Tracy Carlson

Hi. It's good to "meet" you here, even if it's just through words on a screen. I'm Tracy, and I write about the messy, beautiful, and often exhausting intersection of ambition, boundaries, and bravery.

From Burnout to Boundaries

For years, I was a corporate lawyer, the kind who believed "busy" was a badge of honor. I thrived on the pressure, the intellectual challenge… and ultimately, the complete and utter self-neglect. At 42, I crashed. Hard. Not a graceful slowdown, but a full-system failure. I spent a year mostly in bed, unable to function, and frankly, deeply ashamed.

Let me be direct: it wasn't a physical illness that took me down. It was exhaustion. Exhaustion of the soul, the body, the spirit. It was the cumulative effect of years of saying "yes" when I should have said "no," of prioritizing everyone else's needs over my own, and of believing my worth was tied to my productivity.

I clawed my way back, rebuilt my life from scratch, and now I teach others how to avoid the same cliff edge. I learned this the hard way so you don't have to.

What Resonates With Me

I'm fascinated by the narratives around bravery. We're told brave means pushing through, grinding harder, never showing weakness. That's not bravery—that's self-destruction dressed up as virtue.

Real bravery? It's saying no when everyone expects yes. It's walking away from something prestigious because it's killing you. It's admitting you're not okay. It's setting a boundary and holding it even when people are disappointed.

As a mother of twins, I've had to become a master of efficiency and self-care. The demands of motherhood amplify everything—the exhaustion, the guilt, the need for boundaries. It's a constant learning process.

What to Expect From My Articles

Practical: I'm not interested in fluffy theory. Actionable strategies you can implement today.
Honest: I'll share my own struggles and failures, because this is messy work.
Direct: I won't sugarcoat things. Here's what no one tells you: bravery isn't a feeling. It's a choice.
Rooted in reality: You can have ambition and boundaries, success and wellbeing. It's not either/or.

I hope my writing helps you build a life that's not just successful, but sustainable.

— Tracy Carlson, recovering perfectionist