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The Magic of Knowing What You Want: A Practical Guide to Unearthing the Wisdom of Your Desires
"A comprehensive toolkit designed to help you navigate the intricate paths of ambition and self-doubt. . . an invaluable companion."--Jennifer Alvarez, SVP of brand and chief creative officer
Create the fully aligned, purposeful life you were made to live
What do you really want? It's an uncomplicated question until you try to answer it meaningfully. Whether prompted by transition, disruption, or curiosity about how to live more aligned with your values, we've all been there, feeling frozen, stuck, or lost in the fog of competing, half-baked desires, unsure how to move forward.
In The Magic of Knowing What You Want, leadership coach Tracey Gee walks you through a proven framework of identifying, clarifying, and embodying your desires. With interactive exercises, relatable case studies, and thoughtful questions, Gee helps you discover what you really want, teaches you how to turn those desires into action, and shows you that a thriving, abundant life is closer than you think.
Create the fully aligned, purposeful life you were made to live
What do you really want? It's an uncomplicated question until you try to answer it meaningfully. Whether prompted by transition, disruption, or curiosity about how to live more aligned with your values, we've all been there, feeling frozen, stuck, or lost in the fog of competing, half-baked desires, unsure how to move forward.
In The Magic of Knowing What You Want, leadership coach Tracey Gee walks you through a proven framework of identifying, clarifying, and embodying your desires. With interactive exercises, relatable case studies, and thoughtful questions, Gee helps you discover what you really want, teaches you how to turn those desires into action, and shows you that a thriving, abundant life is closer than you think.
236 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 28, 2025
83 people are currently reading
4401 people want to read
About the author
Tracey Gee
3 books15 followersTracey Gee is a certified leadership coach and consultant dedicated to guiding individuals toward transformative self-awareness and meaningful personal and professional growth. As an author, Tracey draws insight from her extensive experience across workshops, speaking engagements, and personalized coaching sessions. She is also a certified facilitator in four frameworks — Gallup CliftonStrengths, Working Genius, Enneagram, and Cultural Intelligence. Her diverse clientele includes UC Berkeley, Firm Foundation, AltaMed, Nomi Network, Coca-Cola, Amazon, and the Miami Heat. Tracey is originally from the Bay Area of California and now lives in Los Angeles with her husband, children, and dog, Kona. She loves coffee shops and every dog she's ever met.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 29, 2025
Loved, loved, loved this. Have been told I’m generally pretty decisive, so this might not be aimed towards me, but still gleaned so much from this book. Incredibly thoughtfully written with tons of practical exercises to explore, intermixed with stories of real life folks navigating how to figure out what they wanted. Gee’s writing style is far from focusing on shoring up your shortcomings like many self-development books do and much more like a compassionate and supportive friend walking alongside you, rooting for your success while sharing tools that could be useful as you head into uncharted territory. Would highly recommend and can see myself reading this over and over again.
July 21, 2025
a timely, practical guide.
January 21, 2025
I received a free copy from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.
This one caught my eye when I saw it on Netgalley and I decided to give it a try. I really liked the focus on figuring out what you want and what your desires are and especially the practical tips to do so. I liked the concrete tips and exercises the book provided to figure out what you wanted as well as tips to go from these ideas and thoughts to actually test whether these fit your life. It definitely made me think and reflect on my own life and I think this is a book I want to get back to again later and read again.
I liked the encouraging and positive hopeful tone of the book. I liked how it focuses on how following your desires can make your life richer. And how it goes against the prevailing idea that you should ignore your desires and why that isn't what the author recommends, but why she encourages you to listen to them. I enjoyed reading about the author's own experiencing and how focusing on her desires enriched her life.
While I enjoyed most parts, there were a few parts that didn't quite work for. And that's okay, with books like this I usually expect some parts to resonate more than others and that was the case here as well.
