Conversations with Katherine Rollins

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Rollins.

Katherine, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have always loved video games. It was a big part of my life growing up. My dad brought home the Atari when I was 5 years old and we played Pac-man for hours. Since then we had every system that was released and I have kept that tradition with my family. I have always been a writer as well and when I discovered video game journalism was a career, I wanted to pursue it. But as life does things happened that prevented me from going after that dream. I was a single mother, who suffers terrible depression, along with other situations in my 20s I was just trying to stay afloat. I got married at the age of 30 and when I had my final child at 32 I told my husband I was tired of not going after my dream. We sat down and talked about what I wanted to do with my life.

In 2012 TheHighHeeledGamer was born! The Oprah of the Nerd World. I wanted to highlight and interview the people who rarely get a chance to tell their stories. The game designer, the indie comic book creator, cosplayers, and everyone in between. I began by writing reviews and gaming news, and in 2013 I took a leap of faith and wrote Heroes Con in Charlotte an email explaining I was a new freelance journalist and I wanted to apply for press passes, they replied they would be honored to grant me my 1st press passes and the rest is as they say history. I have interviewed people in the nerd community from all walks of life and from all levels in the industry. While interviewing a Twitch streamer in 2016 I told him I wish I could stream too, and he said, “If I can do you so can you, just stream.” And so I set up my laptop and started streaming.

Since then I have streamed on Twitch and Facebook Gaming and have grown my community around having fun and putting mental health first. Taking care of my mental health is very important and I made sure my community knows about my battles and that my streams are a safe space. Because social media can be a toxic place, overwhelming, and can hurt people’s mental health, I started Nerd World Media which helps small businesses and people understand social media while protecting their mental health and finding the fun in promoting themselves.

I found my 2nd act in my 40s, I published a book, got my Bachelor’s degree in Media Communications, I’m working on my second book, I graduate on October 28th with my Master’s in Journalism, and I have been a part of 5 panels that discuss mental health and streaming, and I found what I consider success with TheHighHeeledGamer. I am a firm believer that it’s never too late to go after your dreams.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I was a single parent in my 20s, I spent my 30s understanding who I was as a person, and in my 40s, I just want to try to live my best life. It has definitely not been a smooth road. As I mentioned earlier, I battle depression, and I did stop working for about two years. I didn’t feel like I was good enough. I fell into the pitfall of seeing others who started before me doing the things I wanted to do, and it made me feel bad. All of my struggles to get where I am have been mental. Understanding that I was watching people’s end goals helped.

I had to remind myself that they started where I was, put in the time and work like I am now, and I will get to where I want to be in due time. I also reminded myself that this is my life; at the end of the day, I live for myself, and if this was my goal, it wasn’t going to come to me on its own. I am good. I would have had a different talent and desire in my heart if I wasn’t good enough. Of course, things are not perfect and I still face struggles but I try to handle it one day at a time.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a journalist who happens to stream. I started interviewing people at conventions, and because of the pandemic, I pivoted to online interviews. I wanted to interview people behind some of our favorite video games, comic books, and cosplays, but as I interviewed others, I realized everyone in the Nerd community had a story to tell. I interview people who are at different levels in the video game, comic book, and cosplay industries. These people put in hard work, and sleepless nights, and get little to no recognition. I wanted to give them a platform to tell people about themselves and to show off their work. I am most proud of the experience my guests have.

A lot of my guests tell me they are nervous but after talking to me it didn’t feel like an interview but more like just catching up with a friend. And that is exactly what I want for my guests because when my guests are relaxed and having fun they open up and show viewers who they really are.

The passion for their project also comes through when they feel relaxed. As for my streams, I stream very quiet and chill gameplay during the morning titled Sims & Coffee. I check in with my community to see how they are doing, I talk about how I am doing. We talk, laugh, and start the day with a little fun. At night I stream Fortnite and along with a face camera, there is a shoe camera viewers can see what high heels I am wearing for the month. I present heels of the month at the beginning of the month and viewers can tune in to see them.

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Risks are a part of life. I go to the Wayne Gretzky quote, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” When I first started I had no experience I sent out an honest email to Heroes Con in 2012 explaining what I was trying to achieve with my career path and I was lucky enough to get a good response and they took a chance on me.

It’s not easy I’m usually filled with anxiety but I rather do something and know the answer than never do anything and wonder what could have been. I already have moments like that and I try to avoid adding more. I understand hearing “no” is tough but the thing is no is not the only answer. And I do still have moments and avoid asking a question or doing something but I try to keep those moments to a minimum.

Contact Info:

• Website: TheHighHeeledGamer.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehighheeledgamer/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HighHeeledGamer/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HighHeeledGamer
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/theHighHeeledGamer/featured
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thehighheeledgamer

Image Credits
Zac Rollins