Meet Calli Nguyen | Graduate Student, Social Media Content Creator, Actress, & Model

We had the good fortune of connecting with Calli Nguyen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Calli, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind my success and the success of my brand is being unapologetically me and happy pursuing all my passions. When I first began endeavoring more in my creative side, I was often concerned by what others thought or would think about me. I felt that eyes were always on me and people thought I was a joke or in over my head for acting, modeling, and content creating. The second I stopped caring and continuously shared these aspects of my life on a daily basis, the more my platforms grew and the more communities I built. I’ve lost so many connections with past acquaintances because of my constant posting or my content and life don’t align with theirs. I had to quickly learn to be okay with it and not take it to heart, otherwise, I’d start overthinking and becoming self-conscious of my work. When I act, model, and/or create content, my mind is set on work mode and posting my creative outlets to reach and network with fellow creatives, businesses, and others in the industry.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My platforms showcase my unapologetic self as I navigate through life in my 20s, pursuing multiple academic and creative passions as well as exploring popular loves and hidden gems in Houston, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and wherever else I travel. It’s important for me to show my true and genuine self on my platforms, as social media can heavily be the opposite. I am proud to be a representative for first-generation AAPIs. What I believe sets me apart from others is that I’m not afraid to push the envelope. Many of my followers look to me as inspiration for pursuing many passions, despite this not being normal in society. I also publicly share my breakdowns and details of me struggling with my mental health, despite the topic being taboo in society especially in Asian cultures. However, I know many others can relate to my journey – figuring out how to juggle multiple interests while normalizing mental health rather than ostracizing it. It definitely wasn’t an easy journey to get to where I am today. I often struggled with consistently creating quality content and felt pressured into staying in a singular niche, which limited my creative freedom. I went through many dark points in my life and often had self-doubts about my ability to succeed. However, I’ve been able to overcome the challenges one step at a time and through the supportive community of creators I’ve been able to network with.
I want the world to know that my platforms are and continue to be a judgement-free, safe space, and growing community for inclusivity, diversity, and following whatever paths your heart desires. I’m still learning “how to life” in my early 20s, but I’d love for you to connect and network with me so we can figure out “how to life” together!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For a week-long trip in Houston: Brunch/Lunch spots – The Little Hen, The Breakfast Klub, Postino’s, Pho Sapa (my favorite spot for hu tieu), The Greasy Spoon Soulfood Bistro, Blue Bayou Cafe, and Wanna Bao.

Dinner spots – Cajun Kitchen (my favorite spot for Viet-Cajun food!), Coppa Osteria, Shabu Zone, Traveler’s Table, Kata Robata, Crawfish & Noodles, and Soto Houston.

Desserts – Popfancy Dessert Bar, Mochinut, Yumcha, Amy’s Ice Cream, Winfield’s Chocolate Bar, Milk + Sugar, and Bing Su.

I haven’t been out for drinks much (because I’m a complete lightweight), but the places I’ve managed to pull myself together and enjoy my drinks are Ohn Korean Eatery, Lost & Found, and 8th Wonder Brewery!

Visit – The Galleria (you can spend literally all day here), Houston Zoo, NASA’s Space Center, Hermann Park (nice golf course for all my golfing gurus), and a show or event at NRG Stadium.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First and foremost, I have to dedicate the shoutout to my family who continue to support me in any endeavor I’m passionate about. My mom and dad are the most hardworking people I know. They did not earn their college degrees, but they raised two successful and proud first-generation, overachieving students. My older brother is someone I looked up to my whole life and even though we didn’t see eye-to-eye growing up, we’ve supported each other in any life pursuit as long as it made us happy. There was a point when I strongly considered quitting all my endeavors because I was overwhelmed and stressed out, trying to figure out what to do with my passions. He was the one person who helped calm me down with the words, “I don’t usually root for anybody, but I always root for you.” My auntie Channel stays hyping me up every single day with all my interests. If there’s a foodie review of mine, she’s gone to visit and experience it herself. If there’s a photoshoot, she’s showing all my pictures to her friends as if I’m her own child. And she’s always there to be a shoulder for me to cry on. My grandfather, who honestly doesn’t fully understand everything I’m pursuing in life but is proud of me anyways! Most importantly, my past loved ones – my grandmother and uncle. They are my motivation for everything and I hope I’m making them proud. My boyfriend James also deserves the shoutout. When we first began dating, I was definitely more of the camera-loving extrovert. But since I began pursuing my creative endeavors more, he has been so involved by assisting me at foodie reviews and brand events and being my photographer while I film content. He also supports my academic side – when I was pulling all-nighters to study for exams, he was staying up with me so I wouldn’t be miserable and stressed by myself. He has been my rock, confidant, and never fails to tell me everyday how proud he is of me.
Lastly, I want to give recognition to all my close friends and loyal followers that endlessly support me, my work, and all my passions. Your sweet messages mean the world to me and give me more motivation to continue doing what I love doing.

Website: https://callinguyen.weebly.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calli_nguyen

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calli-nguyen-b8b6901b0

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@calli_nguyen

Image Credits
Johnny Ngo and James Randels