The Unstoppable Life: Why A Backup Plan Is Your Secret Weapon For Success With Raven Lake

 

When disruption hits, are you ready? Meet Raven Lake, a corporate powerhouse, successful entrepreneur, law student, wife, and mother of four who doesn’t just manage chaos—she engineers her life and career to withstand it. As a Business Resiliency Advisor, Raven helps major organizations prepare for the unexpected, a skill she applies to every facet of her own demanding life, from her baking business, RavensKravings, to her family’s long-term goals. She lives by a simple, powerful mantra: Always have a Back Up Plan. In this episode, Raven shares how embracing resilience, education, and strategic planning can turn your ‘excuse list’ into an unstoppable roadmap, proving that success isn’t about stumbling into fortune, but about having a well-engineered path for when things don’t go according to plan.

Music courtesy of Dealer’s Choice Sound Recordings, Inc.

Music artist: djezi

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The Unstoppable Life: Why A Backup Plan Is Your Secret Weapon For Success With Raven Lake

Welcome back to the show where we sit down with the boldest, most brilliant minds who are building on purpose, living with intention, and refusing to choose between who they are and what they do.

We have a guest who is going to wreck your excuse list in the best way.

No excuses surviving this episode.

Resilience & Career Foundations

Our guest is a corporate powerhouse, a faith-driven entrepreneur, a law school candidate, a wife, and a mother of four. Somehow, she makes it look like a plan she has mapped out on a Sunday afternoon.

She’s a business resiliency advisor at Fiserv, helping major organizations prepare for and withstand disruption. She’s also the Founder of RavensKravings, a baking business built on clean ingredients, family memories, and love. She is studying Political Science at Florida International University with law school firmly in her sights. Through it all, she’s building a legacy alongside her husband, Leon, and their four children.

This is not someone who stumbled into success. This is someone who has engineered her life around resilience, not just as a professional skill, but as a way of being.

Open your notes app, grab your journal, and get ready to be stretched. It is our absolute honor to welcome to the show the brilliant, unstoppable Raven Lake.

 

 

Raven Lake, welcome to the show.

How are you, ladies?

Our audience will know by the end of this that you are one of my favorite people. I can’t wait to get into this conversation. We’re going to go back to where things started. You’ve built this career around helping organizations withstand disruption, but resilience clearly runs deeper than your job title. We’d love to know where you grew up, how that shaped you, who you are now, and maybe how you first discovered that resilience was more than a skill for you, that it’s who you are.

That’s a good question to start off with. I always tell people I’m a Floridian at heart. I grew up down in South Florida.

That means not Miami.

Not Miami, but twenty minutes away from Miami. Broward County.

Fort Lauderdale.

Is that still considered South Florida to you?

It is, but people from Miami are like people from LA or New York. They’re like, “I’m from LA,” or, “I’m from Miami.” They say it.

I’m from Broward County, and I grew up in the Fort Lauderdale area. I was always moving around. I can’t pinpoint and say, “I grew up in the city of Tamarac,” or “I grew up in the city of Lauderdale.” We were moving around as children. Living in Broward County, mostly the Fort Lauderdale area, shaped me to be who I am. I know it’s cliché to say, but I say it all the time. I have a good combination of street smart and book smart because of it.

I’ve learned to be able to watch my back, what to look out for, how to conduct myself, and how I don’t want to conduct myself. It’s who I am right now, and I’m loud with it. I’m flamboyant, but in a tasteful way. I’m not obnoxious. Growing up in an underprivileged area lets you see how I want to be when I get older, for sure.

I can champion the fact that you are very much an animated person. You’re going to know exactly where you stand, but such a bubbly spirit. I don’t know that all people come out of what you described with the same grace and style. Is there anyone in particular that you attribute that to, or is that how you were wired?

I feel like it was how I was wired. I didn’t have anybody that I identified with when I was younger, saying, “They made me who I am today,” or, “I act like them because of this.” I always knew that smiling was easier than frowning. I’ve always smiled up. I’m always like, “How are you? Hey, gorgeous. Hey, beautiful,” because it was easier. I’ve always made good connections with people that way.

Once I realized that it was a skill I had, it was always on. People are like, “You’re so fake.” I’m like, “No, I’m happy. I am going through something at home. I could be getting evicted when I was younger, but I’m happy. Things could be a lot worse.” Once I realized it was something that I could use, people liked, and wasn’t too much, it stuck with me forever.

