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.
books, Christmas, community, love, music, writing

Inspired: Alfie, the Christmas Tree – a poem by John Denver

Christa Avampato
Happy Christmas

This is one of my favorite Christmas poems. It’s such a beautiful reminder of what this season is all about—unity, love, and kindness. Happy Christmas.

Alfie, the Christmas Tree
Did you ever hear the story of the Christmas Tree
who just didn’t want to change the show
He liked living in the woods and playing with squirrels, he liked icicles and snow.

He liked wolves and eagles and grizzly bears
and critters and creatures that crawled.
Why bugs were some of his very best friends, spiders and ants and all.

Now that’s not to say that he ever looked down on the vision of twinkling lights,
or on mirrored bubbles and peppermint canes and a thousand other delights.
And he often had dreams of tiny reindeer
and a jolly old man and a sleigh full of toys and presents and wonderful things,
and the story of Christmas Day.

Oh, Alfie believed in Christmas all right, he was full of Christmas cheer.
All of each and every day and all throughout the year.

To him it was more than a special time much more than a special day,
It was more than a beautiful story. it was a special kind of way.

You see, some folks have never heard a jingle bell ring,
And they’ve never heard of Santa Claus.
They’ve never heard the story of the Son of God. And that made Alfie pause.

Did that mean that they’d never know of peace on earth
or the brotherhood of man?
Or know how to love, or know how to give? If they can’t, no one can.
You see, life is a very special kind of thing, not just for a chosen few.
But for each and every living breathing thing. Not just me and you.

So in your Christmas prayers this year, Alfie asked me if I’d ask you
to say a prayer for the wind, and the water, and the wood,
and those who live there, too.

Christmas, holiday

Inspired: Fun Christmas trivia

Christa Avampato
Leon McBryde after giving the other Santas a class on techniques and props for home visits, Oct. 18, 2014. Photo by Ian C. Bates for Al Jazeera America.
Leon McBryde after giving the other Santas a class on techniques and props for home visits, Oct. 18, 2014. Photo by Ian C. Bates for Al Jazeera America.

In honor of the holiday, here are some fun pieces of Christmas trivia. Enjoy!

-When Dr. Seuss wrote How the Grinch Stole Christmas, it took him 3 months to figure out the ending. Finally, he got a flash of an image that depicted the Grinch sitting at the Who dinner table carving the roast beast and he wrote backward from there.
– Some people advised Charles Schulz to remove the scene in A Charlie Brown Christmas where Linus tells the story of Christ’s birth because they thought it was too religious for a children’s movie. Schulz insisted on leaving it in.
– Some legends trace the making of the first candy canes to India while others trace them to Germany.
– Santa Claus was a saint who lived in what is now Turkey in the 300s.
– The Statue of Liberty was a Christmas present from France to the U.S.
– While some people think Xmas is sacrilegious, it’s not at all. It comes from Greece and the Greek symbol “X” means Christ.
– 1:3 people in the world celebrate Christmas.
– The retailer Montgomery Ward brought Rudolph to the public eye. It was written by Robert L. May, a copywriter for the company. The retail chain distributed 2.4 million copies of it in booklet form during the 1939 holiday season. Rudolph’s original name was Rollo. The executives at the company didn’t like the name, and May’s daughter gave him the idea of the name Rudolph.
– Charles Dickens wrote the novella A Christmas Carol in six weeks.
– If you’re an aspiring Santa, there’s a school for that. Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School is in Midland, Michigan.

action, adventure, change, choices, commitment, creativity, grateful, gratitude

Inspired: Give yourself a high-five for 2014

Christa Avampato
Give yourself a high-five
Give yourself a high-five

In the hustle and bustle that’s December, take some time to give yourself a high-five for 2014. Even if it was a tough year, acknowledge that your strength helped you through it. What are you most proud of doing in 2014?

