Rise

September 6, 2025 by Tracey Buckley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I am so excited to share that my song Rise has now been released, we released it on 1st of September in time for Body Awareness and Eating Disorder week.

Rise is available on Spotify and YouTube.

This has been a dream for me, and it is so surreal.

I have had so many amazing people help me on this journey.

I have to say that I am so grateful for Merelyn Carter from Carter & Carter.

We have been on this journey for many years.

Rise is a song about overcoming, it is my story, my testimony.

It is about finding hope in those difficult moments,

I want to make a difference.

I will share more soon.

Tracey Buckley

I Hear Him Whisper

July 6, 2025 by Tracey Buckley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Lately I have been focused on a lot of my goals and achieving them.

I started to think why has it taken me this long to achieve them?

Which I think is a valid question to ask.

I am wondering why it has taken me so long to gather up the courage to do the things that I have dreamed of?

Oh, I have so many questions.

I know that God’s timing is different to ours and we are right where we need to be.

God is not late he is always on time.

As I navigate my goals this year, I am reminded of how His timing is different.

I am reminded that he gives us favour, divine appointments, divine connections, and divine protection.

I have been on a journey, gathering up life skills, learning and embracing different experiences.

I have been collecting the necessary skills that I need to make my dreams come to life.

There has been many pinch me moments (as I like to call them) in the last few months.

My God moments-

One that I am so grateful for is being able to record two songs that I co wrote and be in a proper recording studio. That Bill Risby who I have never met created the most beautiful piano arrangement for my song Rise. That Brett Word created the most amazing guitar arrangement for Rise, that Merelyn Carter who has been my music mentor for a long time guided me through the journey. Also having Adrian from The Song Store (where I recorded my song) teach me so much about being in the recording studio and the recording process. Oh, and for him playing Cello in the instrumental of Rise.

I am also grateful for my gym journey where I have a great coach who has journeyed with me, from the person that was so unsure of herself in the gym to the person who is now working towards her first bodybuilding competition next year. Being in the gym has helped my mindset it has let me know that I am capable, that I can do hard things. That I love a challenge and I am not giving up.

There is also another mentor Elaine who helps me with me writing and I have just about finished my journal book that I have been working on for such a long time. This has been a journey and she is just so encouraging and has supported me in embracing being an author.

There have been many mentors and people that have been in my life that I have learnt from and grown. Mentors who have been with me in the valleys and then celebrated on the mountain tops.

Yes, there have been many valleys but oh the mountain tops make it all worthwhile.

Some of them will never know how much they have impacted my life but they are all in my story, they are all part of my journey that I am embracing.

They are all the reasons that I am still here, still here creating and embracing new opportunities.

It has taken me a while to walk out my dreams because He was doing a work in me and still is, he is the potter and I am the clay.

I hear Him whisper it is not too late Tracey.

I hear Him whisper to you it’s not too late.

Be encouraged I am cheering you on.

I am learning to be me.

The Recording

May 11, 2025 by Tracey Buckley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Three weeks ago, I was in Melbourne recording 2 songs that I have co-written.

The songs I recorded are Rise and Princess Heart, these are songs about my journey.

I had the most amazing experience, I kept on saying this is my dream.

I recorded at The Song Store in Melbourne and it was the most surreal experience.

For the song Rise I wanted it to be acoustic, so my music mentor Merelyn organised for Bill who lives in Queensland to play the piano. Oh, my goodness what he did with the song was amazing.

I think amazing is my word for this experience.

Then she organised Brett Wood to play the guitar on both my songs and yes you guessed it he was amazing.

The song Princess Heart is also acoustic and I wrote that song in 2009 at my very first mentor session with Merelyn at her house.

I did not want to finish the song it was hard, because it was my story, we finished it. Merelyn and her husband David helped me to revise it.

I wrote the song Rise with Paula from Jetty Road, on a songwriting retreat that I attended last October.

I am so blessed by how both songs have turned out and how they sound.

It was even better then what I ever thought it would be.

Now I am in the process of getting all my socials ready for release.

I am not sure when, but stay tuned.

I have a photo shoot this weekend, which is also a first and I have to get a few other things organised.

It is journey but it is an amazing, incredible and I just cannot believe this journey.

As I have said to friends, it is was a pinch me moment.

I can’t wait to share the songs with you.

Will share more soon.

