Golley received her education in ceramics at the Alberta College of Art, the University of Calgary (BFA) and the University of Tasmania (MFA) in Hobart, Australia. She has been invited to participate in ceramic residencies, lecture, and gave workshops all around the world and Malta. Trudy has taught ceramics in the School of Creative Arts at Red Deer College in Alberta Canada since 2000, she has also been engaged in residencies and teaching at the Pottery Workshop in Jingdezhen since 2005.
Inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 2002, she is the recipient of grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, Manitoba Arts Council and Alberta Foundation for the Arts. Her works are represented in public and private collections in Canada, China, Denmark and Australia.