There is a moment in many successful careers, a quiet and often bewildering plateau. It’s the place where the promotions slow down, where the next logical step seems to be shrouded in mist, where a talented leader looks up and realizes she is no longer on the fast track but circling in a holding pattern.
For years, Tracy Saunders had a front-row seat to this phenomenon. As a high-level leadership recruiter for titans of industry like Google, Amazon, and Cisco, as well as the fast-paced, hyper-growth startups of the dot-com era, her job was to fill the most coveted roles with the best possible talent. She was an architect of corporate destinies, a gatekeeper to the C-suite. And from her unique vantage point, she began to notice a troubling pattern, a subtle but persistent glitch in the corporate matrix.
Exceptional women, leaders with impeccable track records and undeniable drive, were being sidelined. They were passed over for the big promotions, left out of the succession plans, and subtly nudged toward roles that didn’t reflect their true capabilities. The system she was a part of, the very machine she helped operate, was quietly but systematically undervaluing half of its most valuable assets. She saw women who felt stuck, paralyzed by a loyalty to their teams that wasn’t being reciprocated by their employers, or plagued by a corrosive self-doubt that sets in after being overlooked one too many times. Tracy Saunders saw the architecture of the glass ceiling not as a single, shatterproof barrier, but as a complex system of biases, misperceptions, and unwritten rules. After more than two decades, having mastered the system from the inside, she found she was uniquely qualified to provide women with a breakthrough advantage, one that dismantles barriers and give them a competitive edge no one else could offer.
This is the story of BossmakeHer, the company Tracy founded in 2018. It is less a career coaching service and more a strategic operations center for women leaders ready to stage their next power move. And it is the story of Tracy Saunders, the poacher turned gamekeeper, who traded in her corporate recruiting credentials to become one of the most effective advocates for executive women in the country.
From Military Bases to Gender Studies
To understand Tracy’s mission, you have to go back to a childhood defined by motion. Growing up in a military family meant a life of constant relocation, of learning to adapt, of building and rebuilding a world for oneself in new and unfamiliar landscapes. It was a primer in resilience, a skill that would become the cornerstone of her future work. When she arrived at college, she didn’t gravitate toward business or economics, but to Critical Gender Studies. She immersed herself in women’s history and the experiences of minorities, developing a keen academic framework for understanding the dynamics of power, representation, and systemic inequality.
Her first career was as a journalist, a storyteller drawn to the narratives that often go untold. But the siren song of the dot-com boom pulled her into a new world: technology recruiting. For the next fifteen years, she navigated the explosive, chaotic, and exhilarating landscape of hyper-growth startups and established tech giants. She had a knack for it, an ability to see potential and match it with opportunity. But her academic background gave her a different lens through which to view her work. She wasn’t just filling roles; she was observing a living, breathing ecosystem of power. And the pattern she saw was undeniable. Across every company, regardless of its size or mission, the same story played out. Talented women were hitting an invisible wall. “That’s when it clicked for me,” Tracy recalls. Her purpose wasn’t just to tell the untold stories; it was to change them. “I wanted to help women recognize their worth and go after and land the opportunities they deserve. Bossmakeher was born out of that passion.”
Building a Different Kind of Table
In 2018, Tracy took the leap. She saw a chasm in the market. Corporate recruiters, by definition, serve the company. Their goal is to fill a role. But who was serving the candidate, specifically the senior woman leader who was navigating the treacherous terrain of an executive job search? Who was there to help her rewrite her narrative, negotiate with confidence, and strategically target the roles that would truly be transformative?
Tracy launched BossmakeHer as a high-touch, deeply personal coaching service. It was an immediate magnet for women who felt what she had observed for so long. The early clients were women at the Director, VP, and C-suite levels who were ready to stop settling. The company grew organically, a testament to the palpable need for its services, expanding from a solo operation into a powerhouse collective of award-winning coaches, recruiters, branding experts, DEI consultants, and mindset coaches. It became a community, a trusted peer group of ambitious women, with a particular focus on supporting women of color, who were all committed to the same goal: taking charge.
