Pillar

Storytelling

The vehicle through which people understand experience

Writing that gives experience a voice and a throughline.

Highlighted stories and artifacts.

Community event · July 2025

A Backyard BBQ and Concert that Became a Calling

The Van Hiller Rock and Roll Backyard BBQ started as a way to celebrate community and music in our own backyard, but through fate it became a personal cause, a platform, and a story to tell that was much bigger than I would ever imagine.

View story

Related writing and events

Authored pieces and public events.

Essay · July 6, 2014

Disrupt yourself

The NYT went from editorial titan to digital dwarf even after a massive effort to digitize their presence. Realizing the miss they attacked the problem as any reporting organization would: they talked to people like crazy. What they came up with was a two-pronged approach: disruptively grow their audience and digitally fortify their newsroom.

View story

Essay · May 3, 2026

I Am Cyborg

As a product manager, I think a lot about systems. Not just what they are supposed to do, but what happens when they fail. What signals they depend on. What inputs they can interpret. What outputs they produce. What work happens invisibly in the background until something breaks badly enough that everyone suddenly understands how much the system was doing all along. That is how I have come to understand my body. You see, I have Type 1 diabetes, as do millions of other people.

View story

Community event · July 2026

Third Annual Van Hiller Rock and Roll Backyard BBQ

Welcome to the Third Annual Van Hiller Rock and Roll Backyard BBQ, a lively and impactful fundraising event dedicated to supporting Breakthrough T1D's vital mission. Join us for a spirited day filled with great music, delicious BBQ, and a community united in the fight against type 1 diabetes.

View story

Explore the archive

Follow the evidence into the collections.

Writing

Browse essays, articles, books, and narrative work.

Events

Explore events with public narrative or community context.