Meet Kori Cortez

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kori Cortez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kori, thank you so much for joining us today and appreciate you talking about a sensitive topic. It’s unfortunately relevant to so many in the community as layoffs have been on the rise recently, and so we’d appreciate hearing your story and how you overcame being let go?

That was one of the most unexpected and challenging things I’ve had to do. My job was impacted by a large, company layoff and I didn’t realize how much I attached my identity to my work until this happened. I was crushed, hurt, betrayed, confused, angry, all the emotions I didn’t want to feel. For being someone who hit every goal, every target, had great rapport with every team I worked with – I couldn’t understand it. Why me? Why now? What did I do wrong? HR gave me no straight answers, not even a sorry. Just a cold, “your position is being eliminated and it has nothing to do with your performance.” I threw my phone after the call and didn’t stop crying for 3 days straight. I was my own, sole-provider. This couldn’t happen.

But it did and I slipped into a deep depression that I couldn’t crawl out of. Many colleagues sent me referrals and I had lots of interviews. Even with 8 years of experience in the cybersecurity industry though, I couldn’t land anything. I was well qualified, but I think my anger and depression must’ve been leaking between my words and tone, killing my shots of getting hired. I didn’t share the news with my friends or family until months later because I was so embarrassed. Surely everyone would’ve thought it WAS my fault and I messed up my perfect career. They couldn’t know I wasn’t working – in my head, that would’ve meant my identity was gone. Done. I had no other purpose in life. My career was my identity.

Months went by, still no job and I could feel my resentment towards the cyber industry building. I can’t remember how, because I don’t recall intentionally looking (that time was also a blur), but I was looking at an empty commercial space online and pictured it as a storefront. For what exactly? I wasn’t sure. I no concept of running a retail store, but selling “home stuff” seemed like a good fit for me since I already had a small, design and styling business on the side for the last few years. The agent set an appointment with me to see the space the next day, but it turned out someone already signed the lease and they had another, slightly bigger space, two doors down. I loved it and submitted for my LLC and claimed my domain that night.

This would be the project to pull me out of this layoff depression, I thought. Even after signing the lease though, I wasn’t any happier. Just a bit distracted and used it as something to focus on. I felt like I was just going through the motions of painting walls and building shelves. It wasn’t until I had my grand opening that I felt a lift. People actually showed up. Strangers that I’d never met before were excited to shop at the store. I felt a sense of purpose again. There’s something about developing an idea from scratch and see it come to life that was so satisfying. I wasn’t doing that in cyber, where this was actually mine.

After opening the store, I had more cyber interviews trickle in and was offered a contract job a few months after opening (of course). That’s when I knew my layoff depression and desperation was gone, and my happiness was back. I was good at it, but didn’t need to attach my identity to cybersecurity anymore. After 8 months of being unemployed, searching for work, countless breakdowns of feeling worthless, (and opening a storefront), I took the contract job I was offered. Finding balance between running the store and working full time in cyber is another story. But I did it and know that if I wasn’t laid off, I would’ve never opened Spilled Milk or uncovered this current chapter in my life.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’ll share a little around where my roots of home design and styling came from. Before I opened Spilled Milk, my home decor store in the Arts District of Las Vegas, I set up at many markets selling my macrame, vintage home goods, thrifted clothing. etc. That was part of my design business, Koki Design, that I started in 2020. I grew that from just markets to designing homes and commercial spaces. This was my small business on the side that kept my creativity going and where I got to tap into my girly side while I still worked in cybersecurity with mostly older men – where the choice of wallpaper in the lobby that I paid attention to and desperately wanted to talk about was never in our conversations. Ha. I developed my passion for home design and home projects in 2016, when I bought my first home in Washington. It was built in 1946 and needed a LOT of love. I gave it that love and made it cozy and modern. When I sold it to move to Las Vegas, the buyers asked if they could purchase it furnished – that’s when I knew it wasn’t just me who thought my style was cute. From there I got the courage to share more of my DIYs on my Koki Design page and grew my following in Las Vegas in between working my tech job.

