“There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart. Pursue those.” ~ Michael Nolan
Opportunities run rampant, so much so that sometimes we miss them. They appear like streaks of light across our line of vision. They wake us up for a moment, and then when we’ve realized they passed, we sink back down and wait. But sometimes, an idea, a dream catches more than our eye. It grabs ahold of our hearts and just won’t let go. As Brian says, “True passion would rather chew its own arm off to free itself rather than die on the vine.” A bit grotesque, but you see what he means. You may even feel it, too.
I have notebooks and blog posts and diaries full of dreams, little sparks and glimmers that caught my eyes from a very young age. They are packed away in boxes in my closest (and thankfully, though not surprisingly, survived my apartment fire last year.) I remember their magic and beauty when I re-open them and read some of their words. I realize how many of my dreams changed and died and were replaced by other dreams. The real ones, the true ones, did not need to be written down. They took up residence in my heart, and they are the ones I still carry and will continue to carry:
1.) To travel
2.) To help
3.) To write
4.) To love
Simple dreams – 8 words in all that express my life as I want it to be lived, today, tomorrow, and always. They comprise the lenses through which I view all the opportunities that cross my path. If it serves one (or more!), I take it up. And if it doesn’t, I let it pass on by without regret. After all, a dream that only catches my eye is better served by being passed on to another person who holds it in her heart.
The image above was created by Eric Perrone.
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/
View all posts by Christa Avampato
“There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart. Pursue those.” ~ Michael Nolan
Please tweet this so I can RT :). “True passion would rather chew its own arm off to free itself rather than die on the vine.”
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Hi Trish! Just put it onto Twitter 🙂 Thanks for the RT!
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Thanks Christa. I’ve never seen a better way of putting this. Been there. Didn’t need the arm as much as the life 🙂
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Hi Trish! Me neither – it’s bits of wisdom like this that make me see how much value having a life coach provides to my life. It’s that perspective that is so necessary and so rare!
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