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.

Nicholas Kittle | Performance and Innovation Coach, Author and Keynote

Risk is misunderstood and I’ve used that throughout my career as an innovator, photographer and speaker. What others perceive as “safe” is oftentimes risky and vice-versa. I’ve leaned in where others have shied away and found a way to live an exceptional and unusual life by using that to my advantage–and I try to help others do the same. Yes, I’ve “failed” many times, but it has fueled my desire to do better over and over again and I’ve lived an extraordinary life as a result. Read more>>

Chelsea Augusto | MA, LPCC

We are taking risks in each moment of our lives whether or not we are conscious of it. For every decision we make we are inherently forgoing every other possible choice we could have otherwise made. How is that for existential dread? I have actually found this insight to be helpful because it allows me to think more deeply about the meaning I want to create in my life. Read more>>

Sarah Leader | Realtor

Risk is the adrenaline that keeps us moving forward! If we are not challenging ourselves consistently and taking risks, we run a bigger risk of becoming stagnant. It was a risk to begin a new career and there are constant risks when deciding on house flipping projects. But taking calculated and well-planned risks keeps our hearts pumping, our minds growing, and our positive influence expanding! Read more>>

Steven Lente | Retiree, both Military and Civilian/Writer/Traveler

In the 1970’s I read an observation that people only had to exert about 30% of their abilities to keep their jobs. That meant if I exerted 35% or more I’d move beyond keeping my job to excelling at it. So this drove me to analyzing the variables of “what’s the worst that could happen” if I pushed some of the boundaries a little bit. Then, in the military security forces I was exposed to risk reduction in the sense that all actions we took involved risk to life and limb and through effective planning we could only reduce risk, not eliminate it. Then the phrase “faint heart ne’er won fair lady” came into my life which I used in developing relationships and which taught me to be more open in conversations. Truthfully, being open caused some problems because “telling it like it is” was not always acceptable in some relationships, either at work or outside of it, but back to “what’s the worst” variable, more often than not I was welcomed as someone who could see through an issue and then advise a workable solution, and that practice led to me being respected for my insights. So, I pushed the edges a lot both in and out of the business environments, but the percentage of positive outcomes far outweighed the number of negatives, and I probably never fully exerted all my abilities. Read more>>

Todd Scalise | Painter

Engaging in risk is essential for any endeavor that requires independent and creative thinking. Successful risk-taking involves making calculated decisions that blend inspiration with methodical reasoning. Although risks are abundant, calculated risks must be intentionally crafted. Being inherently mercurial, I naturally gravitate towards risks and enjoy exploring uncharted territory. Five years ago, I left behind the Northeast, where I had established Higherglyphics, a business focused on designing and merchandising public art projects, to relocate to the Southwest. This move allowed me to fully commit to my passion for painting, which has always been my first love. This transition was not easy for me, as I moved alone from a venture in a familiar environment to an unknown one. Along the way, I faced numerous challenges, but staying focused on my goal kept me moving forward. Read more>>

Marcos Acosta | Visual Artist

The role of the idea of risk is key in an artist’s career. Basically, I don’t think it’s possible to imagine the creative process involved in art without the spice of risk. However, this idea should be thought through more carefully. What is risk? When do you risk something and for what? Art, in my opinion, is a formidable tool for introspection. It gives us the possibility, through the risk of leaving the comfortable places in which the ego quickly relies, to explore new territories, almost always unthinkable. The risk lies in abandoning the familiar places and entering the unexplored. I usually imagine my work as an artist in the following way: there is a formidable precipice, from which we could observe an incredible landscape. However, on the edge of the abyss there is a small, solid wall. We could get close to the precipice behind the wall, and be safe. We’d know the lansdcape is there, behind, but that’s all. However, we could go around it and stand between that wall and the abyss, to see from that unprotected ledge, what that fabulous landscape is all about. That is the exercise of art, learning to look at the abyss from the most uncomfortable edge, guided by an indomitable curiosity. Read more>>

Daniel Hogans | Music Artist/producer

Taking a risk means stepping out on something unknown and having the confidence that no matter the result , just by trying, you’ve already won. I spent years doing music with the intention that I could somehow imitate others, and be granted the same validation and success. It wasn’t till I took a risk on what was true to me that I was able to gain the Confidence I truly needed to succeed. When you’re honest with yourself it hurts… but you come out stronger than before. Read more>>

Robbie Watterson | Mental Health Therapist

In my experience, embracing risk-taking has taught me that it goes beyond simply stepping into the unknown; it involves listening to the whispers of my heart and summoning the courage to follow its guidance, even when it leads me down uncharted paths. Read more>>

Elizabeth Easton, PsyD | Clinical Psychologist

It’s interesting to think about risks, because some of the biggest moves I have made in my career have been deeply rooted in my intuitive sense of what is right for me. So, although they may be ‘risky’, it was more personally risky or taxing to not do them. Shifting into working with emotion-focused family therapy, somatic therapy and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy are great examples. The mental health field needs this work, and I would regret not supporting field and my clients if I didn’t take the risk of moving in this direction. Read more>>

Sandra Grahame | Founder of Smart Cookies

By nature I’m not a risk taker at all, but as I grow as a person and the vision for my life and business evolves, I’ve intentionally been practicing taking more risks. If you’re not a risk taker, building your risk taking muscle on baby step at a time makes it easier for sure! Being ok with making a mistake or something not working out as I imagined it would is something I still work on, but I’ve grown so much since I started my business. Read more>>