To summarize: I enjoyed this helpful and encouraging book about figuring out what your you want. I especially liked the practical tips and exercises the book provided. I also liked the positive and encouraging tone of the writing. It was great to read about the author's own experiencing with figuring out what she wanted and how that changed her life. There were a few parts of the book that didn't quite work for me, but I expect that from books like this that there are parts that don't resonate as well. All in all I can definitely recommend this book! It made me think and reflect on my own life and what I want and I hope to get back to it and read it again in the future.
This one caught my eye when I saw it on Netgalley and I decided to give it a try. I really liked the focus on figuring out what you want and what your desires are and especially the practical tips to do so. I liked the concrete tips and exercises the book provided to figure out what you wanted as well as tips to go from these ideas and thoughts to actually test whether these fit your life. It definitely made me think and reflect on my own life and I think this is a book I want to get back to again later and read again.
I liked the encouraging and positive hopeful tone of the book. I liked how it focuses on how following your desires can make your life richer. And how it goes against the prevailing idea that you should ignore your desires and why that isn't what the author recommends, but why she encourages you to listen to them. I enjoyed reading about the author's own experiencing and how focusing on her desires enriched her life.
While I enjoyed most parts, there were a few parts that didn't quite work for. And that's okay, with books like this I usually expect some parts to resonate more than others and that was the case here as well.
To summarize: I enjoyed this helpful and encouraging book about figuring out what your you want. I especially liked the practical tips and exercises the book provided. I also liked the positive and encouraging tone of the writing. It was great to read about the author's own experiencing with figuring out what she wanted and how that changed her life. There were a few parts of the book that didn't quite work for me, but I expect that from books like this that there are parts that don't resonate as well. All in all I can definitely recommend this book! It made me think and reflect on my own life and what I want and I hope to get back to it and read it again in the future.
March 16, 2025
I heard Tracey Gee on Emily P. Freeman's "The Next Right Thing" podcast. My takeaway that day was a challenge to write down 100 desires. Not an easy project, and one I'm still working on. Try it!
I've never been a big goal setter, so shifting my mindset to write down desires is a new way of setting goals. Love the mind shift on this. Also fun to see her reference the Gallup Strengths Finder.
The ending of the book says it best - "Consider the possibility that as you're chasing your desires, you'll collect your own set of moments that will make you highly suspicious that your desires are also chasing you, that surprises will show up on your doorstep when you least expect it, and that you'll see how your aliveness brings something to the world that we need. One day, I hope you'll witness how what you want actually wanted you back all along. When these moments happen in your life, how you make sense of it is ultimately your call. Maybe you'll call it coincidence, but I like to call it magic."
I love God wink moments and calling them magic also works for me. One more reason to keep my eyes open and enjoy the journey and be patient to see what crosses my path.
She also had some great notes at the end of the book, where she shared may resources she used to write this book. Ones I want to remember:
-Stephanie Buckhanon Browder, "When Momma Speaks: The Bible and Motherhood from a Womanist Perspective"
-Laura Vanderkam, "168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think"
-Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, "Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life"
-J.S. Park, "As Long as You Need: Permission to Grieve"
Website: TraceyGee.me
I've never been a big goal setter, so shifting my mindset to write down desires is a new way of setting goals. Love the mind shift on this. Also fun to see her reference the Gallup Strengths Finder.
The ending of the book says it best - "Consider the possibility that as you're chasing your desires, you'll collect your own set of moments that will make you highly suspicious that your desires are also chasing you, that surprises will show up on your doorstep when you least expect it, and that you'll see how your aliveness brings something to the world that we need. One day, I hope you'll witness how what you want actually wanted you back all along. When these moments happen in your life, how you make sense of it is ultimately your call. Maybe you'll call it coincidence, but I like to call it magic."
I love God wink moments and calling them magic also works for me. One more reason to keep my eyes open and enjoy the journey and be patient to see what crosses my path.
She also had some great notes at the end of the book, where she shared may resources she used to write this book. Ones I want to remember:
-Stephanie Buckhanon Browder, "When Momma Speaks: The Bible and Motherhood from a Womanist Perspective"
-Laura Vanderkam, "168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think"
-Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, "Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life"
-J.S. Park, "As Long as You Need: Permission to Grieve"
Website: TraceyGee.me
August 28, 2025
Summary: A guide to identifying, clarifying, and embodying your desires, turning them into action.
