This post is also available as a podcast on Cinch and iTunes.
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” ~ Epicurus
My sister, Weez, posted this quote on her Facebook wall a few weeks ago, and it just happened to be one of those days when I was working on my personal finances, looking at how to chip away at my student debt more quickly. It was one of those moments when I felt particularly poor, which is truly ridiculous since financially I am more than on solid ground. Though no matter how much we have, those moments of not having enough sneak up on us when we least expect them.
This quote had me take a look around my adorable apartment, at my equally adorable dog, and remember just how much wealth I have in family, friends, and projects. I’m so wealthy in these respects that my life can barely hold all of them. I am insanely blessed.
I remember being an undergraduate at Penn, when I truly was poor, putting myself through school with several jobs and a heavy course load. I didn’t want to be rich. I just wanted to have enough to not worry, to not live hand to mouth all the time. It took a lot of faith to keep traveling that road. There really wasn’t a way for me to hop off or turn around. I had committed to this education and I had to see it through, despite the debt (which I now realize is quite minimal in the grand scheme of things thanks to Penn’s incredible financial aid policies.) Education was the only way I could see to build a more comfortable, fearless life. So I trudged along through college, mostly uncomfortable and very scared.
If someone had told me then that I’d have the life I have now, be the person I am now, I wouldn’t have believed them. In the back of my mind I thought this life of so much freedom and independence and possibility would be largely out of reach for me for a very long time. It was only a hope, and not all that long ago. And that memory makes me count my blessings all the more.
What aspects of your life did you once think were only dreams?
This blog is part of the 2011 WordPress Post Every Day Challenge.
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
This post is also available as a podcast on Cinch and iTunes. 
