My Coaching Journey with Tracy Slusser

This month, our spotlight is shining brightly on Tracy Slusser, who completed the LPCC program in 2024. A former Division I swim coach, Tracy now supports coaches and leaders in athletics in her own coaching practice, Tracy Slusser Coaching.

What brought you into the world of coaching?

After 17 years as a Division I college swim coach, winning NCAA championships and coaching Olympians, I began to realize that the part of my job I loved most wasn’t just the performance results. It was the people. I found myself most fulfilled when I was helping athletes grow in confidence, lead with purpose, and navigate challenges both in and out of the pool.

Stanford, Ca - Tuesday, October 9, 2018: Stanford women's swimming and diving opened the season with a 191-101 victory over Utah at Avery Aquatic Center.

That realization led me to seek deeper training in leadership and performance coaching. The ACT program at Brown helped me shift from coaching for outcomes to coaching for transformation. I now support coaches and leaders in athletics through Tracy Slusser Coaching, where I combine my firsthand experience in elite sports with the tools and principles of executive coaching to help others succeed on their terms.

What inspires your passion for coaching?

Coaching allows me to show up in service of growth, which is one of my core values. I know what it’s like to lead under pressure, to carry the weight of a team, and to question whether you’re enough, even when you’re winning.

What inspires me most is helping coaches and leaders reconnect with who they are underneath the job title. When they build clarity, confidence, and a strong leadership voice, it not only improves performance, it creates a ripple effect through their teams, families, and communities. There is nothing more energizing than witnessing someone lean into their potential and lead from a place of authenticity and courage.

What skills that you learned from the LPCC program have you found most useful in your professional life? Do you have any advice on how to cultivate those skills?

One of the most powerful shifts I experienced through the LPCC program was realizing that there was just as much unlearning as there was learning. Coming from the world of elite athletics, I was used to outcome-driven environments and being the one with the answers. This program helped me let go of the need to be the expert and instead lean fully into presence, curiosity, and trust in the client.

I learned how to listen, not just to what’s being said, but to what’s not being said. The tools of reflection, asking powerful questions, noticing energy shifts, and trusting my intuition have all been transformative. These skills allow me to hold space for my clients in a way that’s grounded, human, and generative.

What’s been most refreshing is realizing that my role isn’t to fix or direct, but to partner. My clients are the experts in their own experience. My job is to help them access their inner wisdom, explore possibilities, and lead with intention.

As for cultivating those skills? It starts with slowing down. Practice being fully present—with your clients, your thoughts, and your body. Get comfortable with silence. Stay curious. And most of all, trust the process. The magic often happens in the space between the words.

What are the current or upcoming challenges you're facing in the coaching field? How have you been meeting those challenges?

One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is how isolating this work can feel, especially after completing the LPCC program. You go from a highly connected, structured learning environment to building your practice on your own and that can feel overwhelming. I’ve definitely experienced imposter syndrome along the way.

What’s helped is naming that fear, owning the fact that I’m building something I’ve never done before, and leaning into connection rather than going it alone. I meet weekly with a peer from my LPCC cohort who is also launching her coaching business. That space to reflect, vent, brainstorm, and support one another has been invaluable.

Another ongoing challenge is the business side of coaching, marketing, operations, accounting. I didn’t start this work because I love spreadsheets or social media, but I’ve committed to learning as I go. I ask questions, seek support, and try to remind myself that it’s all part of the process. I’m building this with intention, and I know that just like coaching, the business side gets better with practice, feedback, and community.

Do you have any special projects that you're working on? Could you share any details?

I recently wrapped up a special project where I co-hosted a live speed coaching event with another coach from my network. Our mission was simple: to spread the word and share the magic of coaching with people who may not have experienced it before.

We pulled the event together in just three weeks and, while the turnout wasn’t massive, the energy was electric. We each did a live 10-minute coaching session with a participant while the group observed. Afterward, we opened the floor for feedback and conversation. The most meaningful part was the discussion that followed, what coaching is, what it isn’t, and how it can make a powerful difference.

The experience was both energizing and affirming. It stretched me outside my comfort zone and gave me the confidence to continue finding creative ways to make coaching more accessible and visible. The feedback was incredibly positive, and we accomplished exactly what we set out to do: spark curiosity and invite more people into this work.

Where do you hope your coaching journey will take you next? Or 5 years from now?

Five years from now, I hope I’m still doing exactly what I’m doing, partnering with incredible people who are committed to being the best versions of themselves and showing up fully for the people they lead.

My hope is that coaching becomes more normalized and accessible in the world of athletics. It’s still not as common in this space, but the impact is undeniable. Coaches are often expected to lead with strength, clarity, and consistency, but they rarely have someone supporting them in the same way.

I want to continue growing a business that makes leadership and performance coaching a standard part of a coach’s toolbox, just like practice plans or recruiting strategies. Because the truth is: coaches need coaches too.

How has ACT helped shape the path you've taken (or plan to take) in your coaching journey

ACT took something that started as a spark of an idea and gave it the structure, skills, and confidence I needed to turn it into a thriving coaching practice. The training provided a strong foundation, not just in the methodology of coaching, but in how to show up with presence, empathy, and integrity.

The skills I learned through the LPCC program are ones I use every single day: deep listening, powerful questioning, staying curious, and trusting the client’s process. More importantly, ACT helped me embrace coaching not as something I do, but as a way of being with others.

It also helped me shift out of the outcome-driven mindset that was so ingrained in my identity as a coach in athletics. Instead, I now focus on connection, exploration, and co-creating growth with my clients. ACT didn’t just train me to be a better coach, it helped me see what’s possible when you commit to leading with intention and authenticity.

Please share some of your recent accomplishments (since completing the LPCC program).

One of the accomplishments I’m most proud of since completing the LPCC program is how I’ve stayed grounded in my values while building this business. I’ve been intentional about setting boundaries, protecting my time with family, caring for my own wellbeing, and prioritizing what truly matters.

During my last chapter as a college coach, I often let those things slide in the name of performance and productivity. But this time around, I’m building something different, something that’s aligned, sustainable, and rooted in who I am.

I may not have medals or trophies to hold up when it comes to my coaching business (yet!), but I have something far more meaningful: strong relationships, a deep sense of purpose, and a growing community built on trust and integrity. That, to me, feels like a hell of an accomplishment, and one I’m proud to keep building on.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Being an active member of the ACT Alumni community has not only helped sharpen my coaching skills, but it’s also kept me grounded in connection. Coaching can be a solo path at times, but staying linked to this community reminds me that I’m not walking it alone.

We’re all out here doing our best to create meaningful impact for those we serve, and doing that work side-by-side with others who share the same values and commitment has been incredibly powerful.

Thank you to ACT, and to my peers in this community, you continue to inspire me daily to keep showing up, to stretch, and to lead with heart. I’m so grateful to be walking this path with you.

Tracy Slusser on LinkedIn and on Instagram

About ACT

A Leadership and Performance Coaching company focused on developing exceptional leaders, helping leaders become Aware of their impact so they can make better Choices leading to Transformative results.

Our commitment to transformative learning, innovation and diverse thinking, and making an impact in the world is at the core of what we do. We are a family-owned, service-driven company who partners with the Brown University School of Professional Studies, organizations and government agencies to deliver our life changing programs.

ACT, in partnership with Brown University School of Professional Studies, an international leader in executive education, is excited to offer ACT’s ICF accredited Leadership and Performance Coaching Certification Program. ACT shares Brown University’s mission to develop reflective leaders, to effect change in the world, and to improve human welfare. https://actleader.com/

Read other articles