Heat Treat Today publishes twelve print magazines a year and included in each is a letter from the editor. This letter is from the September 2026 People of Heat Treat print edition. In today’s letter, Bethany Leone, former managing editor at Heat Treat Today, shares her insights on why the choices we make at work and in life should be informed and deliberate rather than driven by the appeal of the “less traveled” path, and how a high-pressure moment pulled her out of autopilot and back to purposeful, committed decision-making. As she closes out her time with the magazine to focus on her family, Bethany also reflects on this next chapter and offers her thanks to the colleagues and industry members who shaped her years at Heat Treat Today.
Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” does not mean what you think it means. The most common interpretation is that the poet is praising bold individuals who choose “the path less traveled” for the very reason that it is the path less traveled. But when Frost wrote the poem, he had a specific friend in mind who often regretted the path taken on their long walks together. His habit prompted Frost to draft this poem gently poking fun at his friend’s ungrounded, arbitrary sense of resolve in pursuing a “less traveled” path.
The decisions we make in our work and life should be directed by informed decision-making, not the allure of a particular choice. Adopting breakthrough technology for the sake of novelty or the stubborn “we’ve always done it this way, that’s what sets us apart,” both offload our own ingenuity (from the French word for engineer, ingénieur, i.e., a thoughtful creator) to the visions of others — less traveled or not.
Unfortunately, I found myself in my work recently falling into my tried and true “systems.” Specifically, my tried-and-true norms of caretaking editorial relationships and processes to ensure timely content is produced seamlessly. I was on autopilot and feeling good about the product.
I hadn’t realized it yet, but I was in a funk. My processes had allowed me to disengage my brain, and work felt directionless. Perhaps you’ve been here: follow the calendar, follow the to-do list, feel accomplished… but incomplete.
Then, within the span of two weeks, that all shifted. While closing out one of my last products before leaving Heat Treat Today, a situation demanded all of me. All of my editorial knowledge, all of my process management, and even pulled on my patience down to the last reserves, I hate to admit. Frustrated yet stubbornly keen on addressing this well despite everything, I leaned on the amazing team we have here and moved through it. We were able to deliver a great product.
It was only after this high-pressure situation passed that I realized a renewed joy in my work. The directionless tension I had not realized before had given way to clarity, focus, and eagerness to serve each challenge — hopefully not as intense — with excellence. I was reminded that attention to detail through mundane decisions and the commitment to each decision was where we live our lives, even if difficult moments test the core of who we are.
Standing fully behind every ordinary choice is as important as the weighty ones because it is that: purposeful, reasoned, committed, yours. Not your company’s complacency, not AI’s creation, and certainly not the whim of a “less traveled” frontier.
This message is similar to recent ones I’ve given in the past year, so I’ll pause here to share a little bit about what’s happening next for me — I don’t know.
I write this Editor’s Page in my last week at Heat Treat Today. This magazine will now go into production while I shift focus to be present for my family. While my life will change significantly by turning from the workforce in this way, what day-to-day will look like is a bit unclear. There are no systems in place for what I’ll do, and I doubt that I can bring my understanding of material hardness to my private life. But I am certain of this decision and look forward to taking on the new challenges and experiencing the joys that this road will bring.
My personal thanks to Doug Glenn for creating a people-first, Christ-focused business and publication.
My deep thanks to all who have come before me (Laura Miller and Karen Gantzer), as well as those who come after (Rick Green).
My high regard and gratitude for the team both past and present whom I had the opportunity to learn from and serve.
And especially thanks to all the thoughtful, truly genuine people in this industry who have assisted me all because they decided to care about this industry.
Former Managing Editor
Heat Treat Today
Contact: Bethany Leone at bethany@heattreattoday.com
