We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chanelle Van Nguyen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with chanelle below.

Chanelle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I’ve always been a creative at heart, whether it was writing short stories at a young age, creating short films, or making art getting into photography it’s always been my passion to create things. With the rise of Influencer marketing and content creation in my background as a pro athlete, I’ve been able to use my platform to inspire people to live a healthy and active lifestyle as well as work with brands and sponsors.

How I got into it:

Everything just came in to place organically when I would post pictures and videos of me sharing my professional tennis career. I would put my own creative spin to it. I began to share behind-the-scenes of my life as an athlete, and also give tips on Tennis, Padel, Pickleball. (which seems to be the sports that are currently trending right now) I would also share my favorite brands that I used daily to my community and from there started to work with brands doing paid partnerships while still being authentic with my followers.

Once I saw that I could start making a positive impact on my community using my social media presence I decided to become more consistent with my content, and that’s when I started getting bigger brand deals working with companies, such as L’Oreal, Dove and Vaseline. Looking back I would say the only way to “speed up the process” probably would’ve been too post more content, but with my schedule being a pro athlete at the same time, probably wouldn’t have allowed me to, but I created as much content as I could at the time.

The main thing I would say for someone who wants to get into social media content creation and make it a business is to think of what kind of value you can provide to others, what makes you authentic and to stay consistent!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Chanelle was born to immigrant parents from the Philippines and Vietnam, who moved to the United States in search of a better life. Being the first person in her family to receive a full scholarship to UCLA, she had the privilege of studying and playing tennis at one of the world’s top universities. Early on, she was instilled with the values of hard work and discipline, which have been instrumental in her success. Winning a National Championship in 2014 and earning two All-American titles at UCLA propelled her further. Later, she proudly became Vietnam’s highest-ranked female tennis player, clinched a Bronze Medal at the prestigious SEAGames and went on to winning her first professional tennis title in 2022.

While Chanelle is proud of her accomplishments and the barriers she’s overcome, she firmly believes there is more to achieve. Helping others has always been close to her heart. Whether it’s inspiring individuals to unlock their potential or giving back to the next generation of leaders, she is committed to making a positive impact. Chanelle is currently an Ambassador for Aceing Autism, a foundation dedicated to teaching tennis to children with Autism. Additionally, she actively participates in charities like Youth Special Olympic Games, WOW Young Professionals Board (Helping Adults with Autism), and Everyone Eats with Jesus, a Miami-based charity supporting the homeless.

Chanelle is a creative at heart and enjoys showing her online community of over 100k people life on and off the tennis court with a goal of inspiring people live a more healthy active lifestyle. Some of her videos have been shown on ESPN with views reaching over 5+ Million.

Chanelle’s journey has not been without obstacles. People have doubted her, perhaps because she doesn’t fit the mold of a traditional tennis player seen on television. These doubts have only fueled her determination to work harder and achieve greater goals. Contrary to the glamorous perception of professional tennis, the reality is different. Tennis is an individual sport with no guarantees, and the financial struggles, injuries, and grueling tournament season make it challenging to break even. Moreover, the physical and mental toll it takes to navigate the sport independently is immense.

Though Chanelle has faced numerous hardships, she has mostly kept them to herself. However, recently, she decided to take a significant leap and write a book, set to release in Summer 2023. Her aim is to help others cultivate confidence, develop a strong mindset, and realize their full potential.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Sure! My whole life I’ve been doubted as a tennis player because I didn’t really fit the typical elite athlete look (being an 5’2 asian female athlete) but I’ve learned to work hard in silence and to just let my results do the talking. My parents are immigrants who came from nothing so I was taught at a young age to work as hard as I can and to be grateful for everything so I think the main thing that allowed me to be a successful tennis player was having a strong mindset. Which is why, I decided to write my first book on mental toughness!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I have a lot of goals I want to achieve in my life haha, but the overall goal is to make a positive impact in my community using my platform especially within the female community. I’m super passionate about creating a community that grows and supports each other. The amount of reach social media has throughout the world is incredible and to use that to create a positive impact on others is super important especially with mental health becoming a new public health threat in America right now.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: chanellezie
• Other: Tiktok @chanellezie