“We‘re all just walking each other home.” ~ Ram Dass
I read this quote from Ram Dass and it stopped me in my tracks. It reminded me that we are here to be of service to one another. All we’re ever really trying to do is make life a little bit easier, a little happier for someone else. And we do this in all sorts of ways – through friendships and romantic relationships, community service, teaching, new products and services, and art that inspires and intrigues. And it’s all part of the same journey – one destination, a fulfilling life, and many paths to get there.
We’re all on our way home. We may be on different timelines, with different stops along the way, but we’re all part of one another’s adventures. It’s an honor to bring other people into our lives and have them take us into theirs. The only questions we really have to answer at the end of every day is this: did I make this day worthwhile, for me and for others? Did I help someone travel a bit lighter, get a bit further, and smile wider than they would have without me?
That’s what I’m doing here – for my students, my friends, and all of the people I have the extraordinary privilege to interact with every day. It’s a gift to be with them, and I treat every moment with that same belief. We’re just encouraging one another as we make our way forward.
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
2 thoughts on “Leap: What We’re All Really Doing Here”
Sort of like the extended family concept – and the butterfly effect – taking one step more – everything we do affects everything else in the universe – our own little circle of the world, and the larger global one. Really nice post, Christa.
And let’s not forget all of the people teaching us the hard lessons about ourselves – the ones we want to lock up and kill until we come to understand ourselves better. They are so valuable and have such a hard road in helping.
Sort of like the extended family concept – and the butterfly effect – taking one step more – everything we do affects everything else in the universe – our own little circle of the world, and the larger global one. Really nice post, Christa.
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And let’s not forget all of the people teaching us the hard lessons about ourselves – the ones we want to lock up and kill until we come to understand ourselves better. They are so valuable and have such a hard road in helping.
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