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.
Africa, New York City, nonprofit, volunteer

Ice Cream and a Helping Hand for Rwanda

Christa Avampato

The fabulous folks at Blue Marble Ice Cream have started up a non profit, Blue Marble Dreams. They are building an ice cream shop in Rwanda as a safe community gathering place. To make this dream come to life, they need our help. Here is the pitch posted on Daily Candy:


” All funds raised by October 19 will be matched (they’re shooting for $20 grand). They also need research/development interns, consultants, and volunteers.

It’s not about saving the world. It’s not even about ice cream. It’s about hope. With a cherry on top.

Blue Marble, 420 Atlantic Avenue, between Bond and Nevins Streets, Boerum Hill (718-858-1100 orbluemarbleicecream.com); 186 Underhill Avenue, at Sterling Place, Prospect Heights (718-399-6926). Donate online at bluemarbledreams.org.“
business, education, innovation, writing

Where to place our efforts

Christa Avampato

While in business school, I participated in the Innovation Challenge – a program that asks teams of business school students all over the world to solves a set of business challenges put forward by a handful of sponsor organizations. This year I was invited to be a judge in the competition and just completed the first round of judging. 


Someday, when I am old and wise (or at least old), I’d like to teach a class at a business school for one very simple reason. While I think our business schools may be teaching the fundamentals of how to value a bond and manage a P&L, they aren’t teaching a skill that is so crucial to success that many assumed it was an ability that everyone has – being able to write clearly and concisely. This afternoon, I would have settled for written proposals for the Innovation Challenge that were at least free of typos, used correct grammar, and exhibited a grasp of basic English vocabulary. 

Of the 11 proposals I was asked to judge, 2 of them were well-done. The ideas and solutions put forward by 2 teams were innovative and creative with sound success metrics and a long-term vision. Beyond those feats, they were also well-written. The other 9 were awful. Truly awful. Forget about the solutions not being feasible or short-sighted. Several were so badly written that I could barely read them. Those 9 badly-written proposals have nothing to do with talent or education level. It has everything to do with care and concern, or lack thereof. 2 teams put together the best case they possibly could. 9 of them slapped together some sentences in record time and handed it in.  

I considered writing a long set of notes for each team, and then I considered that that wouldn’t be fair to the 2 teams that put in so much of their own effort. So I wrote a paragraph for the 9 who didn’t care about the project, and saved my lengthy responses and comments for those 2 teams who got their act together.

After I completed my evaluations, I thought about my work experience and my own business school education. No matter what company or set of circumstances are in place, there are always a few people in the pack who shine because they are concerned about the quality of their work and how their work reflects on them. As business leaders, or teachers or judges of a case competition, our role is not to dwell on the ones who don’t put in the time or care or concern. That is a road to nowhere. It’s important to place the emphasis on the ones who want to do well and will take the time to put together the best they have to offer. That best won’t always be perfect – sometimes it won’t even be any good. I’m happy to spend time helping those who want to help themselves rather than spending it on people who don’t even care enough to run the spell check on their writing before they hand it in. 
career, friendship, relationships

Searching within, and weeding

Christa Avampato

I just returned from a lovely dinner with my friend, Brooke. We were talking about work, relationships, politics, the economy, Tina Fey’s recent work – all the topics that are top of mind. And we talked about gardening, of sorts. 


I haven’t had a garden in many years, though I still remember the back-breaking work of constant weeding. And despite the discomfort, that weeding is critical. Or lives are the same way. Weeding out pieces that don’t support us being the best we can be, allowing those pieces that do support that cause to rise to the top. The weeding takes careful consideration, and a discerning eye. We need the proper tools and the will to repeat the job as often as necessary. It’s a way of managing short-term situations for the good of the long-term goal. 