Three Weeks

March 22, 2025 by Tracey Buckley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

The countdown is on there are 3 weeks until I go to Melbourne and record my songs Rise and Princess Heart.

Yeah!

I am feeling so excited and nervous, this is a pinch me moment, a dream that I have always wanted to do.

I have been to a recording studio before, but this time it is next level. This time it is different.

Do I know what I am doing?

No, but that is okay, I will have my music mentor with me to help.

It’s an adventure.

A few weeks ago, I received the piano track for my song and oh my goodness it is so beautiful and yes it made me cry.

I have four different versions and I need to decide which one to record. It is really difficult.

I have wanted both songs to be acoustic, so we are having for Rise piano and guitar.

For Princess Heart we are having just the guitar.

I am wanting to learn and understand the process of recording.

We have three full days in the recording studio.

Check list for now is-

Flights are booked
Deposits are paid
Musicians are booked
Piano track is done.

There is still more to be done.

I am choosing to embrace the process.

The next few weeks I will be working on singing the songs and working out how to structure the words and feelings.

I’m gonna rise……………………..

Will share more soon.

Rise

February 23, 2025 by Tracey Buckley ♥ 1 Comment

My word for this year is-

Rise

This year I want to Rise, Rise to be creative.

I want to Rise and have amazing adventures.

Last year I went on a songwriting retreat it and wrote a song called Rise.

This year I am really excited as I will be recording my song Rise in April.

I have been in a recording studio before, it was to do vocals over a song that I had written. It was a demo. With my song Rise I will be recording in Melbourne and I am totally out of my comfort zone.

This time it will be different in the recording studio, because I want to release 2 songs and they will be professionally produced.

Sometimes I feel that I need to pinch myself, this is my dream.

I want my songs to make a difference.

I have always wanted to make a difference.

I will take you on the journey as the countdown to Melbourne begins.

In just over 6 weeks I will be there. AARRGG!

Yesterday I had a session with my music mentor who lives in Melbourne and we worked out how we want the songs to sound.

There is so much to think about and do before you actually go into the recording studio.

I have worked on a different arrangement for my song Princess Heart, which I love.

Now I just need to practise my songs and I will probably have some singing lessons before I go over as well.

Next Monday I will be performing at an open mic and singing some covers.

I will share more soon.

My Gym Progress

November 16, 2024 by Tracey Buckley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I am still on my gym journey and loving the process. I am learning so much.

Years ago, my thoughts about exercise were do as much cardio as you can and eat very little.

I thought that you had to do cardio for at least one hour a day, seven days a week.

Now I know that I want to build, I want to be strong and to do this I have to eat.

I am so grateful for my coach who is there to guide me and to challenge me (in a good way).

I have been on this journey from 11^th of May 2023 and I do not plan to stop.

We are working towards a competition next year, I don’t know when yet. I am just focusing on one day at a time.

I am still going to the gym 5 mornings a week from 5.45 am.

My alarm goes of at 4.15 am and I just get up, I don’t have those thoughts of do I want to go to the gym.

No, I get up and it is a huge part of my daily routine.

I am learning a lot about trusting the process and trusting my coach.

This is something that I have not done before and it is all new.

I love learning, I really do.

I am enjoying the whole experience, well probably not some of the injuries if I am being honest.

We have been working through them and I haven’t stopped my commitment to this journey. I also have a great physio, thank goodness.

The weekends are my rest days and I am okay with that.

I will share more soon.

A Songwriting Retreat

November 10, 2024 by Tracey Buckley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Last month I went on a songwriting retreat in Melbourne and it was amazing.

It was for 4 days and it was run by my music mentor’s Carter and Carter who are a country duo.

There was around 20 singer/songwriters and our hosts Merelyn and
David Carter. We also had Brendan Walmsley, Brett Wood and Paula from Jetty Road. All country music artists in Australia.

We came from all around Australia to write, work on songs and to collaborate.

We stayed at Karma Kinglake and we shared with people we had not met but later up became friends.

We learnt a lot about songwriting, how to register our songs and other information about our music.

I was so blessed to collaborate and write a song with Paula from Jetty Road.

We wrote a song about my journey, I wanted the song to build and I wanted the song to be able to make a difference.

It was a full day of writing and I am so happy with how the song worked out.

I said to Paula this is my dream, it was a pinch me moment.

