Posted by Former news anchor and broadcast journalist Tracy Davidson refers to her religious upbringing as “Catholic lite.” But as she got older, she found herself becoming both a recipient and sharer of Catholic light, which came to illuminate her actions and perspective on life. We discussed her spiritual growth, her illustrious career, and her new mission to reach people in a more personal way on “Christopher Closeup” (podcast below).
Tracy and her two siblings grew up with parents who had substance abuse and mental health issues. Still, she credits her mother with doing the best she could to plant the “seeds” of faith. “I received all the sacraments, and those seeds were deeply rooted,” Tracy recalled. “Was I always going to Mass every week? No. But I had those seeds in me…Sometimes I talk to people who are teaching CCD, and I say, ‘Even if you don’t think [the kids are] paying attention, you are planting beautiful seeds that will flourish one day.'”
For Tracy, that day came about 20 years ago when she felt drawn to grow closer to God and to study her faith more deeply. At first, she joined some friends for a Christian Bible study, then tried to find a Catholic Bible study group that fit into her busy work schedule at NBC 10 in Philadelphia, but was unsuccessful. “Then I just started studying the Bible at home on my kitchen table early in the morning,” Tracy said.
That led to a desire to earn a degree in the area of religion, though Tracy didn’t have the language to describe it properly at the time. Was it theology? Spirituality? “Discernment takes a while,” Tracy noted. “[I asked], is this my idea? Because, Lord, if this is Your idea, You are hilarious because how in the world and why in the world? So fast-forward, I walked His path and I went back to school and finished my undergrad degree, which I never finished because I got my first journalism job when I was a junior in college. Then I went to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and got my Religious Studies certificate…and then I went on to get my master’s in Holistic Spirituality at Chestnut Hill College.”
After earning that final degree, someone asked Tracy why she pursued it. She answered, “Because I wanted to talk to people about God’s love, but I didn’t think that people would listen to the girl on TV, admittedly, Catholic lite, [who didn’t] know much about all the rules.”
This person inquired again, “Okay, but why?”
This time, Tracy responded, “Because there is no other explanation but God’s love that my brother, my sister, and I are all living productive, happy, healthy lives. I credit the Lord, and I look back, and I do see Him. I remember going to an afterschool job from high school, walking across this four lane bridge that was very, very loud. And I remember singing to myself…Things were not great at home at all, but I remember singing and feeling like I wasn’t alone and that things were going to be okay.”
“I always did believe that the future could be better,” Tracy continued. “I can think back…going to 5:00 Mass, and I was part of the guitar group where I sang. I always felt incredibly peaceful at Mass. There was something inside me, the message was always that it was going to get better. And I tell people that today. Whether I’m talking in spiritual terms or not, I say, ‘You get to decide how you’re going to view the future, and I’m going to always choose hope.'”
Tracy’s hopeful future found a new outlet when she became a DJ at her college radio station. Later, this young woman who enjoyed reading books by flashlight under the covers at night was referred to the college’s FM affiliate, a news station.
“I went down into this dank basement of an old building that smelled like a basement,” Tracy observed. “But there was this massive teletype machine, and it was spitting out news from across the state and across the country and around the world. I was completely hooked. From there, I started covering stories for small radio stations, and I loved being able to connect with people and to hear their stories and perspective. Every story that I’ve had the blessing of hearing expands my view of the world.”
Radio work led to TV, specifically 10 years at WTVH in Syracuse. Then, Tracy landed a job at NBC 10 in Philadelphia, where she spent the next 30 years as a consumer advocate and news anchor, earning 15 Emmy Awards along the way. Her work as a consumer advocate felt especially meaningful because it allowed her to make a positive difference in people’s lives. And for her work at the anchor desk, Tracy earned praise from fans for delivering even hard news with empathy and compassion.
