Author: Christa Avampato

The short of it: Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day. The long of it: My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events. While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series. A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist. My company: I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media: • I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference; • I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable; • I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me. Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
creativity

Wonder: Give yourself the gift of all your feelings

Christa Avampato

I talked to a friend yesterday who just isn’t feeling the holidays this year. She’s had a difficult year, and the holidays are proving to be stressful and draining to her already. I listened to her for a long time, and was glad to be there for her. When she looked at me and said, “You know what I mean?”, I said, “Yes. I do. And you don’t have to do the holidays this year. You’re an adult. You can choose.” She burst into tears, not out of sadness but out of relief. She hadn’t thought of the option of opting out. And she felt better. A little lighter.

This is an option open to everyone. Do whatever you need to do to feel lighter. You can feel whatever you want to feel and do whatever you want to do—holidays or no holidays, for every reason or for no reason. And if, like my sweet friend, you need someone to just listen for a while, I’m here. I’m all ears.

creativity

Wonder: Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Christa Avampato

“I fell in love with my work and dedicated my life to it.” ~Jiro Ono

A friend of mine recommended I watch the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It’s about Jiro Ono. 85-years-old, he is considered by many to be the world’s greatest sushi chef. He is the proprietor of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant inauspiciously located in a Tokyo subway station. (Yes, the finest food can be found in a subway station!)

Humble and unassuming in appearance, it is the first restaurant of its kind to be awarded a prestigious three-star Michelin Guide rating. Sushi fan from all over the world repeatedly visit and make reservations months in advance. Jiro is completely unimpressed with himself. At 85, he says he is still searching for perfection, still trying to get better every minute of every day. He is also a fierce advocate for greater environmental regulations to protect the oceans and wildlife.

His dedication, passion, and commitment to his work is without equal. I enjoy my work but I don’t have what he has. It gave me something to aspire to, to search for. I’m looking.

creativity

Wonder: Stitching together my own silver lining

Christa Avampato

I’ve been looking for the silver lining of the last few weeks. I couldn’t find one so I started to stitch together my own. And with that decision, everything shifted. For the first time in a few weeks, I’ve started to feel hopeful about the future.

The new administration has already proven it’s going to be a nightmare, even and maybe especially for many of the people who voted for it. My chosen industry, healthcare, is now in a rocky position at best. I’m still recovering from that nasty fall down the stairs of my apartment building.

Then, I read and watch the news and I see how much suffering is happening around the world. Compared to so many, I have such a long list of things to be grateful for. I’ve got my problems, and plenty of them. I also have the ability to fix a great many of them, and I will in the coming year. It’s not going to be easy. It’s not going to be without its hiccups and bumps, but I know it’s possible. And it’s up to me to make it probable.

creativity

Wonder: Strong bones, rest, and protecting what you love

Christa Avampato

“Thank god you have strong bones.” That’s what the physician’s assistant said to me this weekend via a One Medical video chat after I fell down a set of stairs in my apartment building. I was carrying Phineas down the stairs to protect his back when I slipped; the irony isn’t lost on me. As I was falling, I told myself “protect Phineas, don’t hit your head, stay flexible.” Thankfully, I completely protected Phineas from getting hurt, I didn’t hit my head, and I didn’t break any bones. I’m just very sore and bruised. I can’t really sit down comfortably for more than a few minutes so I stand or lie down on one side.

I took the required weekend of rest to mostly be offline, sleep, read, take a lot of pain meds, apply ice packs, and meditate. Now that the holiday season is upon us, we turn to reflection, evaluation, and contemplation. What’s going well in life? What’s not going well? What could be better? And how could we make it so?

I’m right there with you. I have a lot to be thankful for. I also have a lot of things that I want to be better. I imagine 2017 will hold a lot of change for me. Some of it I can already see coming and I’m actively planning for. Some of it will be a total surprise to me. Because that’s how life is. We make decisions, we plan, and then we fall down a flight of stairs so we have to adjust. Lately, everything feels like we’re going up the down staircase. Maybe we always were, and now we’re just waking up to the reality of it all.

In this time of uncertainty, I trust in this idea: No matter what happens, if we remain flexible and ready to protect what we love and value at all costs, then we will make it through. We may end up sore and bruised, but we will survive. We may end up down for a bit, but let’s not count ourselves out of the race. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

creativity

Wonder: Taking action with the International Rescue Committee and Planned Parenthood

Christa Avampato

I love how Hillary Clinton lived the words of her Methodist faith: “Do all the good you can, for all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can.” I took those words to heart this week as I signed up with the International Rescue Committee to assist families who are being re-settled from foreign countries into the areas around Washington, D.C. I also contacted Planned Parenthood about working with them at their office in D.C. that is only a few blocks from my home. It’s going to up to us to take care of each other and support one another through this administration. I’m going to do my part to show that there is goodness among all the muck.

creativity

Wonder: And there is the first crack in the economy post-election, right at my doorstep

Christa Avampato

The first economic casualty of this election found me yesterday. My favorite staff member in my apartment building told me that my landlord is outsourcing the staffing of the building in preparation for a recession that they think will hit in the coming months. The staff is being offered the chance to interview for the outsourced company, though there is no guarantee of a job and even if they do get a job, their pay will be cut and their housing subsidy will be taken away.

