When I think of someone with a courageous heart, a clear mind, and a deep sense of wisdom, I think of Katherine Jenkins, the author of the book and blog Lessons from the Monk I Married. I met Kathy through our mutual friend, Sharni, another beautiful writer. Immediately, I found her to be warm, caring, and wholly confident in her essence. We started reading one another’s writing and cheering for each other along the way. I’m so proud and pleased to know her and now you have the chance to know her, too. Her book arrives into the world today.
In this year when I am exploring my own leap into a new phase of my life and career, I’m spending a lot of time drawing inspiration from people like Kathy who took a leap and never looked down. She took a leap for love, which might just be the most frightening kind of leap of all. I am fascinated by her story of meeting her husband, then a monk in a Korean monastery, by chance and the many years of back and forth emotions that they both felt. They would spend short periods of time together and then long stretches of time apart. And despite the hardship, they always found their way back to each other.
None of it was easy and their path was not apparent nor inevitable. It was rocky, long, and exceedingly difficult. Eventually, Kathy left. She closed the door and meant it. She went inside to find the true seed that lived inside her own heart, the seed that exists without any outside influence. And in the midst of that clear-eyed discovery, her love took a leap, too – right into their new life together.
And the road doesn’t end there. This doesn’t mean that it was smooth sailing from that moment on out. The road was still rocky, long, and exceedingly difficult. They both had to maintain their individual commitment to find a way forward together. They struggled with finding employment, building a business, getting to know one another as a true couple, forging friendships together, and eventually making the move from Korea back to the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.
Their perseverance and ability to remain open and honest, with themselves and with each other, is staggeringly beautiful and inspiring. If you need to believe in love, dreams, and the quest for a life infused with meaning, Kathy wrote a book for you. Author Anne Lamott wrote the wise words, “Toni Morrison said, ‘The function of freedom is to free someone else,’ and if you are no longer wracked or in bondage to a person or a way of life, tell your story. Risk freeing someone else.” And that’s just what Kathy did.
Lessons from the Monk I Married is now available on Amazon and at retailers everywhere.
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
When I think of someone with a courageous heart, a clear mind, and a deep sense of wisdom, I think of Katherine Jenkins, the author of the book and blog Lessons from the Monk I Married. I met Kathy through our mutual friend, Sharni, another beautiful writer. Immediately, I found her to be warm, caring, and wholly confident in her essence. We started reading one another’s writing and cheering for each other along the way. I’m so proud and pleased to know her and now you have the chance to know her, too. Her book arrives into the world today.
Thank you Christa for this beautiful review!
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Thank YOU for writing such a beautiful book! Congrats!
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words failed me … only thing came to mind is … wow!
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It’s a great book, Patrick. I highly recommend it!
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