The weeding can be painful, arduous, and time-consuming though there is no other way to move upward and onward. Some times, we have to weed out the unnecessary and get smaller in order to flourish in the days to come. The key is to not get overwhelmed, to breathe deeply, and to commit to seeing the task through to completion. And above all, be patient.  

career, creative process, creativity, GEL conference, innovation, job, travel, work

Arizona

Christa Avampato

I’m in Arizona for the ATM, Debit, and Prepaid Conference. Please contain your excitement. There is actually some good information on offer. It’s just packaged up by boring people in boring conference rooms. I’ve been a bit spoiled by innovation conferences like GEL where there are rooms full of fascinating characters. Weird, but fascinating, which is exactly just the right kind of fascinating for me. 


But enough about the conference. I’m really struck by Arizona. And not because it’s “maverick-y” as Tina Fey (or is it Sarah Palin?) would say. As I was driving from the airport, I was reminded of the book Women Who Run with the Wolves. In the introduction, Clarissa Pinkola-Estes talks about how the life in the dessert seems small on the surface and yet is huge underneath. There are intricate root systems and creatures of dazzling diversity that live below ground. There is a whole ecosystem that survives and thrives away from the watch of the human eye. Pinkola-Estes talks about how many people, women in particular, have these huge wells of emotion and thought and concern that exist beyond any other person’s grasp or understanding. 

The beauty of Arizona is stark. It’s another world here, like nothing I have seen or experienced anywhere else. Here, everything feels and looks foreign. My boss was commenting today how the food, the art, the culture, the history, and the landscape are unlike those in any other state. And you might think that sounds a bit odd to be some place so foreign in our own country. Somehow though, in it’s foreign-ness, it’s opened me up to new possibilities, to new ways of seeing everything in a different light than I saw it just yesterday. My stress from the last few days is gone. Anxiety vanished. How did that happen?

I believe in that saying, “So often what’s needed is a change of self and not a change of scene.” But for me, a change of scene provokes a change in me that I desperately need and can’t always ignite in my everyday living patterns. On occasion, our systems need a little shock and travel can do that for us, particularly to a place wholly unfamiliar. I needed to expand my mind to take in the new possibilities that my current tasks are providing. And I needed to get away from my computer screen, even for a little while, and not troll though my usual set of tasks. I guess the universe gave me exactly what I needed exactly at the time I needed it – Arizona.  

career, creativity, job, product, productivity, work

Moving forward from where you are

Christa Avampato

I’ve been really frustrated as of late by a project I just took over from a colleague. I have been dwelling on the phrase “At the beginning, we should have…” And you know what? It’s not productive. It’s actually counter-productive and it’s wearing me down. I’m sick of hearing myself talk about how frustrated I am. Imagine how my friends and family feel?


I woke up a little yesterday after an email from my mom. My best friend from childhood just lost her 27 year old cousin to cancer. My very dear friend, Ken, just had to put his mom into hospice. I have friends that are losing their jobs thanks to this financial crisis we’re now in, and they don’t know when they’ll be seeing a paycheck again. And I’m whining, literally whining, from my comfy couch in my comfy apartment after a day of work at a great company with a great brand. At the moment, I can’t stand myself. As my friend Kelly says, “I need to give myself a “cut it out.” “

By being so stuck on what other people should have done or should have considered,etc., I’m not moving forward. I’m treading water and quite frankly doing a lousy job of it. Now ,to be fair to myself, as my mother would ask me to be, I want to make sure these learnings are captured and put to good use in the very-near future. Yep, there were definitely mistakes that were made at the start of this project 6 months ago. And we’re paying a big price tag, literally and figuratively. No doubt about it. But I can’t change those mistakes. They’ve been made and we have to go from where we are. I’ve got the project now and no matter what the earlier decisions, I need to keep driving forward, eyes on the prize – which is straight ahead, not in the rearview mirror. 

I find an area that needs improvement, I jot it down, and I keep moving. I have to keep moving. My whining and internal negativity is weighing me down, in a time when I cannot afford the extra mental pounds. I need to get this project out the door so I can move on to other projects where I will be able to start from the beginning and draw on the learnings from this current project. 

