I met Tre Miller-Rodriguez about a year ago as a result of my Examiner.com column. At the time Tre worked as a Senior Account Manager for Harrison & Shriftman. She set me up with several start-ups to feature in my column about entrepreneurship. Once Tre left Harrison & Shriftman we stayed in touch and then I discovered her inspiring lifestory outside of her career.
A little over a year ago, Tre, 34 years old, lost her husband, Alberto, to a sudden heart attack. I have trouble getting over a break-up with a boyfriend. I can’t imagine how I would get through losing the love of my life at such a young age. Tre’s strength bowls me over. She left Harrison & Shriftman to travel to Cuba, Alberto’s family home, and finish her book, The White Elephant in the Room: Diary of a 30-Something Widow. She recently launched her blog, of the same title as her book.
Her writing packs a punch, and her heroic journey reveals just how much might this woman has in her heart. Her first page of the book put a knife in my heart. She placed me right into the center of the situation with Alberto, and my mind raced with questions. I found myself saying out loud “no, no, no! This can’t happen!” I wanted to stop, rewind, get Alberto to a medical center, and save him. Tre recounts her loss with awe-inspiring grace and dignity. Your jaw will drop, as mine did, before you turn to page two.
Want to know how to rise above tragedy and live an extraordinary life? Get to know Tre.
The photo above depicts Tre and Alberto on their fairytale wedding day. Tre’s blog can be found at: http://whiteelephantintheroom.tumblr.com/
Published by Christa Avampato
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
View all posts by Christa Avampato
Christa:
I sometimes envy you, because you have such a large network of people you know, and they are fabulous.
Sorry to hear about your friend’s loss at such an early age.
Maybe the poetry of Pablo Neruda will help to heal her.
There is always hope. Cheers.
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Thanks, Archan. Tre is a truly wonderful person who is really showing all of us how resilient the human heart and spirit are.
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Christa,
Important stuff to share to on your blog! Nice job!
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Thanks, Jan! Tre is amazing – I am so glad I can help to get her story out there.
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I am going to send my cousin, who lost her husband just a year and a half ago, also in her early 30s, to read Tre’s blog. Amy’s story is a http://gettingpaulhealthy.blogspot.com/
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What an amazing, amazing, amazing story your cousin has. Totally connect her with Tre!
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Thanks for introducing us to Tre’s story, Christa. Is The White Elephant in the Room a printed book too? My brother died suddenly a few years ago, and at the time, I was looking to read books about people who had also gone through loss. There’s a comfort there, I guess. I’ve added Tre’s blog to my reader (and yours!).
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Hi Jen,
I am so sorry to hear about your brother. What a hard loss to bear. Tre’s book is going to be published some time this year. Thanks for supporting her story.
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Thank you Christa, for including my story on your blog! It’s lovely to read all these comments, a few of which I want to speak to:
Archan: You nailed it with Neruda: Alberto was a huge fan. So much, in fact, that I excerpted the poem “If You Forget Me” for the program at his viewing…
Babette: I just went to your cousin’s blog and while her story is heartbreaking, her spirit is heartening. I will definitely connect with her…and I love the way her blog is laid out.
Jen: My condolences to you about your brother. Sibling loss is devastating, and you’re right: not much literature out there about it. My only sibling died in a car accident when I was 19. One of my recent blog entries–the one called “His Walk-In Closet”–touches on the experience of packing up my brother’s still-preserved bedroom six years later. My book definitely devotes ink to how his loss + legacy still affects our family to this day. (P.S. Have you checked out “The Grief Recovery Handbook” by John James? It’s been useful to me this past year.)
Thanks again to all of you for caring enough about a complete stranger to check out the blog and share your thoughts. If you’d like to stay in touch, you can find me on Facebook under the name “tremillernyc.” And Christa, God bless you.
white elephants + such,
Tre
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Where can I buy this book?
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Hi Gaby! Tre is still in the process of writing and selling the book to a publisher. Hopefully it will be available soon!
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