This one’s a little different. Part café chat, part Helsinki walk-and-talk. We start with rich hot chocolate at a friend’s café (the best in town, according to Van) and then hit the streets, recording in real time as the city hums around us.

Van Nguyen’s story proves that saying yes — even before the paycheck — can lead to reinvention, community, and creative breakthroughs. From Vietnam to Finland, from panic attacks to purpose, Van shares how he rebuilt a creative life through free work, chosen family, and a stubborn belief in hard work.

Along the way, we dive into grief as celebration, the struggle of receiving praise when you’ve been trained to stay “humble,” and the mental sanctuary Van carries with him to feel whole anywhere in the world. It’s raw, inspiring, and a reminder that the next move doesn’t have to be the final one. It just has to be yours.

Highlights

- The “clean slate” year: losing stability in COVID, couch-surfing, and rebuilding through free work

- Panic attacks, grounding, and creating a mental sanctuary on demand

- How free value snowballs into paid opportunities — and why being “so good they can’t ignore you” still works

- Grief as remembrance and celebration: the short film born from a health scare

- Belonging in two homes, two cultures, and building chosen community

- The next chapter: stepping fully into directing and learning to receive praise

- Coaching moment: exploring worst-case scenarios, then making the next move anyway

One Mic-Drop Quote:

“Whatever path you’re on is your path. If it stops feeling right, make the next move.”

Perfect For:

Anyone standing on the edge of a big life change, creatives rebuilding from zero, and humans who need a reminder that courage and kindness still take you far.

Call to Action:

Loved this convo? Share it with a friend who’s plotting a pivot, and tag @litolabs so we can celebrate your next move with you.

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