Rachel Carrasco. Anna Cerezo, ABS-CBN New

Businesswoman Rachel Carrasco, who was among Rising Tigers' "Women of Purpose and Power" awardees, is back in full swing and ready to hustle after devoting most of her time to her daughter with property magnate Victor Consunji.  

The award comes after her brand, Baken, has grown to over 40 outlets, with plans to soon launch in Vietnam and Dubai. 

"'Yung time na nawala ako was the time I really needed to take a step back and focus on my daughter who is almost two. After the baby, I took a bit of a step back. Pero [ngayon] super full throttle na talaga. There is going to be a lot more visibility," she said in an interview during the Rising Tigers Ball held in Makati City on Wednesday. 

Carrasco, who was away from the public eye in the past years, is now slated to appear in several publications. Recently, the entrepreneur was featured by The Business Manual.

In addition to her role as a mother, Carrasco "took a break" after being embroiled in intense online discussions related to the public feud between Consunji and his estranged wife, host and former beauty queen Maggie Wilson. The two, who parted ways in 2021 after more than a decade, share a son. 

Maggie Wilson, Victor Consunji end marriage after 11 years

"Hesitant ako. I thought I was not ready to do the feature after everything that happened," Carrasco recalled. "But then, when will you be ready? The moment just came. The only way is through." 

"It is there, it is out. People can have a lot of their opinions, but for me as long as it is, as long as we know what grounds us," she reasoned. "Sometimes you have to give the stage to other people but your time will always come." 

"I don't know what or when, but it came. I did what I needed to do. There are things I am unable to talk about or if will we ever talk about it, but I don't know. I am accepting of what things are. Ganon na lang." 

Carrasco admitted that sometimes she still gets affected by the negative comments, but stressed she has accepted the situation: "There still are [people who ask about the the situation]. But I am at a stage na expected na, it comes with the territory, and choices we made."

"I made a choice to step into this life and ika nga nila, you can never have the good without the bad," she pointed out.  

In moving forward from the intrigues, Carrasco highlighted the importance of privacy and being careful of what she and her family share online. 

"Privacy is power talaga. Parang I feel it is best if information for the moment is kept. And when it is ready to be shared, it will come out," she noted.  

The businesswoman also revealed that part of her growth was seeking professional help: "I did loads of therapy. Even before, when I got a divorce in the middle of pandemic. It was a choice I had with ex-husband. We are in very good terms and even sent pictures of our kids with each other."

"But from there, I had to start working on myself," she added. "I did psychotherapy and therapy healing. It is a cleanse. If you read anything, you suck in."

'Blended family' 

The Baken co-founder also shared the challenges of the setup of their "blended family" since she is based in Singapore, while Consunji is living in Manila.

"We have to be understanding sa setup. Since it has been my choice talaga. Si Connor (Consunji's son with Wilson), kasama siya ni Victor. Siyempre kasama siya since that is his son, here in Manila. It is nice na may time apart kami. You can never always be together," she said.  

"Ang bilis nila lumaki. Talagang big kuya. He hangs out a lot. Malayo [ang] gap, so may moments na magkasama. Siyempre kami, we live overseas. So 'pag umuuwi na lang kami," she added. 

Apart from their family’s setup, Carrasco visits the country often as the operations of Baken is based in Philippines. 

"We started the company in Singapore. Pero magaling [ang mga] food techs here. I wanted to leverage that. May challenges of being here. What we do is we use the Philippines as a model and pilot to create what we need to create. Then we will plug and play it in other places," she said.  

Earlier this year, Wilson took to social media to mark the 12th birthday of her son, hoping that she will soon get to be with him again. 

Maggie Wilson pens heartfelt message for son: 'One day I'll get to hold you again'

Back in 2023, the former beauty queen pointed out that she and Consunji are still "not annulled" and have "no communication."

She added that she is "still blocked from seeing my son" on top of facing adultery cases from her husband, along with her British-Thai business partner Tim Connor. 

Maggie Wilson reacts to Victor Consunji's photo with rumored new partner