“What do you want?” It is a question Jesus asks of people several times in the gospels. I also remember a Babylon Five episode in which one of the characters walks about the station asking people “What do you want?” It is a powerful question. It exposes the desires, the longings of the heart we are often hesitant to ask.
Tracey Gee discovered the power of this question when she hit rock bottom. Tracey had worked in an organization for twenty years, performing with excellence in a series of roles. She decided to apply for a VP role she felt both fit and would stretch her competencies. Several friends also applying for the position spoke of moving forward in the interview process. However, she had heard nothing, until the email came informing her that she wouldn’t be moving forward in that process.
Trying to figure out how to move forward, she committed to a forty day experiment. She committed to doing one thing she wanted to do each day. For example, she took her dog for runs on the beach or cooking a favorite family dish. Over time, that led her to clarify more significant wants including the career direction she took. And through the leadership coaching she does, it gave us this book.
She begins with identifying our desires. But the answer to the question of what we want often means finding our way through a fog. So, she offers help on reaching clarity. She discusses the relationship of purpose and desire and how we get those in alignment. Then she discusses the four types of questions that get in the way of pursuing our desires. These include competency questions, pragmatic questions, capitalistic questions and permission questions. Instead of getting bogged down in these, she invites us to ask aliveness, imagination, curiosity, and agency questions.
Then, over four chapters, Gee walks us through a four stage process along the Authentic Alignment Pathway. The first stage is calibration, identifying what makes you come alive. Stage two is expansion, sparking an imagination for possibilities to help you discover what is out there. Then stage three involves experimentation, taking tangible and doable steps to turn curiosity into clarity. Finally, stage four is integration, involving agency to bring your desires to life. Each chapter includes worksheets to help turn ideas into plans.
The last part of the book begins with goal-setting. But before you grit your teeth, this is desire-based goal setting that combines high desire and high discipline. Instead of “oughts,” goals become learning tools in the implementation of desires. Then to cap it all off, Gee talks about the to-be-hoped for experience of what you want wanting you back. She cautions that the timelines are not linear and that rejections are a form of protection.
Part of the delight in reading this book (as well as full-disclosure) is that I was a colleague of Tracey’s in the organization where she experienced the VP disappointment. We were on a project team involving growth coaching and the gifts she is using so capably now, exhibited in this book, were evident then. Another part of my delight is that she asks what may be one of the most important question we need to ask ourselves: what do you really want?
But she doesn’t leave us in the fog of desire. If you are willing to work through the process in the book, often with trusted friends, the book can be life-changing. If you are facing one of those “turning points” in your career and life journey, or sense it is approaching, get this book! Tracey’s journey from disappointment through joyful discovery and into aligning her purposes and desires can be yours.
____________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers Program.
“What do you want?” It is a question Jesus asks of people several times in the gospels. I also remember a Babylon Five episode in which one of the characters walks about the station asking people “What do you want?” It is a powerful question. It exposes the desires, the longings of the heart we are often hesitant to ask.
Tracey Gee discovered the power of this question when she hit rock bottom. Tracey had worked in an organization for twenty years, performing with excellence in a series of roles. She decided to apply for a VP role she felt both fit and would stretch her competencies. Several friends also applying for the position spoke of moving forward in the interview process. However, she had heard nothing, until the email came informing her that she wouldn’t be moving forward in that process.
Trying to figure out how to move forward, she committed to a forty day experiment. She committed to doing one thing she wanted to do each day. For example, she took her dog for runs on the beach or cooking a favorite family dish. Over time, that led her to clarify more significant wants including the career direction she took. And through the leadership coaching she does, it gave us this book.
