Kat Torre

Today I am going to share something related to my own entrepreneurial journey which is not something I talk about often and is one of the things that is called the "yogurt moment,” as one of my leaders, Ryan Serhant, would say.

I will never forget that moment much like Ryan will never forget his yogurt moment because it makes you in a way that is very intangible in the moment but you start to see the tangible effects in the coming weeks, years, months, and even years to come.

So, here we go.

Where it All Began…

My yogurt moment was several years ago. It was on October 10th of 2018 when I decided to leave my partner at that time. I decided to walk away from our business with essentially nothing on paper - no equity, no severance, nothing. The apartment that we shared and claimed as our home office was in his name, in addition to the company truck (our truck), utilities, and even the business itself – all of it was registered in his name. All of this I allowed.

I was given the option to stay but it meant staying in a toxic environment which also meant believing that it was all I was capable of, it was all I was deserving of… or I could leave with only $70 in my pocket.

Starting Over With Everything I Owned

Throughout the relationship, he was always very particular with the image we presented to people, even down to such details as how I wore my makeup, styled my hair, and the clothing I wore. So when I left, everything tangible that I owned was able to fit into two suitcases, my phone, and my Macbook Air which I still have today. The most painful part of leaving was saying goodbye to our dog, Leroy.

I then stayed with a friend for a few weeks until I got back on my feet and I remember that the night I arrived, we had placed all of my belongings onto a bellhop cart. Staring at it... I thought, "WOW, everything I own fits onto this bellhop cart.”

This is the photo… I still have it favorited on my phone as a reminder of how far I’ve come, and how much farther I can truly go in this life.

Finally Choosing Myself

I had poured my blood, sweat, and tears into building a company from the ground up. Things were taking off and I chose to leave. I was responsible for making everything happen – from generating sales to project management to accounting to marketing to hiring and back.

But, leaving meant choosing myself and my sanity. Leaving meant doing a lot of reflection after that experience in my life but it taught me that your "yogurt moment" is the lowest moment of your life and yet it is also the catalyst for everything that you have been putting off - things that you think you couldn't achieve.

"There's NO way I can do this,” you might find yourself saying.

...and all those negative thoughts all go back to your actions creating results.

At the pinnacle of my "yogurt moment", I thought that it was all that I am capable of but was completely wrong.

Growth Creates Crisis

Currently working on 3 startups, I can say that everything I own does not fit onto a bellhop cart anymore. My life today is totally unrecognizable from that "yogurt moment" and as one of my leaders would say "growth creates crisis".

Life is full of challenges. Some will knock you down, but it’s how you handle those challenges that determine whether you bounce back or drown in your emotions and give up. I'd love to hear about your "yogurt moment", feel free to comment or send me a message!

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