Her Story
About Tracey
Tracey Bates is a life coach and spiritual coach based in Wallingford, Connecticut, who is in the early stages of building her coaching practice after a long personal and professional journey. She holds certifications in life coaching and spiritual counseling through Universal Class and has developed her practice with a strong focus on accessibility and continuous learning. Throughout her life, Tracey has worked in a variety of roles, including housekeeping, teacher’s aide support, and marketing, experiences that have shaped her understanding of people, resilience, and everyday challenges.
Tracey’s path into coaching has been deeply influenced by her lived experiences and her natural ability to connect with others. She describes a lifelong pattern of people feeling comfortable opening up to her, which helped her recognize her gift for listening and guidance. After relocating from Kansas to Connecticut, she embraced a fresh start that led her toward spiritual communities and personal development work, ultimately inspiring her to formalize her calling as a coach. Despite facing challenges related to a learning disability and limited traditional career stability, she remained committed to personal growth and helping others.
In her current work, Tracey focuses on supporting clients with goal setting and time management while incorporating a spiritual and empathetic approach to personal development. She emphasizes encouragement, self-awareness, and practical structure as tools for creating positive life change. Drawing from her own life experiences, she aims to help others navigate obstacles, build confidence, and move toward more meaningful and balanced lives.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Tracey
01What do you attribute your success to?
I guess having a gift at first - having a natural ability that just came naturally to me. And not giving up. I'm in my 60s actually, and I kind of wish I could have done this a long time ago when I was younger, but I guess we weren't ready - the world wasn't ready for me. Time seemed to play a huge part. If you're not ready for it, it's not gonna come for a while. Some people might give up and think it's not gonna happen when really, it's just the timing is wrong.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would suggest just hang in there, because at some point, people are not gonna...are gonna get tired of having to deal with AI situation. One thing about AI it's not gonna have is the human connection. It's not gonna have emotions, it's not gonna have empathy, it's not going to have any kind of concerns, worries. I would think at some point, people are gonna get tired of AI. Still don't kind of have that human connection that people really need the most. I don't know, maybe just consider it being an option instead of the only choice. That's somebody's job that these self-help is helping, or taking away from. I would think at some point, people are gonna get tired of AI.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I see my field as still relatively emerging, with roots going back to the 1990s when it first began gaining broader recognition. One of the biggest challenges—and also opportunities—is that many people are in need of support, but the ways to provide that support are still developing. From my own experience, I recognize that my perspective may be somewhat unique, but I believe it can still offer valuable insights that others can learn from and adapt to their own situations. Ultimately, I see real opportunity in using lived experience to help guide and support others in meaningful and practical ways.
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