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.
business, entrepreneurship, health

Chance meetings you keep

Christa Avampato

Today I was feeling pretty badly. Sore throat, achy muscles, possibly a fever. But I had to go to work. I know I’m supposed to stay home when I’m sick. I couldn’t today – too much to do, no time to do it. Bad practice – yes. Avoidable – yes, if I had known I wouldn’t feel well and had brought my computer home. I didn’t. So I went in. 


And my sickness got worse throughout the day. My frustration and irritation was mounting.I hate being sick; I hate feeling sow and unproductive. Frankly, I just wanted to go home and crawl into bed. 

I had a meeting after work with an entrepreneur whom I greatly admire – Melanie Notkin who started savvyauntie.com. (If you haven’t checked out the site or signed up for the newsletter, I strongly encourage you to do so!) She wrote a post on her blog recently asking for interns. She wanted help, exactly the help that aligns with my experience and interests, to build her brand. I love social media; she loves social media and she needs someone to work on that part of her business. I almost cancelled our meeting, or at least postponed it. I didn’t feel well. I was tired. And frankly, I arrived home with a very bad attitude. How could I go talk to this bright-eyed entrepreneur with this dark cloud hanging over my head? I went any way – it’s rude to cancel last minute. And we were meeting at a Starbucks around the corner from my apartment. So I put on my best actor smile, decided to be in a good mood, and then was in a good mood. 

Thankfully I place a value on respect because I am thrilled that I didn’t cancel! I thought we’d meet for half an hour – we talked, non-stop for 2 and a half hours. By the end of our meeting I was on-board and excited about being an intern. An unpaid intern. Who would have thought? 
   
Turns out I was sick, though I had misdiagnosed the cause. I felt deflated all day today. With savvyauntie, Melanie explained what she needed, I explained what I was interested in, and we found a common ground. And wouldn’t you know it – my sore throat went away, my muscles ached less, and my bad attitude had evaporated. I feel more motivated for every area of my life. And I’m pretty jazzed about my new project. More to come… 

animals, business, entrepreneurship, environment, nature, relationships, Seth Godin

Lessons from an albatross

Christa Avampato


Seth Godin wrote a post today on his blog that made me pause and re-consider some questions I’ve been thinking about recently. He talked about the patience of the albatross. It can often sit in the water or on land for days waiting for the right wind to carry it up, up, and away. It can fly for days or weeks, non-stop, with a resting heart rate. It’s an incredible lesson in biology, with many applications to our lives. 


Seth talks about Albatross businesses – those that favor a long, slow ramp-up with an eye toward longevity. He promotes patience as more than a virtue – it’s a method of survival. And this is a good lesson not only for business, particularly entrepreneurial ventures, but also anything that is worth our personal time. This can be a personal relationship, a friendship, a hobby. I am thinking about it in the context of my writing and career and I hope these thoughts will help you think about this principle in the context of your own life. 

My writing: I started this blog on a whim about a year and a half ago. My friend, Stephen, said he liked my writing and hoped I’d continue doing it. I knew nothing about social media at the time. He suggested a blog. I googled the words “create blog”, Blogger came up as the top search engine return (no surprise since Google owns Blogger), and I put up a few posts that were copies of the newspaper articles I had written over the course of a year. I didn’t know what else to write about so I’d just jot down funny or interesting things that would happen to me throughout the day. And pretty soon, I was cranking along with a decent body of work. Over 400 posts to date. Where am I going with my blog? Not quite sure yet – but goodness am I enjoying the writing and it’s become a hobby I hope to continue throughout my life. At my friend, Anne’s, suggestion I am consider turning some of the posts into a collection of essays for publication on a more public scale. Just like the albatross, I’m searching for the right air current to launch a project like that.

My career: I’m 32 and have spent the better part of 10 years intensely studying human behavior and product and service development. I’ve cobbled together this beautiful tapestry of experience with that experience I have found a many colorful characters that have become my greatest treasure. Their collective diversity is a reflection of the many twists and turns my life has taken. I review the expertise I’ve built and the successes I can point to and wonder what’s next? Where do I go from here? How do I know what current to look for?

Part of the albatross equation is knowing where you want the current to carry you so you can quickly identify it when it comes your way. Extending your wings is the easy part. The challenge, and ultimately the reward, comes when you have taken a 360 look around from wherever you are now and determined the direction you need to go. The albatross doesn’t concern itself with the length of trip, his wings will carry him as far as they need to. He cares only about the destination. 

career, corporation, economy, job

We’re going the wrong way! Who’s driving?

