2.) Where did your gaming journey begin and how did you decide to turn that into online streaming?
My gaming journey? Oh, we’re going way back. We’re talking late 1900s, baby — back when Atari and ColecoVision were duking it out for living room dominance and the Commodore 64 was the hottest thing in tech. I cut my teeth on Pong, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Centipede, Qbert — the classics. If it had a joystick and a pixelated screen, I was on it.
So yeah, gaming has always been in my DNA. Decades of it.
As for streaming? That origin story is equal parts sweet and chaotic — thanks, Covid. When the world shut down, my husband and I were both working from home. I’d finish work before him, and instead of just gaming alone while he was still on the clock, I started streaming my Overwatch matches so he could peek in and see what I was up to. It was literally just for an audience of one.
And somehow… it became an army. A Penguin Army. 🐧
Funny how life works, right?
3.) What was the best video game and worst video game you have ever played? Why?
Best game? Don’t make me choose — but fine, fine. If I have to pick one, it’s Pharaoh & Cleopatra, and I will die on this hill. The music? Absolutely iconic. The city-building challenges? Endlessly satisfying. But honestly, what sends it over the top are the citizens. The things they say walking around your city are hysterical — I can’t even explain it, you just have to experience it. It’s the kind of game that pulls you in for “just one more turn” and suddenly it’s 3am and you’ve built an entire Egyptian empire. No regrets. Zero.
Worst game? Oh, this one hurts because I wanted to love it so badly. Ghosts ’n Goblins. The concept? Cool. The execution? Absolutely ruthless. This game does not care about your feelings. It does not care about your effort. It will knock you down, take your armor off, and laugh while doing it. I respect the audacity, but I did not enjoy the experience. Some games are challenging in a fun way — this one was just punishing for sport. Hard pass.
4.) If you could collab with a brand, community, or influencer, who would it be?
Oh, I’ve thought about this. A lot.
On the streaming side, it would be Elgato without hesitation. Their gear is built for creators who take their craft seriously, and honestly? That’s exactly the energy I bring to every stream. The tools you use matter, and Elgato just gets what streamers need. A collab there would feel like a natural fit — like it was always supposed to happen.
And then on the completely other end of the spectrum — Skin1004 for K-Beauty. Listen, gaming and skincare are not mutually exclusive, and I am living proof of that. K-Beauty has completely transformed my routine, and Skin1004 is one of my absolute favorites in the space. There’s a whole world of gamers and streamers who are also skincare obsessed, and not enough people are talking about that intersection. I would love to be that bridge.
Streaming setups and glass skin. That’s the collab universe I want to live in.
5.) You have been with Sway for awhile – how did you come to choose an org to work with? What is it you do for them?
Four years with Sway this coming July, and honestly? The journey to finding them is a story worth telling.
I was already part of a large org and genuinely invested in making it great. I was coming up with ideas for community events, throwing myself into it — and then watched the owner take my ideas and present them as his own. Yeah. That happened. So I walked, and I walked with my standards intact.
I knew what I didn’t want. I wasn’t looking for the biggest org in the room — I wanted somewhere with real potential, room to grow, and leadership that actually respects its people. Sway came across my radar through one of the brands I was supporting at the time, and something about it just felt right. I reached out, went through the interview process, and the rest is history.
I started as a member. Then earned my spot on the Stream Team. Got promoted to Stream Team Director. And now I serve as their Chief Content Officer.
From the ground floor to the executive table in four years — not bad for a penguin. 🐧
I don’t take that journey lightly either. Every step was earned, and I show up for Sway the same way I show up for my community — with everything I’ve got.
As Chief Content Officer, I basically keep Sway’s content world spinning. I run our YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram — all short form content that keeps the org visible, active, and looking sharp. Our members can submit their clips to me, I handle the editing, and get them posted. It’s one of those things that sounds simple but is genuinely a labor of love — every clip represents someone in our community doing something awesome, and I want it to shine.
