The Lessons of an 8-Year IVF Journey

Raquel Bruno is a powerhouse.

The thing I've always loved about Raquel is that she understands perseverance. She knows how to keep going, how to find another way, and how to keep believing when the answer in front of her is no. And nowhere was that perseverance tested more profoundly than on her eight-year road to motherhood through IVF, loss, uncertainty, and ultimately, two incredible children.

Raquel and I have something in common: neither of us has ever been particularly good at accepting the word "no." In our careers and in our lives, "no" has often meant something else entirely:

"So, you're telling me there's a chance".

Raquel is an executive producer, talent manager, CEO, DJ and entrepreneur who has spent decades fiercely advocating for the talent she works with while making sure producing teams get what they need to create an excellent project. She understands that great work happens when talent feels protected, heard and supported—and when everyone involved is working toward the same goal.

But Raquel has never been just one thing.

She grew up surrounded by music. Her mother was a jazz singer. Her father was a songwriter. They rubbed shoulders with Frank Sinatra and Casey Kasam. Music has remained a constant through every version of who she has become, and even now, while running a company and raising two children, she is still behind the turntables. For Raquel, music isn't a hobby. It's a life force.
And then there is her road to motherhood.

Raquel opens up with extraordinary candor about eight years of trying to become a mother, pregnancy loss, multiple rounds of IVF, the emotional and physical toll of infertility, and reaching a point where she felt financially, emotionally and spiritually depleted. Ultimately, a different path led her to become the mother of two incredible children.

It's a conversation about perseverance -but also about learning that not everything can be solved by pushing harder. Sometimes persistence has to make room for patience, surrender, trust and a path you never expected.

And after decades of achieving, producing and proving, Raquel's definition of ambition has changed too. Today, success is about alignment, her children, creativity, choosing the right work - and understanding that freedom is a form of payment and time is a commodity.

Come for the stories. Stay for the lessons.

• Why "no" doesn't always mean no- it can mean not this way

• Raquel's eight-year IVF journey and road to motherhood

• Pregnancy loss and the loneliness of infertility

• How she found the strength to keep going when she felt depleted

• Becoming a mother later in life

• Learning when to persist - and when to surrender

• Why your life doesn't have to follow anyone else's timeline

• Building Drive Entertainment Group and betting on herself

• Recognizing the human being behind the celebrity

• Why kindness and relationships matter so much in entertainment

• Growing up in a musical family

• Why DJing has remained essential to who she is

• Building community through music on Twitch

• Refusing to abandon your creative identity as your life evolves

• A different kind of imposter syndrome

• The danger of shrinking yourself to make other people comfortable

• Why failure can be one of our greatest teachers

• How her definition of ambition has changed with age

Instagram: @RaquelLovesDrive
LinkedIn: Raquel Bruno
Twitch: DJ Aviva - twitch.tv/DJAviva
Website: driveentertainmentgroup.com

Creator / Host / Executive Producer: Julie Kellman Reading
Produced by: Love + Daydreams
Music by: @Moby.Gratis

The Ambition Code: Your Life Is Waiting For You.