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.
apple, music

Soundtrack for life

Christa Avampato

David Sedaris once wrote about how his Walkman helped him survive in New York – it gave him a soundtrack to live his life in, a way for him to drown out any of the noise around him on his walks. I feel the same way about my ipod. I suspect most people in New York with the signature white ear buds do, too.

This past weekend I had a great group of buddies from Darden in town. A bit of a reunion. Our semi-annual sixth month club has begun. I was talking about my birthday with my friend, Kelly, and telling her about how my birthday is really my New Year’s. I was wondering how I would commemorate a new year. And Kelly suggested a soundtrack for my year.
I’ve been thinking about the project. Considering songs here and there. Some people put together scrapbooks (which I never even thought of doing), others keep a journal (which I used to do). I write in this blog, and now I’ll be compiling yearly soundtracks.    
business, nostalgia, Starbucks, tradition

Go to the mattresses through your roots

Christa Avampato

Starbucks, the king of coffee, is in the midst of learning a very hard lesson, and we should all learn right along with them. Dazzled by the all the glitz of selling media and other brand extensions in their stores, they let go of what made them great: the best cup of coffee in town. They took a humble commodity and made it a fashion accessory, a brand someone can hang his hat on. And while they were off doing exclusive album releases and making deals with Apple, the enemies were encroaching: McDonald’s and DD being the two most noticeable ones in my neck of the woods. Howard Schultz said on Wednesday, “We are going to fight to the death and not allow any company to take our (coffee authority) position away from us.” They’re moving forward by going back.

Losing focus on what initially brought success is a dangerous trade-off. To be honest I can’t think of a single example of a company that moved successfully moved away from its roots. I also can’t think of single person that fits that mold either. Where we come from and where we initially place our stake in the ground is a critical consideration because everything else we ever become largely builds on that decision. It’s the only way to be genuine. It’s where our passion and creative sensibilities are born.

Thank goodness for the return of Howard Schultz. I am a fan of the company and I was growing a bit sad seeing the baristas fumble around to deliver an “okay” coffee drink. I used to be one of them – as a recent undergrad I worked at a Starbucks in Georgetown part-time to make ends meet. I was pleasantly surprised on Monday afternoon when I stopped into one of my local stores and was greeted with, “Here’s your grande chai. Let me know if it’s not perfect – I’ll remake it for you.” I think they’re successfully finding their way back to their roots.

The photo above was taken by By Marcus R. Donner, Reuters.

celebration, happiness, wishes

Habitual rewards

Christa Avampato

My dear friend, Lisa, took me to brunch this morning for my 32nd birthday. I ordered some peppermint tea and the tag read “reward yourself”. Lisa, who has known me for nearly ten years immediately said, “Christa, as if you need anyone to tell you that.” She’s right of course, I’ve made rewarding myself a habit, though that wasn’t always the case, and as much as I love being nice to myself, it doesn’t come without a tiny piece of questioning each time. 

I took the day off today to celebrate me. I got the idea from my friend, Ken, who also took his birthday off as a personal day this year. Another friend of mine, Alex, told me about a company that gives its employees their birthdays off as an extra perk. 
I took myself for a nice long walk through the park – a glorious, sunny day – and then to get a manicure and pedicure. After that, I took another long and leisurely stroll home. It was one of those days that I was so happy to have had, and would have been so sad to see end except for the fact that I know another self-reward is likely just around the corner.
Alex also was telling me today that as adults we don’t celebrate or birthdays with the same gusto as children. And that started me wondering how this happened. As a kid, I would wake up with such an excitement that my big day had arrived. And while today I was thrilled to have the day off, I didn’t have that tingly happy birthday feeling. So, as my birthday wish, simple though it may seem, I am searching for a way to get that birthday tingle back, a way to believe that self-celebration is not a luxury, but rather something that comes naturally.    
travel

7 Wonders of the World

Christa Avampato

I was recently flipping through the April issue of Vanity Fair and came across an advertisement for MasterCard. It was advertising the a giveaway for a trip to see the 7 wonders of the world: the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, The Amazon, The Great Wall of China, Victoria Falls, The Great Pyramids of Giza, and the Great Barrier Reef. And it occured to me that in my travels, while I have seen many incredible things, I have not seen a single one of these place. This is a sad state of affairs.

Last night, I went to a work event and then dinner with friends, Dan and Lisa. Dan asked if I had any birthday wishes. At the time, I really didn’t. Now I do – by the time my 33rd birthday rolls around I hope I’ve been able to see at least one wonder.

business, Business Week, dreams, entrepreneurship, happiness, risk, sports

Ice climbing and starting a business

Christa Avampato

Bill Buxton wrote a great post this morning on Business Week’s Innovation blog, http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/. In a conversation with his friend, Roger Martin from the Rotman School, the two friends discussed the parallels between starting a business and ice climbing. They compared the characteristic of people drawn to these two activities, specifically their appetite for risk.

The parallel drew out some interesting comparisons such as training, having the necessary tools and trusting in the process. I would also add that there is risk in everything – even in not doing something. We often consider the risk of starting a business, going ice climbing, etc. though we rarely mention the flip-side: how will our happiness, sense of satisfaction and accomplishment be affected long-term by deciding not do something that interests us?

Will we get to a point in our lives when these opportunities are no longer possible because of other choices we made, and then look back with some kind of regret and sadness that we didn’t do something more bold that made us feel alive? While more difficult to conceptualize and put data behind, the point merits some consideration. In the long-run, I’ve found it’s the chances we take, combined with the ones we let pass by, that make up a life.

