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.

Jean-Louis and Yvette Ledent | Chef / owners

Starting your own business is always a risk but it is also so rewarding when you are working for yourself. We can work as hard as we want to and we don’t have to respond to anyone. Self-discipline is number one but again, when you go to work, you know you are working for you and your family and not for someone else. It feels very good when we have a great day of sales and this is what keep us going. Risks play a large role in our life/career and this is why we have to stay at our best and keep serving top quality products. Read more>>

Gunnar Michels | Content Creator & Videographer

My relationship with risk has always been intense, a constant presence in my life. Whether it was the daring leaps from cliffs in my younger years or the thrill of racing to catch the bus just in time, risk-taking has been a defining part of my life. This inclination has continued into my adulthood, leading me into unique situations, such as marrying someone I’d never met. Embracing risk has been instrumental in shaping the person I am today, placing me in unexpected scenarios. I’m drawn to risk not solely for its outcomes but for the beauty found in the process itself. Embracing uncertainty has been one of the most thrilling aspects of my life. However, I should note that all my risks are calculated, or at least mostly so. Read more>>

TINA Clarke | Reiki Master Teacher and Spiritual Shaman

There’s a common saying: “No risk no reward.” Many people think that staying in a current job is safe, but for me it was risky. I took my parents’ advice and got a good education and a job. However, I realized that my job was always full of challenges and hardships. No matter how often I changed supervisors, projects, or even entire jobs, the situations kept getting worse and worse. At my final job, I learned a secret and my supervisor couldn’t wait to get rid of me after that. Unfortunately, I was still within my one-year probation at this job. Around the same time, I got very sick with appendicitis and I spent a week in the hospital recovering. Now I know what was happening, my power was literally leaking out of my solar plexus chakra. Read more>>

Rebecca Horne | Abstract, Mixed Media Artist

In my everyday life, I am most definitely not a risk taker. I follow the rules and I prevent myself from experiencing new things because of my fear of something going wrong. When I create art, I let all of that go. I have no fear and I find it exhilarating when I take a risk on a perfectly beautiful piece of art and it works out! I’ll finish a piece and look at it and see that’s it’s nice, it could be just what it is and it’s fine. After that, I’ll think about what I can do to it to make it exceptional. With the type of art I make, if it goes wrong, there’s no fixing it. It’s ruined. I’m always willing to risk that. I don’t want my art to be just fine. I want to finish it and know that there’s nothing else that can be done to it and, to me, it’s exceptional. I’m also not afraid to try new things. Read more>>

Kimmy K Powell | Author, entrepreneur, mentor, angel investor

Risk, by definition, is exposure to danger or harm, and it’s uncomfortable. I often like to share that in life, there is a “tipping point” to look out for: It is “when the pain of staying the same is scarier than the pain of change”. The truth is, the real risk in life is to never “become”. It’s easy to get comfortable and insulated and fall into the slow lane but to get where we are truly needed, wanted and valued, change is paramount. We must learn to not fear change but embrace it, seek it out and be on the lookout for our next great leap of faith. It is in the “becoming” that we feel most alive and begin to align with the calling that universe has always been carefully holding for us. Read more>>

Missy Stone | Freelance Writer & Homeschool Mom

Truth be told, I am typically not a “risk taker.” I am usually the one who appreciates plans and backup plans. But when I saw that there were writing opportunities in Charleston, SC, I decided to go for it. I applied to two different online publications and now am writing for them both. Now before you think I have made a profitable career out of this, I can tell you that is not the case, nor is it the reason I write. I actually love writing! One of my dreams ever since I was a child has been to write a children’s book. It is still a dream of mine that I hope will come to fruition at some point in time. But now that I have articles published, it has given me more confidence not only to continue writing articles but also to pursue writing a book. Read more>>

Helen Berg | Business Owner & Life Traveller

At the bottom line, I think all life is about the choices we make with how far we can push ourselves out of our comfort zone and take risks where we see potential rewards. Way back in the Stone Age when I graduated college I got a great job offer for a position based in Oklahoma, which for me was almost inconceivable having never lived anywhere except South Carolina. My grandmother encouraged me look past the immediate uncomfortableness and to be aware that opportunities need to be seized as they do not usually come twice. That stuck with me, so I tend to think of a taking a potential risk as an opportunity to do something great. Read more>>

Monique T. Weathers | Wedding Consultant, Wedding Stylist, and Floral Designer

Thinking about risk can be a complex process that involves assessing potential outcomes, weighing probabilities, and considering the potential benefits and drawbacks. The roles taking risks have played in my life /career are Personal growth, Career Advancement, Overcoming fear and building resilience, Seizing opportunities, and avoiding regret. Read more>>

