Look very closely at the photo to the left. You see that tiny smudge of blue shirt and black pants to the right. That’s me doing yoga in the middle of Times Square. We’re in tree pose, one of the most popular balance poses in yoga, attempting to root into the Earth and grab a hold of its energy.
Yesterday was the summer solstice, and in celebration of the event, the Times Square Alliance hosted a festival called Solstice in Times Square: Mind Over Madness Yoga. (For information on the Times Square Alliance, please click here:
http://www.timessquarenyc.org/.) All through the day there were classes offered by top yoga teachers from across the city to anyone at any level.
I must admit that I was pretty light-headed when I finished the hour-long intermediate session. We did some serious back bends in celebration of the day and there was an energy opened up in me that I have not felt in a long time. To be sure, the exhaust from cars and the noise of TS were a little difficult to overcome.
I was interviewed by a reporter for a Japanese TV show and she asked how I could possibly concentrate in this environment and find peace here in all the chaos. In actuality, this practice was much more personal. I try hard in classes to never look around at anyone else and focus only on my body and my abilities. In this class, I couldn’t possibly spend a moment of time comparing myself to anyone else. I was too consumed with trying concentrating in an environment that provides complete sensory overload. I was able to look into myself in a way that I sometimes cannot if I am in a class in a serene yoga studio.
When we need to create serenity, it becomes much more powerful than having it handed to us. When we create peace, it becomes much more lasting than if someone else builds peace for us. We are vested in the process; we, our states-of-mind, are the outcome. This class helped me realize how far I’ve come in creating peace for myself; it taught me that I can build a grounded, serene life even if the life that’s happening around me is a whirl of noise. And when I left the class and made my way to the subway, I felt that the world around me was a little more peaceful, that somehow our practice for that hour had rubbed off on the place, rather than the place rubbing off on us.
Published by Christa Avampato
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
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