You get more flies with honey than vinegar, right?

There we go. Exactly. The amount of connections I’ve made by people remembering my personality is crazy. They go, “I love Raven. She’s so awesome.” Can I be a personality hire sometimes? Maybe, but I know myself.

As a business resilience advisor, you help organizations prepare for the unexpected. Certainly, that is needed. What are the biggest mistakes you see companies make when it comes to resilience planning, and what’s the first thing you recommend that they fix?

A lot of companies don’t plan ahead. A lot of companies don’t have a business continuity management program instilled in their business and their departments. They think, “Something’s never going to happen,” or, “If it happens, we know what to do.” You may know what to do, but Bob, Sally, and Bill don’t know what to do. They don’t know how to conduct themselves or what strategies they should complete if something were to happen. The good thing about having a business continuity plan is that it gets you ready. It prepares you for the worst-case scenario. It tells you exactly what you should do if some type of disruption were to happen.

The good thing about having a business continuity plan is that it prepares you for the worst-case scenario and tells you exactly what to do if a disruption occurs. Share on X

I want to turn towards your learner’s mindset. You completed your associate degree in Criminal Justice and are pursuing Political Science at FIU with law school on the horizon. What drives you to keep pursuing education while managing a full career, a business, a husband, and four children?

Education & Personal Drive

It’s a lot. If I can be frank, some days are better than others, but I know that I want to finish what I started. I know that I have this drive and passion to be in law. Every time I try to put it down and focus on something else, I know I want to be a lawyer. I know I was made for the end goal to be a judge, so I keep going and keep doing it.

My mom always told me, “Even if you take one class a semester, who cares? At least you’re getting closer to the goal.” That is what I did for my associate’s degree. I didn’t rush it. I said, “One class or two classes, let’s see what happens.” At times, it didn’t feel tangible. That’s what I told Angela. I was like, “It  doesn’t feel tangible,” and she was like, “Keep going.” That’s exactly what I did. No matter if I didn’t have any student aid and I was paying out of pocket, I kept going.

I want our children to see that it is possible. It is something that you can do. Don’t let anyone tell you that education isn’t important because it is. I didn’t think it was at first. I thought to myself, “I have a six-figure job already. I don’t have any education, just a high school diploma, and I’m making it. Why do I need it?” You need it. I said to myself, “I need it. I  need to finish what I started.” If the company I work for now sees my value and understands my value, that doesn’t mean that the next company will.

Tell us a little bit more about that. It sounds like you gave an example of why you feel like you need the education piece. Clearly, there are going to be arguments in both camps around that. What made it clear and evident to you that you need that piece of paper?

At the time, it wasn’t anything regarding work. I’ve been working for the same company for the last couple of years. I’ve seen people come, and I’ve seen people go. You never think it’s going to happen to you when it comes to layoffs, but it’s true. It can happen to you. When I thought to myself, “You already have a bunch of credits. Why not keep going?”

You never think layoffs will happen to you, but the truth is—they can. Share on X

At some point, I was like, “People are getting laid off. What happens if it does happen to me?” I say, “Do it. What is hurting me to try? If I get a C in one class, I get an A. Try to get an A. Try to get a B. Try to do it.” I always said Cs get degrees.” I was like, “Let’s keep going.” Luckily, as I got older, finishing the associate degree, it was easier. I was like, “Is my brain more developed so that I can get this work done like this?” That’s what kept the fire in me to keep going and doing it.

I would imagine that your focus is much more directed. You don’t have a lot of time because you’re wearing hats as a mom, certainly, your career, and then also as a wife, your daughter, and all the other things. Can we go back a little bit? You mentioned your desire to become a judge. Where did your love of the law come from, and then how does it dovetail into what you’re doing as far as business resiliency and risk?

When I grew up, my mom used to always watch Judge Judy. She watched her day and night. Nobody could stand Judge Judy because she was so mean. Everyone wanted to watch Judge Joe Brown and Judge Matthews because it was funny, but I was watching Judge Judy. I’m like, “That’s not what she asked you. Stick to the facts.”

As I continued to watch it and me being able to talk to people and explain myself, wanting to do research, and wanting to understand the why behind everything, I’m like, “I should be a lawyer because I can argue someone down.” I’m very quick with it, too. The quickness came from growing up in the hood. You have to be quick on your feet if someone says something to you.

