About Me

Hello! I’m Steph Yiu, and it’s nice to meet you.

I’ve worked at WordPress.com VIP since 2012, at an amazing distributed company called Automattic. I’m deeply passionate about my work in managing and growing remote teams. I speak on this topic often, and document my presentations here.

I’ve also spent much of my career at the intersection of journalism and technology. Before Automattic, I worked at America’s Test Kitchen and at the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye. I’ve interned at the Boston Globe and The Oregonian. After years of working with newsrooms, I wanted to bring together folks who supported journalists and open source, and helped co-create the nonprofit WordCamp for Publishers conference.

If you were to ask me where I’m from, I would tell you it’s a mix of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Chicago, and now Boston. Even my parents can’t keep it straight. I went to school at Northwestern University and Singapore American School. A long time ago, I created Denizen, an online magazine about Third Culture Kids – those of us who grew up everywhere and nowhere. The magazine brought together a community that helped me better understand and “own” what it means to be a blend of cultures and perceptions.

And then there’s this blog. Blogging is how I scrapbook. It’s a habit I’ve kept up since I was 15. The content ebbs and flows from travel, to self discovery, to work, to home improvement, to life. It’s a little bit all over the place, but isn’t that how we all are? If you like what you read, you can subscribe to my blog (below) to get email alerts of my latest posts.

The quickest way to reach me is @crushgear, but if you prefer email, I’m steph at hoppycow dot com. Thanks for stopping by!