What if crashing out is part of the plan?
In this episode of Petal Perspectives, the Purple Lotus Mental Health Podcast, we sit down with Jeff Nguyen, a recruiter at Tesla (previously Amazon and Google) and the founder of Boba Talks, a nonprofit that gives students free mentorship from industry professionals. It has grown into a Discord community of more than 14,000 members.
Jeff has sat on both sides of the hiring table, and he is open about his own rough college years. We talk about crashing out, finding a mentor, setting boundaries, standing out with no experience, and why going to therapy does not need a big reason.
If you are a student or early in your career and feeling stuck, this one is for you.
From College Crash Out to Recruiter
Jeff calls himself a college crash out. He struggled with identity in undergrad, stepped away, and remembers crying in a campus library bathroom, scared about what came next.
What followed was a string of side quests: a contract at Riot Games, wedding planning, finishing his degree, selling computers at Microsoft, and eventually landing at Amazon, where he moved into interview scheduling and then recruiting. His point is not that it all worked out neatly. It is that a messy path still leads somewhere.
How One Mentor Changed Everything
Getting into a big tech company did not bring the satisfaction Jeff expected. On one especially hard day, a senior recruiter pulled him aside and talked with him person to person. She heard his story and pointed out that working with students was a big part of who he was.
Jeff took that to heart, along with another piece of advice: don't wait until you have the job to do the job. He started messaging students on LinkedIn once a week, then daily, then several times a day. That turned into Boba Talks.
Growing up with constant comparisons to cousins and friends, Jeff never had an older person to turn to for advice. Now he tries to be that person for others.
Learning to Say No
For most of his late 20s, Jeff said yes to everyone. Being available was the value he offered. It also cost him his social life and his mental health.
It was only when he started saying no that those things came back. Saying no is not selfish, he says. Sometimes you just don't have the time, and resting today means showing up better tomorrow.
The Conversations We Don't Have
When students talk to Jeff, mental health comes up a lot. The people he worries about most are the ones who never talk about how they feel.
Nobody loves being vulnerable. There is fear of judgment and fear of getting hurt. But pushing feelings aside does not make them go away. The longer you wait, the harder they hit when you can't outrun them anymore.
When to See a Therapist: You Don't Need a Big Reason
Jeff has two reasons for going to therapy:
- Maintenance: like an oil change, he goes regularly just to check in and stay grounded
- When something feels off: when something underneath just isn't clicking and he can't think his way out of it
You don't need a dramatic reason to ask for help. Going just to go is a sign of maturity. At worst, you get reassurance. At best, you get someone who helps you process what you have been carrying.
Job Hunting When Nothing Is Working
Hundreds of applications and nothing back? Jeff's honest answer: it is supposed to be hard, and almost nobody's plan A works out. But you don't need an internship to prove what you can do. Recruiters look for signals, and those can come from:
- Personal or group projects
- Events you organize in your field
- Student startups, even the ones that fail
- Community work, like building something people show up for
Jeff credits Boba Talks for helping him land roles at Amazon, Google, and Tesla. Experience comes in all shapes. Don't tunnel vision on internships.
Give Yourself Permission
The theme Jeff sees most often is people not giving themselves permission: to rest, to say they are tired, to slow down. Going through it in your early 20s is part of the process. Sit with it, reflect, and grow from it.
His message to his 10-year-old self: be a kid, learn to stand up for yourself, and learn to say no. And for everyone listening: everyone is healing from something, so be kind to each other.
Watch the Full Episode
Watch the full conversation with Jeff Nguyen on YouTube or listen on Spotify to hear more about crashing out, recruiting, and growing up in your 20s.
Learn more about Boba Talks.
Explore more conversations and mental health resources at Purple Lotus Mental Health.
About Purple Lotus Mental Health
Purple Lotus Mental Health is a Canadian mental health platform focused on making therapy and mental wellness resources more accessible. Through therapist directories, educational content, and conversations like these, Purple Lotus aims to create more open and supportive discussions around mental health.
Feeling stuck in your 20s? Find a therapist who gets it.
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Written by
Cher Peng
Co-Founder, Marketing & Community Lead
Cher Peng (she/they) is a community-driven builder based in Vancouver who completed her studies at the University of British Columbia. She is the co-founder of Purple Lotus, a Canadian platform improving access to mental wellness care by helping people find the right therapist quickly and intuitively. Her work sits at the intersection of product, research, and community, with experience spanning UX innovation, venture development, and nonprofit leadership. Cher is driven by a commitment to building human-centered solutions that create meaningful, real-world impact.
