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
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
View all posts by Christa Avampato
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.
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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