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.
art, change, courage, film, inspiration, movie, work

Inspired: The Un-branding of Matthew McConaughey Built Dallas Buyers Club

Christa Avampato
An unglamorous Matthew McConaughey in The Dallas Buyers Club
An unglamorous Matthew McConaughey in The Dallas Buyers Club

Matthew McConaughey was on CBS Sunday Morning to talk about his un-branding. In a world where branding in all its many forms seem inescapable, it was refreshing to hear someone talk about chucking it all out the window and what’s come of his efforts. Known as a guy’s guy / romantic lead, McConaughey is nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Dallas Buyers Club in which he plays a homophobic rodeo cowboy who is diagnosed with HIV and given 30 days to live. He meets, befriends, and starts an illegal business with a transsexual who also has HIV. In Texas. Based on a true story. What?!

While Dallas Buyers Club is now a contender for several Oscars, for a long time it seemed destined to never see the light of day. 137 potential producers turned it down over several years before it found the funding, and the week before shooting was set to begin, they still didn’t have all the money they needed. They pushed on anyway. They just wouldn’t give up.

McConaughey was committed to the making of this film and the remaking of his own career in the process. For two years he turned down everything that fit the image that made him famous because he wanted to send a clear and persistent message that he would only take challenging roles that scared him. He wanted a complete career shake-up. While that was a personal choice, he certainly didn’t want to be largely unemployed for two years. Yet, that’s what it took. Two years of no work to prove that he was serious about taking his career in a new direction.

When I first heard this I thought, “Big deal. He’s probably got so much money that if he never works again he and his family will be just fine. Was he really taking such a big risk?”

And then I thought about what a shark tank the world of work can be, to say nothing of the world of work in Hollywood. He could have kept right on doing what worked, what he was good at, and raking in the money in the process. No one would have batted an eye at that and he would have gotten plenty of pats on the back for a job well done. Instead, he risked failing in a big way and throwing away an image and a career that have served him well that couldn’t have been recovered. They just didn’t feel good to him anymore, so he tossed them in favor of the unknown, something that made him feel alive again. Dallas Buyers Club is the result of that work. Was it worth it? All signs point to yes.

animals, dogs, forgiveness, love

Inspired: A Dog’s Limitless Capacity for Love and Forgiveness

Christa Avampato
Phineas, cozy in his blanket
Phineas, cozy in his blanket

When I grow up, I hope I’m as mature as my dog, Phineas. His resilience never fails to amaze me. As a dog who was mistreated and abandoned as a puppy, he still found a way to love and trust people without hesitation. Two weeks ago, he was bit on the ear by another dog in the park. After some veterinary TLC, he marched outside for his walk the next morning with gusto to greet his neighbors, human and canine alike, in that same park without a trace of fear nor anxiety. Yesterday, we saw the dog who bit him and though he didn’t go bounding over to say hello, he also didn’t let that dog phase him one bit.

I think of all the times I stopped trusting people and held onto fear because of past hurt and betrayal. Despite the size and complexity of the human brain, dogs have us beat in matters of the heart. They figure out, in very short order, how to heal, forgive, and love again. They don’t admonish others nor themselves for mistakes and injustices. They recognize that something happened, they learn, and then they move on without the malice, anger, and disappointment that often emotionally cripples people for years. If we could follow their lead, this world would be a happier, healthier place.

choices, inspiration, work

Inspired: Work On the Thoughts That Won’t Go Away

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

Have you ever had an idea for a project literally follow you around? That’s what happened to be with my play, Sing After Storms. I wrote it because the characters wouldn’t leave me alone. I couldn’t stop thinking about them so I had to work on their story. And they’ve been with me ever since. I turn their decisions over in my mind the same way I analyze my own choices. I never get tired of that project because those characters and the world they inhabit keep me endlessly fascinated. To me, they live and breathe as much as I do.

Maybe you have a project like that – something you want to do or make or try that just won’t leave you alone. You think about it, dream about it, constantly tinker with the idea of it. That’s what you need to work on. Maybe you’ll make some money with it. Maybe it will just have to be a labor of love. But don’t let the money, or lack there of, make your choices for you. There’s a bit of magic in things and thoughts and actions that nag at us, they force us to hear them and recognize them for what they. Let them be your focus for a while and see what comes of it. Give them a shot.

choices, creativity, decision-making, passion, time

Inspired: A Lesson from How I Met Your Mother – What purpose does your time serve?

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

On a recent episode of How I Met Your Mother, one of the characters feels lost and unsure what to do with her life. She got some powerful advice from a stranger: “What’s the one thing you want to do with your life? Now let everything you do be in service of that.”

This is a question I’ve been wrestling with a lot lately. What’s your one contribution, the one thing you really want to point to and say, “I did that. That’s why I was here.” Don’t make any considerations other than what you want. This isn’t about what you can do, but what you want to do. Got your answer?

