Amanda Nguyen Goes On “Astronaut Hot Girl Walks”

In Chill Chat, Bustle sits down with celebrities and influencers to talk about all things wellness, from daily routines to hacks for getting a good night’s sleep. Here, Amanda Nguyen shares her astronaut training techniques, her must-have morning drink, and how she feels about her upcoming trip to space.

The fact that Amanda Nguyen is an astronaut is a monumental achievement in itself. But she’s also an activist who founded Rise, a civil rights platform that secures equality for sexual assault survivors, and who kickstarted the Stop Asian Hate movement — two feats that earned her the title Time Woman of the Year in 2022, as well as a 2019 Nobel Peace Prize nomination. She also got the sexual assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act pushed through Congress (unanimously, mind you) in 2016. She’s also written a book, Saving Five. And, this year, she’s about to become the first Vietnamese woman to go to space.

Despite her — ahem — otherworldly accomplishments (at just 33 years old, no less), Nguyen’s wellness routine probably looks a lot like yours. She doomscrolls; she listens to Sabrina Carpenter; she makes matcha lattes.

Still, when I had the opportunity to interview her over Zoom, I didn’t expect her to say much I would relate to. I had just watched her host the 10th International Day of Women in STEM at the United Nations, after all — but, at her core, Nguyen is also just a girl. (Albeit a girl who’s incredibly inspiring.)

That’s why her partnership with E.l.f. Beauty, which is supporting her Rise initiatives and featured her in an episode of its documentary series, Show Your(s)e.l.f., makes perfect sense — she can train for space and make change in the world, all while wearing her go-to red lip.

“That United Nations event was really an amazing constellation of all the parts that make up the joys in my life. I am an activist, I am an astronaut, and I love makeup,” Nguyen says. “To be able to go back to where I had fought for my rights and to bring all these parts of me and stand proudly in it felt really incredible.”

Here, Nguyen chats about her morning rituals, her fave workout, and the best wellness advice she’s ever received.

Walk me through your morning routine.

The first thing I do is make my collagen matcha latte. I actually bring my blender for it with me when I travel. I’ll then use a misting spray — E.l.f. has a wonderful one, called Holy Hydration — that wakes me up.

If there is time, I do a gratitude journal. I practice what I call glimmers — they’re the opposite of triggers. Often our brain is in survival mode and will gravitate toward picking out threats and negative things in our lives, and I wanted to retrain mine to appreciate all of the happy moments.

What does fitness look like for an astronaut?

The most important thing is core strength, for the ability to withstand the high G-forces that will happen both in launch and landing. I also go on daily walks. I am often listening to audiobooks on my hot girl walk — in this case, it’s an astronaut hot girl walk. [Laughs] For me, it’s my chance to sort out what I have to do for the day or reflect on it, depending on what time it is.

What do you do to train your core?

Actually a lot of it is breathwork, although I also do the typical exercises other people do — crunches, cardio.

What’s your favorite form of cardio?

Just walking, and I wouldn’t say the StairMaster is my favorite, but I do it.

What’s on your workout playlist?

Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan. Oh, and of course Brat.

How do you like to unwind after a really hectic day?

Journaling has been really helpful. It helps me process the day. But I also like to watch my favorite TV shows, like Severance or The Ultimatum.

What wellness ritual might people be surprised to hear that you do?

I sleep with a red-light therapy panel. When I’m doomscrolling on TikTok, it makes me feel productive.

In your campaign you mention that you love a red lip. Can you talk about that?

I really want to take up space in hallowed places. In the beginning, I thought, “OK, maybe I should shrink myself,” and that’s the best idea — then I thought, “No, actually I want to be authentic to who I am.” I’m fighting for these rights, and whether that be in the United States Congress, the United Nations, or in space, I will be showing up in the way that I want to. And that means with a full face of glam. In my testimonies, I wear E.l.f.’s No Regrets lipstick.

There’s this dichotomy often that women in STEM can either be engineers or scientists, or they can like makeup and fashion. I want to challenge that, because you can do both.

The recent United Nations event was just one instance of you speaking to a crowd. How do you remain confident during instances like this?

I used to have confidence because I felt like I was on the right side of history as I testified before senators who would make a decision impacting both my justice and people’s civil rights.

Now, I do still feel like that, but it’s evolved into just a lot of gratitude and hope. That hope comes from seeing the ability that we all have to create the change we want in our world. The road to getting to that spot at the U.N. has had its ups and downs, but I got there.

This year, you’re going to be the first Vietnamese woman to go into space. Tell me how you’re feeling about this.

I’m very, very excited. And actually, this year is very significant to me. It’s the 50th anniversary of Vietnam. My flight is a symbol of peace and reconciliation between two former enemies.

I traveled to Vietnam three times last year. I was honestly really nervous about how they would receive me, because my parents fled Vietnam, and I was born in America. But Vietnam has really embraced this moment as a history-making opportunity. You might have noticed that the Vietnamese ambassador to the United Nations was there [at the event], so it was special to be able to have that diplomacy as a part of this entire journey for myself, my family, and my people.

What is the best wellness advice you’ve ever received?

I learned about bravery from my mom, who is a boat refugee. She was caught in a storm, and her boat was sinking. Rescuers threw over a rope, and everyone had to climb this literal lifeline. She said that if you let go of the rope, you would drop into the sea and be swallowed by it — so she was able to climb not by thinking of the entire rope, but just about the next pull and the next pull.

Whenever I’m nervous, I remind myself that I don’t need to have bravery for the entire journey — just for the next step, and then the next. To me, that is core for wellness — being courageous but also being at peace with whatever life throws at you.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.