Inspiring Conversations with Myriah Castillo of Joybyte

Today we’d like to introduce you to Myriah Castillo.

Hi Myriah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My path to social media marketing has been anything but conventional. Before I became Head of Social Strategy at Joybyte, I explored what seemed like completely unrelated worlds—professional show jumping, criminal defense work, contemporary poetry, and even launching a guacamole e-commerce business. At the time, these experiences felt scattered, but looking back, each one taught me something essential about reading audiences, taking calculated risks, and finding creative solutions to complex problems.

What drew me to social media was the intersection of culture, storytelling, and strategy. I loved that it required both analytical thinking and creative courage—understanding data while also having the instinct to know when to break the rules. When I joined Joybyte, I saw an opportunity to build something different: an agency that didn’t just follow trends but created them, that valued cultural intelligence as much as metrics, and that wasn’t afraid to take bold swings when others played it safe.

That unconventional background became my superpower. It gave me permission to approach problems differently and to see opportunities where others saw obstacles.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The journey has been far from smooth. One of the biggest challenges came during the uncertainty around TikTok’s ownership and potential ban. While many agencies and brands were pulling back their investments, paralyzed by the “what ifs,” I had to make a choice: retreat to safety or lean into what I believed was an incredible creative and strategic opportunity.

I chose to double down. Not recklessly, but strategically. I believed in TikTok’s cultural power and creative potential, and I knew that brands willing to embrace it while others hesitated would gain significant ground. That decision required me to convince clients, build internal buy-in, and essentially bet on my instincts backed by cultural intelligence and data.

It was terrifying at times—putting our agency’s reputation and my own strategic credibility on the line. But it paid off. We didn’t just create successful campaigns; I built our entire TikTok Shop department from scratch. Today, we’re TikTok Shop certified with more than 30 brands in the program and last month we onboarded the most TikTok Shop Sellers out of any TikTok Shop Certified Agencies.

That experience taught me that the biggest obstacles are often the moments that separate true leaders from followers. The smooth road doesn’t build resilience or innovation—the struggles do.

As you know, we’re big fans of Joybyte. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Joybyte is a certified TikTok Shop Partner and micro-influencer marketing agency redefining what social commerce success looks like. Our tailored influencer campaigns are built to perform and are strategically aligned with a client’s customer journey and are optimized for sales. No fixed talent pools. No cookie-cutter solutions. Just curated creators, always-on insights and authentic community engagement that scales.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Likes: My favorite place to be is at a concert at The Van Buren in downtown Phoenix. I love the thriving music, food and arts scene that we have in Phoenix.

Dislikes: The heat. Even though I’ve lived here since I was young, the summers in Phoenix are brutal. I mostly stay inside with my dogs and my plants or take trips up north to Flagstaff or out of state to places like Denver or Pittsburgh to beat the heat.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.joybyte.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joybyte/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/myriah-castillo-b646b8168/