Here are my personal high-fives with infinite thanks to so many of you who made them possible and cheered me on in the process:
– I directed and produced my first original play that I’ve written, Sing After Storms
– I wrote the first draft of my first novel, Where the Light Enters
– I moved out of New York and started a new adventure in a new city
– I transitioned my business away from consulting to write full-time
– I saw Compass Yoga through to its completion and with the help of so many volunteers helped hundreds of people discover the joys of the practice
– I started working as a voice over artist
– I expanded the channels for my writing with great brands that I’m proud to be associated with
– I spent a lot of time with friends, old and new, and my family despite a hectic schedule

I’m making some big plans for 2015 and I know it’s going to be a wild ride. I’m not afraid. I’m excited for it, and I’m grateful to be on this journey with so many other good people. High-fives all around!

choices, decision-making

Inspired: Choose your own destiny

Christa Avampato
Destiny is a decision—yours.
Destiny is a decision—yours.

Destiny is a decision—yours. As we approach the end of the year, spend some time thinking about what went right, what went not-so-right, and decide what you want 2015 to look like. Unexpected things will happen in the new year, of course, but we have much more control than we give ourselves credit for. You have everything you need to shape it and direct in a way that brings you all the happiness you deserve. Choose to give yourself exactly the year you’re hoping to have.

action, adventure, change, creativity

Inspired: When the going gets tough, go further

Christa Avampato
When the going gets tough, go further
When the going gets tough, go further

A breakthrough requires the tough work of internal change. Breaking through is difficult and painful. If we can endure, if we can push through difficulty and keep our heads up, the rewards are incredible. A breakthrough is an act of faith, faith that all we know in any moment is the very next step. The rest of the path is wholly uncertain. If we are committed enough to look fear, rejection, and disappointment in the face and keep going no matter what, then we’re ready for a breakthrough. When the going gets tough, go further.

action, change, creativity

Inspired: Prepare to be fortunate

Christa Avampato
Fortune favors the prepared mind

“Fortune favors only the prepared mind.” ~Louis Pasteur

2014 taught me to expect, and be prepared for, the unexpected. We have to be prepared to recognize fortune when it comes our way and that takes training. Fortune commonly arrives neatly disguised in ways we don’t anticipate. We spend so much time steeling ourselves for disappointment and disaster that we often forget to equally prepare ourselves for remarkable good fortune, too. Be brave. Be positive. Be prepared to be successful.

 

action, choices, creativity

Inspired: Action is motion with purpose

Christa Avampato
Action is motion with purpose.
Action is motion with purpose.

“Never mistake motion for action.” ~Ernest Hemingway

It’s important to keep moving forward, no matter how slowly. Sometimes I find I’m moving forward rather aimlessly and that’s when I stop to reassess. Where am I trying to go? And why? And how? And with whom? These kinds of questions ensure that I’m not just in motion but that I’m taking action. Action is motion with purpose. And if I find that I’m moving in a direction or along a path that lack this definition of action, or that the action isn’t authentic to who I am and who I want to be, I change direction. My path is winding, but every step is meaningful.

business, community, technology

Inspired: Movie theaters, senior living, and farmers embrace technology to foster community

Christa Avampato
Seniors who met through a virtual community take in a movie together
Seniors who met through a virtual community take in a movie together

It’s exciting to see a plethora of companies across industries scooping up new technology and innovating to grow and enhance a sense of community. Here are some of my favorite recent examples:

Subscriptions
For a long time I’ve wanted a subscription to a movie theater that would give me unlimited access to one of my favorite pastimes. I came up with all kinds of ideas why this wasn’t possible – impossible to predict when / if a movie time was sold out, crowd control, and the question of profitability all came to mind. Much to my surprise, and delight!, AMC Theaters is giving it a go with MoviePass. Starting in Boston and Denver, the movie chain will offer a movie-a-day subscription for $35 – $45. I can’t wait for them to get to my city. With my movie going habit, this subscription will be well worth it. Of course the chain hopes that this type of program will lure people out of their comfy homes and back into the immersive world of big screens. I hope so, too!

The sharing economy
We have a number of services that allow us to share durable goods such as cars, lawn equipment, and power tools. But what about delicious, local, and healthy perishables? Is there a way to reinvent the barter system of food among farmers so common in the markets of a long ago age? Crop swaps are popping up from the Bay Area to New Haven, and they’re growing in popularity. Coordinating events online, farmers, professionals and hobbyists, swap their homegrown goodies, stories, and tips, and delight in a homemade life.