When I’ve said to people, “I want to be a lawyer,” they say, “I can see that for you.” Them saying that to me, I’m like, “That’s the path I’m going to go down. I want to be a lawyer. I want to be an attorney. Once I become an attorney, I want to sit on the bench and make decisions. I want to be able to impact someone and say, I’m going to give you a chance. I’m going to help you, or you need a little bit more jail time to think about what you did. You need a little bit of rehabilitation.” It was always those types of incidents or scenarios when I was younger that instilled it in me that this is what I want to do.

As it relates to business resiliency, I get the chance working in the position I’m in to see so many different roles within this organization I work for. One of the business groups I work with is the legal group. Even though they are discussing contracts and the language of those contracts, I’m finding myself in those meetings with them and saying, “What about this?” or, “This language isn’t right.”

I’m seeing how they’re arguing in a good, professional way about this language, and I’m like, “This is what I like. I like to do research. I like to talk about it. I like to talk it through. Let’s keep going. I’m going to keep doing it.” It started when I was younger, and then it translates to what I’m doing now because I do get to work with those different business groups that are also doing things in legal.

That’s so important. You have some tangible, in-your-face experience with attorneys. Many people go through undergrad, a full four years, and have never touched or talked to a person who does what they think they want to do, including physicians. Sylvia, we both know people who went through a med school, and then when they started having to deal with actual patients, they realized, “This is not for me.” That’s fantastic. If it’s not in your job and your sphere, seek that out. Seek some type of experience where you can speak with somebody, whether it’s a mentor, work experience, or volunteer experience in a field that you think you want to go into.

Agreed.

Let’s talk a little bit about one of your other plans, whether it is Plan B, Plan C, or altogether. RavensKravings, which I’ve had the opportunity to taste, and it is delicious, you’ve built this baking business rooted in creating less processed desserts and making memories for your families. I know this is a passion for you, but when did you realize it was more than a hobby and that you were in the process of building something?

What do you bake? Is it cupcakes, cookies, or pound cakes? I need to know.

I like to make everything, but Ravens Kravings is specifically built on desserts. If I’m craving a cake, cookies, or cinnamon rolls, I’m going to make it 15 or 20 times until I perfect it, and then I say, “I’m going to sell it to someone else.” I made my first tiered cake. I sent it to Carl and Angela. He was like, “This is fabulous.” It’s my first time making a cake, and I made it for someone. I decorated it so nicely, and I shocked myself. Anything dessert-based is what I make.

When it comes to knowing the moment when it’s more than just a hobby, it was when people outside my family started tasting what I was making. The reaction I would get almost gave me a dopamine high. I was like, “They like my food that much, something I made.” When they started wanting to pay me for it, like, “I’ll pay you to make me a dozen cookies,” I’d be like, “You’re going to pay me? Is it that good?” That’s what I knew. I’m like, “I have something more than baking in my home. I’ll share it with the world.”

We know that running a food business is tough. How do you apply your corporate resilience expertise to RavensKravings, especially when things sometimes don’t go as planned?

Applying Resilience To Business & Life

It is all about having a backup plan for me. If I know ahead of time that ABC will happen, I’m going to do X, Y, and Z after. I am big on having a backup plan. I teach my children that. I teach my friends that. Have a backup plan. If I’m preparing for a vendor event and I know potentially that I could be running late, I’m like, “What am I going to do if I don’t get there in time?”

I’m going to call the vendor personally. I’m going to think about this. If I can’t get into the vendor event, I’m going to post on Facebook to sell. What happens if I can’t sell on Facebook? I use it as an opportunity to build new clientele with a shipping tip. I ship it to you, and you tell me how it tastes. Give me some feedback, so I can make the product better.

Can I give you my address for a shipment and a tip?

Please.

It’s worth it.

Angela was one of the first people who was part of my “Tell me the good, bad, and ugly of my product.” I’m always going to find a way out of a bad situation. Even if I couldn’t get to that vendor event, I’m going to do A, B, and C, and let’s see what happens after. That’s one of the main connections to what I do. That’s exactly what business resiliency is. It is about having a plan. When you have a plan, you know what you’re going to execute on once you’ve made that plan. That’s how I live every day. Every single part of my life, I’m always thinking about A, B, C, and D as a backup plan.

