Since formally announcing my New Year’s Resolution to go my own way in my career this year, I’ve been spotting new opportunities everywhere. It’s as if I’m manufacturing rocks to turn over just to have some place to stash all of the possibilities. The board members of Compass Yoga tease me sometimes about my unending enthusiasm and my belief that yes, I can heal the world, and so can everyone else. Our future really is T.B.D. and it really is up to us.
Last week, I met with a few of the board members and we determined that with the legal set-up work behind us, we now need to get cracking on a solid strategic plan. I fight structure a bit, but I know how necessary it is to make the best use of creative energy. Being the President of a board is a brand new role for me, as is making the shift to work for myself. In the process, I’m seeking out lots of advice and doing a lot of research, which I love.
Here are 2 resources from my research that I thought you would find helpful if you’re doing some planning of your own:
1.) I came across a 10-step guide from the World Bank that details the strategic planning process for a nonprofit from beginning to end. (If you click the link, it will automatically download the PDF to your computer.) Even if you’re not starting a strategic planning process for a nonprofit, this document is filled with lots of wonderful advice about the act of planning in general.
2.) Also, over the holidays I read Steve Newcomb’s latest essay, The Art of War: A Warrior’s Guide to Raising Money in the Battlefield of the Silicon Valley. I’m not raising money in Silicon Valley (yet!) but this guide really helped me understand the value of a plan of attack and a few approaches that will be very valuable as the board and I undertake this planning process.
Happy planning, plotting, and acting!
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
Since formally announcing my New Year’s Resolution to go my own way in my career this year, I’ve been spotting new opportunities everywhere. It’s as if I’m manufacturing rocks to turn over just to have some place to stash all of the possibilities. The board members of Compass Yoga tease me sometimes about my unending enthusiasm and my belief that yes, I can heal the world, and so can everyone else. Our future really is T.B.D. and it really is up to us.
Reblogged this on Writing Advice and Tecnhiques.
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Awesome! Thank you so much! Glad it was helpful.
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