Based in Delaware, Dr. Deserae Raphael maintains a varied entrepreneurial career, including serving as founder of Sound The Alarm, LLC. As a local education representative with Elwyn Inc., she facilitates special education services for kids with intellectual and physical differences. Dr. Deserae Raphael advocates on behalf of up to 150 families, helping children transition to kindergarten and gain access to speech and language therapy, as well as tailored instruction.
Dr. Raphael’s grew up in a religious family and persevered through 10 years of life with epilepsy. Throughout this, she followed her dreams, pursuing activities such as evangelism, praise team dancing, choral singing, and church theater. Her faith in the healing power of God ultimately enabled her to overcome her condition and gain lasting wellness.
Dr. Raphael shares her belief in the potential of faith-aided transformation as the author of books such as You Are So Blessed! (women’s and men’s editions) and the soon-to-be released Teach My Hands to War: We Wrestle not Against Flesh. Drawing on her experience as a devoted mother, Dr. Raphael has also authored the children’s interactive book I Like the Way God Made Me.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
My typical day begins with thankfulness, meditation, prayer, and exercise. I perform my work duties and later work on various charity projects.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I bring my ideas to life by listing or drawing them out, praying over the ideas with scripture or meditation, and then creating measurable action steps.
What’s one trend that excites you?
A trend that excites me is the pure movement of the prophetic anointing among the youth.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Following a consistent morning routine helps me be productive.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Do whatever you can or whatever God tells you to do at your best and let God handle the rest.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Pray for others like you would pray for yourself.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I go to a quiet place think, meditate, and sleep.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Investing in great mentors allows you move at exponential rates. They give you all the wisdom without having to go through their life experiences.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
One career failure was not believing in myself for a promotion. Prepare for your greatness in all seasons. Your experiences are working for you.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A powerful business idea would be to create a faith-based multimedia platform for children that integrates interactive books, music, theater, and dance rooted in Christian values. With the rising need for wholesome, spiritually enriching content for youth, this platform could serve as both educational and ministerial, helping children grow in both faith and creativity—much like the work I’m already doing through my books, songs, and teachings.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
One software that likely enhances my productivity is Canva. As a creative professional involved in writing, publishing, and designing content (like books, workbooks, and clothing lines), Canva would help me design engaging visuals for my educational resources, promotional materials, and social media outreach with ease and professionalism.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
My favorite podcasts to watch are:
Manna-Fest with Perry Stone—amazing perspective merging Judeo-Christian teachings.
The Dharius Daniels Podcast—outstanding teachings on how to navigate life’s challenges effectively.
Apostle Joshua Giles: one of the most astute and accurate prophets of this time.
Dr. Cindy Trimm—a prolific teacher, entrepreneur, mentor, and prayer warrior.
Real Talk Kim—experienced and authentic influencer and pastor.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
Matlock—I like clean dramas that make a person think.
Key learnings
- It is important to complete self-inventory of oneself; present people with your best self.
- Live your best life now in such a way that you want to be remembered.
- Treat people with kindness.