Christa Avampato

My friend, Jamie, was was telling me about a his sister’s job in retail. It’s an industry I’m passionate about and may return to someday. It’s the heart and soul of the 70% of our GDP created by consumer spending. They’re hurting, like so many industries, and in times of trouble companies need the most able navigator at the helm. The trouble, at least with Jamie’s sister’s company, is that everyone is playing a game of Pass-the-buck instead of Survivor. The answers to questions like “Who is our core customer?”, “How are they hurting right now?”, and “With our competencies how can we ease that hurt for them?” are critically important for companies that wish to come out the other side of this latest economic slide, or any economic slide for that matter. 


Jamie drew a metaphor that is so clear in my mind and it perfectly captured the situation with his sister. It’s as if everyone is in the back of the bus, facing the wrong way, and asking where we’re going. No one, no one is actually willing to grab the steering wheel and drive. That driver’s seat is a very dangerous place to be for sure, though sitting in the back, eyes covered, knowing no driver is up there steering is far worse. It’s a choice of the lesser of two evils, with advantages and disadvantages for each action. 

Let’s look at hat’s actually happening for Jamie’s sister – no one’s driving. A crash is practically unavoidable. A runaway car with no driver can only stay on the road for so long. The people in the back may feel that they have a better chance of survival if they hang out and wait for someone else to step up. That’s possible. Though the greater likelihood is that the whole operation goes down while everyone is wringing their hands. And the lead up to the crash is painful and anxiety-inducing. 

An alternative is that someone does take the helm, and the crash happens anyway. It would be a near certainty that the blame and guilt will fall to the driver, and that driver couldn’t hope to survive. But what if that driver can pull it off? At this point, it’s hard to imagine any industry coming out of this recession unscathed. With the right leadership, the wounds could be bumps and bruises instead of lost limbs and massive internal bleeding.

It’s a gamble – there are clear choices that need to be made now by every company. What’s not clear is the best way forward that causes the least number of casualties. Strong leadership that focuses on stakeholder needs now is best able to find a way up, over, or through. At this point, we have to ask ourselves a key question about that bus situation: If we had no intention or desire to drive, or at least take a shift at the wheel, then why did we get on the bus in the first place? It’s foolish and downright dangerous to leave an entire journey up to everyone else. 
books, literature, technology, writing

Virtual Bookshelf

Christa Avampato

This week I finally purchased a set of bookshelves from Crate & Barrel that I’ve been coveting for a year. They display my books so beautifully that they’ve become a piece of art. I took a stroll past the shelves this evening, admiring my skills of putting together 9 straight pieces of wood with an Allen wrench and a few screws. I realized that these books aren’t just a collection of reference materials or thought-provoking stories. They are a diary of where I’ve been and interests I’ve developed over a number of years. They are beloved childhood memories and reminders of very long nights spent in a library, pouring over their pages, while in school. Some are like old friends that I visit again and again for guidance, for strength, for inspiration. 


This morning  read David Churbuck’s post about the virtual bookshelf. He loves his Kindle, though he worries that it’s destroying perhaps the greatest joy of literature – sharing it. Lending books to people, swapping them with one another, and then discussing their merits. He questions the selfishness that we embrace with our new electronic devices. 

That set me to thinking about how we might combine technology and literature in a win-win, rather than consuming one at the jeopardy of the other. This idea is particularly poignant to me because of a fiction piece I am working on that revolves around this very idea – a children’s story that I began after taking a stroll through one of the increasingly rare used book stores in New York City. I love my local Barnes & Noble, though there is something magical in the mustiness of those bookshelves that contain texts far older than me. There is history living in those shelves – those books represent pieces of people’s lives, the same way that my books represent mine. 

I don’t have any good answers for this conundrum of technology co-existing with literature, though its a question I’ll be considering in the days and years to come. I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments if you’d like to share them.     

dreams, education, hope, youth

A Lesson in Teaching

Christa Avampato

This morning Junior Achievement was on-site at my office building for a day of financial education. I co-taught the first session: A Day in the Life. We discussed feelings about money, sources and uses of it, and the value of savings and making a budget. Those 16 sets of eyes were some of the most discriminating I have ever been in front of. They are reacting to the teacher, to their peers, to the person at the front of the room, all while searching for self-definition. Quite a mixture of emotion, and therefore, behavior. 


We got through the lesson with little pain. Though nervous, I found it was helpful to put on the face of confidence and push through without stuttering or stopping except for questions from the group. I forgot nearly every one of the notes I had memorized. When in doubt of what to say next, I asked for participation, and the students happily responded quickly and intelligently.

I co-taught for close to an hour and then returned to my day. I will admit that today was more irritating than most of my days. It seemed that I would put out one fire and then find that another one had been building strength just behind me. And this went on for several hours. By lunch time, I was cranky. The last thing I felt like doing was having lunch with 16 high school students. But I went because I promised I would go. 

