There’s been a lot of talk in the media recently about the privileged 1%. Today we honor another 1%: our veterans, the brave men and women who put on their uniforms every day and make our freedom their mission.
At a veterans health conference in June, I was shocked to learn that only 1% of all Americans ever serve in the military. Those soldiers and their families make enormous sacrifices for all of us. We can aspire, dream, and create because they have pledged the other 99% of us. It’s a humbling ideal and they deserve more than a day of celebration. We should be thanking veterans every day of the year because every day of the year they are giving us a chance to live the lives we imagine.
To show our gratitude and concern for the struggles that face veterans and their families when they return home, Compass Yoga is putting together a holiday gift for them as part of our veterans program. Over the next few weeks, we’re filming several short yoga videos and meditation podcasts that will be readily freely available for any veterans and their family members who wish to start down the road to better health. The package videos and podcasts will be available just before Christmas, and we’ll be sure to let you know about their release. In January, we’re starting a yoga class for veterans and their family members at the Muhlenberg Branch of the New York Public Library. (Details here.)
It’s our way of serving them when they return home from serving us. There will never be enough ways to thank them for all they’ve done, but this is a start.
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
There’s been a lot of talk in the media recently about the privileged 1%. Today we honor another 1%: our veterans, the brave men and women who put on their uniforms every day and make our freedom their mission.
thanks for sharing this stat and for your work to honor our veterans. i had no idea about the 1% stat.
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It surprised me, too, Col!
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