The Mind Mastered: Secrets of Excellence with Dawn Grant Podcast
Season 1 Episode 26
In this powerful and inspiring conversation, Unstoppable Tracy shares her extraordinary journey of overcoming physical challenges and societal expectations to achieve remarkable success. As a four-way amputee, Tracy went on to become a World Cup sailor and a bronze medalist in downhill skiing, defying limitations and redefining what’s possible. She reflects on her early educational experiences, the challenges she faced, and the unwavering support from her mother and community that helped shape her resilience and belief in herself.
Tracy discusses the importance of mindset, persistence, and innovative thinking, along with the balance between independence and accepting support from others. She emphasizes the role of education, humility in leadership, and the power of surrounding yourself with people who believe in your potential. Her story is a testament to living without excuses, embracing your unique path, and using adversity as a catalyst for growth. This conversation encourages listeners to pursue their dreams, trust their inner strength, and uplift others along the way.
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Podcast Transcript:
Dawn Grant (01:13)
All right, folks, welcome back to the Mind Mastered, Secrets of Excellence with Dawn Grant. I love interviewing people and finding out, know, what are their secrets? What is behind being excellent at whatever your endeavor is, whatever is important to you, whatever you find to be valuable for your use of your time? And we have today Unstoppable Tracy.
And I'm so excited because you guys are gonna learn so much about her whole life long story and all the things that she's accomplished and talk about someone who's got some secrets of excellence to share. I can't wait to learn more. Unstoppable Tracy, thank you for being here.
Unstoppable Tracy (01:55)
⁓ Dawn, it's such a pleasure! The honor is all mine!
Dawn Grant (02:01)
Can you give a quick synopsis summary, like the highlights, like who are you and what have you accomplished?
Unstoppable Tracy (02:09)
Well, ⁓ I'm unstoppable Tracy and I'm best known lately as being a World Cup sailor sailing against able bodied men. And I am born a four way amputee. I'm missing my hands and I'm missing my legs. I've also been in Oprah magazine and bronze medal in downhill skiing and a master scuba diver.
and the only four-way amputee, meaning I'm gonna take my hands and my legs, that's ever climbed the Annapurna region in the Himalayas, in the highest mountains in the world. And then I do have a business side of sorts, which is with Air Canada and Shoppers Drug Mart and big awards with John Maxwell and International Association of Top Professionals.
Dawn Grant (03:01)
Nice.
Unstoppable Tracy (03:01)
And
it goes on, but sailing is my heart and.
Dawn Grant (03:04)
Is it? Well, the word unstoppable is definitely very appropriate. Where, let's go back in time. ⁓ I guess back to some of your first memories, like as an amputee, all your limbs. What's your first memories related to that?
Unstoppable Tracy (03:25)
to, you know, and this is true for everybody and I hope people hear themselves in it, but my, my biggest, biggest, no, ⁓ that still like helped me out yesterday was in kindergarten, my first day of school. I remember, being face to face with the principal and I'm all excited. ⁓ as you can tell, I'm very shy. Yeah. And.
Dawn Grant (03:50)
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (03:53)
the principal's sort of his eyes were as huge as saucers and he was just looking at me without my arms, without my legs and my mom like holding my hand. I have one arm that's a little bit longer. I'm one arm above elbow and one arm that's below elbow. So, you my mom can kind of hold my wrist. And so that's what I mean when I'm saying holding my hand. I've just told you I've got no arms, no legs. And then I'm like, my mom's holding my hand. And I get to remember this is a podcast.
Dawn Grant (04:14)
Yeah. Where's the hand? Yeah, I got you.
Unstoppable Tracy (04:21)
And a show. So my mom's holding my wrist without my hand and the principal just is looking at my mom shaking his head and he says, I'm sorry.
Tracy can't go to this school.
And I don't know if the camera that we're recording sound on, you can't see it, but the hair on my arm is standing up. It's like he just said it to me.
Dawn Grant (04:39)
Yeah.
⁓ yeah, and the video is being recorded
so you know, the video is being recorded. Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (04:49)
Okay, it's like,
wow, they, I I told, just feel I'm saying it no all over again. And like just a little time out, are you probably ready? And all your listeners are probably ready to be like, what, what do you mean? Tracy can't go to that school. And I'm so grateful for souls like you, Dawn, and your listeners that are like, I want to take them on, right?
Dawn Grant (04:55)
Yes.
Yeah. What? Yeah.
Let's fight.
Unstoppable Tracy (05:14)
So you wouldn't
be surprised if my mom was all mama bear, right? Like, what do you mean?
Dawn Grant (05:18)
Of course.
Unstoppable Tracy (05:18)
and she wasn't. My mom had the kindest eyes and the kindest voice and she just looked at him and she said, how come? And I'm just a little bit extra emotional because I've not long lost mom. So I'm just picturing mom saying how come?
Dawn Grant (05:19)
So yeah. ⁓ okay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (05:41)
And because my mom was so friendly and she just said, come, right? She didn't attack. He's like, well, you know, this is 30 kids and one teacher. And there's no, in the seventies, there's no educational assistant. There's no support worker. There's no educational aid. There's just one teacher. So how does this one teacher support Tracy without her hands and her legs in?
Dawn Grant (05:46)
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (06:06)
30 wild five-year-olds on their first day of school. So my mom, she was so kind and she says, I get it. And then she counter offers and she says, how about you try Tracy for one week? Can you please give me a week to try to find at that era a school more suited for Tracy, right? There were segregated schools.
Dawn Grant (06:09)
Right?
⁓ okay.
Okay.
Unstoppable Tracy (06:31)
So mom like shakes hands super friendly with the principal. We walk around to the side of the school and we can see the schoolyard and there are hundreds and hundreds of kids out there. And my mom's smiling because I got to stay. But then her face went serious and she collapsed.
Dawn Grant (06:50)
my gosh.
Unstoppable Tracy (06:51)
Yeah, I like five years old, I have no idea how come my mom is fallen, right? And she's on her knees. And she's in her little 70s mini skirt. So I'm picturing her bare knees on the asphalt like that must hurt, right? And she grabs my arms, you know, the parental grip, the five fingers on your left upper arm and your five fingers. So she's got fingers holding Yeah, holding the top of my arms. ⁓
Dawn Grant (06:57)
Yeah.
Right?
⁓ right. yeah, for sure.
Unstoppable Tracy (07:20)
Dawn just gestured for those who can't watch. I'm like, yes, just like that. And she's like super intense and she's looking at me in my eyes and she's like, Tracy, it's really important that you and everybody's included. Nobody left behind, including you.
Dawn Grant (07:39)
Yes.
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (07:41)
And I'm five years old. I have no idea why my mom is so serious. Are you a mom, Yes, way you're saying, yeah. I'm like, it sounds like you're a mom.
Dawn Grant (07:44)
Wow.
Yeah. Yes, 20s. I
have two. They're their mid and late 20s. Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (07:58)
⁓ my gosh, you
must have had them at like 10. You look so young. can't believe you have 20 year olds. Wow. No, no, no. wow. Well, what you're doing in life with this mindset secrets of excellence is working for you is keeping you young looking. Wow.
