TALKS
with RACHEL NGUYEN
RACHEL NGUYEN
@thatschic
Introducing Volume 06 of Cou Cou Talks; California-based video artist and creative process guide Rachel Nguyen talks on adventure, consciousness & “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle.
Q&A
WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
I just uprooted my ~15 year old Los Angeles roots and decided to live on the road in my camper van. I’ve been slowly driving up California and have landed in Mount Shasta without any urges to leave. It’s been only two weeks but I think it’s home. IDK, I’m excited to leave for Europe in September and see how it feels to come back.
SOMETHING I LOVE ABOUT MYSELF...
How effortlessly I attempt new experiences.
WHEN DO YOU FEEL YOUR MOST FREE?
When I’m far away from people’s energy and can fully indulge in just my own and the healing properties of earth. An important factor is my guardian angel/dog is looking over me and around me so I can truly let my guard down.
Q&A continued
WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT?
Being very human, being away from hustle-culture, being close to source.
WHAT'S A STRUGGLE YOU HAVE OVERCOME?
Letting go of the comforts of the life I built in LA — deciding to leave behind my friends, home, family, belongings, and city was so extremely difficult. And I got through it, taking it one step at time, and giving myself no other option; this had to be done. It’s made facing anything challenging, which van life is (!), much easier. Like all those steps I took towards my decision built up the confidence within myself. I started eating better, working out more, chasing curiosities, and listening to myself. A positive domino effect.
Q&A continued
WHAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT HAS RECENTLY IMPACTED YOU?
Going to a great therapist that studies Carl Jung – he pointed out my lifelong enmeshed with the masculine in a way that I never noticed myself shrinking into. It catapulted a new hyper fixation on individuation and radical freedom in a form I’ve never given to myself.
WHAT THOUGHTS CURRENTLY OCCUPY YOUR MIND?
Practicing what I know as home in a new context; Good content - when you can genuinely tell people are wondering what you're up to, good content is just good l…Practicing what I know as home in a new context; Good content - when you can genuinely tell people are wondering what you're up to, good content is just good lore; The wonderment of my life is a daily occurrence and I am grateful for that; Abundant mindset (no scarcity thinking) offers the balance and free will to document and to lean in without documenting; Some things are sacred to the moment; It took a long time for me to find myself, and if you're here, thanks for not giving up on me when I was lost; Where do you stop and I begin?
READ
MY COU COU TALKS PIECE IS ...
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, along with a long-format podcast breaking down the book and his teachings. It rocked my world back in 2019, during a time that I was giving myself the gift of an open road. The fact I learned about consciousness in this way on a roadtrip 5 years ago and am now doing it as my new lifestyle felt right to acknowledge again.
“Look at a tree, a flower, a plant. Let your awareness rest upon it. How still they are, how deeply rooted in being. Allow nature to teach you stillness.”
–A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
WATCH
THREE FILMS THAT SHIFTED MY PERSPECTIVE ARE...
Inception, because it validated my early interest in astral projection and the dream world; Howls Moving Castle, because it reminds me of the magic of simplicity; Breakfast at Tiffany’s, because Holly Golightly is the blueprint
FAVORITE FILM OF ALL TIME
Perfect Blue or Wild at Heart
“The wonderment of my life is a daily occurrence and I am grateful for that… It took a long time for me to find myself.”
– Rachel Nguyen
LISTEN
THREE SOUNDS THAT HAVE IMPACTED ME ARE...
I love listening to this man talk about nature. David Abrams. This is a great podcast episode that I’ve revisited a few times;
Experiencing IRL Omar S’s DJ sets shifted something in me. He is a whole ass vibe; Utter silence. It’s actually quite hard to come by, expect when you’re deep in nature and you can hear your own heart beat. It’s profound.
FAVORITE SONG AND WHY?
Jenny O - Lazy Jane. The tenderness of her voice hasn’t gotten old and might be my most played song in life. I resurrect it every time I feel love sick.
