Source: The Peswa YouTube

The Ghanaian entrepreneur opens up about body image, grief, creativity and the unexpected journey that turned KHOI into a distinctive jewellery and lifestyle brand.

In a deeply personal episode of The Peswa Podcast, entrepreneur and founder Hayet Rida opened up about the experiences, struggles and unexpected moments that have shaped her life and the creation of KHOI.

The conversation went far beyond entrepreneurship. It touched on body image, grief, creativity, reinvention, books, community and the courage to keep creating even when life does not go according to plan.

Rida described the podcast conversation as feeling almost like therapy, saying the host managed to “tap into my brain” in a way that made the interview different from the typical questions entrepreneurs are often asked.

From a Failed Collection to KHOI

KHOI did not begin as a carefully planned jewellery empire.

Rida explained that she had developed a collection called Koi Studio while working at a company that eventually went bankrupt before the collection could be released. She was left with branded packaging and decided to use it to start her own jewellery business.

Her initial thinking was simple: start a small jewellery brand, sell until the packaging ran out and move on.

Instead, the packaging ran out about three and a half years ago but KHOI continued to grow.

That unexpected beginning also helped shape the brand’s identity. The packaging was originally intended for fine jewellery, while Rida was selling much more affordable pieces. Rather than seeing that as a problem, she embraced the contrast and turned it into part of KHOI’s appeal: a high-end experience without an equally high price point.

Turning Stories Into Jewellery

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of Rida’s creative process is that she doesn’t describe herself as a traditional jewellery designer.

Instead, she describes herself as someone who can turn almost anything into an accessory.

A stop sign could inspire an earring. A braid could become part of a pair of sunglasses. Her designs often emerge from objects, memories and stories from her own life.

That approach has become part of what makes KHOI distinctive.

Rather than simply following fashion trends, Rida takes personal experiences and transforms them into physical objects.

“You can’t really copy me because you don’t have the stories that led to the pieces.”

It is a powerful idea for entrepreneurs and creatives: personal experiences can become intellectual property when they are transformed into something uniquely yours.

When Grief Took Away Her Creativity

The conversation took an even more emotional turn when Rida spoke about losing someone close to her and how grief affected her creativity.

She explained that after her husbands death, she struggled to design. Creativity had previously felt natural to her, but suddenly she could no longer access that part of herself.

Rather than abandoning her creative work, she began experimenting with bags, using existing jewellery materials in different ways. Eventually, she returned to basic shapes and essentially began teaching herself how to create again.

Her experience led her to become much more protective of her mental space and creativity.

For Rida, protecting her peace is not simply about personal wellbeing. It is also about protecting the part of herself that allows her to create.

How Grief Became a Bookmark

One of the most remarkable stories from the interview involved something as simple as a bookmark.

During her period of grief, Rida said she did not want traditional condolence flowers. Instead, she asked people to bring her books.

She would spend time reading while grieving, with books and tissues beside her. Eventually, she began using the tissue as a bookmark and decided to design one for herself.

A friend saw it and encouraged her to produce it.

The result was extraordinary.

The bookmarks sold out four times in one day, moving through multiple rounds of pre-orders. The product eventually attracted attention from The New York Times.

What began as an object created during one of the most painful periods of her life became a successful product and eventually an opportunity to build community around reading.

Building a Community Around Books

Rida’s love for physical books also led to the creation of the Reader Circle, a community within KHOI for people who share her passion for reading.

The idea is rooted in something she believes strongly about brands: a community cannot simply be manufactured. It has to come from something genuine.

As a passionate reader herself, Rida wanted to bring other readers together, design bookmarks inspired by books she loves and create spaces where people could share their reading experiences.

She also wants KHOI’s pop-ups to support independent and Black-owned bookshops by bringing readers into those spaces.

It turns a product into something bigger: a brand, a community and a shared experience.

The Power of Starting Again

Rida’s journey is also a story of reinvention.

She previously created another business, which went through different forms before eventually becoming a hospitality brand. She described the process almost humorously as changing “costumes” rather than seeing each reinvention as a failure.

That attitude runs through much of her story.

She has experienced career disruption, grief, creative blocks and uncertainty. Yet each time, she found another way to create.

Her message is ultimately about permission.

Rida said she wants to be remembered as someone who gave people permission to start something, be themselves and try something new. Her hope is that someone will one day say:

I did this because I saw Hayet do it.

A Story Bigger Than Entrepreneurship

Hayet Rida’s conversation on The Peswa Podcast is not simply another founder story.

It is a reminder that businesses are often built from experiences that cannot be captured in a business plan.

KHOI emerged from an unexpected opportunity. Its designs grew from Rida’s personal stories. Its bookmarks emerged from grief. Its reading community grew from a genuine love of books.

And perhaps that is what makes the story so compelling.

Sometimes the thing that makes a business different is not what you planned to create but what life taught you to create.

For African entrepreneurs and creatives, Rida’s journey offers a powerful lesson: your story, your experiences and even the difficult chapters of your life can become part of what makes your work impossible to replicate.