Towards the end of 2025, Tracy chose to step away from her news career. She explained, “When I talk about confidence, I say you have to get comfortable in the uncomfortable. Taking risks builds confidence. We often think it’s the other way around, right? I need to build more confidence before I take the risk? Actually, it’s taking the risk that builds the confidence. And when [NBC 10] offered me another three years, I was immensely grateful because I know, 40 years ago when I started in this business, they would not have offered a woman of a certain age, another contract.”
“But I’ve always known that I wanted to talk to people in person, that I wanted to coach individuals, mainly women, in confidence, in resilience skills, and certainly I wanted to be able to talk about my faith in person. And so I just said I’m going to take that leap. Yeah, it’s very scary. You’re used to doing something that you’ve done for a very long time…and you’re used to that paycheck every two weeks. But I just said, ‘I have faith, and I have trust, and I believe this is the path that’s laid out for me, and I’m going to walk it.'”
Tracy has always dedicated her free time to various charities, and she continues to do so because of her focus on service. She now also spends her time doing more public speaking, offering personal coaching, and running her annual Lifting Your Voice Retreat. Created several years ago, the retreat allows women “to push pause, listen to your voice, review your life. Are you running yourself ragged on things that aren’t really your priorities? Are you letting toxic people, things, whatever, into your life where you have a choice about that?…Are you letting digital [media] steal your time, steal your attention?…It’s a day for women to get re-in-touch with themselves and make a promise to themselves: where do I want to spend my time instead of letting life pull me through?”
Tracy’s work and attitude toward life are grounded in gratitude and what she calls “realistic optimism.” She explained, “In 2015, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Did I have the initial meltdown of anybody who hears a diagnosis of cancer? Yes, I did. Then I said, ‘Let me go through my list. I have faith. I have a family with immense support. I have beautiful friends. I have a job that affords me health insurance. I live in the United States of America and in Philadelphia where I have access to world-class healthcare.’…Whenever I would get into my head and start going down the rabbit hole of negativity, I would start reciting that list.”
That’s where realistic optimism comes in. Tracy noted, “I’m not going to be Pollyanna and say the sky’s not falling if the sky is falling. But if there’s a 50/50 chance, I’m going to say the sky’s not going to fall….Whether it’s a relationship issue or a work issue, you always have, I think, better choices and better perspective if you choose realistic optimism because the negative keeps you closed. You’re not seeing all the opportunities…because the negative gets us scared, and then we go into our mini fight or flight. That means that we stop thinking, our executive functions stop. But if we say, ‘It’s going to be okay,’ I have a better perspective of the possibilities.”
No matter what she is doing nowadays, Tracy’s Catholic faith and its values are always present. She even received the John Cardinal Foley Award for Excellence in Communications from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.
She said, “Even though I didn’t go the pastoral counseling route, I feel like I had a lot of classes in that, and I feel well-prepared to journey with anyone up the mountain regardless of their spiritual tradition, whatever they’re facing. [Also], I just delivered a commencement address, and I quoted one of my favorite songs. The lyrics are, ‘God put a million doors in the world for His love to walk through. One of those doors is you.’ I actually used that in a commencement address at Ursinus College, which is an incredibly diverse community…I said, regardless of your spiritual tradition, that holds true. We’re all called to love one another and to serve one another.”
Even for someone grounded in gratitude and realistic optimism, life can feel dark sometimes. Tracy has her own way of lighting a candle in the darkness. She concluded, “When I would hear something horrible like a bombing or a mass shooting, I think that’s a time when most people feel really hopeless…because they feel helpless. What can I do? This fits exactly into your ‘one candle.’ I would say: I can’t go across the country and help those people. Here’s what I can do. I can up my kindness. I can say thank you to the conductor on the train…I can take a minute and stop and listen to somebody’s answer when I say, ‘Hey, how are you?’ Instead of walking, I can stop and look at them and say, ‘Really, how are you?…I’d like to know. I care about you. I see you.’ In that way, I would feel like there can be negative, there can be evil, but I’m going to put more positive in the world today.”
(To listen to the full interview with Tracy Davidson, click on the podcast link):
Light One Candle - the blog of The Christophers 