Dawn Grant (08:04)
No, I'm 54. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah,
but they are my every, love, I love having children. I've loved every aspect of being pregnant, of raising. Of course it doesn't mean that was easy all the time. It was the most challenging thing in my life for sure. But they're truly the loves of my life. Absolutely.
Unstoppable Tracy (08:26)
No.
Yes.
Dawn Grant (08:33)
But yeah, I get it.
Unstoppable Tracy (08:33)
And
you get it, you get what mom was, but, you can like, when my niece was five and she needed her shoelaces tied, I just wanted to tie her shoelace. It was really hard to imagine like letting her figure it out. And that's kind of what happened. Fast forward to Reese's time, the principal ran outside to look for me and he couldn't see me anywhere.
Dawn Grant (08:47)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
Unstoppable Tracy (09:00)
five
minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes. And I didn't realize that if I didn't get outside for recess, I wouldn't get to stay at that school. And I wasn't there.
Dawn Grant (09:10)
Okay.
Where were you?
Unstoppable Tracy (09:13)
But well, and that's what my principal was wondering. Where were you? And he had seen my mom on her knees and he heard her say, nobody left behind. So I like to say in the spirit of the famous movie that his heart grew three sizes that day. Like, ⁓ and of course he doesn't want me to leave. Right. And now he can't see me. It's like, happened?
Dawn Grant (09:16)
Where is she? Where is Tracy?
I totally see it, yeah.
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (09:42)
So he goes inside to find my teacher and he says, you know, couldn't Tracy tie her shoelaces? And my teacher's all confused and she's like, Tracy was the first one to tie her shoelaces. He's like, well, then how come she wasn't outside? So, ⁓ her little friend couldn't tie her shoelaces. And what did my mom say, right? Nobody left behind.
Dawn Grant (09:54)
You
⁓ my gosh, Tracy. my goodness. Yeah. ⁓
my goodness.
Unstoppable Tracy (10:09)
It turns out none of the 30 kids could tie their shoelaces. So by the time I tied 30 shoelaces, yup, and the Reese's spell had gone off. So that's how come I never made it outside.
Dawn Grant (10:15)
my goodness, I love this story.
No way.
And they're
all in love with Tracy at that point and you're not going nowhere.
Unstoppable Tracy (10:33)
Yes, I'm
not going in. No, no. And, you know, I learned that day when the principal said no, and oh, it's just he just didn't know. K no w. Right. And, and you and I, it kind of makes sense. 30 kids, no hands, no legs. How is this teacher going to juggle everything? Like, how am going to tie my shoes? How am going to go to the bathroom by myself? Right. It wasn't mean it was just
Dawn Grant (10:45)
Right. Right.
I, yeah, practical. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (11:01)
How? And we're kind of like you and I, we're around the same age. And it's like, sometimes we have imposter syndrome or we feel like, how am going to do that? Or I don't have enough education or how do I juggle my kids in a job? know, who wants to hear my story if you want to write a book? So ⁓ we can kind we get it like when you feel like there's no way and it's impossible. But I was just lucky at five to have
Dawn Grant (11:01)
Right.
Right.
Ugh.
Right.
Unstoppable Tracy (11:27)
realize, you know, impossible unless what? Right? It, it, it no just means we don't know. So what do we got to figure out? It doesn't mean no, not forever.
Dawn Grant (11:31)
Yeah.
That's, you know, for a person like me who's so fascinated with the mind and everything, you know, I was like, where did this start? And where did Tracy become unstoppable? Like what elements and nurture versus nature and both being played in there. And what a great story at such a young age of love, acceptance, ⁓ courage, strength.
giving, kindness, ⁓ receiving, and like you said, the heart growing and just the power behind all of these things that were all happening at the same time. How cool.
Unstoppable Tracy (12:17)
Yeah,
I was so lucky. So lucky. I just was like any other kid, right? I just wanted to be there. I wasn't being a hero. was just, I got this great opportunity to do whatever it took.
Dawn Grant (12:25)
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
It's so fascinating and ⁓ this, don't know if this is gonna sound crazy, I'm use this as an example, but I have a little handicap dog and his back legs are like twisted and they go straight out. And he is so like determined and he knows when I say, would you like me to pick you up? And he goes, because he doesn't want me to pick him up. Like there are times when his front legs get tired.
because it's just been a long day. And if I say, you want me to pick you up? He'll stop and he wants me to pick him up. But 95 % of the time he's like, he's just like, hell no, no, I got this. And whether it's getting up the steps or jumping over something or whatever. And I just find that so cool. I just love that.
and that unstoppable about you, I imagine it's like anything else in life, meaning how you're nurtured. If a parent was very protective and sheltering and their belief being that you couldn't do things or that you should go to a different school, whatever it was.
that you would have had a whole different experience, right?
Unstoppable Tracy (13:59)
Yes. Yes. So true. And, you know, I think I feel like COVID and ⁓ inevitably there's changes all through life, but it just seems like we're at this place and this time where because of what happened, we're like super sheltering of our children and even our employees. And what ends up happening is that little resilient
dog that you have and I love little dogs. I have a little dog named Riley. ⁓ And so I'm somebody be like, did she just compare it to a dog? And I'd be like, thank you. I love that it is it is the most lovable comparison. And you nailed it, right? It is that that, you know, tenacity to keep on going when somebody thinks you can't is actually a really big gift. ⁓
Dawn Grant (14:29)
Yeah.
I know.
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (14:53)
but you get to have some space. Someone, one person needs to believe you can do it so you can discover that tenacity. And then after that, when other people doubt you, in kindness even, that you've got the courage to say, they just don't know I can do this. ⁓
Dawn Grant (15:01)
Yeah.
Yeah.
And that's what I was gonna
say, and their naivety really, right? They're just not knowing, and they're not knowing. ⁓ So let's just fast forward a little bit. So how did school end up going for you through the years?
Unstoppable Tracy (15:15)
Yeah.
Dawn Grant (15:27)
you said something about 30 companions or something.
Unstoppable Tracy (15:31)
Yeah, 30 allies from kindergarten, because I tied all those shoes for many years. Yes. And I went on and I did some recreation. I did some international travel, like a rec leadership diploma and a rec leadership degree. And I went to Nepal and Uganda and Mexico and Jamaica on these leadership adventures. And they didn't really understand the leadership degree.
Dawn Grant (15:36)
Yes.
Unstoppable Tracy (15:57)
So I got a Bachelor of Education. then when I was teaching, so I ended up teaching in over 20 developing countries or areas, which was amazing. ⁓ And when I came back, one of the times I got a job short term at Air Canada, there was a pilot strike. And so I was just in between travels and I ended up loving it, doing leadership development at Air Canada.
Dawn Grant (15:59)
Okay.
All right.
Unstoppable Tracy (16:23)
And so I did my master's part-time while I was working at Air Canada for eight years with a focus on leadership development. Nice. And then for pleasure, yes, it was so fascinating. And then for pleasure, I did an art diploma. I've always loved art. elementary and high school, I always wanted to be an art therapist.
