JJ Schultz spent twenty years building for Pandora by day and running San Francisco's most beloved open mic by night. We trace his curiosity and passions around songwriting, building products, ballet and parenting, and how he forged his path through the city's creative and tech landscape. He shares his self-taught leap into tech, why he built Live Hive to archive over 65,000 live performances (and counting!), and the Carl Jung–inspired AI journaling practice that keeps him honest with himself.