Bob, my previous boss, continually says that there is magic in commitment. I learned that lesson today in a few short minutes, and it was taught to me by a group of 16 year-olds. If you’re ever wondering how old you are, sit with a group of high school students, and will quickly become apparent. Over sandwiches and pasta salad, we talked about their studies, their schools, their hopes for their futures. During our conversation, I felt my frustration lift and dissipate. They made my day brighter by shining their own light on me, and for that I am very grateful. Lesson learned…
books, career, entrepreneurship, job

Ladies Who Launch

Christa Avampato

I am in the midst of reading the book Ladies Who Launch. It’s part guide book, part inspirational story collection for women interested in entrepreneurship. In the uncertain times we’re now in, I’m thinking a lot about diversification. Traditionally, we get a job, we work hard, and pay for life from the salary of that job. In times of recession, which just today economists officially figured out we’re in, there’s a lot of talk about the importance of diversity in our investment portfolios. But what about in the ways we take in money. Isn’t it safer, and perhaps even advantageous, to have multiple sources of income? Companies diversify their products and services. Shouldn’t we, as average earners and consumers, do the same?


This book is about helping women to think about launching as a continuous pursuit. And that launch can revolve around a business idea, a project (personal or professional), a relationship. It draws its strength from encouraging women to get out in the world and stay active. I was a little skeptical at first, though I put my best foot forward and dove into the book after reading so many good reviews. 

After making notes throughout the afternoon on Sunday and considering questions like “What do I want my typical day to look like?” and “What would I do if I had no limitations and boundaries of any kind?”, I noticed that my step was a little lighter today. The things that may have upset me on other days didn’t phase me at all. And I noticed that I was bolder than normal, speaking my mind and sharing my views of even the most staid and traditional ways of doing things. 

There really is magic in thinking about ourselves as the CEO of Me, Inc. To think of our lives in a constant state of launching. Oscar Wilde said, “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” While I don’t think of my life as “in the gutter”, I understand his point. We might feel down-trodden by the news of recession, by the political situation around the world, by the violence and sadness that stretches across the news waves these days. This idea of launching, of taking flight, has the ability to lift us up. It empowers us and allows us to retake control of our lives. The very thought of launching allows us to let what ails and pains us to fall away. We begin to look at the opportunities before us rather than the challenges. Or better yet, we suddenly become able to look at the challenges and launch opportunity from them.          
books, career, malcolm gladwell, passion, success, work, work ethic

10,000 hours

Christa Avampato

Malcolm Gladwell just released a new book, Outliers. He takes a look at the lives, circumstances, and personality traits of remarkably successful, productive people who make a significant impact in the world. One point that I found particularly interesting is his views on intelligence and diligence.

A certain level of intelligence and education gets an individual to a certain degree of success. However, to get any further, it’s actually diligence that carries them. Specifically 10,000 hours of diligence in our chosen field is absolutely necessary if we wish to make a significant impact there. Now, just putting in the hours toiling away in a cube is not a sure-fire plan. You still need that degree of intelligence, and 10,000 hours in the minimum investment necessary.

This particular stat caught my interest because I, like many in my generation, am a job hopper. I have been blessed to have discovered one good opportunity after another in very quick succession. I see a greener pasture and I go for it. That’s not to say that every move was a marvelous idea. Most were, though there were some duds to. What is true is that they have all been critical component of a very interesting path that I built for myself.

Now I have a job in a field that utilizes all of the skills I amassed through a variety of different jobs. All the time I put in at my other positions provided the experience to get me to this place, but my accumulation of those 10,000 hours began only recently. Perhaps without knowing it, Malcolm Gladwell made a very profound statement directly to my generation. “Hop around to find your passion. That’s fine. But once you find that passion it takes staying power to make it to the top of the heap.” Wise counsel, intended or not, and I’m very grateful to him for it.

Christmas, economy, holiday, retail, shopping

Leaving sales on the table

Christa Avampato

Two girls shot in a California Toys R Us; a temporary employee, likely someone who needed the extra money in this economy, trampled to death in a Wal-Mart. All this after a raucous crowd ripped the doors off of the hinges. I was saddened and shocked to read this news late last night, particularly because I spent last Black Friday working in a retail store. Is that $130 Blu-Ray player worth violence? Does anyone on my list need a Nintendo DS so badly that I should literally risk life and limb to get it at as deep a discount as possible?

