“I’ve come to believe that there exists in the universe something I call ‘The Physics of The Quest’ — a force of nature governed by laws as real as the laws of gravity or momentum. And the rule of Quest Physics maybe goes like this: ‘If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting (which can be anything from your house to your bitter old resentments) and set out on a truth-seeking journey (either externally or internally), and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared – most of all – to face (and forgive) some very difficult realities about yourself… then truth will not be withheld from you.’ ” ~ Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love
I love the book Eat Pray Love. I read it shortly after a very painful break up while I was in business school. I was heart-broken, more heart-broken than I’d ever been, and seeking out others who had made the best of their own sad love story gone wrong. I found my way to Elizabeth Gilbert and her words started me down the road to healing. I loved the book so much that resisted seeing the movie. I didn’t want to see a book I loved so much played out in a way that didn’t match what was in my mind’s eye. On a rainy afternoon with streaming Netflix at my disposal, I finally saw it and my only disappointment was that I waited so long to see. It’s a beautiful, uplifting film.
I had forgotten Elizabeth Gilbert’s words on the Physics of the Quest though when I look back over the 5 years since I first read her book, I realize that those words are the ones that have described this journey of mine so well. That break-up, as painful as it was, served as the catalyst toward creating a life of my own design. Now I see that ending as a beginning to a wonderful quest: I moved to New York, I began to write seriously every day, this blog came to life, I developed my yoga teaching practice in a deeper way, I met so many new, wonderful characters who have become close friends and confidants. I travel and explored. I ramped up my career as a product developer. I adopted Phineas, my pup. Yes, there were loads of disappointments and wrong turns. And yes, they were all worth it to find my way to this life that I’m living at this very moment. A life I love.
So here is my truth that has been revealed along this part of my Quest – everything starts from nothing. Every creative project, every trip, every relationship, every living, breathing being. They all begin in the exact same way. No one is born an expert. No genius idea starts as a genius idea. Tend to your creativity. Free your imagination. Start with only an intention and see what you can build, laying aside all past successes and failures. Each new day starts as a blank slate; you choose the layers of color that fill it in and which spaces to leave blank. Decide how you want it to build, the same way a painter brushes paint on a canvas, the same way a sculptor carves and cuts and shapes. We all start at the beginning. The key is to keep going.
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 come to believe that there exists in the universe something I call ‘The Physics of The Quest’ — a force of nature governed by laws as real as the laws of gravity or momentum. And the rule of Quest Physics maybe goes like this: ‘If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting (which can be anything from your house to your bitter old resentments) and set out on a truth-seeking journey (either externally or internally), and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared – most of all – to face (and forgive) some very difficult realities about yourself… then truth will not be withheld from you.’ ” ~ Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love
To say that you’re speaking to me is an understatement here. Not only is my entire blog a record of the Gilbert quote in practice, but also in your “revealed truth” above, the truth that “everything starts from nothing,” that we must “tend to our own creativity,”–these are also the “truths” that I will (eventually) end my blog with. Thanks the affirmation!
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So glad you liked the post! I just hopped over to your blog to check it out and love the quote on your “About” page. I’m going to use it for an upcoming post and direct readers to your site!
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Christa,
Well said. This post resonated with me. Thank You.
Children start at the beginning each and every time. They do not know about plans and goals and objectives and profits.
Children are smart because they don’t know about ROI and sophisticated figures. They just wanna play hide and seek.
Children play for the fun of it. They start something just for the heck of it and don’t yet know where it may lead them. By contrast, adults will give you ten reason why it won’t work.
If only we would play like children instead of trying to analyze to death. We become paralytics that way and it turns into our reality–a sterile, boring, dull existence.
If only we had stars in our eyes like children do when they try any new venture. They don’t worry about actually catching a falling star in the palm of the hand; they just want to follow it.
Cheers.
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“If only we had stars in our eyes like children do when they try any new venture. They don’t worry about actually catching a falling star in the palm of the hand; they just want to follow it.” What a beautiful and poignant sentiment. It’s that sense of wonder that makes children such remarkable being that we can all learn from.
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Fantastic! And exactly what I needed today as I continue to better understand and develop myself, personally and in my professional craft.
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Hi Karina! So glad you found your way to the the blog & enjoyed this post. Thanks for the Twitter follow, too!
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Christa – my post consists of merely this: Eat Pray Love changed me. I’m 48 years old and I LOVE that my whole outlook on life and life’s events took on a completely different meaning after I watched the movie. It reached deep into me and awakened something I didn’t know was there.
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Such a great philosophy, Lisa! I love it!
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I was left without appropriate words,but thank you!this helps.
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My pleasure! So glad.
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As a high school senior, most people think I’m merely starting my journey now….but I think your journey starts as soon as you realize you’re on one. This post and this book truly resonate with me and everything I stand for. Everyone starts with the same building blocks, it depends on you, and you alone, as to what you construct out of them……thank you for the encouragement.
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I agree, Maddi. It is all up to you, what you want to take on, and then what you do with what you have. Wishing you much light and happiness on the journey.
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great words christa i think it will touch everybody heart for me i hope someday to have the strength to get over all my fake fears and start follow my own physics of quest journey
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So awesome! Right on point!
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