Traci Ahart

“I show up to every mediation the same way I showed up to every chemotherapy session- I get up, dress up and show up for myself, the parties and the attorneys I work with.”

She’s been on
both sides of the table.

Traci Ahart is a West Texas native, a TCU and St. Mary’s Law School graduate, and one of the most in-demand family mediators in Texas — averaging 30 to 35 mediations a month because Texas attorneys and courts trust Traci with the “cases that will never settle.”.

But her authority doesn’t come from textbooks. It comes from having lived the exact situations her clients are walking through. Two divorces. Fifteen years as a single mother. A battle with clinical depression that led her to an intensive outpatient program in 2014. A non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnosis, a relapse, and a bone marrow transplant that she navigated with the same defiant grace she brings into every mediation room.

She attended her final chemotherapy session in a hot pink ball gown, a tiara, and stilettos. That’s not a detail — that’s who she is.

She transitioned from family law attorney to full-time mediator in 2017, and she has spent every year since building a practice around one conviction: families deserve agreements built around their actual lives, not boilerplate settlements that collapse under the weight of real people.

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The experiences that
built the mediator.

TCU
West Texas roots & undergraduate education
Traci grew up in West Texas — a background that shaped her directness, her work ethic, and her refusal to accept “good enough” as an answer. She completed her undergraduate education at Texas Christian University before pursuing law.

Law
St. Mary’s School of Law — Family Law
Traci earned her law degree from St. Mary’s School of Law in San Antonio in 1998.

15 Yrs
Single mother — navigating what her clients navigate
For fifteen years, Traci raised her son alone while maintaining her legal career. Her son now serves in the U.S. Coast Guard Deployable Specialized Forces.

2014
Intensive outpatient program — rebuilding her mental health toolkit
Traci has been open about her battle with severe clinical depression and suicidal ideation. In 2014, she completed an intensive outpatient program which has given her the tools to navigate all life has thrown her way.

2017
Transition to full-time mediation
After transitioning away from practicing law, Traci committed fully to mediation. Within years, she built one of the highest-volume family mediation practices in Texas.

Cancer
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma — diagnosis, relapse, bone marrow transplant
She attended her final chemotherapy appointment in a hot pink ball gown, a tiara, and stilettos.

HOH
Co-founder, Hell on Heels — 1,700+ Texas female legal professionals
Traci co-founded Hell on Heels, a network of over 1,700 female legal professionals across Texas.

The philosophy in
every mediation.

Radical empathy as strategy
Traci uses her own history — divorce, single motherhood, illness — to disarm high-conflict parties. When she says “I understand,” she means it literally.

No cookie-cutter settlements
Every possession schedule, every financial agreement Traci crafts is built around the actual parties in front of her.

Dignity in the room, always
No matter how high-conflict a case gets, Traci protects the dignity of every person in the room.

Direct. Unflinching. Warm.
Traci is famous for her self-deprecating humor and her refusal to sugarcoat hard truths.

30–35 cases a month — by design
High volume isn’t an accident. It’s proof that Traci’s process works.

The oxygen mask principle
“Put the oxygen mask on yourself first.” Traci believes deeply in the mental and physical health of every person in the process.

The words she lives by — and works by.
01
“Get up, dress up, and show up.”
Resilience isn’t passive. It’s a daily decision. Momentum is built in the morning.

02
“Put the oxygen mask on yourself first.”
You can’t show up for your children, your family or your co-workers if you’re running on empty. Mental health is not optional.

03
“Put on your big girl panties.”
Hard realities don’t wait for you to be ready. Facing them directly — with courage and humor — is the only path forward.

The people who
show up for you.

Outside the Mediation Room

West Texas roots.
Central Texas home.

Traci lives in Williamson County with her husband — a law enforcement officer of over 35 years — and her Border Collie “granddogs,” Gidget and Trigger. She is the mother to an adult son who serves in a tactical unit of the US Coast Guard in South Florida, where he lives with her amazing daughter-in-law. She is a stepmother to two adult stepsons — one a U.S. Army veteran and another who works with special needs children.

When she isn’t mediating, she can be found at the Pilates studio working on her teacher certification, or in the kitchen whipping up the latest recipe she found on TikTok or Instagram.

Arysun Grassick Bender
Mediation Coordinator

The Heart of the Operation

Beauty, brains,
and the one who keeps the train on the track.

The beauty, brains, and organization behind the scenes, Arysun is the one who keeps the train on the proverbial track. Traci couldn’t manage without her. A 2021 graduate of Texas State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration, Arysun is always one step ahead — serving as the heart of our team.

Originating from Lago Vista, Texas on the north shore of Lake Travis, she currently resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with her hubby, a tactical operator in the U.S. Coast Guard, and their kitties — Bunny, Moose, and Rooster. Her Border Collie baby, Trigger, is on loan to Traci for now.

Arysun loves traveling, music, history, films, current events, cooking for her friends and family, and being “Auntie Arysun” to all of her biological and adopted nieces and nephews.

Hey, y’all! This job has brought me so much peace and flexibility. I am able to work from virtually anywhere, while keeping the business running efficiently and making sure we accommodate attorneys and their clients. One of the most important things for me is making sure the attorneys and parties I come in contact with remember how friendly and prompt I am. I’m quite the empath and at times I know people are experiencing a lot of stress and heavy emotion during divorce or child custody situations. I always love for them to know I care and will do everything in my power to ease their stress and provide a little reassurance that everything will be taken care of.

— Arysun Grassick Bender, Mediation Coordinator

Ready to work with Traci on your next case?

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