Dawn Grant (16:24)
Bye
wow. Nice. That sounds fascinating.
Unstoppable Tracy (16:44)
And at the time I thought, I don't want to be in school for six years. It was so fun. And then I was in school a lot longer than all of that. So I did an art diploma, but I did it correspondence because I didn't want to be marked for not having hands or legs. I wanted to be marked authentically for the quality of my work. And so I did my art diploma, invisible, shall we say, anonymously.
Dawn Grant (16:45)
Nice.
Nice.
Unstoppable Tracy (17:10)
And
Dawn Grant (17:10)
Yep.
Unstoppable Tracy (17:11)
I got all A's, but they still to this day don't know that what I was submitting was without hands or legs.
Dawn Grant (17:17)
That's pretty fascinating. And what type of stuff were you submitting?
Unstoppable Tracy (17:20)
So when you're doing it, at first it needs to be a variety, pencil, watercolor, chalk, oils, but watercolor is my favorite.
Dawn Grant (17:28)
man, I'd love to see some of your work.
Unstoppable Tracy (17:30)
I'll try and send you some pictures.
Dawn Grant (17:32)
Yeah, yeah. So I know you had this support system of these 30 kindergartners, you know, throughout most of your school years, I imagine. Did you face some challenges along the way?
Unstoppable Tracy (17:44)
You know, like I remember about 13 years old, I think that was grade seven or eight. And I, and there was a school, was the first sort of big school dance. And my house was sort of like a back split. was like bungalow at the front, but there was a few stairs down to the, to the living room and a few stairs up to the bedroom. And I was sitting on the three stairs down, looking at my mom through the railing in the kitchen, talking to her. And I was bawling my eyes out. And,
Dawn Grant (18:00)
Yes.
Unstoppable Tracy (18:10)
thinking, you know, no, and I, whatever your gender preference, I happen to like men. So I wanted a boy to dance with me. And I said, I don't think any boys are gonna dance with me. And I was crying and my mom came around and she came down and she sat with me on these three sunken stairs with me and put her arm around me. she said, I was really afraid of this day. And my mom was amazing.
but it was a different era, right? And my mom was, looked like you actually. My mom had dark, dark hair like you, beautiful, fair, snow white skin like you. And like this, this snow white, gorgeous look. I think my mom, and I don't know not to be presumptuous with you, but I don't think my mom had any trouble having boys asking her to dance in her day. ⁓ And my dad was very handsome man as well. And so I think,
Dawn Grant (18:47)
No.
Right?
Unstoppable Tracy (19:03)
Like it's just what her lived experience was after a war and in like impoverished Liverpool, England. It just wasn't what she could see. And what she said, she said, you don't have to go.
Dawn Grant (19:12)
Yeah.
huh. Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (19:17)
And I was,
and then I, my heart just like sank and I thought, I want, I want to go be with all my girlfriends, all my besties. Right. And I said, no, I want to go. and I just, I'm like, okay, I'm just going to go to be with my friends. And I just, I just let go of the expectation and I'm going to get asked to dance by a boy.
Dawn Grant (19:23)
Alright.
Yeah, yeah.
Yes.
Unstoppable Tracy (19:37)
And so I went to be with all my friends and my head was up and my eyes were up and I'm looking and smiling because I had the pressure off. not going to be asked to dance by any boys. And, but where's my, I just went and all my girlfriends, all my friends, my circle of friends, like their eyes were down, their backs were together and they were in like a little huddle. Right. And, and so guess who was the first one to get asked to dance. Right.
Dawn Grant (19:38)
Yes.
Yes.
Yes, the let go.
Yeah.
You go girl. Yeah
Unstoppable Tracy (20:04)
had my eyes up and out, right? And
they were like their backs and their eyes were hiding. And they were just as scared as I was, legs or not, right? Am I gonna be asked to dance? And same with the boys, I'm sure, wanting to ask to dance. so, no hardship on mom, but it, I mean, it certainly influenced me, took me many years to...
Dawn Grant (20:15)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (20:28)
realized not only am I powerful and strong, but I can be sexy and beautiful too. But that's not how I felt for many years, many years. It's only very recently that I discovered the, not the leader in me, but the sexy in me. I'm rooted in that story. It was a story that I realized, okay, that's where it came from. I just sort of let go of that.
Dawn Grant (20:38)
Right.
Yeah, nice, nice. ⁓
And
some aspects of what we hold as our limits aren't as visible, right? So what you're saying there and what you're recognized is a lot of the girls, if not all of them, had their own fears about it for all their own reasons, right? And maybe not as obvious physically, but still there. I definitely, mean, as much as...
You were like, well, don't want to be presumptuous, but I definitely had all those fears and didn't think anybody liked me and didn't think I was pretty at all and had all sorts of different things. I was so shy too. ⁓ So many different things and for different reasons, right? And so I think everybody can relate on some level to what you're saying. And if anything, having it be more physical makes it
Unstoppable Tracy (21:28)
Yeah.
Dawn Grant (21:41)
more obvious, but there can be pain and suffering for all different things that are like more invisible, right? But at the same time, I'm just kind of processing all this. At the same time, by having more physical, you've got some that will perceive limitations and some that will want to help you to not have limitations. And I don't know that that would probably be so black and white with someone who
Unstoppable Tracy (21:47)
Yes.
Dawn Grant (22:07)
didn't have the physical, right? Yeah, so, so many great, my gosh, like all these little steps along the way that even when you perceive something as a challenge, it ended up being so great for you, right? There's so many different like stepping stones along the way. When would you say you did the first really big thing?
Unstoppable Tracy (22:11)
Yep. Yep.
Dawn Grant (22:31)
that nobody else has done or how did that happen?
Unstoppable Tracy (22:31)
Yeah.
You know, it's funny, a theme that right from like kindergarten being told no was being told no, but in compassion, not not no, like they were mainly thinking I couldn't, they're just trying to protect me on being hurt when I find out it doesn't work. But the reality is it will always work out if you're just gonna keep going, right?
Dawn Grant (22:47)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (23:04)
an
old quote about the only difference between failure and success is successful people tried one more time. Right. So I was lucky to learn you just keep going until it works and it might be 200 times, but it will always work if you don't stop. If you keep going. So like when, um, in about grade seven, eight, like I wanted to try the skiing I'd heard about, and that was an accessible program, but they'd never had anybody with no hands and no legs.
Dawn Grant (23:10)
Yes.
Yes.
Unstoppable Tracy (23:32)
So again, you know, we're sorry, this isn't going to really work for Tracy. And mom's like, can we just try? No problem if it doesn't work out. Right. And, and of course we figured it out. And, and again, and what's interesting with that, like, can we just try? Like when the principal said, no, she probably can't tie her shoelaces. My mom didn't say she can tie her shoelaces.
Dawn Grant (23:56)
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (23:56)
Right? She just said, if it doesn't work out, no problem. Can we just try? Because his concerns weren't really could I tie my shoelaces? They were really about, can we support her? Can we juggle 30 other students? They cannot see any which way, upside down or backwards, this way working. So when it was, can we just try if it doesn't work out, no problem.
