To reclaim time for my two daughters, I made a pivot that, on the surface, seemed a world away from the high-velocity kitchens of my past. I entered the world of Real Estate Appraisal.
Working alongside my father, I transitioned from residential assessments to complex commercial appraisal. For a decade, I didn't just look at buildings; I analyzed the "bones" of physical and financial systems. I was tasked with looking past the fresh coat of paint to evaluate income streams, cap rates, and structural integrity.
Integrity-Based Analysis
This was my decade of Integrity-Based Analysis. In appraisal, you learn quickly that you cannot just say a property has value; you have to show the data that proves it.
This era instilled in me a rigorous mental framework that I carry into leadership today:
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Evidence over Assumption: Don't tell me the project is "on track"; show me the velocity metrics and the "structural" health of the code.
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The Interconnectedness of Variables: Just as a single zoning change can sink a property’s value, a single "breaking change" in a WordPress ecosystem can sink a product line.
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Proactive Problem Solving: During these years, I served as the tech head of the NH chapter of NAIFA, building their digital infrastructure from scratch because I saw a system that needed a better "foundation".
The Data-Modeling Mindset
When I finally made my "Great Pivot" back to tech at age 42, I wasn't starting from zero. I was simply moving from modeling the data of physical buildings to modeling the data of digital ones.
Whether I’m redesigning my barn in Burke to accommodate a specific workflow for my pigs or architecting a failover protocol for a remote dev team, I am looking for Structural Integrity. I’ve learned that a system is only as strong as its underlying data and its resilience when the "market" shifts.
I don’t just look at the code. I look at the bones.