We all learn by doing, and in the doing, we screw up now and then. It happens to all of us, regardless of intelligence or experience or motivation. It’s all part of the process, and if you don’t let the process play out, you are doomed to remain in it like a hamster in a wheel. And who wants to keep treading the same ground again and again when there are so many places to see?! 

art, calm, career, encouragement, job, meditation, peace, work

Keep Calm and Carry On

Christa Avampato

My friend, Monika, graciously hosts group dinners at her home; a small group of us are hoping to make this a regular event with each of us taking turns with the hosting duties. Yesterday, I went over to Monika’s and we were taking turns trading stories about work when I noticed a poster she just had framed. It’s reprint of a WWII British propaganda poster that reads “Keep Calm and Carry On”. I figured if the British could keep their cool during such tumultuous times, I could certainly do the same. 


At the moment I am feel a fair amount of anxiety, more than I have felt in a long time. A lot to do and not enough time to do it. All day today I’ve been working, getting things in order, and I have been concentrating on my anxiety trying to figure out how to get it to dissipate. It really is like this knot in the very pit of my stomach, and it’s casing my muscles to ache, especially in my shoulders and neck. So I sat for a few minutes on my couch, and concentrated on just breathing, just being. And remarkably I felt better despite that I hadn’t gotten any further along than I was 5 minutes before.      

I realized how much time and energy I was spending being frustrated and irritated. How much effort I was putting into my disappointment. And it was clouding my ability to see this tremendous opportunity for growth and change that was being laid at my feet. Challenging situation, yes. Impossible to get through, of course not. It’s a moment when I am rising to my potential and then some. And that is something to be grateful for, if only I can remember to “Keep Calm and Carry On”. I just ordered my poster. Get yours at:  http://www.barterbooks.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=32036    
business, career, economy, finance, financing, investing, job, loans, personal finance, politics

Worried about the economy? Here are some quick answers to common questions

Christa Avampato

I was going to post about myself, my life, and my observations about the world around me today. However, I’m hearing so many people say that they don’t understand how this current economic crisis is going to hit them personally, that I wanted to do my part to try to get the word out about 4 common questions that many people have asked me over the past few weeks:


1.) “Do I need to pull my money out of my savings and checking accounts and put it in my mattress?”

No. Please don’t do that. If it gets stolen or you have some disaster like a house fire, you’ll lose it all. Also, as long as your money is in a bank that is FDIC-insured, your money is safe up to $100,000. If you have more than $100,000 with the same bank, then take out the balance above $100,000 and move it to an entirely different bank, not just into another account at the same bank. The $100,000 insurance is per depositor, not per account! Don’t know if your bank is FDIC-insured? Call them, stop into a branch, or visit their website.

2.) “I think I am going to stop investing in my retirement fund because the market is so bad. Is that a good idea.”

No. No, no, no, no! Please don’t do this. Please. Economies go in cycles. You need the compounding on your retirement savings to make retirement plans work. If you pull out your money or stop investing, you will lose the compounding factor you need. And you’ll pay hefty penalties on the withdrawal plus lock in the loss. What you can and absolutely need to do is make sure that your portfolio is balanced. Many retirement plans have a “set it and forget” plan. That’s what I have. You plug in the number of years you have until retirement, and the plan automatically calibrates different investments to get you to your retirement goals. Still unsure? Make an appointment with an advisor at the institution that manages your retirement accounts – it’s free and it’s their job to explain your options to you. And if you don’t know how to make an appointment with them, contact your HR department. 

3.) “This job market is so crazy that I’ve decided to get out of the job market. Is that a good idea?” 

AH!!!!!!!!!! No – no no no. Don’t do that. If you retire now, you essentially lock in all the loses your retirement fund has just been hit with because you begin to draw on those funds yo worked so hard to save. This is bad – really, really bad. You worked hard all these years, and you’re not getting the full benefit of that hard work. If you’re quitting your job with nothing else to go to, you need to reconsider immediately. And change your mind – do no leave your job without another place to go. There will likely be nothing for you to go to. Now, I do think you should be networking and watching out for new employment opportunities that sound interesting. Actually, I think you should ALWAYS do this, even if you are 100% in love with your job. You need to cover your bases and in this day and age, getting a job interview (and probably getting your dream job or even just your next job) has much more to do with who you know rather than what you know.   

