There's a little girl in an old photograph, sitting on a swing, smiling the way only children smile — like the whole world is simple and good and safe. That little girl is me. And for a long time, I forgot she existed.
Life has a way of doing that. Of burying the person you were born to be under years of pain, bad choices, and the weight of feeling like you were never quite enough. I spent decades looking for love in the wrong places, carrying shame I didn't know how to put down, and slowly disappearing into versions of myself that were never really me at all.
I won't sugarcoat it. There were days I didn't want to be here.
But on February 18, 2018, something shifted. I made a vow — not just sobriety from alcohol, but from everything that was bringing me down. The self-doubt. The self-pity. The demons. I wanted to learn, for the first time in my life, how to love myself and believe in myself. Running saved me. Literally. Those 3am runs. The miles logged alongside people who refused to let me quit. Running gave me back the little girl on the swing.
Six months after getting sober, I stood at the start line of the Habanero 100k — 62 miles through Texas sand and heat. My feet were doctored twice in the middle of the night. I wore a shirt that said "Not Today." I crossed the finish line at 5:54am, 2nd place female. The difference that day wasn't my training. It was that I believed in myself just a little more than I had before. That's all it ever takes. Just a little more.
My dad taught me that. He passed on October 4, 2009 — but his impact shows up every single day in how I work, how I listen, and how I keep going when it's hard. He never needed credit to make an impact. He just did the work — fully, honestly, consistently. I'm still becoming someone he'd be proud of. I think I'm finally starting to be.
"I never want credit to make an impact. I just want to do the work — fully, honestly, consistently. And I just want to know I left it better."
— Tracy Almazan, Founder
🏔️ The Mountain
Tracy's friend Rachel has always shown up for her — through the hard years, through recovery, through life. So when Rachel needed a pacer for the final 12.6 miles of a 220-mile ultramarathon, Tracy showed up. Torn meniscus. Surgery scheduled. Logic said stay home. But that's not how you love people. Rachel finished in 75 hours and 37 minutes. 6th place female. Tracy has never been more proud of something she didn't do.
📦 The Desks
Tracy bought $5 worth of school desks at auction, hauled them alone through Texas heat, and ended up donating them to children in Tanzania who had never seen a desk. Doing the work when nobody's watching. Giving when it matters most. That's just who she is.
🤍 Hope & Marissa
Tracy has two daughters — Marissa and Hope. She named her youngest Hope Destiny Garcia so she would always remember there is always hope in her destiny. On January 1, 2021, Marissa got certified as an officiant just to marry Tracy and James at the top of the Manitou Incline — via FaceTime from Texas. This business carries Hope's name. But it's built for both of them.
💍 James
Tracy's husband James was the first person to look at everything she was building — the dashboards, the bond portals, the procurement tools — and say "you should start a consulting business." He saw it before she did. That's what the right person does. Hope Built Advisory exists partly because James was paying attention.
💙 Why This Exists
"The finish line is always an amazing experience, no matter what the distance might be that day." I wrote that in 2018 while volunteering at a race. A woman ran her first 5K after a year of cancer treatment. A man rang the PR bell after his first sub-10 minute mile. I wasn't there to race. I was there to make sure the finish line existed for someone else. That's what Hope Built Advisory does. Every single day.
"Sometimes when someone you love needs you, the right choice means taking the risk."
Mammoth Mountain · 11,053 ft · Tracy & Rachel
Credentials & Expertise
CAPM® Certified — Project Management Institute
CPPB Candidate — Universal Public Procurement Certification
Bond Program Financial Management — TX, FL, LA, OH
Procurement Compliance — EDGAR, Davis-Bacon, 2 CFR 200
Charter School Networks across Texas, Florida, Louisiana & Ohio
Founder — Pocket Procurement & Facilities Pro