Notes from the work — building, tech, and photography.https://ryanhernalsteen.com/en-ushttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/my-new-site-is-live/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/my-new-site-is-live/I had writing scattered across a few different platforms for years. It existed. It just didn't have a home that felt like mine.Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/getting-more-from-claude-code/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/getting-more-from-claude-code/The best sessions aren't the longest ones. Efficiency in Claude Code isn't just a cost concern — it's a quality one.Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/building-current-my-first-ios-app/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/building-current-my-first-ios-app/I wanted to understand my health data better, so I built an app to do it. Every version has taught me something I didn't expect.Wed, 17 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/building-the-health-dashboard-no-app-would-give-me/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/building-the-health-dashboard-no-app-would-give-me/Every health app shows you the same thing. I needed something different, something built around my specific data, my specific questions, and a diagnosis that changed what I was trying to measure.Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/building-a-second-brain-that-understands-how-you-work/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/building-a-second-brain-that-understands-how-you-work/Most of what happens in a workday disappears. Not dramatically. It just fades. I built a system to stop that, and six months in, it's showing me things I wouldn't have noticed on my own.Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/planning-for-identity-resolution-salesforce-data-cloud/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/planning-for-identity-resolution-salesforce-data-cloud/Before you touch a single matching rule in Data Cloud, two preparation steps will save you time, credits, and frustration.Thu, 28 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/identity-resolution-salesforce-data-cloud-keychain/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/identity-resolution-salesforce-data-cloud-keychain/Most people understand why identity resolution matters. Fewer understand how it actually works — and why the keychain model beats the Golden Record.Tue, 26 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/beyond-the-checklist-data-cloud-outcomes/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/beyond-the-checklist-data-cloud-outcomes/Good implementations deliver all the features. Great implementations drive outcomes. The difference is everything.Sun, 06 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/what-consultants-can-learn-from-nonprofits/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/what-consultants-can-learn-from-nonprofits/Nonprofits don't have the luxury of inefficiency — and that constraint makes them better at the things that actually matter.Tue, 07 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/the-ai-disruption-and-the-human-element/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/the-ai-disruption-and-the-human-element/AI is as transformative as the internet was. The differentiator won't be the technology itself — it'll be what humans do with it.Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/the-dichotomy-of-artificial-intelligence/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/the-dichotomy-of-artificial-intelligence/AI amplifies whatever foundation it's built on. Good data gets more powerful. Bad data becomes a bigger liability. The question is whether you're ready.Thu, 26 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/immediate-action-drill-preparing-salesforce-data/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/immediate-action-drill-preparing-salesforce-data/Platforms like Data Cloud and Agentforce demand a clean foundation. Four steps to start building it now.Sat, 21 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/thriving-in-consulting-success-without-burnout/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/thriving-in-consulting-success-without-burnout/Long-term success in consulting isn't about working more — it's about owning your time, protecting your energy, and knowing what actually matters.Fri, 13 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/from-salesforce-client-to-practice-lead-part-4/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/from-salesforce-client-to-practice-lead-part-4/Why I left Salesforce, what it means to build something from the ground up, and the lessons that carried over from every role before this one.Thu, 12 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/from-salesforce-client-to-practice-lead-part-3/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/from-salesforce-client-to-practice-lead-part-3/Joining Salesforce Professional Services and what it taught me about preparation, relationships, and working with a product that never stops evolving.Wed, 11 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/from-salesforce-client-to-practice-lead-part-2/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/from-salesforce-client-to-practice-lead-part-2/My first year in the Salesforce partner ecosystem — what remote consulting actually demands, and the habits that made the difference.Mon, 09 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/from-salesforce-client-to-practice-lead-part-1/https://ryanhernalsteen.com/blog/from-salesforce-client-to-practice-lead-part-1/How a book about Navy SEALs, a specialty insurance company, and a relational database changed the direction of my career.Sat, 07 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMT