There is unmapped territory in all of us. This week Facebook is giving you the option to review your biggest moments of the past year. Almost all of mine revolve around writing. I was surprised by this because I didn’t decide to write full-time until the end of the summer. The desire to pursue it was there all along, and I had a lot of support to take it, but it took me most of the year to decide to make the jump. It’s funny how we can so clearly be on a path and not see it until we’re ready.
This reminds me that we don’t always know exactly what our journey is nor where it will lead. Sometimes we can only see what’s immediately in front of us. It takes a while for things to become clear and to increase our visibility down the road to our future. Some of our talents and gifts lie hidden until they’re needed. The only way to find them is to keep living – fully, deeply, and freely. Don’t worry about how you’re going to get somewhere or how you’re going to do something. Just decide to figure it out. You’ll learn what you need to learn to make it happen.
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
1 thought on “Beautiful: Discover the Hidden Pieces of You”
Well said. I think deep insecurity keeps us wanting to know what’s next. We want/need to control what’s happening so we won’t fall into all the conditions we are afraid of – homelessness/lovelessness etc. It takes a lot of living mindfully (and perhaps a dose of homelessness/lovelessness) to lead us to the great faith that we are okay in the core of our being – that we truly belong and are valuable intrinsically. Surrender is one term for giving up the need for control. “Let go let God” is a term I don’t mind borrowing. It’s powerful medicine if actually taken internally.
Well said. I think deep insecurity keeps us wanting to know what’s next. We want/need to control what’s happening so we won’t fall into all the conditions we are afraid of – homelessness/lovelessness etc. It takes a lot of living mindfully (and perhaps a dose of homelessness/lovelessness) to lead us to the great faith that we are okay in the core of our being – that we truly belong and are valuable intrinsically. Surrender is one term for giving up the need for control. “Let go let God” is a term I don’t mind borrowing. It’s powerful medicine if actually taken internally.
LikeLike