I hadn’t heard about the doomsday movement set to begin today, 5/21/11, until my pal, Jennilyn, sent around an invite for a dance party celebrating the last day of the world. My immediate response was, “If the world is coming to an end, I’m going out dancing.” Still, I’m taking this moment in time to log some of my favorite quotes about meaningful living, and hope that 5/21/11 begins a different kind of movement for all of us, one of rebirth and renewed purpose, rather than the beginning of the end:
“You have to be proud of yourself because sometimes you’re all you’ve got.” ~ that poet from the comics, Denis the Menace
“You have to prepare to be lucky.” ~ Joan Ganz Cooney, Founder of the Sesame Workshop
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear,our presence automatically liberates others.” ~ Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love
“If you go to your grave without painting your masterpiece, it will not get painted. No one else can paint it. Only you.” ~ Gordon MacKenzie, Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace
“If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.” ~ Mister Rogers, The World According to Mister Rogers
“Happiness is a warm puppy.” ~ Charles Schultz via his famous character, Charlie Brown
“Courage means being scared to death…and saddling up anyway.” ~ John Wayne
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow’.” ~ Mary Anne Radmacher
“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep. And miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep.” ~ Robert Frost
“Become the sky…Walk out like someone suddenly born into color…Let the beauty we love be what we do…There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.” ~ Rumi
I plan to be here tomorrow because my work is not yet done. I hope you’ll join me.
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 hadn’t heard about the doomsday movement set to begin today, 5/21/11, until my pal, Jennilyn, sent around an invite for a dance party celebrating the last day of the world. My immediate response was, “If the world is coming to an end, I’m going out dancing.” Still, I’m taking this moment in time to log some of my favorite quotes about meaningful living, and hope that 5/21/11 begins a different kind of movement for all of us, one of rebirth and renewed purpose, rather than the beginning of the end:
Christa,
I want you to know how much I appreciate the photo you have included with this post: such a masterpiece, it really draws you in. It is inviting and spell-binding and conveys peace, serenity and the beauty that only nature can deliver.
The quotations are great as well. I had a great time reading those quotations: I was familiar with some of these quotes; others, however, visited me for the first time.
I do not know enough about the start or the end of the world to comment about it.
All I know is how to dance with divine love like Rumi and his dervishes in ancient Persia. At least in my own imagination.
Thanks for a wonderful post. As usual, your writing brings out the best in you. Please keep on writing every day. Cheers.
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