4.) “I don’t think Wall Street zillionaires should get a bailout so I’m against the Government’s $700 billion plan.”

I don’t blame you for being confused on the bailout – I blame politicians who don’t understand economics (inexcusable) and make this a partisan issue (also inexcusable). This is not about bailing out Wall Street. I’m really upset with the person who coined this plan as a “bailout” – it’s not. This money will make the Federal Government a bank that will loan money to banks like Citi or Bank of America to make it easier for those banks to responsibly loan money to average consumers (you and me). There will be plenty of Government oversight to make sure that money is loaned responsibly. And when the market recovers, those banks will pay back the Government, who will pay back the tax payers.   

If we don’t have this plan, here’s what will happen:
Access to credit will plummet, making it hard for all Americans and all American businesses to have any access to credit. All free markets need access to credit to function properly. This los of access to credit is not good – you won’t be able to get car loans, schools loans, mortgages, or any other kind of consumer loan. Credit card companies will cut your limit. All businesses, whether it’s your local pizzeria or GE, will not be able to get the loans, short-term and long-term, big and small, that they have to have to do business and to get us the goods and services we need to survive. Bankruptcies and home foreclosures will skyrocket, and as a result, unemployment will also skyrocket. We’ll be in a downward spiral.

So here’s the choice: a) pay some more taxes now and get that money back in the fairly near-future so our economy can get going again. b) pay a whole lot more now with people losing their homes and companies going out of business, causing unemployment to rise rapidly, and pay even more later as we struggle to deal with the fall out. And we will ALL deal with the fall-out, especially those in lower and middle income brackets. The recovery from option b) will be slow and painful. a) will be less painful and shorter. I’m going with a). I don’t like that we’re in this situation, but here we are.

This might be the only idea that George Bush and I will agree on, and I took some convincing. I read A LOT about this, talked and listened to a lot of people very knowledgeable in finance. At this late date, the horse is out of the economic barn and the only way to corral him back inside and under control is through a rescue plan. There simply is no other better option.  

business, Business Week, clarity, creative, economy, government, money, New York Times, politics, simplicity, social work

The agony of confusion and the ecstasy of clarity

Christa Avampato

By nature, I’m a passionate person. There are a few subjects that really get me going – happiness, creativity, health and wellness, the environment, puppies. (Not necessarily in that order.) And simplicity – I’m big on that. If we all worked on making our world and our lives simpler, we would all be better off. In some circles complexity and confusion are celebrated, relished, even chased because it’s a mark that what those people in those circles are doing is “very important” if no one else can understand it. How ridiculous, not to mention wasteful – something we can no longer afford to be in our economic situation. 

I was shocked to hear the news today that the House didn’t pass the “bailout”. The Dow tumbled along with stock prices of major companies, and panic is spreading, slowly and quietly. It’s unsettling. Someone said to me today that she didn’t really ever understand the plan, and it’s too bad that it was never explained thoroughly and clearly to the American people. I almost see her point – I do think it was explained by major media outlets like Business Week and the New York Times. You just needed to have the patience to wade through the lengthy articles. And if you don’t understand something, ask around and get some help. Don’t just throw up your hands and say “forget it.” What really happened in the coverage is that no one made it simple to understand if you didn’t have a degree in economics or an MBA. 

Simplicity and clarity are absent in many areas of our lives: in meetings at work, in relationships, in the many contracts with very small print that govern our well-being, financially and health-wise. Companies spend a lot of time, effort, and money because of confusion in roles and responsibilities, objectives, and priorities. Simplicity saves a lot of heartache. And we get to simplicity by being real, honest, and straight-forward in our intentions and actions. 