Beyond the content side, I run our Clip of the Month event, coordinate any charity streams we do, and oversee the Stream Team as a whole. So it’s part creative director, part event organizer, part team lead — all wrapped into one role.
I love it though. It’s not just a title. It’s a chance to amplify the people around me and build something that reflects what Sway is really about. When the org looks good, everybody wins — and that’s exactly the energy I bring to it every single day.
6.) What advice do you have for creators about joining organizations?
Do your homework. Seriously — this is not a step you skip.
Start by reading reviews, but take them with a grain of salt. People leave reviews at their best and their worst, so look for patterns rather than individual opinions. While you’re at it, see if there’s any drama floating around the org. A little digging goes a long way — the internet has a long memory and it will tell you what you need to know.
Look at who’s already in the org. Are these people you respect? People you’d actually want to create alongside? That matters more than you think.
And then — just hang out with them. Interact. Lurk in their streams, pop into their Discord, get a genuine feel for the vibe before you commit to anything. Culture is everything, and you can’t fake it for long.
Most importantly — don’t chase a name just because it sounds impressive. Notoriety is not the same as integrity. I learned that the hard way. A big org with a shiny logo means nothing if the people running it don’t respect their creators.
Find the org that fits you — your values, your goals, your energy. The right one will feel like home. The wrong one will cost you time, ideas, and peace of mind.
Trust me on that last part. 🐧
7.) How do you continue to find motivation every day/year?
Simple answer? I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t love it.
And I mean all of it — because let’s be real, this is not a small operation. Social media channels to manage, content to create, Discord communities to maintain, overlays, custom alerts, collabs, special events… it is a lot of work. Nobody stumbles into this by accident and stays for years.
I stay because it’s genuinely fun for me. The moment it stops being fun is the moment it stops making sense. But we’re not there — not even close. I still get excited to go live. I still love cooking up new ideas for the Penguin Army. I still get a kick out of seeing a perfectly edited clip land just right.
And my community? They fuel everything. When you can see that what you’re creating actually brings people joy, that’s not something you walk away from easily. They show up for me, I show up for them. That’s the deal and I love every second of it.
The work is real. The grind is real. But so is the fun — and that makes all the difference.
8.) What advice would you give to the next new creator that you wish you were given?
Keep. Talking.
I cannot stress this enough. Learn the skill of talking to yourself nonstop and mean it. Laugh at your own jokes. Narrate your gameplay. React out loud. Have a whole conversation with an empty room if you have to — because here’s the thing, that room might not stay empty for long.
You never know when someone is going to pop into your stream. And when they do, you have about two seconds to make them want to stay. Two seconds. Nobody is going to stick around to watch someone sit in silence staring at a screen — I don’t care how good you are at the game.
Your voice is your personality and your personality is your brand. That’s what people come back for. Not just the gameplay, not just the clips — you. The commentary, the reactions, the chaos, the laughs. That’s the magic.
So practice talking. Talk when no one is there. Talk when one person is there. Get comfortable being loud in an empty space because the creators who master that skill are the ones who turn two viewers into two hundred.
The Penguin Army didn’t build itself in silence.
9.) You get to go on a vacation anywhere. Where do you go and what’s the first thing you eat/drink?
Seoul, South Korea. Immediately. No hesitation. Don’t even have to think about it.
This has been a dream for a while now and honestly everything about my life has been pointing me in that direction. My love for K-pop, my K-beauty obsession — shoutout Skin1004 — and Korean BBQ? Seoul is basically calling my name at this point.
And the first thing I’m doing when I land? Finding the nearest Korean BBQ spot and sitting down for a meal that will absolutely ruin all other food for me forever. The sizzle of the grill at the table, the banchan spread, the whole experience — I am ready. I have been ready.
Seoul just feels like a place that matches my energy. It’s vibrant, it’s creative, it’s unapologetically itself. The food scene, the culture, the music — I want to be completely immersed in all of it.
Mr. Mayja better start packing. The Penguin Army is going to Seoul. 🐧✈️
