We Don’t Live on the Beltline

In 2000, I packed up my life in Cleveland and moved to Raleigh with my partner to join a tech startup. That first year brought a lot of new experiences—humidity, sweet tea, and one particular rite of passage for newcomers: learning to navigate the I-440 Beltline.

Back then, the highway signs weren’t labeled east and west like they are today. Instead, you had to know if you were on the “Inner” or “Outer” Beltline—clockwise or counterclockwise around the city—with no real visual cues. For those of us without GPS (remember, this was the MapQuest era), it was a confusing mess.

One afternoon, after hopelessly circling the city in the wrong direction, I completely lost it. I threw the printed directions onto the floor in frustration. That’s when my partner—who’s visually impaired and has always had a knack for seeing things differently—turned to me and said, “Why are you so worried? We’ve always made it home before. We don’t live on the Beltline.”

That line stuck with me.

Over the past 25 years, I’ve worn many hats in tech—developer, architect, tech lead, and now senior engineering manager. Across startups, large enterprises, and everything in between, one thing has remained constant: the path is rarely straightforward. Requirements shift. Timelines shrink. Roadblocks appear out of nowhere. But like that old drive around Raleigh, somehow, we’ve always found our way. We’ve always delivered.

That’s the perspective I bring to my teams today as a servant leader. When the Jira board feels like it’s on fire or a last-minute change throws our sprint into chaos, I’ll quote my husband’s wisdom: “We don’t live on the beltline.” Meaning—we’re not stuck here. We’ve been here before. We’ve found our way before. We’ll do it again.

Agile has become the highway map that helps us course-correct faster. It’s not about avoiding wrong turns—it’s about making sure we don’t stay on the wrong road for too long. Iterative delivery, continuous feedback, and real-time collaboration give us the confidence to move forward, even when things are unclear.

Transparency, prioritization, and open communication aren't just Agile principles—they’re part of how I try to lead. Servant leadership means creating an environment where teams feel safe to navigate ambiguity, speak up when the directions don’t make sense, and lean on one another when things go sideways.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about never getting lost. It’s about remembering we always find our way home.