision I could have made. I love what I do, I love our community, and it’s incredibly fulfilling. Read more>>

Claire Wenrick | Content Creator & Influencer

I think coming into the influencer industry is a HUGE risk in itself. You have to take the risk of posting everyday as if you are famous until you make it. There is a large difference in a normal college girl’s Instagram where they post photos of tailgates, their friends, and themed parties to someone who only posts photos of themselves and their outfits. During that time when you are transforming your account you lose followers, people you know make fun of you, and most of all you have a lot of self doubt. It’s a big risk putting yourself out there to be judged by people close to you and no one thinks you’re going to make it until you do which is why it is so important to believe in yourself. Read more>>

Karen Anderson | Realtor

With risk comes a lot of uncertainty. When I first got my real estate license it was the end of 2007 and right before the housing market crash. To pay bills, I worked as a bartender and then in real estate marketing while keeping a sole proprietorship on the side for real estate. Fast forward to 2015, I still knew real estate was where my heart was and what I wanted to do full-time but was nervous to take the risk of not having a steady income. I took the plunge anyway and am blessed to say I haven’t looked back. Without having taken the risk and embraced the unknown, I would not have realized I could fulfill my goals and be a part of something I love, while calling it my career at the same time. Read more>>