Are you waiting for the other shoe to drop? Does the dream of your life seem within reach and yet you are certain something will swoop in and snatch it from you? I was like that, too. And then my friend, Bobby, helped me see that I was selling myself short.
I was recounting my philosophy that I always hope for the best and expect the worst. For 36 years, this worked responsibly well. Or at least it kept me alive. Bobby responded, “Christy (he is the only one who calls me that), how about you hope for and expect the best? If it doesn’t go that way, then you just trust that you’re smart enough and strong enough to figure out what to do next.”
In that moment I was certain that Bobby was channeling the greater Universe and delivering the wisest life philosophy I’d ever heard. And with that, I packed up that nagging voice of self-doubt in the back of my mind and sent it to the far reaches of the Earth, never to be heard from again. Life is sweeter without it.
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
Are you waiting for the other shoe to drop? Does the dream of your life seem within reach and yet you are certain something will swoop in and snatch it from you? I was like that, too. And then my friend, Bobby, helped me see that I was selling myself short.
Hi, I do think this is an excellent website. I stumbledupon it 😉 I
will return yet again since i have book marked
it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and
continue to help others.
LikeLike
Hallo, usually great to find out other people from the hole world in my searching, I truly appreciate the time it should have taken to set together this awesome website. kind regard
LikeLike
Interesting point of view.Thanks for the post. – I dont have to attend every argument Im invited to. – W.C.Filelds 1880-1954
LikeLike
Interesting post reminds me of another gem. – Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do. – Confucius
LikeLike
I stumbled upon your web site and it is fantastic for I need. It contains excellent and useful posts. I read through most of them and got so much from them. In my opinion, youre accomplishing a wonderful work. Keep it up! Id like to grate you for generating such a great web site.
LikeLike
Thank you for this article. Thats all I may say. You most absolutely have developed this web publication into something speciel. You clearly know what you are executing, youve insured so many corners.best regards
LikeLike