Coming from a family dedicated to helping others, Tracey’s path into social work felt almost inevitable. Her father was the President of Rotary, and from a young age, she saw the importance of supporting others in her community. “Coming from a family who were always supporting others, it just seemed natural to go into social work,” she reflects.

Her career began in clinical practice, where she spent more than a decade working directly with clients before moving into government and leadership roles. As a Senior Ministerial Advisor, she worked across forensic mental health, housing, and Aboriginal affairs, helping to transform social housing estates across New South Wales. She recalls those years vividly, often working alongside riot police due to safety risks, but says the results made it all worthwhile. The opportunity to influence policy and improve living conditions for vulnerable communities left a lasting mark on her understanding of how systems shape people’s lives.

In 2007, Tracey founded Amovita, followed by MyBio.life, with a vision to create meaningful change across many organisations rather than just one. Today, as CEO of both, she leads teams that provide supervision, training, clinical services, and organisational support across Australia. Her work focuses on helping professionals and leaders reach their potential, and she sees each day as an opportunity to contribute to the growth of the profession.

Throughout her career, Tracey has been particularly drawn to working with clients facing complex challenges. She remembers one woman who had nine children and was living in a situation of domestic violence. “I worked with her for about a year and a half and thought my work did not have a big impact on her, until a few years later she looked me up to say the work we did heavily impacted her trajectory.” That client went on to study law and ranked in the top two percent in her state. Stories like these remind Tracey of the deep and often unseen impact social workers can have on people’s lives.

She believes that one of the most significant challenges facing clients today is breaking the cycle of self-blame. Many of the people she works with have high levels of resilience but struggle to believe in themselves. “Negative self-talk creates fear at a cellular level and that takes regular work to change,” she explains, highlighting the importance of emotional resilience and professional support in creating long-term change.

Supervision and reflective practice are central to Tracey’s work and leadership. She personally supervises more than 150 professionals each year, while her team collectively supports more than 650. For her, reflection is not just about reviewing actions but engaging with deeper layers of meaning and learning. She believes effective supervision helps social workers remain authentic and maintain professional growth throughout their careers.

Tracey continues to advocate for ongoing professional development and evidence-based practice. She collaborates with universities to shape course materials, supports student placements, and presents at both local and international conferences. Recently, she published research on leadership capability in a Macedonian journal after presenting in Greece, contributing to the growing recognition of social work leadership on a global stage.

She acknowledges that public understanding of social work still has a long way to go. Too often, she says, people see social workers as simply filling out forms or making referrals. She hopes that national registration will help ensure that the profession is recognised for the high level of skill, clinical expertise, and decision-making it requires.

Diversity, she adds, strengthens social work practice. Bringing different perspectives to the table enhances understanding and helps build more inclusive approaches. For Tracey, aligning her personal and professional identities has been essential in maintaining integrity and purpose in her work. She finds great satisfaction in seeing other professionals thrive through the supervision and guidance her organisation provides.

Outside of her professional life, Tracey enjoys cycling, spending time in nature, and being with her family, who she describes as “everything to me, they are the best.” Travel and time on the water, she says, remind her of how big and interconnected the world truly is.

Looking to the future, Tracey hopes to continue publishing, mentoring, and helping early-career social workers understand the value of best practice. She envisions a profession that continues to evolve in response to global change, where social workers are recognised as experts at the policy table. Above all, she wants to see social work valued as one of the top professions, known for its combination of skill, knowledge, and heart.