@TiawiaGames isn’t afraid to acknowledge her anxiety and talk about mental health on her stream — she does it quite frequently, actually. The main reason this BroadcastHER Grant winner began streaming was to make friends, make people laugh, and be her true self. And, she has done just that. She’ll even tell you she has no filter and loves to talk too much. But, this variety streamer also loves gaming as well as cooking, dancing, and singing.

What is your dream as a digital broadcaster?

My dream is to become a full-time streamer and content creator who inspires women to be themselves and follow their dreams, advocates for mental health awareness, and entertains while being my honest, weird self.

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

It will help me create more weird, fun, and unique content by upgrading my PC and getting improved stream equipment.

What does being the recipient of the BroadcastHER Grant mean to you?

It means so much to me because I have been streaming for so long, and many times I have wanted to give up entirely. Streaming has been something I’ve wanted to do full-time for a long time, and this grant has given me the ability to grow my stream to where I have wanted it to be.

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

We need to educate women on how to stream. We need to give women a leg up with grants like this. We need to build communities for women in gaming, e-sports, and streaming that help us get ourselves on the map. There are many women in these spaces; they just aren’t talked about. We need to talk about them and give them their time to shine.

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

A big challenge is just believing in myself, my capabilities, my ideas, and my content. I have struggled for many years to be proud of what I have accomplished, what I have done so far, and what I have planned for the future. I am getting better at this now, and I recently learned that I need to give myself more credit for what I have done in all these years of broadcasting and content creation. I want every woman to know that she is capable of more than she thinks. It’s definitely harder to grow as a women in broadcasting, but none of us can let that get our confidence down. In the end we have to keep creating, evolving, learning, and adapting our content and I think eventually women will be a large part of gaming, esports and broadcasting. We just have to believe in ourselves more and be loud in those spaces.

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

Prepare to face some mean people on the Internet, and don’t be afraid to set boundaries. Don’t take trolls seriously. Your personality and community are the most important aspects of your stream. Make sure you have good audio and try to be yourself, and know that it takes practice to talk a lot and gain confidence. Don’t try to compare yourself to other streamers even though it is so easy to do so. At the end of the day, make sure you are having fun when you broadcast and be unapologetically yourself.

How do you stay motivated and focused on your goals?

It is hard to stay motivated, especially with anxiety and depression but I stay motivated by watching streamers I admire, by talking to friends who support me, by keeping my goals small and realistic, and by remembering why I began streaming in the first place.