If you couldn’t tell by her Twitch handle, @Pastelbat90 (they/she) likes pastel colors, but pink is an absolute favorite. The BroadcastHER Grant winner is a Destiny 2 girl at heart, but loves so many other amazing games, too, including Apex, Dead By Daylight, Animal Crossing – New Horizons, Pokemon, and more.

What is your dream as a digital broadcaster?

I want to make people feel safe, welcome, and enjoy all games — no matter the difficulty.

How will your award from the 1,000 Dreams Fund help you reach your goals?

It is going to help me feel more settled and focused. Having invisible illnesses, working a 9 to 5, and wanting to achieve my dream puts a massive strain on me health-wise. But, being able to find for equipment that can benefit me and my community, is lifesaving. I am so excited to be able to make more people laugh, feel at home, and find a new place to feel safe.

What does being a recipient mean to you?

It is a proud moment for me. To have people believe in me and support my dreams means the world. I also want to uphold all of 1DF’s great standards and support this whole group of grant winners, going forward.

Women are underrepresented in gaming, broadcasting, and e-sports. What can we do to change this?

The gaming industry is currently talking the talk, but we need to keep showing them that we have the goods for them to pay up! We are amazing. The more we focus on this and uplift each other, the more the RIGHT people will keep screaming our names.

What are some of the challenges you have faced along the way?

The main challenge I faced was myself. We are our own biggest enemy, right?! Fighting my demons and telling them that I deserved to shoot my shot was hard but, once I did it, I was so proud of myself that I didn’t care if I got rejected.

What advice do you have for women who want to start broadcasting?

Just go for it. You don’t need a camera or a PC. You can stream off consoles straight to Twitch/YouTube. Create that content. If you like it, coin a name, and cop that email address for you to link up on your socials. Always have viewer count off. Keep shooting your shot. Know who has your corner, and keep working on those resilience muscles.

How do you stay motivated and focused on your goals?

I’ve had some amazing mentors and they helped me define my values. I put these values on my PC wallpaper and my phone background and I kept going back to them. If something didn’t feel right, I looked back at it to see what wasn’t adding up and realigned myself.