Meet Katherine Rollins

We were lucky to catch up with Katherine Rollins recently and have shared our conversation below.

Katherine, we are so happy that our community is going to have a chance to learn more about you, your story and hopefully even take in some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Let’s start with self-care – what do you do for self-care and has it had any impact on your effectiveness?
There are a few things I do for self-care. The 1st thing is I know when to take breaks. If I am tired and need rest, I rest. If I feel drained mentally and/or physically, I shut the computer, get off of my phone, recline on my couch, and put on a funny movie or a funny tv show. The other thing I do is change my vocabulary. Instead of saying I’m visiting family. I say I’m going on vacation to see my family. Changing the word visiting to vacation for me has helped me relax. It may sound silly, but it has really helped me. Visiting family was stressful, felt like a choir, and sometimes felt like I wasn’t going to do anything fun. But going on vacation to see family meant I was going to relax, I was getting away, and I was going to have fun with my family members.
And finally, when working, I make sure I have something fun planned with friends I don’t get to see often after I’m done working, from trying a new restaurant to maybe going to an after-party or just finding a quiet spot to catch up and laugh.
Self-care looks different to everyone, and these are some of the things I do to help ensure I don’t get overwhelmed.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
The way I introduce myself to people is: Hi, I’m Katherine, aka TheHighHeeledGamer, and I am the Oprah of the Nerd World. I interview people in the Video Game, Comic Book, and Cosplay industries. I also do reviews of “nerdy” products. I travel the East Coast going to different gaming/comic book conventions and expos, interviewing people, networking, and capturing content. If I can not get an interview at the convention, I schedule a virtual interview at a convenient day and time for the guest. All the interviews are posted on The Late Night Nerd Show YouTube channel. I love this part of my career because I get to meet new people, learn about their projects, and see which convention stepped up their show from the previous year. I am a part-time streamer. I play a variety of video games, and I use that time to connect with my viewers and provide at least two hours of laughter. I went the comedy route because it provides an escape from the stresses of life. My community knows they have a safe space and will have fun watching and interacting with my streams. I get to hang out with friends and laugh… can’t get better than this!
And for the past year now, I have been growing my small business which helps other small businesses understand and grow on social media. This is very new and a learning process, but I have been having fun, and I am working on creating a YouTube channel for Nerd World Media to bring information to even more people.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The qualities that helped me on my journey was the fact that I was and still am very honest about who I am. Meaning if I’m nervous, I tell people, if I am about to have an anxiety attack and my husband is not around, I tell people. If I meet someone and “fangirl,” I tell them. I do not have the energy to be fake. Be yourself! Your community will love you and have your back if you are authentic. As far as skills, well, I learned everything along the way. I asked questions and reached out to people for help, and about seven years into my career, I decided to go to school for my Bachelor’s degree and my Master’s. I didn’t have to, but I wanted to see if there was anything new I could learn, and I wanted that for myself. And I understand a lot of people do not have the luxury, but there are so many things you can learn on the internet and from reaching out to people. Use that to your advantage. Never be afraid to grow and learn and understand constructive feedback is not to harm you, it’s to help you grow. If you are starting your journey in any career it can be scary push into that fear and go forward. You got this!

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
So I battle depression and anxiety and have terrible self-doubt add-on imposter syndrome, and well yeah there are days I feel beyond overwhelmed. First and foremost, I am open and honest about my battle. For better or for worst, this is a part of me and makes me who I am, so I talk about it, and on days I am overwhelmed, it helps that people know this part of me. It doesn’t come as a shock, and I don’t have to explain myself.
I also have people I trust I can talk to and use a chain of command. My husband, sister, big brother, best friend from high school, and so on. If the first person is busy, I contact the next person on the list. I have about seven people on the list, and it’s rare all of them are busy or don’t answer me. They know what to say and help me focus on the positive.
If I am at a convention or expo, I have been lucky enough to have been doing this for so long that I have developed strong friendships with people who have tables at many of these conventions. I have about three people I go to when I am feeling overwhelmed, and they let me rest and take a breather at their booths.
I also know what I have on TV or listening to affects me. So when I feel overwhelmed, I put on a funny movie, especially one I haven’t seen in a while, and laugh, which helps release endorphins. I take a break from whatever I am doing to laugh. For me, laughter really is the best medicine.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Photos by: Ariana Raquel, Zac Rollins, & Katherine Rollins

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