More Than a Transaction, a Transformation
What makes the BossmakeHer method so potent is that it treats a job search not as a transactional task, but as a profound, life-altering journey. “Because we have been on the hiring side,” Tracy explains, “we know exactly how the system works and how to help women break through it.” This insider knowledge is their secret weapon. The approach is holistic, addressing not just the tactical maneuvers of the hunt but the emotional and psychological resilience required to succeed.
They deconstruct the common mistakes she saw women make for decades. For the woman who consistently sells herself short, they provide the data, the language, and the confidence to negotiate for compensation that reflects her true market value. For the leader with generic branding, they become personal storytellers, helping her excavate her accomplishments and weave them into a powerful narrative that screams impact and leadership. They transform a standard résumé and LinkedIn profile into a compelling case for her hire.
For the executive who is applying everywhere in a scattered, panicked approach, they instill a laser-focused strategy, helping her identify the right companies and connect with the right people. And for the woman who claims she is too busy or too hesitant for networking, they provide a structured, manageable framework that turns a dreaded chore into a powerful tool for connection and opportunity. The shift is palpable. Women who were getting no traction suddenly find themselves in contention for their dream roles.
The Currency of Confidence
When asked how she measures her impact, Tracy is quick to point out that the numbers are only half the story. The metrics are, to be sure, impressive. It’s not uncommon for clients to land new roles with a $100,000 salary bump, plus significant equity. Some have doubled their total compensation. But the stories, she insists, are where the true value lies.
“Those transformations are priceless for our clients,” Tracy says. She talks about the woman whose confidence skyrocketed after finally landing a role where she felt seen and valued. The client whose mental health dramatically improved after leaving a toxic environment. The executive who now has the flexibility to be truly present with her family.
This, for Tracy, is the real ROI. Her proudest achievement isn’t the growth of her company from a single service to a scalable platform with national visibility. “Honestly, what I am most proud of are the women themselves,” she says. “Clients who have landed dream roles, negotiated better packages, and then turned around to mentor others. That ripple effect is everything.” It’s a self-perpetuating ecosystem of empowerment, where every success story becomes a catalyst for another.
Progress Over Perfection in a Pennsylvania Cabin
The life of an entrepreneur is notoriously grueling, and Tracy’s journey has been no exception. Leaving a stable corporate career to launch a self-funded venture was, in her words, “thrilling but scary.” As a first-time founder, she had to contend not only with her own doubts but with skepticism from an industry that often dismisses platforms that aren’t SaaS or B2B. The pressure to have everything perfect from day one was immense.
Her antidote is a simple, three-word mantra: “Progress over perfection.” It’s a reminder to keep moving, to celebrate the small wins, and to stay focused on the mission, even when the path is uncertain.
That mission is orchestrated not from a sleek high-rise office, but from a cabin in Pennsylvania, where she lives with her two tween boys and their dog. Her life outside of BossmakeHer is one of grounding simplicity. She loves being outdoors, watching movies, and reading. This is where she recharges, where the noise of the corporate world fades and she can reconnect with her core purpose. For her, work-life balance isn’t a myth, but it’s not about a 50/50 split. “It is about being fully present,” she explains, “at work when I am working, and at home when I am with family.”
Looking forward, her vision is unapologetically ambitious. She plans to expand BossmakeHer globally, with the goal of impacting millions of women. The vision is simple: more women in leadership roles that light them up, creating a virtuous cycle of inspiration for the generations that follow.
When Tracy Saunders speaks to women leaders, her message is a direct and powerful call to action. “Leadership is not about a title, it’s about influence and service,” she asserts. “When you claim your worth, you inspire others to do the same. Don’t wait for permission to make your next move.” It’s the wisdom of someone who has seen the game from both sides, who understands the rules so intimately that she can now teach others how to break them. And it’s all built on one foundational, revolutionary belief she instills in every client: “You are not just an employee; you are a priceless asset.”
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Also Read: Empowered Visionaries: Redefining Executive Leadership in 2025