See Buxton’s full post at: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/mar2008/id20080312_205292.htm?chan=innovation_innovation+%2B+design_top+stories

art, creativity, design, innovation

Why good curation matters

Christa Avampato

Today I was reading Bruce Nussbaum’s blog, http://blogs.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him as a journalist, blogger, and innovation guru.

Today he wrote a post that truly impressed me – very simply he opened the post discussing his changing role as a journalist, moving from being a Voice of Authority to a Master Curator.

I know that many times the content of a discussion, presentation, or art exhibit for that matter, overshadows the design and organization of the exhibit itself. Curating is as much an art as being a content creator.

If an event or exhibit is curated well, the content takes center stage, with the curating barely being noticed. If it’s curated badly, the whole things falls into chaos. Good curating is very much like good management – if its competent, the content (the team’s work) shines. So if we aspire to be truly great curators, great managers, then we need to aspire to go unnoticed.

The photo above can be found at http://www.bibi.org/box/2006/03/Jere_Smith.jpg

environment, happiness, outdoors, season, sunshine

Daylight Saving(s) (Ti)Me

Christa Avampato

I was giddy yesterday at 6:30pm. I have finally confirmed that yes, I have SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder. After months of cold temperatures, gusty winds, and a small amount of daylight hours, I begin to get into a funk that no amount of sitcoms or jokes from friends will shake. As my friend, Trevin, says, “After a while, it’s best to just hibernate as much as possible.”

All that changed on Sunday morning at 2am. Though I lost an hour of actual time, the increased daylight more than made up for it. I have nearly a full hour of daylight after I get home from work, rather than driving home in the dark. Yesterday, I ran to my apartment (literally), put on some comfy clothes, my sneakers, and ran back out to enjoy my “extra” sunshine. I couldn’t believe the difference it made. 
So while it’s been a long, cold winter that has allowed me time to reflect and contemplate where I am in life, I am thrilled that Spring is just over the horizon, along with the opportunity to change my contemplation into action. 

career, creative process, Microsoft, work

It’s all a matter of process

Christa Avampato

“I like to tell people that all of our products and business will go through three phases. There’s vision, patience, and execution.” ~ Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft

I’ve been thinking a lot about process lately. We are involved at several large scale projects at work, all of them highly cross-functional. Some of or projects have been successful or are on their way to becoming successful, and some have fallen apart. Regardless of outcome, the learning that is taking place, especially for me, is far greater than I ever imagined I would have at a job in such a short period of time. 

While success is always welcomed, I also find that I embrace failure just as well. My boss has joked with me that I can learn more from a sinking sip than one that stays afloat. When I look a projects of ours that haven’t worked, I notice that one of the three elements that Ballmer outlined wasn’t as solid as it needed to be. And it’s important to have these three elements in that order: vision, patience, and execution.

For me, the toughest part is patience. Vision and execution I understand. Despite the fact that I practice yoga every day, that sitting still, that ability to take things one piece at a time, in turn, is difficult for me. Not impossible. Persistence in difficult times can some times seem fruitless. Though if we take the long view, I am beginning to learn, slowly, that it pays off if we are willing to stick around long enough to play out the hand. I just need to be more disciplined when it comes to patience. And that means patience with myself, as well as with others. And also, it means patience with process.     

If it works for Microsoft….

art, creative process, creativity

Two sides of the management coin

Christa Avampato

 “To know when to be generous and when firm — that is wisdom.” 

~ Elbert Hubbard


Last week was a little tough for me, and for the people around me. I’ve found that in my career I’ve work with two kinds of people – those who are generous or those who are firm. And very often I have come across people masquerading as one kind of person, while truly being another. Occasionally, I have come across people who can straddle line – generous and firm at the right moment. These are the people I have tried to emulate. 


Last week may have been the first time in the past 8 months that I’ve put my stake in the ground and called people to the carpet when something wasn’t done to meet high standards. There was a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of excuses made. At the end of the day, it wasn’t about blame and it wasn’t about having a reason for what happened – it was, and always is, about responsibility. 


This ability to be generous and be firm is critical in the creative process as much as it is in any other setting. If too firm, the end product will have the life beaten out of it. If too generous, the end product won’t be as good as it could have been with constructive criticism. The most beautiful pottery gets its shine from the care of the potter’s hands and the fire of the kiln. The same should be true for the creative work we put out into the word – a little gentleness mixed with a little fire yields a truly extraordinary masterpiece.    

books, nostalgia, school, student

A little fall of rain

Christa Avampato

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort. ~ Jane Austen


Right now I’m reading Frank McCourt’s Teacher Man, and I’ve just finished watching the 5th season of The Gilmore Girls on DVD, both of which are conjuring up old memories for me. All this, coupled with the rain, and there’s no way to avoid nostalgia, and maybe a bit of regret. 

While my student days were less than ideal for a whole host of reasons, I still miss the thought of being a student, of dedicating my days to reading, to being involved in the school community with an entire world of people my age just outside my door. Though I studied so hard, a part of me wishes I had worked even harder, that had been more concerned with reading the classics than making sure I was doing everything right. I wish that I could have worried less about money, making friends, finding my calling – I wish I could have worried less, period. 

As a kid, and particularly as a student, I used to dread the rain. I always felt the world knew more than I did, and by raining it was signaling to me that bad news was on the way. I hated sloshing through it with a backpack that was much too heavy, trying to shield myself with an umbrella that would invariably be blown inside-out by some nasty gust.

As an adult, I have come to love the rain, even wishing for it when we’ve had too many sunny days in a row. I love the sound it makes on rooftops and sidewalks, love the booming of thunder, and the rush of a strong wind. I love the idea of washing away the happenings of the day before, and the day before that. I love the cleaning feeling it leaves the world, just after it’s subsided. These are days I hole up inside my tiny apartment and dream, and remember.