Dawn Grant (24:02)
Yeah, yeah, I'm following you. Yeah.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Unstoppable Tracy (24:23)
That was, that was his roadblock. And so when you're like, no, with skiing, no with sailing, no with scuba diving, like all of these times in my life and many, many job interviews when I go, how come you didn't hire me? So you're fabulous. Someone's going to hire you. And it's well, so what was the roadblock here? Well, you know, someone might've said, you've got to be able to flip paper. And they never asked me, can I flip paper?
Dawn Grant (24:25)
Right.
Unstoppable Tracy (24:49)
And I have no trouble flipping paper, but also like when you're in a room full of 30 people listening or a hundred, could I please have a volunteer flip my paper? Like there's probably 20 solutions to flipping paper, right? Like, it just, ⁓ she can't do that. So that's part of the job. So boom, you're gone. So it's, that's why it's important not to tackle the one thing you hear when you're influencing and persuading or negotiating.
Dawn Grant (24:49)
Right.
Right.
Right.
Unstoppable Tracy (25:17)
It's not the thing they say, it's a big party in the background and that just feels like, they're not gonna be able to fight that. So clearly it's no, yeah.
Dawn Grant (25:25)
Yeah, that's the safe one. That's the
little safe thing I can say on the surface because I don't want to say all these other things or something.
Unstoppable Tracy (25:32)
Yes, and same with, it's a man's world or, you know, it's male dominated or are you strong enough type of thing. So the next big thing I did was the skiing. And I remember just we went out with my long legs, but because my legs end above my knees, you know, we get on the incline and the knees would just buckle. And we tried a sitting ski.
without riggers, with crutches, with skis, but because I don't have my hands, we even duct taped at the time my hands without riggers, but it wasn't enough control to control the sit ski. We came inside and we sat on a bench and this is many, many weeks of trying. And I looked over at my ski instructor's feet and he had gigantic feet. And my younger brain was thinking, my preteen brain was thinking,
Dawn Grant (26:01)
You
Yeah.
Okay.
Unstoppable Tracy (26:21)
Holy cow, he's got big feet!
Dawn Grant (26:24)
Okay.
Unstoppable Tracy (26:25)
And then I got this light bulb. He's got big feet. I can put my thighs, my stumps, my short amputee legs in men's ski boots.
Dawn Grant (26:36)
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (26:37)
And so that's what we did. And I still wiped out because ski boots are canted, they're angled, and I knees to skis, right? No knee joint, no ankle joint. So I was pitched way forward with the angle of the boots. So what we did was we put my thighs in men's ski boots backwards.
Dawn Grant (26:42)
Yes.
I have like right on your nose.
listen to you.
Unstoppable Tracy (26:59)
I don't have toes, right? It doesn't matter which way they face. And so I skied in men's ski boots backwards. And so that's, that's like the nugget there is you get to embrace the possibility. Like we didn't know how I would ski and I was being told no, but I knew, I knew I could ski even when I was wiping out. That was about 11, 12, 13 in there.
Dawn Grant (27:03)
Right? Right?
Wow.
So how old were you? Well, how old were you at that point?
And I'm
curious, because this is a several week process, ⁓ how was your attitude and your mindset through that process? Did you always stay pretty positive? Or did you get like roller coaster ride or anything?
Unstoppable Tracy (27:29)
Yeah!
I definitely, like I have stories of where things were really hard, but I had learned really early that like people look at me in sympathy or people want to let you off the hook real quick, or people are used to not try, try, try again. So whether, whatever I was feeling, it was really important that I project even to this day that I project we can do this. Cause they're like, ⁓ the
Dawn Grant (28:05)
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (28:06)
The legs didn't work and they thought they were done. I'm like, that's okay. What else can we try? What's that? You know, and you see, Oh, the sits gets, okay, let's try it. Right. And then they over, that's okay. What else can we try? So we tried duct taping them. Right. So we went in and they were kind of, okay, we've tried the two big things. I guess it's not going to work kind of mindset coming at you in this example, but it's just like being in.
Dawn Grant (28:12)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
Unstoppable Tracy (28:33)
careers, especially as women, it just anybody men and women where there's doubters while you tried, right? And you failed. And it's like, that's okay. And so we were just like the bench. So then I'm looking at his feet and thinking they're big, like a young person. But then it's like, let's try those. My thighs will fit, you and then once I was skiing with the backwards boots, I didn't stay that way. But that's what got me started. Right.
Dawn Grant (28:39)
Yes.
Yeah.
Okay,
yep.
Unstoppable Tracy (28:59)
And so it showed possibility. showed, so you get to embrace, I didn't know how I would ski. And you don't know how you're going to be the famous role of what it is that you're looking for in your life. You don't know how, but you believe it's going to happen. And then you go forward and then you find your backwards boots. A lot of us, there's thinking and planning and we got to see how first.
Dawn Grant (29:14)
Right.
No.
Unstoppable Tracy (29:22)
It's really important that even if we don't see how, even if you don't know how, you plow ahead.
Dawn Grant (29:28)
You have trust and faith, yeah. And you let go of trying to control, yeah. Well, yeah, so did it feel like a lot of responsibility to try to help all these around you to have hope and keep their faith and not feel bad or whatever? And when you were doing that, did you believe it yourself or were you just?
Unstoppable Tracy (29:29)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Dawn Grant (29:51)
rising to the occasion so nobody felt bad. Do you know what I mean?
Unstoppable Tracy (29:54)
Yeah, yeah, you know, our greatest strengths are our greatest weaknesses, right? Like my greatest strength is I'm super independent, but my greatest weakness is I'm too independent. My greatest strength is that I really care a lot about what other people think and are they happy, right? Like in the kindness of all the shoes. ⁓ But my greatest weakness, one of my weaknesses for sure is that I care too much about what other people think.
Dawn Grant (29:59)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, I got you. Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (30:22)
for sure, and that's
happened in life too. But it also works for me, like caring about them and as volunteers, not wanting them to feel defeated or let down or like they let me down. Like even if I am let down, it's important that whoever's around me doesn't feel let down and then I go away and feel let down by myself. Like has ended up being a favor because people would keep trying.
Dawn Grant (30:35)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (30:46)
I will say after a lifetime of it, like when we reach this mature age that we are, that I'm sort of like, okay, I get that you don't know I can tie shoelaces. You don't know that I can ski, but now I've, I've, I've succeeded, right? I've skied, I've climbed the Himalayas. I fly airplanes. I jump out of airplanes. I ride horses. I, I'm, you know, a world cup sailor against able bodied men. I've been on stages with John Travolta.
Like as a successful keynote speaker, not in empathy, like, look at her, no arms, no legs, but in powerful messaging that converts rooms of thousands. And I still, every time get to start with no, start with the space of they don't get it. and, I've certainly have less patience for it now than I've had for a lifetime.
Dawn Grant (31:23)
for sure.
Yes.
How does that show up? How's the less patient show up now?
Unstoppable Tracy (31:45)
Wooo, there you go, look at you!
