How My Toxic Ex Taught Me to Start a Business

The Relationship That Almost Broke Me Apart

We looked picture-perfect on Instagram. Brunches, couple selfies, birthday posts with captions like “Ride or Die.” What you didn’t see was the silent treatment, the gaslighting, the subtle digs that chipped away at my confidence until I barely recognized myself.

I was in a relationship that didn’t just hurt emotionally—it stunted me mentally and creatively. I stopped writing. I stopped dreaming. I became smaller for what he was comfortable with.

It took me two years and one final blow to finally leave. I didn’t just walk away from a relationship—I walked away from a version of myself that was too quiet to love.

Rediscovering Yourself at Rock Bottom

Heartbreak is funny. You think the pain will kill you, but what actually happens is clear.

I had no job at the time, no savings, and a mountain of self-doubt. But I also had space — for the first time in years. No one to ask for permission from. No one to please except me.

One night, at 2 a.m., I pulled out an old notebook filled with ideas I’d kept throughout my relationship. Business names. Product sketches. Blog topics. The start of something that made me feel alive for once.

That night, I bought a domain name for $9. This small act of rebellion felt like planting a flag in my own future.

The business that came from the pain

The idea was simple: create empowering digital planners and mindset tools for people going through transitions—breakups, burnouts, identity shifts. I called it Reset Club.

It started small: an Etsy listing, a Canva template. I had no formal training. Just instinct, furious motivation, and hours of YouTube tutorials.

Within a month, I made my first sale. It was $4.99. I screamed like I had won the lottery.

Within three months, I had made over $500. Not much — but enough to prove that this wasn’t just a healing project. It was a business.

Lessons from My Toxic Ex (Yes, Really)

The wild part is: I wouldn’t have started my own business without him.

He didn’t support my dreams. He didn’t believe in my ideas. He wanted me to be small, acceptable, manageable.

And in trying to be him, I lost everything that made me who I am. But that loss? It created a hunger. A decluttering. A need to create something that no one could ever take away from me.

He showed me what I never wanted to feel again. And that fire became fuel.

From Pain to Gain (and Peace)

Reset Club now has over 1,500 sales. I’ve expanded to digital courses, affirmation decks, and a newsletter with nearly 2,000 subscribers. I still work part-time elsewhere, but this business? It’s mine.

And every time I get a review that says, “This helped me feel in control again” — I feel like I’m giving people what I wish I had during those dark days.

It turns out you don’t need a perfect plan. Just a reason. And sometimes, heartbreak is the best reason of all.