“People always called it luck when you’ve acted more sensibly than they have.” ~ Anne Tyler, American author
Every time I bring up the subject of luck with Brian I get his stern look. He doesn’t believe in luck. He says that I’ve been preparing all my life for the good fortune that’s now coming to fruition, and that much of it has been here all along. I just haven’t ever slowed down enough to see it until now.
I experienced the Anne Tyler sentiment earlier today. I told someone about a recent opportunity that sort of fell out of the sky and into my lap. I’m trying to work out the logistics of whether or not I can take it, and those logistics are proving to be a little hairy, which I was explaining to this person. She responded, “I don’t understand how you get all these lucky breaks.”
I told her that I spend a lot of time getting clear on what I want to do. It doesn’t mean I always operate with absolute clarity, or that I’m not open and flexible to change, but I always try to keep moving in the direction that’s right for me. And I network all the time, mostly because I love interesting people and learning and I live in New York City where we’re all packed into this tiny little island like sardines. You can’t help but find opportunity here – there’s nowhere for it to hide!
I’ve also taken up the practice of shouting dreams at the top of my lungs. If I really want to do something, I start telling people about it, and sure enough, that network that I spend so much energy and time cultivating and helping helps me right back. I then explained this idea to this person and she replied, “Well, I want to do all these things you do, but I never have any luck with actually getting the chance to do them.”
Here’s the 3rd piece of the puzzle: no one is going to make opportunities expressly for you. You have to build the opportunity. And that has nothing to do with luck. That means rolling up your sleeves, figuring out what you need to know to make something happen, and then going for it with gusto. We can make excuses for the opportunities we have (or don’t have) all we want. In the end, the life we live is the life we imagine and build.
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
“People always called it luck when you’ve acted more sensibly than they have.” ~ Anne Tyler, American author
at the end I don’t know if you believe in luck or not. I think it exists and it’s defined as being in the right place on the right time to recieve that spark that turns a simple moment into a stellar opportunity. And you might be just inches or seconds away to miss it….
LikeLike
Hi Javi! I believe in some level of luck, though the luck doesn’t do us much good if we aren’t prepared for it. In the end, I think the life we get comes down to hard work.
LikeLike
This makes me think of the often quoted, though always relevant pithy remark by our beloved Mr. Jefferson, “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”
LikeLike
I love TJ for his pithiness! So true.
LikeLike