“Even if I get the job, they’re going to cut my pay by $3.50/hour,” he said to me. “And that’s going to hurt a lot. My last day could be November 30th if I don’t get this job. I was wondering if you could do me a favor, Christa. Would you write a recommendation letter for me that I could bring to the interview?”

My eyes teared up. This man has been a good friend to me, and really makes my building feel like home. He’s professional, kind, and caring. He loves his job and the people who live in my building. I’d pay double my rent to help him and the rest of the staff who do such a wonderful job helping all of us. I was prepared to take out my checkbook right there, and instead what he asked for was a letter. $3.50/hour is a lot to him; it makes the difference between being able to pay his bills and not being able to pay his bills. Let that sink in. He lives in D.C., a very expensive city, and makes less than $35,000/year before taxes, and that could drop to $27,000/year. That’s what he’s fighting for. That’s what he’d be grateful to get. This is the working poor. Right. Next. Door.

The President-elect, ensconced in his 3-story, 24K gold penthouse on Fifth Avenue, doesn’t care a lick about people like my friend. But you know what? I care. I can do something, and I will. I wrote my heart out in that reference letter for my friend. I’ll be writing a lot of letters in the coming days, weeks, and months. I’m not going to standby and watch our economy and our country go to hell in a hand-basket at the hands of an inexperienced madman and his cabinet of ignorants. Deplorable? Yes. Unstoppable? No.

creativity

Wonder: Leaders, you must lead

Christa Avampato

We are now in the societal version of the financial crisis that reared its head in 2008. I was working at American Express in 2008 and with a front row seat to the recession, the picture was bleak. And here’s what CEO Ken Chenault and his senior staff did: they talked to us, and kept talking to us. All the time. Every week. They told us what they were afraid of. They told us what kept them up at night. They shared data with us. They didn’t give up. They urged us to do whatever we could with whatever we had from wherever we were in the company. And so I did. I’m going to write him a letter and thank him for his example that I carry to this day.

I realize that my expectations of leadership are very high, and I have no intention of lowering them. I didn’t always agree with Ken’s decisions while I was at Amex (and sometimes I adamantly and publicly disagreed), but I certainly always respected him. I always believed he was trying to do the right thing given extenuating and complex circumstances. I know that no matter how hard I was working, he was working harder.

My boss at Toys R Us, Bob G., was the same way. He was always invested in who I was as a human being first, and as an employee second. And he would often tell me that in addition to showing it through his world-class mentoring and advice.

I recognize that I have been tremendously fortunate to have had many great leaders during my career. (Some god-awful ones, too, but we’ll save that for another post.) CEOs, don’t throw away an opportunity to exercise leadership and to inspire your people, especially during these trying and difficult times. That’s when your people need leaders the most—not when the sailing is smooth but when the water is choppy and the direction unclear. Your people need you. Don’t fail them.

creativity

Wonder: What do you do now if you work in healthcare?

Christa Avampato

Working for a financial services firm during the recession that started in 2007 has proven to be quite a blessing now that I have some distance from it. Just as the economy was in turmoil then, there are a number of industries now that face similar challenges to their business models and my current industry, healthcare, is one of them.

From this moment forward, I spend my time thinking about what we do now that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may be repealed or recast in any number of ways. What products, services, and systems can help protect our most vulnerable people? I couldn’t have imagined that the painful lessons I learned in financial services from 2008-2012 would be useful in this way and so soon, but life’s like that sometimes. We go through hardship and difficulty because they have something to teach us that we will be able to use to help others down the line. I will try to hang onto that tough and necessary lesson in the coming months and years.

creativity

Wonder: Staring Donald Trump in the eye and not flinching

Christa Avampato

Tonight, Donald Trump and his family were interviewed by Lesley Stahl for 60 Minutes. My first reaction was “I can’t watch that”. And my next thought was “I have to watch that”. I have to bear witness, because as ugly and painful as it may be, bearing witness is vital to democracy and freedom. For reasons I can’t quite share yet because they are still in the fundamental planning stages, it was crucial that I watch that interview. I need to look this man in the eye, albeit through a TV screen, and know exactly what we’re up against. His presidency is about to have an enormous impact on my life and the lives of so many others whom I hold dear. As an entrepreneur, innovator, product developer, writer, and activist, I have to listen so that when I speak and act I do so armed with truth and knowledge. Take heart, friends, the only way out is through, and together we will get through this.

 

creativity

Wonder: Good trouble’s comin’ to town

Christa Avampato

“Some of the sweetest berries grow among the sharpest thorns.” ~Scottish Proverb

The new administration has activated an ugly underbelly in this country. And it’s also activated something else it didn’t bargain for—you, me, and everyone else who cares about fair treatment, justice, and dignity for all people. Let’s not underestimate the power of persistent, unrelenting goodness and what Congressman John Lewis calls “good trouble“. Now that’s a rally cry I can believe in.