“I’ve found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often.” ~ Brian Tracy
“Playing it safe isn’t really safe at all,” Brian is fond of telling me as we work on charting a course for my life going forward. “The safe road just gives us the illusion of safety.” My yoga teacher tell me this, too. Safety is a little trick our minds use to help us get from day-to-day. If we actually came to grips without how much uncertainty we have in our daily lives, we’d have one long and major meltdown. The safe road is actually the one paved with the chances we took in our lives.
When I younger, I used to throw caution to the wind on a daily basis. I didn’t have a lot to lose back then. My chosen profession as a theatre manager was wildly unstable, I had hardly any savings, and I was used to living a life where I scraped by every month. Truth be told, I was kind of proud of my ability to scrape by. I thought it made me resilient and tough. I thought it was at the root of the definition of self-sufficiency, something I always wanted.
And then somewhere along the way, the elusive safety seduced me and made me more practical. Rather than getting an MFA, I got an MBA. Rather than following my heart after I finished graduate school, I followed the scent of a stable paycheck, a regular work schedule of 9-5 Monday to Friday, and a job title that many people respect. Now my career makes sense to others, but it doesn’t make sense to me.
A few weeks ago, Laurie Ruettimann, author of the blog PunkrockHR, wrote a post about making lists: q to describe what you would love to do for work, what you might do for work, and what you absolutely will not do for work. I think her post was addressing me personally. She hit some sore points that I’ve been turning over in my mind but have been a little frightened to articulate. I think it’s time to stop being so frightened. These lists are lens to evaluate new opportunities, and a tool to see differently should be celebrated, not feared. So here are my lists:
What I would love to do:
Writing and editing
Create products and services that are meaningful to people and the world
Research
Do some traveling
Teach
Support charitable causes
Yoga
What I might do:
Work outside
Work with kids
Fundraise for a nonprofit
Make coffee
What I won’t do:
Have a rigid schedule
Work in a gray cubicle
Collect a check without much meaningful work to do
Wait tables
These lists aren’t complete, but they’re a good start. Time to take more chances, be more active, and show up more often, even if I don’t know where it’s all leading.
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
“I’ve found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often.” ~ Brian Tracy 
