A Spark Of Awareness

In today’s fast-paced world, leadership is undergoing a transformative journey. The old paradigm of leading through control and authority is being replaced by a conscious, heart-centered approach that values authenticity, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence. In this new episode, Sophie Vo Vo and Marko Kecmann , business partner in games for 11 years, explore the essence of this evolution, u...

In this new episode of Rise and Play, host Sophie Vo introduces a new podcast format that reflects her journey in leadership, coaching, and transforming her business to creating the ORIN retreats. She explores the theme of ‘letting go’, examining the need to release relationships, jobs, and identities that no longer serve us. Joined by co-host Maria Gillies , they discuss the challenges and emotio...

In this raw episode of Rise and Play , we welcome back Ioana Hreninciuc , co-founder of Runware and former CPO at Huuuge Games and Homa Games. Ioana has held some of the biggest leadership roles in gaming and tech, and today she reflects openly on the founder journey, the highs and lows of VC-backed startups, and the importance of choosing yourself before burnout chooses you. "It wasn’t luck — it...

In this episode, host @ Sophie Vo sits down with Claire Rozain , a leader in the gaming and tech space, community builder, and entrepreneur. Together they reflect on Claire’s unconventional career journey, her bold move into solopreneurship, and the lessons she has learned about resilience, freedom, and building meaningful communities. Claire shares her perspective on navigating layoffs, redefinin...

In this episode, Sophie Vo sits down with indie game developer and studio Filipina co-founder Danni Ann Taylor to explore the realities of starting and running a game studio—while raising a family—without outside funding. Dani shares her journey from early gaming passion to launching Yang Yang Mobile with her husband in the Philippines, building a reputation for high-quality visual novels like The...

In this heartfelt conversation recorded in a relaxed setting in Berlin, Sophie Vo is joined by Maria Gillies , Product Director at Pixion Games , for an intimate exploration of career pivots, leadership rooted in values, and returning to one's authentic self. Maria shares her unique journey from working in the fishing industry to becoming a leader in mobile free-to-play games. With openness and de...

In this heartfelt episode, host Sophie Vo sits down with Luna Javier — the first female game developer in the Philippines and a true pioneer with over 20 years of experience. Luna shares her extraordinary journey from an aspiring filmmaker to game writer, designer, and eventually co-founder of Altitude Games . She opens up about the challenges of burnout, the unexpected leap into entrepreneurship,...

In this powerful episode, host Sophie Vo sits down with Susan Cummings — co-founder of 2K Games, Tiny Rebel Games, and now 10Six Games — to explore her 25+ year journey through the gaming industry. From signing legendary IPs like Bioshock and Borderlands to founding and evolving multiple studios, Susan shares unfiltered insights on intuition-driven leadership, building (and rebuilding) companies,...

7 factors of success for game studios Download the full report, share with your team: DOWNLOAD REPORT Grab your FREE TRIAL with our partner PlaytestCloud: https://start.playtestcloud.com/rise In this episode, Sophie Vo sits down with Kanessa Muluneh , an Ethiopian-born serial entrepreneur, Web3 educator, and the creator of Rise of Fearless — Africa’s first blockchain-enabled mobile battle royale g...

In this leadership-centric episode, host Sophie Vo welcomes Zoë Curnoe — a seasoned production and operations leader turned leadership coach — for a candid conversation about the highs and lows of a 22-year career in the gaming industry, including co-founding Timbre Games and leadership roles at Coalition Studios, Riot Games, EA, and Pandemic Studio. From early days navigating creative chaos, to l...

7 factors of success for game studios Download the full report, share with your team: DOWNLOAD REPORT Grab your FREE TRIAL with our partner PlaytestCloud: https://start.playtestcloud.com/rise In this special episode focused on community building, host Sophie Vo sits down with Julianne Becker , co-founder of Coconat — a workation retreat and co-living space in Brandenburg, Germany. Far from a typic...

7 factors of success for game studios Download the full report, share with your team: DOWNLOAD REPORT Grab your FREE TRIAL with our partner PlaytestCloud: https://start.playtestcloud.com/rise In this episode Tiffany Keller welcomes Julia Zhan , CPO of Series Entertainment , and Burcu Hakguder , the CRO of Layer AI who celebrates their recent close of their seed round for over $6M. Burcu Hakguder s...

In this heartfelt and deeply inspiring episode, Sophie Vo sits down with Subina Kiani , founder of the global recruitment company Eleven Eleven , to unpack the story behind building a people-first business from the ground up — starting from personal rock bottom. Subina shares her journey of rebuilding her life as a single mother, finding meaning in synchronicities like Eleven Eleven, and challengi...

