“You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back.” ~ Barbara De Angelis
Put yourself out there. In your relationships, in your job, in your community. You have nothing to lose. Things may not go the way you want them to go and you risk a bit of embarrassment or disappointment. Here’s what’s certain: if you hold back and don’t do something you want to do you will most definitely be disappointed. Worse than that, you’ll have regret. A lot of it.
If you care about something or someone, show it and say it. Make it known. I’d rather be rejected 100 times over than caught up in my shell out of fear. Sometimes we think we’re saving ourselves by holding back but what exactly is it that we’re savings ourselves from? A life fully lived? Learning? Authenticity? Joy?
Here’s the rub: everything we have, everything we feel is temporary. As far as I know, when our crack at life is over, we can’t take any of it with us. It will all fall away. With that in mind, I do everything I can to be as happy as I can as often as possible. I’ll risk some sadness, I’ll actually take the risk of a lot of sadness, in order to have a shot at a life full of meaning, purpose, and service. And I do what I can to bring others along, too.
I’ve lived in the land of holding back and I’ve lived in the land of loving, and I’ll tell you this – loving is always better.
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
Brilliant! I can breathe the positivity in every word. Take a risk, let go, be true to ourselves and live out our dreams without fear of failure! You have inspired me š
thanks for the inspiration love!
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My pleasure, Col! It was a good reminder for me too š
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Brilliant! I can breathe the positivity in every word. Take a risk, let go, be true to ourselves and live out our dreams without fear of failure! You have inspired me š
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