 

 

We talk a lot about resiliency, especially for young people. How do you think we can do a better job of teaching young people how to be resilient?

This is the same thing with corporations. You’ve got to get the buy-in from them. You have to get the buy-in for them to understand the value in it. I don’t bark orders at my children. I explain to them the why behind it. I’m like, “You’re not looking at it from a, “What happens if this happens?” lens. Understand the why behind it and what happens if it doesn’t go right.” I feel that’s truly how you connect with other people, by explaining the why, not barking orders.

You’re not telling them what to do. We clearly have a picture already about how you model resilience and teach it. We know that your oldest is going to the Air Force, and your other children are thriving academically, emotionally, and all of those things. How intentional have you been in modeling resiliency for them? What do you hope they’ve absorbed from watching you? Is it an intentional thing in terms of resiliency, or is this part of the process for you?

Modeling Resilience For Children

It is part of the process. Most importantly, what I hope they get from me, in general, as their mom, is someone who’s doing it and doing it gracefully. Also, one of the main things when it comes to it is the same thing I talked about. It is talking it out with them, explaining the why, and not trying to do everything for them. I want to hear you talk about a solution. Even if it’s not the right solution, we’re going to talk it through. When we talk it through, then we can plan A, B, C, or D as a backup plan.

I’m not listening to them to give me a fake solution or anything like that. I’m listening to see where your brain is at. Let’s fix it together so that we can smooth it out and refine it. You can go then along with your day because you know that you’ve talked this through with your parent and have also come up with plan A, B, C, or D as a backup.

I am very intentional about how I raised them and using what I’ve learned from business resiliency to incorporate it into every day for even my husband. Sometimes, he gets tired of me. I’m like, “What’s the backup plan?” He’s like, “Nothing’s happening yet.” I’m like, “Why do we have to wait for it to happen?” That is lesson 101 for business resiliency. Don’t wait until it happens. Plan ahead.

As we continue to push forward and improve, things always change, which is why you should have backups A, B, C, or D ready. Share on X

It also sounds like it’s an exercise in continuing to build upon the trust. If I trust you, that means I can come to you and say, “What had happened was,” and then we can figure out how we need to pivot or take the next leap, as we say here on the show. You and your husband, Leon, describe your life together as centered around faith, family, and the long game. What does the long game look like in your household, and then practically on a day-to-day level?

Family, Teamwork, & The Long Game

For us, it is centered around raising the children, which is number one, and also making sure that they help out with vendor events. They understand that I’m not only doing this for myself. The funds, proceeds, and profits go back into the house. Having the children help us every weekend with the vendor events, everyone has their piece that they work with.

I’m not trying to enslave them all weekend. I’m not trying to take away from their life. I’m like, “You take care of this piece, I take care of this piece, and this person who goes with me can take care of this piece.” As we do that, it builds them up to see, number one, this is how life works. This is how a business works. It’s not all peaches and cream. You don’t get to see the end piece on social media. This is how it works.

Honestly, day-to-day for me is making sure that I am caught up on anything legal. As Angela mentioned before, some people go through med school, and they haven’t even touched anything regarding it. I like to immerse myself in the legal world. If I’m cooking, I’m listening to a real courtroom, not Judge  Judy. I’m off Judge Judy.

You’ve evolved.

I’ve evolved to the real courtroom stuff. My son will hear the courtroom going on and is like, “Is someone in court?” I’m like, “Yeah. They are streaming live court.” I’m keeping myself up-to-date with different acronyms and legal lingo that I should know. Also, it gives me a boost. I’m like, “This is where I want to be. This is what I want to do.” That’s how the long game looks for us. As we continue to push on and be better, things always change, but we have back-ups A, B, C, or D for it.

Since I have this vantage point, I have to add that I admire the teamwork that I see you guys have in raising the kids, being on the same page with your business, and having the support. We can’t say enough about partners, friends, and family who may not see your vision completely clearly, but support you 100%. That can certainly make all the difference in the world.

 

 

I’m glad that you have that, and that you’re able to soar and thrive in these dreams that you have that are gradually coming to fruition. Saying all that, you are wearing so many hats, which I admire you for, as a corporate advisor, law school candidate, entrepreneur, wife, and mother of four. Also, you’re so young. I have to add that. How do you manage the mental load of operating at that level without losing yourself in the process?

