I read an article yesterday about the five questions that every company should ask itself. As I read through it, I found that the questions are helpful on a personal level as well. We hear the line that “we are the CEOs of our own careers” all the time but how many of us actually live that way? When was the last time you asked yourself these questions, answered them, and made any necessary changes to align your life with your values?
The questions are:
1.) “What is your purpose on this Earth?”
2.) “What should you stop doing?”
3.) “If you didn’t have an existing way of life, how could you best build one?”
4.) “Where is your petri dish?” – a.k.a. “How do you experiment and make plans for your future without feeling hampered by your current situation?”
5.) “How do you make a better experiment?”
The last 4 center around the process of experimentation in which success is not guaranteed, or even likely. Ultimately, they ask us to consider how we will learn from taking chances and possibly falling. They also lead us to consider how we will pick ourselves back up and try again, better and stronger than we were before. This kind of reflection is worthy of our consideration.
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
I read an article yesterday about the five questions that every company should ask itself. As I read through it, I found that the questions are helpful on a personal level as well. We hear the line that “we are the CEOs of our own careers” all the time but how many of us actually live that way? When was the last time you asked yourself these questions, answered them, and made any necessary changes to align your life with your values?
Things have unquestionably advanced in the past month or two regarding eReaders. I remember only a short time back that everybody was speaking about the Sony eReader but since then we now have seen the likes of Amazon introduce Kindle devices and swiftly followed by the ipad from apple. The growth of the gadget is in my mind fueled through the development of the e-book products themselves these days there are several thousand quality books on the market that are suitable for a good number of brands. I finished up purchasing a Kindle machine considering the price of the apple ipads at present are beyond reach, like i said previously, Amazon have grabbed this market by way of the neck and dramatically decreased their price tags in order to be competitive, we as shoppers need to take advantage dont we!
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great article. thanks \o/
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