Emily Furr | Artist

I think a form of risk-taking is being vulnerable, letting people in to see what you do and see what you care about. In my very first steps in starting my career as an artist I started regularly posting my art to Instagram. It felt nerve-wracking to put these paintings that I had put my heart and soul into on display in that way. There’s a safety in displaying galleries, people are there for the art, but putting your work online can be like the wild west. Rogue comments from strangers can be disheartening and things can be misinterpreted: how is one to really see a complex piece of art from a tiny digital square? Regardless of this, that was a huge step in getting my work out there and finding the people who really enjoy what I do. It is amazing the connections that can be made from being a little vulnerable. Read more>>

Jenny Brown Surf coach & Tao Tantric Arts teacher

uhhh I like this one. Just picking this question felt like a risk. I believe taking risk is the only way you find growth. The fear of the unknown, the vulnerability and the courage one must muster to take the leap is a lesson in itself. It’s all really personal in the end so for me to take a risk and land it, whether it works or not I feel stronger and more aligned with my life purpose. I am a goal setter and I love to liberate my energy! The idea of not going for it is sadder for me than failing really, cause you don’t fail when you try. Its like watching a wave go by and not catching it, what a bummer feeling to WISH you have gone for it! Read more>>

Kate Tipton | Watercolor Artist + Live Painter

Until about 3 and a half years ago, I was the opposite of a risk taker. I did most things “by the book” because that is what was most comfortable to me. After obtaining the things I thought I wanted in a career, I found myself wishing, dreaming, and hungry for more. My creativity was starving. So, I started the work of shifting my mindset to get comfortable being uncomfortable by leaving my comfort zone, ignoring the “what-ifs”, and taking risks. Risks are opportunities. I feel that many people think of risks as “all or nothing” – like if it doesn’t work out, it was a total loss. But for me, risk is about opening doors.It’s the courage to take the uncomfortable steps to move towards something new, something better, something bigger. Read more>>

Sara Tick | Founder of Modern Meet

When I left my nonprofit job after a decade to start my own dating coaching company, I was definitely nervous about taking this huge leap. There is something thrilling and also very nerve-racking about starting a new business from scratch and building it up on your own. I was lucky to have a great support network around me as I grew Modern Meet. I think not having a safety net to fall back on helped catapult my business and give me the focus and drive to succeed. Read more>>

Jon eBaumont | Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor

I feel like taking risks is a necessary part of a highly successful career. If you follow the path that everyone takes, you will end up in the place that most people land… the rat race. If you are perfectly content to work 40 hours every week at a job you don’t enjoy until you reach retirement age, then I would argue that you may have been brainwashed by the societal concepts of “the American Dream.” Fortunately, I was able to learn from several successful professionals while I was in my 20’s. They taught me not to settle for the “average.” The main point I learned from them was to bet on myself. I realized that if I put 100% into my passions, things would eventually work in my favor. This has proved true over and over in my adult life. Read more>>

Jaclene Mathis | Holistic Trichology Practitioner & REALTOR®️

Engaging in risk-taking endeavors can offer both valuable opportunities for personal growth and pose substantial challenges. It is often stated that one can never truly realize their full potential without venturing into the realm of uncertainty and taking calculated risks. Personally, I have found that embracing risks has underscored the extent of my inner strength and resilience. The adversities I have encountered throughout my life were characterized as “risky” endeavors, yet I have not only conquered them but continue to navigate these challenges with unwavering determination. Read more>>

Kayissa Green | Boutique Owner and Credit Repair Counselor

I think about taking risks by evaluating and estimating the ending result. I personally feel like “the greater the risk, the greater the reward!” I don’t want to feel like I missed out on my blessing because I didn’t have enough faith to the work that needed to be done in order to receive it! Risk taking has gotten me further than my doubts would’ve. Read more>>

Slagle | Recording Artist , Entrepreneur.

I think about risk being good and bad. It’s important to take risks but I try to be as calculated as possible before taking a risk. I believe in creativity over certainty. If I can be creative and add value to something I’m gonna thrive. If I follow certainty like take the easy job or easy path , I know I’m gonna be bored and not have much want to be productive. Taking risks have played a developmental role in learning how to navigate my business, for ex. Trying a new marketing strategy. There’s no guarantee it’ll work. With the right preparation the odds may be higher of it happening. If it doesn’t work , you learn what not to do next time . Read more>>

Paula Kramer | Owner, Operator Baguette Magic, Kultura Charleston, Chile Dulce Hot Sauce

I could be in the minority, but I think going into any business is taking a risk. No matter how prepared I feel for new projects there are always surprises. Samantha and I felt so prepared when we took over Baguette Magic in November of 2019. With COVID shutdowns just months later, to say it was a roller coaster would be an understatement. My perspective is that I would rather take risks and fail than not to have tried at all. Believe me when I say I have had some fails! Looking back though, those fails have truly helped shape the way we run our businesses. Read more>>