5 Stories Of Women Taking Risks — & Winning

Ask any woman how she got to where she is today, and you'll be in for a long story. The truth is, the road to realizing one's dreams is full of diversions and wrong turns. For some women, it’s a never-ending journey full of big risks, multiple shifts, and giant leaps of faith. Those can include moving to a city where you don’t know a soul, deciding to spend the rest of your life with your kindred spirit, or refusing a promotion to pursue an entirely different career path. And, sometimes we follow our gut only to realize we need to shift gears yet again — and that's a good thing.

Channeling Cartier's wish-themed Amulette collection, we tapped five women who have followed that instinct — detours included — to chart their own course. Ahead, R29's own EIC Christene Barberich and four women who inspire her discuss their unique paths, how they deciphered what they really wanted, and what it took to get there. From a model who just had her first solo art show to a one-time budding Vogue staffer who pivoted to human-rights activism, we decode their drive and find out what's on the docket for their next acts. And, with each wearing a bejeweled talisman, they not only have talent but also luck on their side. Of course, they don't need too much of that.