Well, more like so the beauty of mom was she didn't say she could tie her shoelaces. And the beauty of mom was like, okay, can we just try and the beauty of youth of not wanting to anybody's feelings or, you know, come across overly assertive, you know, so just being really humble and grateful. That's when it worked. Being grateful worked.
Dawn Grant (31:47)
Are you more forward, stronger?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yes.
Unstoppable Tracy (32:11)
being open worked and what's not working is when I'm sort of like, can do it. Like just proving I can do it. This isn't exactly this story, but it's a related tangent. So last week was the Mobility Cup 2025. It's an international regatta. It is the most gathering of the Martin 16. This is a certain type of boat in the entire world.
Dawn Grant (32:21)
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (32:38)
that all of these Martin 16s come together, CN Rail generously donate a train to ship from wherever, from British Columbia to East Coast to people in the States driving it up and training it there. Like it's incredible. Suzuki sponsored well over 20,000, maybe more in motors and it's huge. so, and there's
Dawn Grant (33:00)
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (33:02)
you know, there's 40 or so sailors, competitors, but there's like 90 volunteers to make it happen. There's like double the amount of people. So there's people on the water, there's people on land. And this particular regatta, Point Clare Yacht Club, the water was really shallow. And so unlike any other regatta race I'd been to with the boat, this keel,
Dawn Grant (33:12)
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (33:25)
is very, very heavy, very heavy, and it drops down four feet into the water. But because the water was shallow, these four feet keels were dragging. So normally the only time you lift the keel is on the first day and the last day to get it out of the way and then put it on a trailer to ship it somewhere or to tow it. Whereas we had to lift this keel every time we came in because the water was so shallow.
Dawn Grant (33:31)
Okay.
Yes.
Unstoppable Tracy (33:51)
And there's all these volunteers that want to help me, but because they think I can't do it, I'm grabbing the line and I am hauling the keel, this ridiculously heavy, heavy keel up to, to get it up and into the shallow water. But I got like one elbow that's, that's lived a long life so far. And it does my stairs. does everything, including the sailing, right?
Dawn Grant (33:56)
Yeah.
You must be so strong.
Unstoppable Tracy (34:17)
And I'm strong, but still it's only one elbow. Uh, and, I'm using my elbow up to prove I can pull this keel up. Right. And, and there's people that could be saving my elbow and I could be saving it for sailing, for competing. And so I didn't do myself a favor, uh, cause, cause my elbow didn't hurt sailing, but it sure hurt after hauling in this keel.
Dawn Grant (34:17)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Yes, I got you. Yes.
Unstoppable Tracy (34:42)
in order to go in the shallow waters just because the way they didn't say would you like a hand? Can we save you any energy? They said we know you can't pull it up so put you know let us get near you to pull the keel up for you. Had they said it any differently I would have let them pull the keel up.
Dawn Grant (34:42)
Yes, like, yeah.
hell.
Yeah,
totally. They don't know who they're talking to.
Unstoppable Tracy (35:04)
Yeah.
Like what? You think I can't pull this up? Right. Yeah.
Dawn Grant (35:09)
Yeah, so
now in hindsight, if you could rewind to that, would you let them do it even if they didn't ask you the right way? Yeah, so that's like a little thing in there, right? Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (35:18)
Yes.
Oh yeah, my elbow still
sore today and I had to drive eight hours home and like I use this arm for everything. And what was I thinking? Yeah.
Dawn Grant (35:27)
Yeah.
Yes.
Yeah, yeah, but that's like a little button for you, right? Like they're kind of pushing this button and you're like, and then all of sudden unstoppable Tracy comes out. I'm gonna show you. I've always had that I'm gonna show you thing for just, don't know, I'm trying to think why. I don't even know where it came from. But as soon as somebody doubted me, I was always like, don't worry, I got this. And it went back.
Unstoppable Tracy (35:39)
then trigger.
Turns out, what? Yeah. ⁓
Yeah.
Dawn Grant (36:02)
And it's kind of a goofy example, but I'm sure it went back further than this, but I was just goofing off in senior in high school and we lived like two houses away from the high school. And so on like study hall, I would go home. I was always late even though it was two houses away. So I had lots of tardies and apparently, after so many tardies and skipping class, they start taking off your attendance, like meaning.
Like they became, you I don't even remember. Let's just say 10 tardies became one absence. And so by the end of the year, apparently I had so many absences that I couldn't graduate. so like Prince of the Well had my father all freaked out. And I'm like, don't worry, dad, I've got this under control. And he, we had this really big white house with like those big pillars. Like what is that? It's not Victoria. Colonial. Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (36:51)
Let's go on with the wind.
Dawn Grant (36:53)
And he got this huge banner across the front that said, don't worry, dad, I have it under control. And it's just this thing. And I've noticed it my whole life since then. It's like, if somebody doubts me, that's fuel on my fire. Like, I heard you, and now I'm gonna prove you wrong. ⁓ Yeah, and I own a shotgun club that most is a male dominated sport.
Unstoppable Tracy (37:10)
Yeah!
Dawn Grant (37:17)
and very few women in the country, if not the world, own a shotgun sport club. And when I first bought it, there were men that were literally shaking physically in front of me, because they were so upset, and you can't pull this off, and saying it, you can't do this. You really think you're gonna be able to pull this off? And first of I'm shocked, because they could even do that. But second, like what? Who?
Unstoppable Tracy (37:40)
Yeah! Yeah! Really?
Yeah!
Dawn Grant (37:44)
But yeah, then secondly, you just fed my fuel. Like you just fueled my fire. Like not only am I gonna do it, but now I'm gonna do it big and I'm gonna do it better than you ever imagined. But I had.
Unstoppable Tracy (37:53)
Yes, yes, I had that in sailing
like men the same thing. But did you find like the fellow shop club owners, they would maybe help each other a little bit or give hints, but because you were you and they said you wouldn't succeed, they also made it more difficult for you. So like not only were you successful and there's your puppy now.
Dawn Grant (38:00)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (38:16)
given a shout out for his mummy Dawn. It was like, go mummy, go! In puppy language. I love that. I love that. But that they also like hinder it. Like I would go and I would like help crane out 12 boats and I would help like drag dollies to and from a crane to be available to get their boat out and to make their process of getting their boat ready and do all of this.
Dawn Grant (38:17)
Yeah. Right.
Unstoppable Tracy (38:41)
But because, they could in a pinch do it themselves, but I just made it 10 times easier and 10 times faster for all of them to facilitate it and work the crane. But then when it came to my turn, they wanted to prove how I couldn't do it. And I'm like, if the 12 of us just work together, it's not about me doing it or not doing it.
Dawn Grant (38:49)
Right.
Yeah.
Well, yeah, and similar to your story of the, well, she can't tie her shoes. Fast forward maybe three four years of owning the club and every month there's a tournament that I host. So in that tournament, food is included for the registered shooters, And I've always done food. At the very beginning, I actually even hired a band and did this full catered meal. I did all this stuff.