She begins with identifying our desires. But the answer to the question of what we want often means finding our way through a fog. So, she offers help on reaching clarity. She discusses the relationship of purpose and desire and how we get those in alignment. Then she discusses the four types of questions that get in the way of pursuing our desires. These include competency questions, pragmatic questions, capitalistic questions and permission questions. Instead of getting bogged down in these, she invites us to ask aliveness, imagination, curiosity, and agency questions.
Then, over four chapters, Gee walks us through a four stage process along the Authentic Alignment Pathway. The first stage is calibration, identifying what makes you come alive. Stage two is expansion, sparking an imagination for possibilities to help you discover what is out there. Then stage three involves experimentation, taking tangible and doable steps to turn curiosity into clarity. Finally, stage four is integration, involving agency to bring your desires to life. Each chapter includes worksheets to help turn ideas into plans.
The last part of the book begins with goal-setting. But before you grit your teeth, this is desire-based goal setting that combines high desire and high discipline. Instead of “oughts,” goals become learning tools in the implementation of desires. Then to cap it all off, Gee talks about the to-be-hoped for experience of what you want wanting you back. She cautions that the timelines are not linear and that rejections are a form of protection.
Part of the delight in reading this book (as well as full-disclosure) is that I was a colleague of Tracey’s in the organization where she experienced the VP disappointment. We were on a project team involving growth coaching and the gifts she is using so capably now, exhibited in this book, were evident then. Another part of my delight is that she asks what may be one of the most important question we need to ask ourselves: what do you really want?
But she doesn’t leave us in the fog of desire. If you are willing to work through the process in the book, often with trusted friends, the book can be life-changing. If you are facing one of those “turning points” in your career and life journey, or sense it is approaching, get this book! Tracey’s journey from disappointment through joyful discovery and into aligning her purposes and desires can be yours.
____________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers Program.
January 12, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Magic of Knowing What You Want is said to help you identify, clarify and embody your desires. However, rather early on in the book, there are questions about desires that required you to already know your desires without having them identified. So by the third of the book, I was waiting on proper prompts to help me find and understand my desires to go back to those questions but I never ended up going back.
There are affirmations and questions in different categories throughout, some will resonate while others will not. I did transfer some of these questions into my weekly reflections, so overall the questions are good but still far from helping me identify desires. It's not until later in the book where desire is broken down into more manageable pieces that I gleaned into identification and clarification.
Some but not all of the questions will have space where you can write down your answer, but if you consider this an exercise that you will want to come back to every so often, something the book lends itself towards, I do suggest a separate notebook as progress is easier to track.
The author does talk about micro-steps and included a few examples. Having already read Atomic Habits and Tiny Habits, I understood this a great deal but someone who is not familiar with those works or the science behind micro steps may find the idea absurd. I do wish the author would have dived more into this.
In the end, I do think the book can help if you use proper bookmarks and can flip back through the questions after having a better understanding of the content of the book. The writing style is more formal, like a friendly guide helping you wade through the waters, with plenty of stories and examples.
The Magic of Knowing What You Want is said to help you identify, clarify and embody your desires. However, rather early on in the book, there are questions about desires that required you to already know your desires without having them identified. So by the third of the book, I was waiting on proper prompts to help me find and understand my desires to go back to those questions but I never ended up going back.
There are affirmations and questions in different categories throughout, some will resonate while others will not. I did transfer some of these questions into my weekly reflections, so overall the questions are good but still far from helping me identify desires. It's not until later in the book where desire is broken down into more manageable pieces that I gleaned into identification and clarification.
Some but not all of the questions will have space where you can write down your answer, but if you consider this an exercise that you will want to come back to every so often, something the book lends itself towards, I do suggest a separate notebook as progress is easier to track.
The author does talk about micro-steps and included a few examples. Having already read Atomic Habits and Tiny Habits, I understood this a great deal but someone who is not familiar with those works or the science behind micro steps may find the idea absurd. I do wish the author would have dived more into this.
In the end, I do think the book can help if you use proper bookmarks and can flip back through the questions after having a better understanding of the content of the book. The writing style is more formal, like a friendly guide helping you wade through the waters, with plenty of stories and examples.
September 15, 2025
Such an exciting book!