We could say that people in general need to calm down when it comes to holiday shopping. Perhaps suggesting that they act like humans instead of wild animals on the hunt. Then I took a stroll through the Wednesday and Thanksgiving papers that were filled with circulars. I reconsidered all of the television and internet advertising I’ve seen in the past few weeks, compounded by the many newspaper articles that have trumpeted Black Friday sales as the only time of year when you can get a real deal. Is it any wonder that frenzy ensues?

I understand that retailers are hurting and need the business. I understand that our economy needs a boost from consumer spending this holiday season. The only thing that is going to prevent this kind of violence happening year after year on the day after Thanksgiving is pull-back by retailers. This Black Friday is a man-made holiday, and it needs a man-made solution. Drive more sales to on-line rather than in-store. Learn how to spread yours sales across a season rather than across the hours of 5am – 11am on one day. And for heaven’s sake order enough inventory to fulfill at least a majority of the demand. Work with the suppliers beforehand, long beforehand, and do a proper forecasting model. This scarcity as strategy model is obscene, and it’s literally killing people.

This season I’ll be staying away from stores for the majority of the holiday season, as much as possible. I might pop in at some lull periods just to soak up some ambiance. I’ll be doing my spending right here in front of my laptop. In my efforts to cultivate peace on Earth this holiday, it seems that our retailers are not the place to be.

career, economy, government, New York City, opportunity, politics, relationships, thankful, thanksgiving

Thankful

Christa Avampato

Now that the food and travel of Thanksgiving have passed, I’m spending the morning eating leftover pie, drinking coffee, leafing through retail sales circulars, and considering all the things I am thankful for. Friends and family go without saying. This has been quite a year to date so items are making the list that have rarely if ever been on the list before:

My job – despite the normal frustrations that come with every job, I am especially grateful for my current position because the day-to-day tasks and the big picture view get me up out of bed every morning. I’m learning this is a rare blessing.

A place to call home – my friend, Monika among many other people close to me, are quite shocked that I have lived at one physical address for longer than a year. That hasn’t happened since 1998. Ten years of moving at least once a year. Good grief. And now I am finally in a city that is comfortable and feels like home. I feel a sense of ownership and belonging that I haven’t found before in my life. The stability of that sends waves of peace into my life that I have not had before.

Interesting times at a young age – the economy, politics, social activism. We are living in unprecedented conditions and if we can push aside the sense of uncertainty that invades our lives regularly, it is truly a spectacular opportunity for learning. To have this privilege so early on in my life and career is a tremendous gift that will inform many decisions I will make in the year to come.

The opportunity that lies ahead – we may look out into the world at the moment and see a very bleak picture. Though hidden within the folds of that bleak cover, there are wrinkles and pockets of opportunity. Going forward, there will be incentives for us to start businesses, to become a society of savers rather than spenders, to take up the call to protect the environment, and to build better transportation systems in our cities that will benefit generations to come. The good times will roll again, though in different, and dare I say better, forms that before.

In business school, Frank Warnock was one of my economics professors. Frank developed his expertise in international capital flows as a Senior Economist in the International Finance Division at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington, DC. And whenever we reviewed cases or economic situations that were troubling, he would always say, “You have to be hopeful. What’s the alternative?” Those words ring truer today than ever before. And for hope, and the people who remind me of its value, I am most thankful.

charity, education, philanthropy, volunteer

DSY: Development School for Youth

Christa Avampato

A contact from a recent networking event invited me to a graduation tonight. The graduates had just finished the All-Stars program as part of DSY: Development School for Youth. The group helps at-risk youth see and experience greater value for learning through performance-based education. You’ve heard this all before right? Get them to stay in school, off the streets, value and respect their educational opportunities, get them mentors, etc. etc. Originally, I urned down the invitation, but my networking contact wouldn’t take no for an answer so I got myself together and headed downtown. I thought I knew what I was in for. I’ve sat through a myriad of these types of events, and I tell you, this one is different and special and worthy of your attention and mine. 


First, they treat kids as whole people. Get their creativity going, teach them to respect others and their communities, get them to see opportunity even if it isn’t apparent on their street corner of their neighborhood. 

Second, the articulation and passion that these kids have is nothing short of miraculous. These are kids that were in gangs, school drop-outs, drug users. They’ve seen friends and family fall prey to those streets. It would be easy, and understandable, to watch them go down the same route. Instead, they are choosing a different way and they are expressing themselves through performance. Their blatant honesty and poise would put some corporate executives to shame. 

The third piece that I love about the program is that participants are set up with an internship as a capstone. They earn money and understand that getting up and getting to work everyday can be a rewarding, gratifying experience. They have mentors and coaches – people who care and are invested in their success. And that personal investment of time is making a difference. You can, too, at http://www.allstars.org/programs/dsy.html.