Junior Achievement visited my company this week as part of a job shadow day. I volunteered to be part of the welcoming committee, greeting the students at our auditorium on the 26th floor. I was escorting the first group when they stopped short at our picture windows that look out over New York Harbor. Even though the day was overcast, the view was still breathe-taking. Governor’s Island, the Statue of Liberty, the promenade, and Colgate Clock.
I remember the first time I went to the auditorium myself almost 8 months ago and I had that same feeling of awe, watching life go on down below as if no one could observe it. It changes perspective to climb up above the bustling harbor and watch the world go by. We are a very small part of this much larger world. I was overwhelmed by how beautiful New York is, and how peaceful it looked from that vantage point.
Somehow looking out I was able to feel that perhaps the situation of our country will be improved with the latest proposals from D.C. Maybe we will come out of this, burned a little bit, but not to an irreparable degree. And honestly, I think we need a little burning to keep us from being too comfortable, to keep us honest, and to keep us striving. We are no doubt in the midst of a vast correction. I cannot imagine that New York City, nor our country-at-large, will ever be the same. We will be better, stronger, more creative, more open-minded, and of richer character than we ever have been before.
Published by Christa Avampato
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
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