Don't you love it when a specific book falls in your hands exactly when you need it? This book really fit the bill for me! Right when I'm starting the second phase of my life.....*BOOM* ....it's there.
After all, I could go anywhere. Be anyone. Do anything! I can be allllllll the things. Its exciting and at the same time, it's a little overwhelming. Which path should I take? Which version of my dreams should I become? It can be not only overwhelming, it can feel daunting .......and that's usually when I tend to shut it down. Choices are not always my friend. Or choices without confidence anyways. I like to feel sure before I start. And this book is just the ticket to help you parse out the details so you know the who, what, where and why of that next journey.
Excellent layout with specific layers of setting out the ideas so you feel confident on that journey. The exercises given help to align you into the perfect position to carry on with confidence. And they help you go beyond the dreaming and scheming to implement it into reality.
So what are you waiting for?! The new you is ready to start the next phase and you're worth the effort to figure it out. It's all inside you and with a little self-reflection it can become a very satisfying future. The path is right in front of you.
I highly recommend this one!
Don't you love it when a specific book falls in your hands exactly when you need it? This book really fit the bill for me! Right when I'm starting the second phase of my life.....*BOOM* ....it's there.
After all, I could go anywhere. Be anyone. Do anything! I can be allllllll the things. Its exciting and at the same time, it's a little overwhelming. Which path should I take? Which version of my dreams should I become? It can be not only overwhelming, it can feel daunting .......and that's usually when I tend to shut it down. Choices are not always my friend. Or choices without confidence anyways. I like to feel sure before I start. And this book is just the ticket to help you parse out the details so you know the who, what, where and why of that next journey.
Excellent layout with specific layers of setting out the ideas so you feel confident on that journey. The exercises given help to align you into the perfect position to carry on with confidence. And they help you go beyond the dreaming and scheming to implement it into reality.
So what are you waiting for?! The new you is ready to start the next phase and you're worth the effort to figure it out. It's all inside you and with a little self-reflection it can become a very satisfying future. The path is right in front of you.
I highly recommend this one!
January 18, 2025
If you've ever felt stuck, unsure of what direction to take, or just overwhelmed by the pressure to "have it all figured out," this book is exactly what you need. Tracey Gee takes a refreshing, down-to-earth approach to self-discovery, offering a mix of practical exercises, thoughtful questions, and real-world examples to help you get clear on what truly matters to you.
What I loved most is that this isn’t just another "follow your dreams" book full of vague inspiration. Gee actually walks you through a step-by-step process to identify your core desires, unpack what’s holding you back, and align your life with what you really want—not just what you think you should want. It’s like having a personal coach in book form.
The writing is warm, encouraging, and totally relatable. It doesn’t feel preachy or overwhelming—just a really insightful conversation that leaves you feeling more confident and ready to take action. Whether you’re at a career crossroads, trying to find more purpose in life, or just want to stop feeling so meh about everything, this book will help.
Highly recommend for anyone looking to gain clarity, trust themselves more, and start making choices that truly align with their values. I already know I’ll be revisiting this one!
What I loved most is that this isn’t just another "follow your dreams" book full of vague inspiration. Gee actually walks you through a step-by-step process to identify your core desires, unpack what’s holding you back, and align your life with what you really want—not just what you think you should want. It’s like having a personal coach in book form.
The writing is warm, encouraging, and totally relatable. It doesn’t feel preachy or overwhelming—just a really insightful conversation that leaves you feeling more confident and ready to take action. Whether you’re at a career crossroads, trying to find more purpose in life, or just want to stop feeling so meh about everything, this book will help.
Highly recommend for anyone looking to gain clarity, trust themselves more, and start making choices that truly align with their values. I already know I’ll be revisiting this one!
March 23, 2025
I really loved this book. Gee writes about our desires and the importance of doing things we love. She leads you through a variety of exercises to help you uncover what you desire in your life, helps you understand what is stopping you from moving forward, and then walks you through the steps for acting on those desires. I enjoyed the author's authenticity. The exercises are well thought out and really helped me pin down what I want to do in this next season of my life. I was surprised by my answers. This is great book for everyone who is looking to live a full and vibrant life.
