After gracing the airwaves for years on end on prime time news, Terryanne Chebet’s media stint ground to a halt after an unceremonious exit which necessitated the now 43-year-old mother of two to curate her next step.
That she did by venturing into entrepreneurship, albeit by chancing upon it. Now a revered city businesswoman, Chebet lets The Sauce in on all that she has been up to.
How has her transition been thus far? “It has been an exciting ride, to say the very least. When you have done one thing for a very long time, it is very possible to restrict yourself to just that and think it is the only thing you are capable of excelling in. Discovering new strengths and talents I did not necessarily know I had, after working in television for so long. Exploring new spaces for the last few years has been spectacular for me. Having a support system in the middle of a transition has also come in handy a lot,” she intimates, adding that getting out of a comfort zone is an encounter that everybody should get to live.
The Keyara Organics proprietor divulges: “I got into skincare almost by default. My first born daughter has eczema (an inflammatory dry skin condition caused by a myriad factors like environmental triggers and stress). A dermatologist suggested that I try using shea butter on her, which is rare and only found in Northern Uganda and West Africa. It dawned on me that other mothers were looking for the same product. That was my turning point. In no time, I had kickstarted the business. We now have a range of 16 products, both in skincare and haircare.”
The entrepreneur donned short ‘dos during her TV tenure, unlike her counterparts. Recently, she cut off her hair and sported a completely bald look. “I wish there was a grand reason behind the switch-up. I have been going hard in the gym and the hair was getting in the way of that. Having to wash my hair everyday just wasn’t working and I resolved to cut it all off. The barber had to ask me for second thoughts as he could not believe I was really about to do it. I also really wanted to try a new look and I’m growing to love it by the day. Will I have the bald look forever? Not really – I grow bored easily so odds are high that I will switch it up again,” she adds.
Typically a reserved person with an almost squeky clean reputation, Chebet admits that she is dating, weeks after cryptically hinting at it with a silhouette weeks ago. “I just decided to share that part of my life because it felt right. We have been together for a while now and I have nothing to hide, I’m just inherently private. I’m in a very happy place. I respect his space and privacy, so being discrete nature helps,” she concludes.