And of course I cut back over the months and years. I'm like, okay, that's a little overkill. But I always had food. Well, I found out from this guy that lived about an hour and a half away and he had a whole circle of guys that would drive up to the competitions. And he was like, I'm just gonna let you know. We're never driving up there again. You claim that you serve lunch and you never have. And I'm like,
I got pictures of lunch. You're not gonna drive up here because you think I'm not serving lunch and that I'm lying? I'm like, no, I've got pictures. He's like, well, I have heard some guys say that they'll never go to a club that's owned by a woman and it doesn't help that you're good looking. And I was like, holy. Yeah, that kind of.
Unstoppable Tracy (39:52)
What's going on?
Dawn Grant (40:15)
know, setting, like finding an excuse that I wasn't providing lunch, which was not even true, as an excuse or whatever. But the other place that I've seen something like this, I've always had this dream that I kept secret, and that was to be like a Tony Robbins. Like I would love to fill a room full of, an auditorium full of people, right? And I never spoke it out loud because
Unstoppable Tracy (40:22)
True, no.
Yeah.
Dawn Grant (40:40)
I didn't want people to be like, oh sure, yeah. And I know you could relate to this, because of everything you've lived through. And so I never said it out loud. Well I can actually remember the first time I said it out loud. And I watched, it was in front of two men, and they both laughed, looked at each other and laughed. And I heard myself say, well why couldn't I? He's not like curing cancer. He's not a rocket scientist. He's helping people.
with their mind and their mindset and motivating them to be happier and to think more constructively and more joyfully and that's what I do so why couldn't I do it at that level? But you know what I found is that by saying it out loud and seeing their reaction, it strengthened me because when I heard myself give the reason, of course I can do this, of course, and I believed it when I said it and then
Unstoppable Tracy (41:28)
Yes!
Dawn Grant (41:32)
And it was like one, and so since then, because that was several years ago, now I say it more frequently. I say it more comfortably. If somebody gives a reaction, it doesn't hurt. I just need to educate them that he's not doing anything I can't do.
Unstoppable Tracy (41:37)
Yes.
Yeah, they just, yeah.
And they just don't know. Yeah.
Dawn Grant (41:48)
Yeah,
it's really interesting to me, because climbing one of the largest mountains in the world is very different than let's say what Tony Robbins is doing, right? So for someone to say, Dawn, you can't do that, I might go, you might be right about that. I'm not quite in that physical condition, but I could probably train for it. However, but then when I compare it to like what Tony Robbins is, I'm like, of course I can do that. I've trained for that. I know how to do that.
Unstoppable Tracy (42:01)
Yeah
Yes!
Yes!
Dawn Grant (42:15)
I can,
you know, yeah. So the interesting parallels are analogies that are similar to what you're saying.
Unstoppable Tracy (42:22)
Yes. And we're both speaking so powerfully, like, well, that's how we listen. And, you know, you asked me, was there ever any, I think you used the expression peaks and valleys or something like upster downs. And for sure, like you, and after being isolated in COVID and there weren't any stages and there weren't, there wasn't any sailing or skiing or scuba diving. Like there, there, there just wasn't. And people are from home. And I remember somebody saying,
Dawn Grant (42:34)
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (42:50)
I'd had a dream to go to the Red Sea, which is the most sort of famous scuba diving, incredible corals. And then someone was like almost handing it to me on a silver platter, not me fighting for it or trying to create it or reaching out to 14 clubs before I might even get a conversation with somebody. They just called and said, what do you think? And then I know after those like three years or so of it all, I was kind of like,
Dawn Grant (42:56)
Okay.
Unstoppable Tracy (43:15)
I don't know what physical shape I'm in and I'm not sure if I can take that on now. Like things bring us backwards where we do doubt ourselves. And you say like, what was the hardest? When you said, was the hardest? I thought, skiing was probably like the next big thing, but probably the hardest was coming back after that time I got sepsis over COVID. so I've always been able to wear my legs, artificial legs.
Dawn Grant (43:24)
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (43:42)
never owned a wheelchair. And then, and then now I'm still part time in a chair and had to get a chair and being in the hospital those six months and not allowed out until I successfully found a chair and I had to change where I lived because my apartment wasn't accessible for a wheelchair because I didn't have a wheelchair. So I to find this accessible place. So for the first time in my life, I actually felt like I didn't have legs, but I don't scuba dive with my legs.
Dawn Grant (43:48)
Okay.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (44:10)
Like what do my legs have to do with scuba diving? But I was definitely, I needed to self-talk myself through it. So there are ups and downs and you can hear the, I don't know, like you said, when this three years later and then you're still getting flack after proving incredible success and people twist the truth to what they hear and they believed you didn't serve lunch. because, right?
Dawn Grant (44:19)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
it
Unstoppable Tracy (44:36)
And it's not even the truth. And that same with me, like they believe I could, I could pull a boat out, but it was sort of like, well, and she can't even pull her own boat out. How is she going to sail it? Well, actually I can, but it's just like stories get more to fit what others believe. And, uh, and then you, start to have your own imposter syndrome because of something. Right. Like maybe you gain weight or maybe you get sick or maybe something happens with one of your kids or.
Dawn Grant (44:51)
Right. Yeah.
Yes. Yeah.
huge to be able to be responsible to one's thoughts and not everybody I mean I couldn't even guess what the percentage of the population that not only knows that but to actively does it it's such a small percentage in my opinion too because the power of our thoughts and perceptions and beliefs are affecting everything and there's some people that say you know everything before you is a projection and it's not really real well
I'm going to say everything before me is a projection based on my thoughts and beliefs. And it's not necessarily real. So like when you're giving these examples of these people, they're projecting onto you their limitations and their beliefs and their fears and there has absolutely nothing to do with you at all. And it's their story based on whatever they've come to learn or believe or guess or whatever in their naivety.
And it's coming out their mouth as if it's truth, but it's not because, but they think it is because we all have this big old ego thing that makes us think we're right and everybody else is wrong, you know? So it's coming, and that's really what we need to be, we need to be responsible to that and pause, respond instead of react, like pause and take that moment of.
I may not, I don't know. It's not even I may not, I don't know. I don't know. So let me be in that position of I don't know and ask instead of tell and be responsible. It's not only responsible to our thoughts, because our thoughts have power, but the same as our words and actions based on our thoughts, right? And you've been living that again, just because what you've got going on is physical and visible.
Unstoppable Tracy (46:39)
Yes.
Dawn Grant (46:46)
So because of that, you see this more frequently from others. Yeah, but that, yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (46:51)
And such a bonus. And, and then
if you don't know and you ask, but who are you asking to and how often are you asking? It's sort of like in the sailing when people said, you know, it's totally impossible that you pursue a Paralympic dream. need 10, you need 10,000 hours. You need $10,000 for a boat. need $10,000 for a high performance coach. There's just no way. And all the other sailors with disabilities, you know, they're missing a thumb or they're missing a foot or they're
maybe paralyzed from the waist down, but you're sitting in the boat and they've got strong arms. So it doesn't really, you know, and, and like all of that is paper cuts compared to you, Tracy, right? Like, so even my people that are in my world that have disabilities or in the world of accessible sailing are, are, are saying being cautious and going down. But what, what, comes in
Dawn Grant (47:29)
⁓
Unstoppable Tracy (47:45)
is you talked about your dad putting up that sign on your house because of that moment and how that made you be forever more is carried forward and like the backwards boots go embrace possible or the no with the kindergarten or I remember I was so tough on my dad for a long time as many young girls can be and I'm 11 months older than my sister.
