“Sometimes the little opportunities that fly at us each day can have the biggest impact.” ~ Danny Wallace
In a time when emotions are running high, I’ve found myself compelled to be more patient. When I’m on the subway with people who are pushing and losing their temper because of the intense crowding and delays, I am driven to be more tolerant, to smile more, to give others the right of way even when it’s my turn.
So often we think we must do something big to really make a difference. We have to start a company or organization, make a huge donation, or broadcast our message through a megaphone of some form. During this odd time in New York City as we are reminded of the power of nature and the incredible gift of neighbors helping neighbors, I am learning about the immense value of small, everyday kindnesses that we can all give and receive.
They give us a sense of belonging. They cause us to pay it forward, igniting a chain reaction of compassion and courtesy. It’s in these small moments that we recognize just how connected we all are. And it’s a really beautiful thing to understand.
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
6 thoughts on “Leap: Small Opportunities to Make a Difference”
What a beautiful sentiment! I’m reminded of the Art Buchwald article “Love and the Cabbie” about how your actions can affect so many people: http://www.ethicsusa.com/article.cfm?ID=2647
It’s amaziing what happens when we shift out of the doing and striving and having to do something ‘big’ and focus on the simple gestures that heal and transform ourselves and others. In Priscilla Warner’s book, “Learning to Breathe:My Yearlong Quest to Bring Calm To My Life”, she visits a Rabbi who lets her know “Some of the greatest things in life don’t have to be so dramatic,the rabbi said. Remember that. You can do something modest. When a mother cradles her child, fireworks don’t explode. That’s the secret of all of life. Some of the most beautiful things happen below the radar. Not on Wall Street, not on television. Not with all the hoopla. It’s in the quiet moments that our lives are shaped. In homes, in cribs, in bedrooms, in the little things,” the soul doctor said to me sweetly. That’s where it all happens.”
Christa,
I just wanted to let you know how much I love your blog. It amazes me that you consistently write great post after great post. Thank you for sharing your gifts.
What a beautiful sentiment! I’m reminded of the Art Buchwald article “Love and the Cabbie” about how your actions can affect so many people: http://www.ethicsusa.com/article.cfm?ID=2647
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Hi Kate! I’ve never read this article before. Clicking over now. Thanks so much for sending it to me 🙂
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It’s amaziing what happens when we shift out of the doing and striving and having to do something ‘big’ and focus on the simple gestures that heal and transform ourselves and others. In Priscilla Warner’s book, “Learning to Breathe:My Yearlong Quest to Bring Calm To My Life”, she visits a Rabbi who lets her know “Some of the greatest things in life don’t have to be so dramatic,the rabbi said. Remember that. You can do something modest. When a mother cradles her child, fireworks don’t explode. That’s the secret of all of life. Some of the most beautiful things happen below the radar. Not on Wall Street, not on television. Not with all the hoopla. It’s in the quiet moments that our lives are shaped. In homes, in cribs, in bedrooms, in the little things,” the soul doctor said to me sweetly. That’s where it all happens.”
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Mary – this is amazing! I am getting this book immediately! 🙂
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Christa,
I just wanted to let you know how much I love your blog. It amazes me that you consistently write great post after great post. Thank you for sharing your gifts.
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Thank you so much! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the blog. It’s a gift for me to be able to write it.
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