Laura Ravo
How she built a successful career in retail leadership.
Get Ready to View Retail in a Whole New Way
The Power of Grit & Grace: A Woman’s Journey to Putting the Heart Back into Retail Leadership
The tools Laura Ravo used to build a successful career in retail leadership. And the tools you can use to do the same.
The world of retail is evolving quickly. The stakes have never been higher—and Laura’s story is a must-read for retail leaders and aspiring leaders. Through her real-life examples, you’ll discover what it takes to succeed as a leader in the exciting but challenging world of retail.
“Here comes a roadmap for navigating a purposeful and successful, fulfilling career. The Power of Grit & Grace demonstrates, through Laura’s own journey, the important balance of the art and science of leadership.”
RANDY SCALISE,
Former EVP, Director of Stores for Macy’s
“The Power of Grit & Grace is a wonderful gift to anyone who reads it! Part memoir, part practical guide, part leadership bible, this book weaves together what it means to be a leader in today’s messy world so beautifully. Any leader can benefit from Laura’s wisdom.”
BRANDON SMITH,
“The Workplace Therapist,” author, speaker and executive coach
“A delightful and practical guide to effective interpersonal leadership and operational excellence. Laura blends humorous and compelling personal anecdotes with professional accomplishments in laying out a game plan for effective business operations.”
TOYIN O. OGUN,
DBA, Chief People Officer, HAVI
“Grit and Grace is a timely and brilliantly conceived book on leadership. It provides extremely valuable and relevant advice for leading teams in our multichannel, and now post-pandemic business world. The book is full of real-life stories and lessons, and it provides the reader with practical tips for teams to implement immediately. Laura’s wisdom is transparent, magical, and delivered with grace.”
CINDY MARSHALL,
Founder and CEO, SHINE Strategy
“In modern warfare there is a much-cited truism that battles are won by leaders that get to the front. Laura has spent thirty fearless years on the front lines of retail. Part memoir, part playbook—a lovely, readable, honest take on the present state of business leadership in a PostPan world.”
PACO UNDERHILL,
author of Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping
“In The Power of Grit & Grace, retail veteran Laura Ravo gives readers an insider’s view into how to build a successful retail career. A gifted storyteller, Laura weaves together personal anecdotes with street-smart insights to create a guidebook for navigating today’s retail environment. Leaders just entering the retail world as well as seasoned professionals will find nuggets of practical advice here that they can use every day. It’s also full of grit and grace; just like the author herself!”
MELISSA CAMPANELLI,
Co-founder, Women in Retail Leadership Circle.
Praise for
The Power of Grit & Grace
About Laura Ravo
Laura Ravo is a retail guru, whose talents and charisma have developed some of the highest performing teams in global retail. Her scrappy determination and endless curiosity have been the cornerstone of her success for nearly 30 years.
Laura embarked on her “accidental” career in college when she began her retail career as a part-time night associate in ladies lingerie. As her journey continued, she worked her way up through the store ranks in department stores and specialty retail. She advanced as a leader with some of the greatest brands in the business—Macy’s, L Brands, LensCrafters, Oakley and The Body Shop. Each brand left a mark on her heart, and she left each brand better than she found it.
Laura is a sought-after mentor, speaker and industry expert. Her mantra is that in order to lead with authenticity and purpose in today’s complex world, you must bring your whole self to your job and your team.
Here is what a colleague had to say…
"From the first time I met Laura, I knew she was an authentic leader - leading with heart mixed with just enough toughness to get the job done. She has all the qualities of an inspiring leader—she listens to every member of the team and is never afraid to dig in and get her hands dirty. In the day-to-day of retail, especially post-pandemic, it is easy to get caught up in chasing short-term gain without regard to your people. I am inspired by the way Laura leads her team, always looking for the positive and championing the staff. It wasn’t til a year after working with Laura that I found out she had written a book, and after reading it I can say I have seen Laura put each of these principles into practice on a daily basis. I have learned a lot from Laura’s management style, and look forward to continuing to learn from her."
—Terri Pucin, Retail Executive
(FitForCommerce, Lord & Taylor, Barnes & Noble)
Named One of 2021 Top Women In Retail—Women in Retail’s 11th Annual List of the Leading Female Executives in Retail.