Senior living
If the idea of a nursing home or a retirement community makes you cringe, you’re not alone. Now that so many seniors are healthier much further into their golden years, they want to stay in their homes. But they also want companionship and purposeful ways to spend their time. Enter Virtual Villages—robust online spaces that have a relatively low yearly membership fee for seniors to meet other seniors who are interested in getting together in the real world, to get advice, and to find resources that can help with tasks like walking the dog, getting the gutters cleaned, and weeding the garden.

These examples provide ways to think about technology, new and not so new, as a means to build community, drive revenue, and delight customers. Technology is a catalyst for change. With insight and the genuine desire to serve, it can be used as a force for good for all.

animals, books, career, science, work, writing

Inspired: Letters to a Young Scientist – Dr. E.O. Wilson’s view on our life’s work

Christa Avampato
Dr. E.O. Wilson examining plant gall, Walden Pond, Massachusettes
Dr. E.O. Wilson examining plant gall, Walden Pond, Massachusetts

Whether you’re a scientist or not, young or not-so-young, Dr. E.O. Wilson’s book, Letters to a Young Scientist, is a primer in how to building a meaningful life from a purpose-driven career. I first encountered Dr. Wilson’s work as one of the most esteemed biologists in the world while I was a fundraiser at Conservation International. Dr. Wilson is a member of the board of directors and in many ways was (and probably still is) a supreme guiding light of the organization’s strong science basis. I picked up his slim volume to read how he addresses a young audience in search of meaning. What I found was much more than I expected.

On opportunity
“Opportunity is [now] broader, but more demanding.” This was a light bulb line for me. We have more opportunity now than past generations thanks to technology, the democratization of knowledge and learning thanks to the growth of the Internet, and the rapid and extensive sharing of inspirational stories. Dr. Wilson explains why we now struggle more to seize opportunity—with great privilege comes great competition and an even greater need for commitment and determination.

“When you select a domain of knowledge…go where the least action is happening…observe the fray from a distance…consider making your own fray.” This is my favorite bit in the book. We’re so quick to rush to a field that is gaining traction and popularity but if we really want to have an impact, it’s best to go where no one else is going.

“Imagine looking back on your life. What do you want to be known for?” Imagine yourself at the very end of your life. When you’re rocking in a chair and watching the sun set for the very last time, what do you want to remember and what do you want to be remembered for? Work your way back to the present day from there and follow the breadcrumbs that you’ve left to guide the way.

On determination and passion
“The more difficult the problem, the greater the likely importance of its solution.” When the going gets tough, we think of giving up. Dr. Wilson encourages the opposite. When the going gets tough, go further.

“Decision and hard work based on enduring passion will never fail you…put passion ahead of training.” Education is only valuable if we are educated in something that lights us up. Figure out what you care about and then obtain the training to make it into a career.

“Waste and frustration often attend the earliest stages.” It’s always easiest to give up early on. That’s the stage where we need the most determination—when something isn’t going well. Doubt is a powerful deterrent and formidable opponent. That second step, the one that we have to take when all of our early hard work feels wasted, is the one that hurts the most. Take it anyway.

Passion and curiosity are skills we all need in abundance, especially given the current state of our world. There’s plenty of engaging work for all of us if we know where to look.

action, creativity

Inspired: How to transform an ending into a beginning

Christa Avampato

“Amidst the worldly comings and goings, observe how endings become beginnings.” ~Tao Te Ching

There’s a lot of talk about making endings in beginnings, but how does it actually happen? Here’s what’s worked for me:

  • I spend some time to consider what actually learned in the goodbye so I can use that knowledge in my next hello.
  • I take the emotion out of it. I let myself feel all my feelings about the ending, and then I really let them completely pass. I don’t take those emotions into my next beginning.
  • I trade fear for excitement. There’s a fine line between the two, and I try to focus on the positives of a new journey.
  • I remember the tough parts that caused me to say goodbye to the old.
  • I ask for help. I have a small circle of people who really encourage me along my new paths and their belief in my gives me confidence to keep going.
  • I have faith in myself and in the journey. There’s a Buddhist teaching that says every moment contains exactly the lesson we need exactly when we need it. I’ve embraced that philosophy. The Universe works undercover in ways that I don’t always understand in the outset. But when I look back on my life I’m able to see the purpose for everything. I have faith that this will always be the case. Life makes sense in reverse. I trust the timing of my life unconditionally.

Have you turned an ending into a beginning? How did you do it?