January 20, 2025
I’m not a good goal-setter, but I loved this more holistic, desire-based approach to goal setting. I appreciated how the author incorporated a lot of inner work instead of simply addressing external goals and factors, and there was a lot of good reframing around common obstacles and negative self-talk. She delves deeply into the roots of desire and connects it in meaningful ways to living a life of authenticity that is aligned with your values.
February 21, 2025
A very helpful book. I have recommended this to many friends already. So many of us live with "joy fog" and have a very hard time distinguishing desire from purpose that we've almost thought of desire as evil. This is a very interesting book that is best read multiple times. I recommend the paper version so you can write adn take notes. Each chapter has reflection questions to help the reader better work through their own desire fog.
May 22, 2025
I feel like i read this book at the perfect time in my life when I had a decision to make about a job and this book gave me the courage to persevere. Tracey outlines ways to get you to your goal and help you along the way. This book provides resources you can revert back to each time you're working on a new goal. This book will be a tool on my shelf I can go to for guidance. I would recommend this book. #GoodreadsGiveaway
July 29, 2025
This book was just what I needed in a season of unexpected career transition. It was profound and yet written in an accessible, conversational style. It was philosophical and yet each chapter ended with a deeply practical reflection process to work through. I love a good mind map or a good protocol-- they can be like bicycles for the brain, getting us where we need to go faster. This book spoke to me right where I am and as I finished it I feel like I'm in a much clearer, more centered place than I was when I started it.
January 1, 2026
I finished this book in July, but I didn't want to write a review or mark it as 'Read' until I finished some of the 'homework' that the book suggests...
Alas, I'm not going to finish the homework before the end of the day (and the end of this year), so here's my very succinct review:
A short read, but a book that I'm going to add to my "Re-read this Every Year" list.
I'm still working on my list of 100 Desires. Maybe by the end of next year I'll have it finished!
Alas, I'm not going to finish the homework before the end of the day (and the end of this year), so here's my very succinct review:
A short read, but a book that I'm going to add to my "Re-read this Every Year" list.
I'm still working on my list of 100 Desires. Maybe by the end of next year I'll have it finished!
December 12, 2024
Fantastic and gentle! I think I expected to be yelled at or scolded into figuring things out, but Gee is just so kind and understanding. I felt like she was there with me, guiding me to try new ideas, to play, to experiment. By the end, I felt light and full of joy. What a gift this book is for folks who are trying to figure out what they want. It really is MAGIC!!
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
February 12, 2025
Absolutely loved this book. It gave me so many questions to consider. I do feel like I’m in the middle of a “hinge” moment where asking questions about what I want would be so helpful. Thank you Tracey for giving this enneagram 9 a way forward when I feel like I don’t know what I want.
February 9, 2025
Audiobook read by the author.
Practical. Grace filled. Helpful. Consider buying hard copy and doing the exercises.
Practical. Grace filled. Helpful. Consider buying hard copy and doing the exercises.
February 10, 2025
probably would’ve been better had I read along and been able to do some of the journal prompts. I listened to it as an audiobook.
physical_to-read_stack
March 5, 2025I received this book free through Goodreads Giveaways
April 1, 2025
A very helpful guide to finding your true desires and ways to move forward in achieving them.
April 2, 2025
Loved it! So helpful and practical with tons of great ideas and examples. So helpful for me right now as I process some decisions. Thanks Tracey!
April 9, 2025
Great insights ... now I'm ready to go back through and actually implement her process. Excited.
May 5, 2025
So inspiring & practical! Recommending this to clients & friends.
June 30, 2025
So much wisdom packed in these pages. Also so much advocacy and determination for self and others. Inspiring and challenging!
October 28, 2025
I found this book and the exercises really helpful.
December 29, 2025
Really enjoyed this non-fiction/self help. Especially valuable if you're in a new season of life or trying to make big decisions.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews