Sarah Mei, a developer, faced challenges while managing highly connected data using document databases. These databases excel at storing single representations of aggregates but struggle with multiple views and connections between documents. Real-world use cases like TV show applications and social networks led to difficulties with the chosen data model and database, prompting a switch to relational databases for better modeling fidelity. However, this comes with performance issues due to query complexity. Graph databases offer a solution by embracing rich connections between domain entities. Two live graph data models, one for a TV show application and another for a social network, demonstrate how graph databases can handle such use cases efficiently. These models showcase patterns like shows, seasons, and episodes, as well as users writing reviews for individual episodes. Graph databases are gaining popularity, with Neo4j being widely used in production setups for over 10 years, and are now considered an uncontroversial choice for domains with richly connected data.