Dawn Grant (47:48)
All right.
Right.
Unstoppable Tracy (48:08)
And she had a slightly earlier bedtime than me. And I remember, my dad couldn't for the life of me, get me and my sister into bed. we said, do you mind going to bed so I can get Kelly into bed, my sister, and I'll come back in 10 minutes. She'll be asleep and I'll come back and get you. Well, he didn't come back. And so I made that mean like I couldn't count on them and that I can only count on myself.
Dawn Grant (48:09)
⁓ yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
Yeah. ⁓
Right.
Unstoppable Tracy (48:34)
And so I've got this great strength of being independent. But the reality is, you know, fast forward and babysitting my niece and nephew, I think I fell asleep at like ridiculous 730 AM. He probably fell asleep. I'm sure he didn't leave me on purpose. Or he thought I fell asleep or he thought I couldn't read a clock or like, cause he was a wonderful, generous, kind, amazing man. ⁓ So it doesn't.
Dawn Grant (48:35)
yeah.
so I was wondering, yeah.
Exactly.
Right.
Unstoppable Tracy (48:59)
The five-year-old version of that story is a five-year-old's interpretation. But that five-year-old came out this week with the keel bulb. Like, I can tell that, right? I can't count on anybody. I got to pull up that keel bulb. I'm independent. So, or who knows which of those, and so same with you with the gun shop, that teenager that was irresponsibly late every day.
Dawn Grant (49:05)
Yeah, for sure.
Right.
Unstoppable Tracy (49:23)
you know, but your dad making the sign. And so when we're making our choices now, who's making the choice? Is it a woman that's 54 and lived all these years, or is it the 17 year old that got that big sign from her dad? Well, there's still a bonus. It's still helpful, but it's also with the 17 year old mindset or my five year old bedtime mindset. that we get to choose it more appropriate. Yeah.
Dawn Grant (49:23)
Yeah.
Yes.
Yeah.
Yeah, and there's two sides to that coin.
Yeah, there's like a light side and a shadow side too, let's say something like independence. And I love that you said that earlier in our conversation. There is two sides to everything. And again, something so important to be aware of because I was so much about proving myself and I'm gonna make this happen and I'm gonna make this club more successful than it's ever been.
on my own, damn it. And so my husband now, who's been in my life going on five years, he had owned a shotgun club in South New Jersey for 30 years. And so when we met, of course he had a lot of wisdom and insight and all that, and he wanted to help. And I had to work on letting him help, receiving. And part of it was,
Unstoppable Tracy (50:21)
Nice.
Dawn Grant (50:37)
Well, I have to still prove to that red faced man that was shaking that didn't think I could do this, that I can do it on my own. You know, I still have to prove it to him and all the other ones that were doubting, know, but I had to let go of stuff like that, you know, and, and, and work on that. And I did over, you know, a several year process of it. And, know, and everybody's different. Another thing would be a guy coming in and wanting to bulldoze, right?
Coming in strong and let me do not not not let me I will do this for you, right? And it could have been a you know, the guy could have I'm talking about my husband at the time how do say this a man could have come in saying well, this is a shotgun club and started just running it even without even asking right like just kind of like taking this manly position and and
Unstoppable Tracy (51:09)
Yes, yes.
Dawn Grant (51:29)
One of the things that attracted me about Joe is he wanted the backseat. Like he didn't want notoriety or recognition or to take the front stage. Like if he was gonna help me, it was gonna be, nobody's gonna know about it. You know what I mean? As far as like, he just respected that it was my club and he wanted me to succeed at it. And if I needed help, it wasn't for his own purpose other than wanting to feel like he was helpful.
And that stood out, right? Because that's a safe person to take help from. It's the safe person who's not doing it to like look at me or I'm gonna come save the day or I'm doing this because she can't do it or whatever other possibilities there are. And I know you know, I'm sure you've seen all those different personalities come in and try to help you. Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (52:22)
Yes, yes,
Dawn Grant (52:25)
especially the ones that you don't ask, right?
Unstoppable Tracy (52:25)
yes, yes, yes, ask. And it's funny, one of the things I sort of say, you know, would you like a hand or is there anything I can do to make life easier versus let me help you? And then your example dialed it up one more. It's not even a let me help you, it's just I'm going to like just doing it without involving and it's sort of the in a
Dawn Grant (52:44)
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (52:48)
A tangent along that theme is nothing about us without us, like have us in. Like if they are assisting you and you do wake up and say, okay, he's got my best intentions. He's not here for the limelight to say that he took over and succeeded for me, right? It's because he involved you and saw what you were requesting or wishing. And it was...
Dawn Grant (53:13)
Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (53:14)
you know, that nothing about us without us. If you are fellow community members that do want to make a difference for somebody that's got a big dream, how can you support them in their dream, their dream, their way? ⁓ Which is interesting. And I was thinking of like, so you've got your husband in this, this regatta that I was just in last week.
Dawn Grant (53:28)
Yes.
Unstoppable Tracy (53:36)
There's this woman, Karen Anne Xavier, and she's married. It's not a relationship thing with me and her, except that she didn't really get any accolades that week, but she touched all the boats. She improved all the boats. She repaired several big collisions. She's been coaching me for 20 years. She's been dragging boats across Canada and around the world for years.
Dawn Grant (54:02)
Well.
Unstoppable Tracy (54:02)
And she's
always that silent person, like orchestra leader. We see the band on the stage, but we don't see the orchestra leader. And you made me think of her. She made me think of your Joe. And she's just one of these powerful women that really set everybody else up for success around her. And she's extraordinarily talented herself. But I don't see her limelight. Her limelight is being
Dawn Grant (54:09)
Yes.
Yeah.
Right.
Unstoppable Tracy (54:26)
the best ally for so many others, even though she's very talented at technical and sailing and kindness. Yeah.
Dawn Grant (54:29)
Yes.
Yeah,
it's an interesting thing related to personalities that I've observed. You're reminding me of, so there's a local news channel that I'm on pretty frequently and it can be related to mental stuff. It could be related to my nonprofit. It could be related to anything if there's something going through.
Congress about guns and they want to interview me because I own a shotgun club like there's so many different but I'm on so I'm on this show frequently this news channel and You know I start this podcast and I asked the made the main newscaster if he'd like to be a guest on podcast and he says yes And he was like, know, who's great. This is lady right here She has been here like 30 years and she was one of the ladies she had all the wires on her and the headsets and she was the behind-the-scenes person right and he was like
There's so much she could share. And I invited her and she was like, no, I am not that person. I like to be behind the scenes. And he's like, this place would not run without her. You should do it, you know? And he was trying to convince her and she's like, no, like this is, that's not me. And it was clear, a newscaster who likes to be in front of the camera and then this person who's behind the scenes doing all the.