Mine is to create content in many forms that inspires people to live exactly the lives they want to live. I want to be known as someone who did that for every person who crosses my path in some way.

dreams, work

Inspired: The Project of You

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

The most important example of your work, your art, your craft, and your passion is your life. You plan, design, build, and test it every minute of every day. You try, learn, and recalibrate. You keep what works and you change what doesn’t. Let your life tell your story and let it be an example of what happens when you use your time to work on what you love.

animals, dogs, Olympics

Inspired: A Video Letter Asking Mr. Putin to Help Not Hurt Stray Dogs in Sochi

Christa Avampato

Yesterday, CNN reported that Russian authorities are poisoning stray dogs in Sochi, Russia leading up to the Olympics. My friend, Amanda Hirsch, sent me the link asking me to speak out about it and of course I did. As an animal lover and proud pet parent to Phin, I couldn’t let that story pass without saying something. There’s been a lot of coverage on the horrific human rights violations in Russia and now we know that same violence and injustice extends to innocent animals, too.

Phin and I decided to record an open letter to Mr. Putin asking him to help, not hurt, the stray dogs of Sochi and uploaded it to YouTube. Phin sat on my lap and is the narrator of the letter. He shares some of his personal background as a former stray dog and directly asks Mr. Putin to put an end to this heinous behavior. Here is the text of the letter and the video is below:

Dear Mr. Putin,
Mahatma Gandhi said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” If that’s true Mr. Putin, you and your nation are stuck in the moral dark ages and I want to help you evolve.

I love everyone. People, canines, felines, and just about every animal there is. But you’re making it really hard for me to love you. I heard about what you’re doing to stray dogs in Sochi. I was reading CNN.com and I saw that you’re rounding them up and poisoning them before the Olympics begin. This issue is personal for me because I used to be a stray dog. A policeman found me alone, scared, and starving in the woods. He rescued me, brought me to the local animal shelter, and that’s where my mom adopted me. We’ve been together for 3 and a half years. She rescued me, and I rescued her right back.

The Olympics is a sacred event, one you should be honored and humbled to host. It’s an event where the very best athletes driven only by talent, passion, and raw determination come together to compete and celebrate. This is a time to rally your people, to rally people all over the world in support of Russia, as a spotlight shines on your nation and its rich heritage.

It’s no secret that the Olympic games bring a wealth of funds to the host nation, especially to the host city. You’ve built beautiful new resorts. You’ve constructed incredible venues to host these games. This is a time to use that money and attention to fix things in the community that need fixing. You’re wasting it by putting a veneer on the stray dog issue in Sochi rather than using it to actually fix the problem.

You can do better than this. You have to do better than this. Establish shelters, educate people on how to treat and care for their animals, and create spay / neuter programs as well as affordable veterinary care. Pass laws that make animal abuse a crime.

We can’t speak up for ourselves. We need people, people like you, to stand up for us, to protect us, and to take care for us. Please, Mr. Putin. Poison’s not the answer. Love and compassion and concern. Those are the answers. Those are always the answers. We’re remarkably forgiving, grateful, and loyal creatures. I promise you, once you show a dog love, compassion, and care, he or she will give it all back to you, and then some. I know you’ll do the right thing and help all the dogs of Sochi so thanks in advance for your cooperation and your future efforts to give all of them a chance at a long, happy, and healthy life. This issue is worth your time and attention, and so are we. You’ll see. Just give us a chance. We won’t let you down.

Love,
Phineas

inspiration, Olympics

Inspired: Sochi Winter Olympics

Christa Avampato
The Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympics

If you need to reach me for the next two weeks chances are I’ll be immersed in all things Sochi. I’m an Olympics freak because every athlete in every event is there for one reason: raw passion for their sport. It’s an incredible testament to the power of focus, commitment, and determination. If you need a shot of inspiration over the next few weeks, flip on the TV to NBC and you’ll find all the motivation you need to reach for your own dreams.

Second Step, strengths, time

Inspired: Live Like a Lotus

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

A lotus can’t grow in clear pristine water. It needs the nutrients from the mud to bloom and thrive. Our lives are like that, too. Life is messy. People and tasks compete for our time and attention. We wrestle with the tension between what we think we have to do and what we want to do. Choosing how to spend our time is the toughest thing we will ever do and the answer won’t always be clear.

And that’s okay. We need the obstacles, the adversity, the challenges to show us what matters most to us, to help us build skills, to make us strong and resilient. Everything that is happening to us now, everything, is preparing us for the road that lies ahead. Embrace it and don’t give up.

change, strengths, work

Inspired: This is What it Takes to Be Successful

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

“Throw me to the wolves and I will return leading the pack.” ~ Unknown

This is how we need to look at obstacles. Confront them head on, give them a good hard look dead in the eyes, and commit to rising above them. I don’t let them take me down. I decide to let them do their work to make me stronger and more capable. They are there to teach me something. I will discover what lessons they hold and I will master them. Resolve to be this strong, this determined, this brave, and nothing will stand in your way.

determination, sports

Inspired: Russell Wilson Shows Us All That We Are Enough

Christa Avampato
Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson, the quarterback for the champion Seattle Seahawks, was told he wasn’t tall enough, fast enough, talented enough, nor capable enough to play professional football. The people who told him that are feeling pretty foolish right now that he is basking in the glow of his Super Bowl win only two years after he joined the NFL. There are a lot of things we could learn from him and the most important lesson is this: You. Are. Enough. No matter what you want to do, where you want to go, or who you want to be, know that everything you want is within your grasp. You just need to work like hell and reach for it. Get after it!