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.
loss, love, relationships

This just in: Hands strong enough to come home empty

Christa Avampato
Hands strong enough to come home empty
Hands strong enough to come home empty

My college friend, KaRyn, once write a beautiful poem and the lines from it have stuck with me for almost 20 years. One line in particular has been running through my mind lately and I think it’s the perfect way to think about change: “With hands strong enough to come home empty.”

It’s easy to take the opportunities that just come along. It’s hard to turn away or let go of something that’s not right for us when it seems like the alternative is nothingness, emptiness. But here’s what I’m learning. If we want to receive what and who is truly meant for us, then we need space. We need emptiness before we can have fullness. These days I’m reminding myself that emptiness isn’t something to fear or be sad about. It means we’re ready for what’s next.

creativity

This just in: Keeping it weird

Christa Avampato
Let's be weird together
Let’s be weird together

When we’re first getting to know someone, we may let our eccentricities out of the bag slowly. I’m not saying this is good or bad. It’s just natural. Recently I’ve started wondering if a slow intro to our weirdness is really the best approach. Like Austin, Texas, maybe we should keep it weird as much as we can.

What if right from the get-go we decided to just be our crazy nut bag selves? If people run in the other direction, so be it. They were probably going to do that anyway, or we were going to get stuck in a cycle of playing a part that’s not meant for us and pretending to be someone we aren’t. Maybe if we let ourselves be free to be who we are, then others will feel free to do that in front of us, too. Then maybe we’ll run in the other direction or hang around to see what their crazy selves do next.

Either way, isn’t authenticity, crazy or not, the point of it all?

action, feelings

This just in: Letting go and digging in

Christa Avampato

“There is a time to let things happen and a time to make things happen.” ~Hugh Prather, American writer

I’ve been thinking a lot about effort recently. When it’s warranted and when it’s not. When it’s time to let life unfold and when it’s time to actively unpack it to see what we’ve got.

In general, I believe in being proactive and I always believe in being honest with ourselves and others. It’s not always easy or comfortable to honestly (and respectfully) express how we feel. But I always find that in the end I’m glad I’ve done so.

If people stick around through my honesty, then I feel like we may be able to get somewhere. If they walk away, then I know our paths were meant to go in separate directions. And either way is okay as long as I’ve been true to who I am and expressed what I need.

change, relationships

This just in: No relationship is a waste of time

Christa Avampato
"No relationship is a waste of time. If it didn't bring you what you want, it taught you what you don't want."
“No relationship is a waste of time. If it didn’t bring you what you want, it taught you what you don’t want.”

I read this quote yesterday and it really helped me understand that every experience we have, good or bad, is valuable. Sometimes we think that because a relationship ends or doesn’t turn out the way we hoped it would, then it was a waste of time. The value isn’t always evident right away, but in time we find the meaning in each interaction. And once we have meaning, we have everything we need to make sense of the twists and turns in our lives. It’s not easy work, but it’s always worth it.

change, relationships

This just in: The secret to relationships that last

Christa Avampato
Are you changing together or apart?
Are you changing together or apart?

A co-worker of mine just celebrated his 20th wedding anniversary. After we congratulated him, we asked him if after 20 years he figured out the secret to making something last. His response was simple and powerful: keep laughing, find someone who really gets you, and understand that you will change.

And then he expressed that there’s very little you can do to really control whether a relationship lasts or not. It’s a process of constant questioning and this is the question: as you change, and if you’re alive you will inevitably, eventually change, are you changing together or growing apart?

communication, relationships

This just in: Why speaking your mind is so difficult

Christa Avampato
Speak your mind
Speak your mind

“We don’t see things as they are. We see them as we are.” ~Anaïs Nin

I was recently having a conversation with someone I really care about. I decided to ask him about something that was really troubling me, and that led to a very honest discussion that was uncomfortable and caused me to lose more than a little sleep. Despite that, we were, eventually, both glad to have had the conversation.

The difficult part about speaking our mind and wanting to talk about tough issues is that we also put ourselves in the position of someone shining a light into our own blind spots. All of a sudden we stop seeing the world through tunnel vision and it dawns on us that Anaïs Nin was spot on. We don’t see the world, or a person or a situation, as it is. We see everything and everyone as we are. Compassion and empathy are part of a process that requires constant tending and adjustment. It’s difficult work, but on the other side of that work is either an enormous lesson or a tremendous reward. Keep going.

creativity

This just in: Reverence revisited

Christa Avampato

There are many paths to reverence. Sometimes we have to lose something to truly begin to revere it.

children, education, environment, learning, nature

This just in: Send me your pictures of kids enjoying time in nature

Christa Avampato
Nature matters
Nature matters

“Teaching children about the natural world should be seen as one of the most important events in their lives.” ~Thomas Berry

Alright friends, I know you take AMAZING photos of the kids in your life. Do you have pics of them enjoying time in nature? I want these kinds of photos to decorate my ed tech company’s office. They will serve as a reminder of why we’re embarking on this venture to help kids realize that the natural world we live in has so much to teach all of us and deserves to be protected.

I’m looking for nature photos in which kids are truly interacting with nature and exploring it. Please send any photos like this to me at christa@steamengine.com and we will gladly credit you in the print!

curiosity, feelings

This just in: How to know who you are

Christa Avampato
How are we?
How are we?

What we want determines who we are and who we become.

courage, freedom, memory

This just in: Memorial Day and the act of memory in action

Christa Avampato
Hero
Hero

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” ~Joseph Campbell

This weekend, we will take some time to pause, reflect, and give thanks to the many men and women who have served in the armed forces and given their lives to keep our country safe. As we bow our heads and lift our hearts this Memorial Day, I also hope we can use the example of these brave men and women to consider how we can serve and how we can make the world we live in a little better every day for others. Let’s be heroes to each other. Happy Memorial Day and thank you to the many veterans who have crossed over so that life on this side of the divide can soldier on.