Check Out Mandy Retsuko’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mandy Retsuko.

Hi Mandy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Mandy Retsuko, and I’m a 24-year-old first-generation Vietnamese creative and content creator. I was born and raised in Texas while growing up in north Houston. I’m also a proud Gemini.

I think my journey started in middle school, when I used to film videos just for fun and upload them to my first YouTube channel. That channel doesn’t exist anymore (I deleted it out of embarrassment), but it definitely sparked something in me. In high school, I started experimenting with makeup and posting my looks online. I enjoyed doing it for fun and it helped me build a small following. Toward the end of high school, I got into modeling and began shooting with a close friend. Our collaborations gained even more traction and it really helped me grow creatively. Once I started college, I shifted away from modeling and began focusing on other artistic mediums. In 2020, I launched a small business called Trinkitz, where I designed and sold handmade press-on nails. I moved to Los Angeles in 2023, and since then I’ve just never looked back.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not! But I’ve grown to genuinely appreciate the struggles along the way. I truly believe that challenges and failures are necessary. They shape you. Once I learned to stop seeing myself as a victim and started viewing those experiences as lessons, everything shifted. Mindset is truly where it all begins.

When I graduated college, I felt so relieved. It felt like I had finally completed the one thing that had been expected of me since birth – especially as a first-gen kid. I was excited to finally focus on what I wanted to do and at the time, that was Trinkitz. I poured everything I had into it, creating handmade nail sets for 8 to 12 hours a day. It was a moment in my life where I proved to myself that I could build something out of nothing. The business did well, and I felt inspired and empowered. And then after a couple years, my passion started to fade. I went into debt, I didn’t know how to scale the business, nor did I really want to, and I just felt lost. I had already moved back in with my parents after a failed relationship and I thought I had failed. I became depressed, started distracting myself with relationships, and just felt completely stuck. In 2023, I hit a breaking point. I knew I could not keep living at home and so I decided to just go live on my best friend’s couch in Los Angeles. I had $500 and a dream. There was no job lined up and I was just relying on pure faith and belief in myself.

Once I got to LA, it has been a journey of trial and error. I thought I wanted to be a makeup content creator, but then I got sick of it. Then I became a personal trainer, and then I got sick of it too. I considered becoming a tattoo artist but didn’t follow through. Eventually, I took a job as a substitute teacher just to pay the bills. About five months after moving here, I was fortunately able to move into my own place. That felt like a win. But even then, the depression creeped right back. I didn’t feel fulfilled at all and I couldn’t figure out what I truly wanted. I was just focused on paying the bills each month by working my 9-5, and I stopped creating content because of the uncertainty of it paying the bills. That lack of trust in myself kept me stuck in jobs I didn’t enjoy. I was mentally exhausted, constantly wondering if I’d ever find something I would like long-term. I felt blocked, uninspired, and honestly like I had failed again.

What changed everything for me was reframing my mindset. I realized that all of these experiences – every job and every pivot – were teaching me what didn’t work for me. And that’s just as important as figuring out what does. Every “no” helped clear the path for my “yes.” A quote that has really stuck with me was: “I’ve failed more times than you’ve even tried.” It has reminded me that progress is about taking consistent inspired actions, no matter how many times it feels like you’ve failed.

Growing up, I thought I was going to be so many things: a biochemist, an actress, a makeup guru, a nail artist, a tattoo artist, a personal trainer. The list goes on. And who knows, I still could be any of those things. But as of right now, what I love most is being a content creator and doing it my own way.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m currently still a substitute teacher, but I identify more with being a content creator. I really enjoy making lifestyle content and vlogging. I think in the past I’ve been more so known for my makeup videos and my nail business Trinkitz. Those were important parts of my journey, but lifestyle content is where I’m finding my voice now.

I’m really proud of the life I’ve created for myself since moving to LA at 22 years old, with nothing but pure faith and belief in myself. It hasn’t been an easy ride, but nothing feels better than knowing I did this on my own. I think what sets me apart from others is that I bring a more realistic and playful approach to making lifestyle content. You usually see other content creators showing their lavish lifestyle or showing things that don’t always feel genuine. And it’s no hate to them at all, I love when people get their bag. I’m just not trying to sell a perfect life; I’m sharing my real one. Of course one day I’d love to live in luxury, but as of now I still really enjoy the life I’ve built for myself so far. I do what feels natural and fun for me.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
You have to take risks, that’s literally what life is all about. I feel like all I’ve done in life is take risks. Starting a nail business and selling $100+ nail sets during the peak of COVID was a major risk. Moving to an expensive city with no job and $500 was a major risk. And without these risks, I would not be where I am today and I also would not be as happy as I am today. I know there is such a thing as careless risks, but I believe in calculated risks if we want to get specific with it. You just have to get in tune with you. You know what’s best for you. Nobody can truly tell you what’s best for you but you. Your belief in yourself is where it all starts. There will be people who doubt you and you just have to block that out. Those people are meant to be there because you’re meant to learn how to block out the noise and to keep it pushing. Everything is for your benefit if you choose to frame it in that way. I learned to let the doubt from people who were around me at the time to fuel me. It’s a great feeling to prove people wrong. But also at the same time, the only person you really have to prove anything to is yourself. It’ll always be me vs me.

Anything can happen. And because of that, we don’t know how long we’re going to live. Not to get morbid, but it can serve as a reminder that we might as well take the risk on something our spirit has been nudging us to do. Live the life you want to live now – even if the physical or material things haven’t caught up yet. With belief and consistent inspired action, everything else will follow.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mandyretsuko
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/MandyRetsuko
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mandyretsuko?lang=en

Image Credits
Shot by Sandy Taboo