RJ’s History

With any sort of history, it is essentially impossible to mention all the highs and lows or achievements and failures, but I’ll go with a smaller font because there is SO MUCH, even condensed. The photo above shows some recent events and also ties in a small bit about me! I am a webmaster (nowadays, more a web designer), and have created a website with HTML code from scratch (with a blank “Notepad” document) a long time ago, to express a love for gaming that I’ve had since my childhood. The website was “Gaming Sanctuary” (does not exist currently) and I started it in 2007 and did website updates up until 2012, but also did audio/video work up until around 2018.

I finally stopped working on Gaming Sanctuary in any capacity at the start of 2025, since I came to a realization about myself years prior that my priorities have changed, and I had my differences with the co-founder who joined after I created Gaming Sanctuary. Even so, having a website around from 2007 until 2025…the whole process taught me a TREMENDOUS amount about myself, and I knew that I could start over and follow new passions. I created something lasting once, so I know I can do it again! Because of that, I am very grateful for Gaming Sanctuary.

Interestingly, gaming helped me learn that I love to CREATE. I graduated from ITT Technical Institute back in December of 2006, with a degree in IT – Multimedia and Design. I eventually got the opportunity to create and edit audiovisual work for a small (I think?) video game business (It was called VGC, or “VideoGameCentral”) back in early 2008. The pay was great at VGC and I was making videos and editing them while also playing games…I loved it!

It was short-lived, unfortunately, and times change, but I was also very grateful for the opportunity to mix fun with creation with VGC. I did numerous jobs and side jobs, gaining administrative and managerial experience, then eventually got a WFH (work from home) job where I was a social media manager and consultant for an automotive advertising company (SLDJ), and I was allowed to create even more content.

I set up and recorded radio episodes for this business (which has actually led to a full circle moment in 2025), managed and created posts for various social media outlets and also did some web design as well. While I did not have as much creative freedom as I would have liked, I am grateful for the time and the years I worked with SLDJ (From May of 2014 to around December of 2018) because I was provided another outlet to test the waters and to grow while creating for someone else, instead of just coding as a hobby.

After SLDJ, I tried my hands at MORE kinds of work, receiving various recognition, awards, and accolades along the way. I would do merchandising, administrative, and management in retail. I did data entry and online researcher work as a bankruptcy researcher, working with a particular focus (even now) to highlight the merits and values of good, consistent communication, while practicing and building good digital, phone, and in-person etiquette. I was a professional writer for Examiner (dot com), a Maintenance Tech/Shop Technician for an automotive dealership where I won multiple awards as the “Support Person of the Year” and “Fixed Operations” (2017 and 2019). I was a recipient of “The Beacon Award” during a short stay with W&O Supply.

People would point out things I had accomplished in around 2018 or so and tell me things that they saw in me, such as, that I am a hard worker and seem like a perfectionist…along with other things like “You have great leadership qualities and have the heart of a leader!” or “You have a great voice! Were you in the choir growing up?”, so on and so forth. On their own, each comment or compliment that stuck with me. I started to actually look at myself and realize that the things I put my mind to, I can achieve. I now can look back and see patterns where I have consistently achieved (or exceeded) goals, both big and small.

I also started to get more confident, because my social anxiety used to make it to where I did not always have the best “words to self”. I was my own worst critic a lot, which held me back until my confidence grew. I learned a lot more about myself and the world and combined with what I have learned in my professional and personal lives, I began to get a clearer view of myself. I learned that I love to create and that gaming, while a part of my childhood that I will always look back on fondly, does NOT have to be at the center of things. In the past, I was SURE that gaming was the thing…it is not.

I have consistently had hobbies, side jobs, and full-time jobs ALONGSIDE side jobs and I feel like it has given me a very interesting look at life. I’ve never been the type of person who “had everything figured out” at 18 years of age or what have you. Much of my life was (and still is) trial and error, and I learned a lot about myself and about people and how to “read the room” and emotional intelligence and more. Eventually, I wanted to start doing community service. No one told me to, I just wanted to learn, in my own ways, how to find myself and see things in the world, with the aim that I could work on my comfort zones (expanding them, really). I wanted to be a better person for myself and for others and I wanted to take the good that I’ve done and the things that I’ve learned and do MORE good.

What eventually ended up happening is that I learned that I LOVE community service and helping people (while not “people pleasing”, by setting boundaries)! In helping people, I also started getting more feedback about me as an individual. It is true that people should love themselves, but too much love can lead too ego, something I knew all too well as I had seen and experienced a lot of ego and things like gaslighting, narcissism, so on and so forth, throughout my life. When we need direction, we can’t always get it from within, even if it comes down to something as simple as needing to know something. No one knows everything, so feedback helps us monitor blind spots or improve our processes or even feel more “seen” when we feel that maybe we are not doing so good but are better off than we realize. While effort, patience, and perseverance helped me continually refine my processes, feedback and positive reinforcement every now and then sort of acted like the water that filled my pool of knowledge.

In May of 2021, I began wanting to do community service regularly, because I wanted to be reminded of the times where I used to see people casually helping one another, so 757 Uplifters was born! By becoming my own community organizer/leader, I could set times and dates to get people together to help the community, the environment, and also each other! At the same time, I could channel newfound optimism with new passions and grow my leadership, public speaking presence, and knowledge of self and others more deeply. There are so many inspirations behind 757 Uplifters, and also, RJ’s World Lens, but the short of it is that I can use community service and podcasting to make a difference!

I had projects like “Words Dipped In Awesomesauce”, but I was still too divided on whether or not I wanted work in the gaming world or work helping people. Later, I realized it was the latter, when my passion for making a living through gaming waned, but there was something in the back of my mind that just kept saying things like: “Seeing the reaction of that family who received your donations really warmed your heart”…….I wanted to capture that feeling, because that warmth is something that I know others love as well, and why not? I think that most people don’t want to hurt others and would want to make other people feel seen and appreciated. I’m now able to help others in my professional and personal lives!