Self-Care & Persistence Through Challenges

What I tell people all the time is that sometimes, I don’t know that this is a lot. To me, it sounds normal. It sounds like this is what I’m supposed to be doing. No one is coming to save me, so I have to do what I need to do regardless. To me, it doesn’t sound like a lot. I don’t have a specific method for how I deal with the mental load, but I do know I lean on my husband a lot.

On the days that I’m slacking on something, he’s picking up. One of the best things about it is that we have a four-year-old son, and I like to joke that he is all things mommy. He is the mommy. He helps me out in that area. When he sees that I’ve got too much going on, he says, “Babe, can you sit down? I’ll take care of the children. Relax in whatever way you want to relax because I know you’re not going to sit there and relax. Relax, and I’ll take over X and Z.” I’m so thankful for my husband because he is someone that I can truly depend on. When days are heavy, he’s going to pick up the load for me 100%.

Give us some nitty-gritty as far as how you practice self-care when it’s time for you to rest, reset, and refuel.

For me, reset and refuel probably doesn’t sound like reset and refuel for others. I know if I want to get some rest in or reset, I’m going to get my hair washed, and I’m going to go for a manicure. I got one not long ago because I found time. I’m making sure that whenever I am resetting, I have to have a clean space. You can’t reset without a clean space. I’m tidying up, making sure the bed is right, making sure the covers are washed, and the floor is swept. Everything is tidy. Once everything is tidy, I can relax. My guard is down.

You like order.

I am a very orderly and structured person. Once that’s done, I know that I can relax and get into bed. I love nostalgic TV. Anything old, like Heat of the Night, Matlock, Judge Judy, and even Cheaters. I love to watch it because it is such an old show, and it’s based on real life, at least for Cheaters. The Heat of the Night keeps me up-to-date because it’s all about law and order there. Nostalgia TV helps me to relax. It’s 100% my comfort.

I have to age myself. Sylvia might know this name, but when I spoke to you in the past, I asked, “Do you watch Columbo?” You were like, “What’s Columbo?” That was one of my mom’s favorite shows. I love that.

With the trench coat and the hat?

Yes. We’re telling our age, but that’s what we do.

I got to check it out.

You’re good. I think you’ve got enough on your plate. Before we let you go, Raven, we always end with the same question here on the show. We want you to give us that one thing that you would want to let someone who’s reading this episode know. They may be someone who’s in the middle of a hard season, or somebody wondering if they can carry it all. What do you want them to walk away with knowing?

I want anyone who’s going through a hard season to know that it gets better. Do it. Keep at it one day at a time. Nothing is a race. It’s not a rush. No finish line says you have to finish right now. Keep going. Once you keep chipping at it and keep making progress, you look back at that progress and say, “This is how far I’ve gotten. I can keep going.” It’s as simple as that.

Just take it one day at a time. Nothing is a race. There’s no rush and no finish line demanding you finish right now. Just keep going. Share on X

We want our audience to write that down. Screenshot that and put it somewhere where you will see it every morning.

Keep going. Raven, where can people find you? We want to support RavensKravings and keep up with everything you’re doing. How would you like people to reach you?

I’m everywhere. I’m on TikTok. I’m on Facebook. I’m on Instagram. It’s all the same @RavensKravings.

Everyone, please go and follow @RavensKravings. Support her business. Order something sweet because we all deserve a treat after this episode.

Thank you so much.

Thank you. You are fabulous in person, on screen, and everywhere that you go. We are privileged to have had the opportunity to talk to you, and we can’t wait to hear more.

Thank you. Have a great day, ladies.

Thank you so much, Raven. It has been an absolute privilege speaking with you.

Thank you for spending your time with us. If this episode moved you, challenged you, or reminded you of who you’re becoming, please share it. Like, listen, share, and subscribe. Leave us a review at BossleapPodcasts@gmail.com. Tag us, and tell a friend, because that’s how the Boss Leap community grows.

We’ll see you soon with another incredible guest, another story worth reading, and another reason to take your leap. Until next time, may you be well.

 

Important Links

• Fiserv
• Raven Lake on LinkedIn
• RavensKravings on TikTok
• RavensKravings on Facebook
• RavensKravings on Instagram

 

About Raven Lake