At the retreat if you worked on a song during the day and if you finished it you were encouraged to share it after dinner.

I shared my song and it was amazing.

I am so glad that I took the time away, booked the retreat, got on a plane, and went to Melbourne where I could just focus on my creativity.

It was a beautiful time where new friendships were made and the atmosphere was so encouraging.

It was great to hear other people’s journeys and their songs that they had written on the retreat.

We all wrote down a goal for the retreat and yes, I achieved my goal.

I will share more soon.

Tracey Buckley

6 Months

July 16, 2024 by Tracey Buckley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Last week marked twenty-four weeks, 6 months of being at the gym, 5 mornings a week, for this year.

I did have a bit of a break in January. I may have gone 3 times a week and had one week of. It was holidays for me.

Last year I commenced my gym journey on May 11 2023.

I have learnt so much in the process.

My biggest lesson is to trust the process.

It has been 6 months of committing to getting up early.

It is built into my daily routine.

My alarm is set for 4.30 am and I am at the gym around 5.30 am to 5.45 am.

Going in the morning works for me and I think when you are making commitments to find what works for you.

I never think when I wake up, do I want to go to the gym?

No, this is not an option for me and my goals.

I am working towards a competition for next year, so there is a lot to learn.

I am so looking forward to the next 6 months and to see what will happen.

I am looking forward to seeing what my body can do.

It is all so new for me, I am learning to view food and exercise differently.

I no longer see the gym as punishment for what I have eaten.

I am no longer seeing the food as the enemy.

I am seeing food as fuel for this journey.

I want to be a strong warrior woman.

It is a journey and I am enjoying this journey.

Will share more soon.

My Creative Projects

June 28, 2024 by Tracey Buckley ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I have been on long service leave for about two weeks now and I have been really focusing on some creative projects.

I just love the space to create.

Yes, I am still continuing on my gym journey, which I am loving.

I have had a PT session with my trainer, where I am always learning new things and challenging myself every time that I am at the gym.

I have decided for these holidays that I am going to focus on being creative and have that space to be creative.

I have been learning guitar and I have an amazing guitar teacher who is just so encouraging.

I have also signed up for a songwriting workshop in Melbourne, which I am so looking forward to.

I have always wanted to go. The workshop in is October this year and it is with my music mentor. I cannot wait to go.

I am also working o a journal for women.

The time has also allowed me to find songs that I had written and work on them.

I will also be working on writing some new songs.

I am have also signed up for singing lessons with my singing teacher, once a week for 5 weeks which I am really looking forward to.

There is a lot to be grateful for at this time.

The space has let me take time to learn new songs to sing and perform.

I am also taking this time to reset and to slow down.

I am taking the time to drink my coffee slowly.

I am taking time to singing out loud.

I have three more weeks left of holidays after this week and I cannot wait to see what happens.

I will share more soon.

It Takes Time

May 11, 2024 by Tracey Buckley ♥ 2 Comments

Trust the process is a saying that I have been using a lot lately in my journey.

It helps me to remember that you may not notice the changes day to day but over time you will.

It helps me to remember to just keep going and see what happens.

It helps me to remember that things that are important to you takes time.

It helps me to remember to just keep focusing on what I need to do for now.

This made me think about my journey of recovery from an eating disorder.

Had I made the connection that things take time, I might have been kinder to myself in the process.

I had to realise that recovery is not a straight line it is linear and has challenges.

I had to remember that, that is okay and I wasn’t a failure when my journey didn’t look like someone else’s.

Or, that someone spent less time in hospital then I did.

How I thought I would recover was not how my journey went.

I did not have that focus when I was in the hospital I was just focusing on minute by minute.

I couldn’t even imagine myself well at that time and what I would look and feel like.

I couldn’t imagine living a full life.

I was not trusting the process.

I did not realise that it was a journey.

Trusting the process was hard.

I found trust difficult when I was in hospital and it took a few attempts and a lot of tears to find the right professional for my recovery.

When you have that trust and you realise that someone sees you as a person and not the illness then slowly trust begins.

I have realised that for me, to trust the process I need someone who is nurturing and caring.

I realised I did not need someone that was clinical and head theory.

When I am trusting the process, I need to be surrounded by nurturing and caring people.

This is what works for me.

Finding someone that is cheering you on is so very important.

Who is cheering you on?

It takes time and it will be so worth it.

Will share more soon.