Clarity builds trust and integrity; it makes people feel that they are a part of an effort because they understand it and can clearly articulate it. Being clear and concise is a sign of maturity – it’s the responsible thing to do regardless of circumstance. Confusion never pays in the long-run and only delays the inevitable. If only our government and financial markets understood that – maybe we’d find ourselves and our economy in much better shape. 
The image above can be found at http://ozguru.mu.nu/Photos/simplicity.gif
art, creative, creativity, education, health, medicine, music, philanthropy

Genius Awards – $500,000 "no strings attached"

Christa Avampato

How would you like a half a million bucks with no strings attached? All you need to do is be a genius, and by genius I mean someone who is “creative, original, and has potential to make important contributions in the future.” The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awards 25 people every year with their Genius Awards. The Genius Awards for 2008 have been announced and the variety of recipients is encouraging.


When I heard that they were awarded based on originality and creativity, I naturally assumed that the awards were primarily for artists. And many of the recipients are indeed artists from many different areas of the arts. But there’s also an urban farmer, a critical care physician, and an astronomer. This variety supports the sentiment that artistry and creativity can, should, and will be found in every discipline the world over. 

We are all creative, inspired people regardless of our title at work or the discipline in which we work. The trick is how to leverage that creativity for the greatest benefit of the world at large. In short how do we take our precious, common gift of idealism and make it extraordinary? Geniuses take what we all have – this innate ability to imagine things the way they could be – and they go global with it. Well worth a half million dollars for their priceless contributions to humanity. 
The image above can be found at http://www.wilywalnut.com/Genius-choice.jpg
friendship, love, relationships

Greg and Han’s wedding

Christa Avampato

I always find myself grinning from ear to ear at weddings, despite that the idea of marriage is a bit terrifying to me on a personal level. I cringe when I hear people say things like “well she’ll be able to keep him in line” or vice versa. Or “ever since he came into her life she’s a much better person.” Ick. Can you imagine? I really love who I am, and if I ever commit my life to someone, I need to love who they are naturally. I’m not interested in keeping someone in line or “improving them”, and I’m not looking for someone to do either of those things for me either. (Please note that none of those statements apply to Greg and Han, as I’ll explain in a moment.)

I spent a long weekend in Seattle to celebrate my friend, Greg’s, wedding to a wonderful lady, Han. Greg and I played together in a band very briefly in college and I lived across the hall from him for a year. I was one of a handful of college friends and was so honored to be there. They moved to Seattle very recently to begin a new adventure together in a city that is foreign to them both. I must say that the personal attention to detail during every point of the wedding was so subtle and elegant that it must have taken a mountain of work on both Greg and Han’s parts. Truly, the entire weekend was perfect. And they’re one of those incredibly rare perfect couples.

Having never been married and having most of my friends be unmarried, weddings are a bit of a mystery to me. I am always amazed, and truthfully in awe, of two people committing to one another forever in front of a crowd of people they know. I’m reminded about the advice that if you really want to do something, make sure to tell everyone you know you’re going to do it. It creates a level of accountability that you can’t establish otherwise.

I noticed something at Greg and Han’s wedding that I don’t believe I’ve ever seen to such a degree at a wedding before, and it gave me great hope for the future of marriage. Greg has a coolness about him, a sophistication. He moves and operates his life with an admirable relaxed gracefulness. And he always has. At the reception, I saw how perfectly Han’s cool factor matched and complimented Greg’s. How well they fit together naturally, not because either of them was changing the other but because they really are two halves joining with great ease. And while people say a relationship is work, it doesn’t seem to be for them. It just is.

Greg and Han gave me a great gift by asking me to share this very special experience with them in Seattle over the weekend, and they gave me an insight that is precious. I was able to bare witness to two people who were able to sift through many personalities in this world to find another, equal spirit whose mere presence makes life easier, simpler, and happier. For Greg and Han, I was able to see many, many years of being together, her sway matching his. Taking someone into your life and keeping them in your life shouldn’t be an arduous, tedious task – ever. I’m convinced now, many thanks to Greg and Han, that two people fusing their lives together can, and I believe must, be something of a magical moment, like creating music, like art. It really should be as essential and as easy as breathing.