Three-time author and Playboy Club creator Valerie Cody sits down with us to chat about memes, farm life, and the title of her eventual autobiography.
Playboy: To start us off, where were you born?
Valerie Cody: I was born in a small town in Iowa. I was a farm girl and I did all of the farm tasks all year round.
We would do something called picking rocks, where we would go out to the field and pick the rocks out of the field so that the machinery wouldn’t hit it later during harvest, and I would help my dad bale hay and mow the lawn. And when I was younger, we had animals to tend to, like pigs, and I would help with all that stuff growing up.
Playboy: Do you look fondly back on farm life?
Valerie: Definitely. At the time, it felt like a lot of hard work, you know, getting up early and stuff like that. But you know, looking back on it, I feel so lucky and just really happy that I had that sort of upbringing and I learned so much. I built such a connection to the land and the understanding of how to tend to it. And I feel very fortunate to have had those experiences.
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Playboy: What was the first thing you ever dreamed of achieving?
Valerie: I think the first thing I ever dreamed of achieving would be writing a book. I always was a reader, and I really wanted to write a book someday. I didn’t know about what or when it would happen, but yeah, I really wanted to do that.
I’ve written three books. “The Beauty Alchemist” was my debut, and I used the information and knowledge that I gained from my yoga teacher training and just life experience to create that book. It’s sort of like a spiritual wellness guidebook. And then my other two books are poetry. The second book is “Sugar Words,” a collection of erotic stories and sensual poems. And then the my most recent publication is called “Slow Motion: A Poetic Recollection.”
Playboy: What are you passionate about?
Valerie: I love this question. I am passionate about beauty. I love being in beautiful spaces and viewing beautiful Renaissance art and architecture that has symmetry and beauty. And being in beautiful spaces and creating beauty is a passion of mine. And I also love fine fabrics and beautiful clothing and the process of being feminine and doing makeup and all that.
Playboy: Describe your perfect day.
Valerie: My perfect day would be wake up whenever I want. So sleep in if I want to, wake up on my own clock. And then start with a green juice and a walk outside just to get that fresh morning air and yoga, and then mostly time spent at home. I would love to spend a day at home. I’m a homebody, so I like reading and spending time with my husband and just relaxing at home.
Playboy: What possession do you treasure most?
Valerie: I love collecting, like, nice, beautiful things…probably my wedding ring. My husband designed it for me.
Playboy: What food do you reach for when you’re feeling blue?
Valerie: Mmm, I love chocolate chip cookies. Vegan chocolate chip cookies. Homemade, or sometimes you can buy them in the bakery section of Whole Foods.
Playboy: What’s your catchphrase?
Valerie: A catchphrase that I seem to have adopted is “school of thought.” Because I find it interesting to read up on different philosophical positions, traditions or ways of thinking. So, I will be out and about and notice something that reminds me of something I learned.
For example, I was out with a friend and when she pulled out her wallet, I noticed that she had a red wallet, and so I said, “Did you know there’s a school of thought that believes that having a red wallet brings good luck and abundance?”
Playboy: What’s the last thing you Googled?
Valerie: Google Translate, because I’m always like translating comments and stuff that people like send me, and I have to figure out what they say. It was something in Portugese.
Playboy: What’s the title of your autobiography?
Valerie: Oh, I love this question. I think a good name for my autobiography would be “Beauty for Beauty’s Sake.” And it would be the story of a girl who is looking for the meaning of life through the study and investigation of all the different kinds of beauty in the world—be it poetry, music, art, architecture, literature, or the beauty and mysteries of human connection, spirituality or love. I believe in doing justice to the beauty of the world by appreciating it and honoring it.
Playboy: What’s a talent you wish you had?
Valerie: I really wish I could sing. I think it’s so beautiful when people can use their voices to create such a beauty. But I don’t have a singer’s voice.
Playboy: What tweet, meme or viral video speaks to you?
Valerie: This one I was ready for, and I thought about what my husband would say. So I love the Nanalan viral videos when she’s like, “Who’s that wonderful girl?” And she was like, coming down the stairs. It’s so cute. Yeah, that’s definitely my vibe, me and my husband’s vibe.
Valerie Cody is on The Playboy Club. Talk to her now.