7 factors of success for game studios Download the full report, share with your team: DOWNLOAD REPORT Grab your FREE TRIAL with our partner PlaytestCloud: https://start.playtestcloud.com/rise Thanks for reading Rise and Play! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. In this episode, Sophie Vo welcomes Jen MacLean , former Xbox executive and now founder of Dragon Snack Games . J...

What are the 7 key differences of successful studios leveraging player insights? Insight #4 Successful studios nailed their player profiles Insight #7 Successful studios playtest their competitor’s games… 💡 Download the full insights and share with your game teams: DOWNLOAD REPORT If you are not doing Player Research yet, you are taking risks every day shooting in the dark. Act now and grab your...

See why 80% of the top-grossing game studios rely on the Player Insights Platform™ to ensure a game's success (before it's even released). We are proud to announce PlaytestCloud as our key partner in 2025 and offer a FREE TRIAL here: https://start.playtestcloud.com/rise In this episode, host Sophie Vo Vo and Odile Limpach cover entrepreneurship in the gaming industry. Odile shares her journey from...

See why 80% of the top-grossing game studios rely on the Player Insights Platform™ to ensure a game's success (before it's even released). We are proud to announce PlaytestCloud as our key partner in 2025 and offer a FREE TRIAL here: https://start.playtestcloud.com/rise In this episode, host Sophie Vo welcomes Brett Nowak , founder and CEO of Liquid and Grit , a leading product research and consul...

See why 80% of the top-grossing game studios rely on the Player Insights Platform™ to ensure a game's success (before it's even released). We are proud to announce PlaytestCloud as our key partner in 2025 and offer a FREE TRIAL here: https://start.playtestcloud.com/rise In this new episode host Sophie Vo sits down with Sigurlína (Lína) Ingvarsdóttir , a veteran of the gaming industry and founding...

See why 80% of the top-grossing game studios rely on the Player Insights Platform™ to ensure a game's success (before it's even released). We are proud to announce PlaytestCloud as our key partner in 2025 and offer a FREE TRIAL here: https://start.playtestcloud.com/rise In this episode, co-host Nina Kim interviews Alicia Fortier , lead game designer at SpryFox . Alicia discusses the differences be...

We are proud to announce PlaytestCloud as our key partner in 2025 and offer a FREE TRIAL for our listeners here: https://start.playtestcloud.com/rise In this episode, host Sophie Vo is joined by Bibbi Wikman, Head of Brand and Business at Aurora Punks and Founder of PlayCap , the first angel network for women in the gaming industry. Together, they dive into Bibbi's leadership journey, her motivati...

In this episode, host Sophie Vo Vo engages in a deep and insightful conversation with Allan Cudicio , an Italo Ghanaian game developer, about his journey of founding Twin Drums in 2019 and eventually closing it in 2024, as the studio behind The Wagadu Chronicles . Allan provides an intimate look at the highs and lows of his entrepreneurial venture, discussing the challenges of raising funds as an...

We are back in 2025! In this episode, new host Tiffany Keller interviews Emily Yim , the co-founder and CEO of Superbloom , a studio dedicated to developing lifestyle games that empower women and have successfully launched their first home decor game, Venue . Her career spans 15 years across mobile gaming at Dots and Glu, where she helped scale hit games that resonate with millions worldwide. At S...

In this new episode, host Sophie Vo interviews Nicola Mizon , co-founder of VIZTA DGTL, who dives into her journey from game design to becoming a startup founder in the gaming industry. Nicola shares insights on the challenges of raising pre-seed funding, the importance of adapting your pitch to your audience, and the significance of innovation in the fashion gaming space. She emphasizes the need...

In this new episode, Sophie Vo Vo interviews Ludovic Bodin , a serial entrepreneur, investor, and author of the book ' Atomic Scaling .' Ludovic shares his journey from starting his first tech company in France at age 20 to becoming an influential figure in the gaming industry and a successful investor. He emphasizes a shift from traditional blitzscaling to a model he calls Atomic Scaling , which...

In this episode, host Sophie Vo is joined by Derk, former CEO and co-founder of Paladin Studio, and co-host Tiffany Keller , a product leader with extensive experience in the gaming industry, to discuss the powerful impact of leadership retreats. They share personal stories and insights on the value of retreats, ranging from medicinal ceremonies in Colombia to silent meditation retreats in Peru, e...