Unstoppable Tracy (55:27)
Yeah.
Dawn Grant (55:47)
the grunt work and everything and really didn't want to be recognized publicly. Very, very content getting pleasure from being behind the scenes. Yeah, there are people like that. That's the ones that I like. If they're gonna help me, do it with humility. Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (55:58)
Yeah.
Yes.
Yeah, yeah, but we
get to remember them. We get to bring them along with us.
Dawn Grant (56:11)
Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. So if you had one gold nugget or one bit of wisdom, what would you pass on? What's something that you would just be like, is the most important thing that comes to my mind right now?
Unstoppable Tracy (56:25)
It's.
I have no idea what's going on in the eyes and ears of your listeners and for you or, you know, or for Karen Anne helping me behind the scene or for each, for each person out there. and I think people would like, like, she got sepsis and she's in a chair now and her life is upside down and she didn't sail for all those years.
and then her mom recently passed away and there's a lot going on. And so I don't think anybody would judge me if I didn't go to this regatta, come last week or, or if I said, I just had this huge event and it was like unbelievable number of days without sleep and nonstop physicality dawn. I've got to change the date of our recording today. Like you wouldn't have judged me probably if I explained what happened. but.
Dawn Grant (56:57)
Mm-hmm.
Unstoppable Tracy (57:14)
My mom is like in my ear with the tough love, with the kind love of like no excuses. And so no excuses is kind of like it is an excuse. Like you were late for school, but I know there's some very realistic things out there. Like you talked about not carrying cancer or some medical things going on and those I don't think they deserve the title excuse.
Dawn Grant (57:22)
Yeah.
Hmm.
Unstoppable Tracy (57:38)
and me too with the sepsis, for example, but when you live a life of no excuses, even if it's sort of very realistic reasons, when you live a life of no excuses, the bonus is you get to live a life of no limits, you know, excuses, no limits. Like this is the best hour ever today in the month. And it was really wonderful speaking with you and having you distinguish
Dawn Grant (57:45)
Yeah.
Yes.
Unstoppable Tracy (58:06)
and clarify sort of the golden nuggets that are just stories for me, right? Because that's your secrets of excellence you can distinguish and what a wonderful experience for me to have this hour with you. And so no excuses, the bonus is you show up, you end up with no limits, no excuses, no limits.
Dawn Grant (58:10)
Yes.
For sure, for sure. And I can totally relate. I've got big goals and I just don't see any reason not to achieve them other than myself. That's it. And my belief system and whether I let go and trust the process and engage as much as I can but also let go and there's this really nice dance I think that
Unstoppable Tracy (58:36)
Yes.
Dawn Grant (58:48)
a rhythm of dance of getting into how much we control or try to do things versus let go. And the same as doing and receiving. It's like finding this gray area of independence and dependence. Although I feel like the word dependence is bad, but it's not. I know, that's not a bad word. It's not a curse word. Yes, yes.
Unstoppable Tracy (59:04)
Both of us were like, No, but I do love receiving. Receiving. I like it better than
dependence. Receiving. My mom said that receiving is a gift for other people. She said, sometimes you've got to let people do it for you because it's a gift for them. Yeah.
Dawn Grant (59:16)
Wow.
It is. Yes, that was-
I had
heard that at some point and I tell that to one of the young ladies that works for me. She's got a four year old and she's one of those mothers that really does everything. I'm like, cause years ago I heard if we always do for somebody, we're sending them a message that we believe that they can't do it. And that goes in childhood. It goes to all of our relationships. Even
even partnerships where somebody maybe has an addiction or alcoholism, something like that, if the other person is constantly doing for them and fixing their stuff, there's this message, you can't do it. And that is not uplifting and not healthy and not constructive. We should ask. Would you like, like I do to my dog.
Unstoppable Tracy (1:00:14)
Y-Y-
Dawn Grant (1:00:14)
Pup-eye, that's his
name, Pup-Pup-eye, cause he's like strong up front, you know, and do you want me to pick you up? And he's like, no. And then he's full speed ahead to get away from me. Yeah, give people the.
Unstoppable Tracy (1:00:25)
Yeah. And you helped them to get to
the right. And you know, what helps me with the should like we should ask or, you know, we should receive is to flip it to get to. We get to ask and we get to receive. And so, so, uh, when I hear myself wanting to say should, or actually saying should, or I hear somebody shooting me, you should. Blah, blah.
Dawn Grant (1:00:39)
nice.
Yeah.
Yeah, you're just shit.
Unstoppable Tracy (1:00:52)
I just hear it as get to, so I'm not as defensive.
Dawn Grant (1:00:55)
That's
a better, much healthier way. Yeah, cause shoulda's. That's shit on. Shoulda's. Shoulda coulda woulda's. No, no space for those. Yeah.
Unstoppable Tracy (1:01:02)
No, no. Oh, you said it so
beautifully. didn't, you didn't shoot on your puppy, but it was just, it just gave me another idea. I'm like, Oh, I bet you she would love get to. So, uh, yeah.
Dawn Grant (1:01:08)
Okay, good.
Yeah, I
do, I do love that. But we could talk forever, this is really cool. I love all your stories and I'm sure you have so many more. ⁓ Dang, I do wanna tell listeners I do have some free goodies and opt-ins, whether it's a few weeks free access to my online courses or my Mind Mastered app, just go to dongrant.com forward slash free. My website's dongrant.com and all that.
Unstoppable Tracy (1:01:18)
Yes!
He
Dawn Grant (1:01:39)
and I'm always giving free tips on my social media. So that's a good place to follow me. So Miss Unstoppable Tracy, would you like to share some of your contact info or what do you got for us?
Unstoppable Tracy (1:01:53)
But it's, it's unstoppable Tracy, unstoppable Tracy on every social media, unstoppable Tracy website. Everything is unstoppable Tracy. And on the website, you can get a free download of the book. and the book isn't just stories. It's, it has a picture of me holding a gun in it. I wish I could open it up real quick, which is kind of fun with your gun club membership. ⁓ and then, and at the end of every chapter, there's questions for people that.
Dawn Grant (1:02:06)
Nice.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. ⁓
Unstoppable Tracy (1:02:20)
answer for themselves. So you can get a free download of unstoppable you because not about unstoppable Tracy's about unstoppable you. ⁓
Dawn Grant (1:02:20)
Yeah.
Nice!
I'm glad
you just reiterated that. I didn't realize it said you until you just said it. Nice, nice. I'd love to read that.
Unstoppable Tracy (1:02:34)
So thank
you. And there's no E in Tracy. No arms, no legs, no E. No extra parts. T-R-A-C-Y.
Dawn Grant (1:02:41)
⁓ I
love it. I love it. Well, thank you so much Tracy and I look forward to following you on social media myself and seeing what you're up to. Yes. Thank you. Yes, for sure.
Unstoppable Tracy (1:02:51)
Please do. Thank you, Don. Forever friends, kindred spirits.
