At some point, you just have to decide you are capable and that you have all the tools you need. For several years I’ve been working on more intense and challenging asanas, not because I think they are the be all end all, nor that their accomplishment has anything to do with how deeply I understand and live my practice. To be honest, they just look like fun and I thought they would give me a new perspective.
What dreams may come
I told you a bit about the interesting dreams I had while in Florida. One was an affirmation that I’m ready to take the reigns of my professional life. The other let me know that I have far more options that I think I do in terms of my independence. Where did these dreams come from? Was it vacation that brought them on? A change of scene, creating a change of self? Maybe.
A new way of seeing the world is closer than we think
What may also be at play here is that my body’s long-standing belief that I cannot stand on my hands or my head in challenging asanas has been put to bed. A few weeks ago I went to Yoga Vida with my pal, Sara, and we took an arm balance workshop. The mechanics that the instructor, Alex Schatzberg, explained clicked for me. He layers simple postures on top of one another to build out arm balances. Easy to say, harder to do, but with practice it makes so much sense. Then One night at my sister Weez’s house in Florida, I just decided I was going to do my arm balances and my headstand in the middle of the living room, no wall. It was just time. I felt an overwhelming amount of confidence and went for it. And it was there, as if it was waiting for me.
This literally new perspective may have done more than just give me a few more asanas to play around with. It may have tipped my perspective of my life upside down, too, as well as released some kind of block in my body that had been there for so long. We are so much more amazing than we give ourselves credit for, in body, mind, and spirit.
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
At some point, you just have to decide you are capable and that you have all the tools you need. For several years I’ve been working on more intense and challenging asanas, not because I think they are the be all end all, nor that their accomplishment has anything to do with how deeply I understand and live my practice. To be honest, they just look like fun and I thought they would give me a new perspective. 
Great post! I especially love the final sentence. So happy I found your blog today! 🙂
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Hi Jaclyn,
Thank you so much for finding the blog and posting. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. We are more amazing than we realize.
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