“What would you do if you weren't afraid?”

-Spencer Johnson

After my father passed away when I was very young, my mother – a teacher – dreamed to see me in a steady full-time job. Climbing the corporate ladder was the gold standard. So, when I made it to a managerial position she was thrilled, and I was too – for having made her proud.

For us 9 to 5 folks this dream, the gold standard, trains us to be risk averse. It makes us comfortable in the cycle of steady paychecks – despite marginal yearly wage growth, mortgage payments, and retirement accounts. Saving for a few weeks of vacation, cars, or some other indulgences reinforces our feeling of security, though rarely satisfies our desires. This tentativeness is generally even more pronounced in women, who are conditioned to keep their head down and be grateful for what they have. A risk averse 9 to 5 job further closes women off in a society which already puts them into a box.

Entrepreneurship,...