Dr. Truesdale grew up on a working farm in coastal South Carolina that produced row crops and cattle. She still resides on the farm, which has been placed under a conservation easement and is devoted primarily to timber production and wildlife conservation. She is a lifelong horsewoman with a special love for dressage and breeding. Her other interests range from gardening, raising orchids, and needlework to environmental and conservation issues. She has been an active South Carolina Master Gardener since 2001. In May 2008, she completed the South Carolina Master Naturalist Program.

After graduation from college, Dr. Truesdale worked in two research laboratories before pursuing a degree in veterinary medicine. In 1982 she founded Bohicket Veterinary Clinic where she practiced for 18 years.

Dr. Truesdale began her full-time freelance indexing business in 2002.