Spilled Milk is sort of a development of Koki Design. I still have Koki and get hired to reimagine spaces and get asked very often where I find the pieces I style with. I can now direct them to Spilled Milk, where they can purchase some of those things. Spilled Milk is filled with my design style – bold quirky pieces, and some subtle ones to complement them. I’ve always thought plants enhance homes and bring spaces to life (having 30ish plants myself), so we of course carry a lot of plants too. In addition to home decor, we also sell bar/glassware, books, pottery, art, accent furniture and lots of great gifts. We also host DIY workshops (floral, pottery, macrame, etc.) and a monthly Planty Hour! Which is where we offer free plant pottings and you can meet fellow plant lovers 🙂

When coming up with the concept of Spilled Milk, I knew I wanted this ombre/ light-dark basis, and have merchandised it that way. There are many, many, many ups and downs that we have to face in life. And for me, 2023 I was at an ultimate down between the lay-off, multiple family deaths, Koki Design markets were not doing so hot, I had just bought a house before the layoff, stress piled on stress, etc. I found my way to come back up, thankfully. But I do believe your home needs to be the most comfortable space so you can ride out those highs and lows in peace. Feeling moody? Find that corner or nook and make it moodier so you can be there and feel those emotions in comfort. Just received the best news of a day? Have a bright and cheerful living room and feel the liveliness flow through. Some call shopping “consumerism”, I say it’s finding pieces that truly make you happy and creating spaces that you are the most comfortable in. I also tie roots of the light and dark side of the store to someone very close to me who suffers from bi-polar disorder and have committed to donating a portion of our profits to bi-polar foundations.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Courage. You have got to have some courage to start something new. It is so so scary to embark on new journeys with endless unknowns. I KNOW. But one thing will lead to another and you will figure things out along the way. Just because something is hard, does not mean it’s not possible.
Designing spaces for other people before opening Spilled Milk was very helpful for me to learn about design styles others gravitate towards. Yes I have my own style, but understanding that there are other opinions out there and not being offended if someone doesn’t like the same thing you like was absolutely necessary in being able to curate collections at a larger scale for the store. Staying up to date on trends in your industry is also crucial. Doesn’t mean you have to “do” everything that’s trending, but figuring out how to add a little slice of it helps you stay relevant. For my vertical, I’m not a fan of the 2025 Pantone Color of the year. But people pay attention to it, so I will likely find accent pieces that complement it at least.
If you are early in your journey, go out and network! I hated when people told me that because I am an introverted weirdo at heart and get social anxiety with clamy hands, sweaty pits, and want the walls to hold me up. But if you can get through it for even an hour, it’s SO helpful. I have received more opportunities than not, just for showing up to things and having brief conversations. Even if you’re not new to your industry, you stay top of mind by showing up.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

Sometimes you just gotta cry it out when you’re overwhelmed. I felt these moments several times when I was trying to find balance between the store, my cyber job, and my relationship. It was so hard in the beginning and I questioned what I was doing and why I was doing so much. I remember finally breaking down and my boyfriend found me crying in the corner behind my desk. It was after a frustrating meeting with my cyber job, someone called out from the shop, he and I were in a tiff about something, and my rental property needed immediate attention. I grew up with the stigma of if you let anything out, you’re weak. So I was trying to be my usual strong self and keep it all in, but that was clearly not helping me. Vocalizing how overwhelmed I was to him did help. Getting reassurance that I was doing fine somehow let my brain reorder and tackle things as they needed, and gave our relationship a bit of a lift as well. Sharing how you’re feeling, even if it’s just a little blurb, helps those around you understand why you might be acting a certain way and clears the air of faults (plus they might be able to help you).
I’m not great at giving advice, but I’d say, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, share a little and cry it out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.spilledmilkstore.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spilledmilkstore/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kori-cortez

Image Credits

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