Andrea Sullivan is the CEO of vYve by Vayner, a high-performance accelerator program for entrepreneurs and C-suite executives. She is also a Professor in the Masters in Branding program at the School of Visual Arts and serves as a board member at Creative Spirit, the Ad Council, and the United Nations Association of New York. Before joining vYve by Vayner, Andrea was the Chief Marketing Officer at VaynerX, where she built C-suite communities and managed Gary Vaynerchuk’s marketing programs.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- [0:00] Gary Vaynerchuk’s top marketer, Andrea Sullivan, shares the secret to growth without burnout
- [5:27] How Andrea joined VaynerX
- [7:23] What does it take to build a brand in 2025?
- [10:36] The role of storytelling and vulnerability in driving strong brand connections
- [16:33] Social media’s influence on today’s youth
- [26:34] Underutilized resources brands can leverage for growth
- [32:07] Advice for leaders to create a dynamic culture
- [35:33] Andrea shares her latest ventures in Miami, Florida
In this episode…
Today’s leaders are facing pressure like never before. With rapid changes in technology, cultural dynamics, and social media, CEOs and entrepreneurs are feeling the heat, and many admit that this stress impacts their decision-making and overall well-being. How can leaders rise above the chaos and create brands that resonate in today’s market?
According to leadership development and branding expert Andrea Sullivan, leaders can navigate these challenges by embracing vulnerability, self-awareness, and authenticity. She emphasizes the importance of leading from the heart, connecting with culture, and creating safe environments where people feel seen. Additionally, prioritizing organic storytelling over high-production messaging can foster deeper engagement and lasting brand loyalty. Leaders must also be willing to let go of their egos, build trust across teams, and maintain continuous introspection to evolve.
In today’s episode of What The Teck? Rolando Rosas and Dave Kelly chat with Andrea Sullivan, the CEO of vYve by Vayner, about building authentic leadership in a digital-first society. Andrea explains the role of emotional intelligence in brand building, the importance of vulnerability, and how to build a dynamic culture from the top down.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Rolando Rosas on LinkedIn
- Dave Kelly on LinkedIn
- Global Teck Worldwide
- Circuit Loops
- Andrea Sullivan on LinkedIn
- vYve by Vayner
- Gary Vaynerchuk
- VaynerX
- VeeFriends
- James Orsini on LinkedIn
- “The Man Quietly Building a Media Powerhouse at VaynerMedia” with James Orsini on What The Teck?
- “FORMER AMAZON LEADER: ’Learn the RULES of the game before you jump into Amazon.’” with James Thomson on What The Teck?
Quotable Moments:
- “Life is a lot more fun if you’re just yourself and if you really lean into that.”
- “We are making content that people love, that gives them a feeling, that gets them to do something.”
- “The most important thing is to make your employees feel seen and to feel safe.”
- “You got to get in there, and you got to do the work, and you got to keep doing it.”
- “We believe that’s the way to go — building brand organically in ways that deliver real ROI.”
Action Steps:
- Lead with vulnerability at the top: When leaders share authentically, it creates psychological safety and builds deeper trust across teams. This openness encourages others to bring their full selves to work, strengthening connection and collaboration.
- Balance brand and performance marketing: Focusing only on conversions can undermine long-term brand loyalty. A balanced strategy ensures sustained growth while building meaningful relationships with customers.
- Build culturally relevant content: Staying close to cultural trends allows brands to resonate more deeply and remain top of mind. It also increases shareability and emotional impact in today’s fast-moving digital landscape.
- Foster self-awareness among leaders: Understanding one’s own strengths, triggers, and blind spots is essential for effective leadership. Self-aware leaders make better decisions and model the behavior they want to see in others.
- Empower young talent across all levels: Encourage contributions from employees regardless of age or tenure. Great ideas can come from anywhere, and empowering diverse voices drives innovation and inclusivity.
Sponsor for this episode…
This episode is brought to you by Global Teck Worldwide.
We are a full-service online retailer of professional headsets, webcams, and speaker phones from top manufacturers.
Since 2002, Global Teck Worldwide has provided affordable, high-quality communications equipment and customized telecommunications services to organizations of all sizes.
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Episode Transcript:
Andrea Sullivan 0:00
50% of CEOs are so stressed out and they’re battling mental health challenges such that they believe that they’re making bad decisions. 50% those are the ones that are admitting it. And so if CEOs are feeling that stress level that you can only imagine that the rest of the company, I think, some of the best leaders, they’re able to really connect with the people in service of their business in a way that’s really human. What do
Rolando Rosas 0:25
you think it will take to build a brand in 2025 I have a secret.
Andrea Sullivan 0:30
You can’t let this out. This is a secret.
Intro 0:33
Andrea Sullivan is a dynamic force in marketing and leadership. She empowers entrepreneurs by helping them unlock their true potential. She’s worked alongside Gary Vaynerchuk redefining how brands connect and influence culture.
Andrea Sullivan 0:47
In my 20s, I always tried to dress like all the dudes I was around. I started trying to call myself Andrea because I was a little embarrassed about the fact that I was from Wisconsin. At that time, I was the only Midwest woman that was probably in sales and printing in New York City. What you realize is life is a lot more fun if you’re just yourself. The only way to stay relevant, whether it’s a business and a brand, or whether it’s a leader, is to really lean into who you are, but also connect with people where they are so that you can make a difference.
Rolando Rosas 1:19
How do you lean into the heart? It
Andrea Sullivan 1:23
really starts with
Rolando Rosas 1:29
Welcome to What the Teck?, your gateway to business strategies and tech secrets shaping today’s workplace. Dave, there’s nothing like heading into the future and 2025 is shaping up to be the most impactful year I think we’re gonna have, with so much rapid change happening in the world, work in social media and everywhere else,
Dave Kelly 1:53
the new strategies and new changes politically and unsure about economic situations, we’re all looking back to 2024 and we’re ready to move forward and kick some ass.
Rolando Rosas 2:05
I know, and you know, when things are the way they are, I always like looking and talking to wiser people than me, people that have, you know, in the words of a former guest, James Orsini, to help us avoid potholes. And we have someone who is really close to James Orsini. He’s like an uncle to me, because he sounds like somebody I know. We get somebody who’s close to him, close to Gary V which is somebody a lot of people also know and recognize. Please, welcome to the podcast. Andrea Sullivan,
Andrea Sullivan 2:40
Rolando! Dave!
Rolando Rosas 2:43
excited. Good to see you. Andrea. I know we were chatting about Andrea. Andrea, you happen to like Andrea, so I’m gonna stick with it. You don’t mind like
Andrea Sullivan 2:52
it. I like it because you know how to pronounce that just ever so perfectly.
Dave Kelly 2:56
And if I try to roll my tongue, is that gonna what’s gonna happen
Andrea Sullivan 3:01
with that, Dave, what do you think? I’m not sure you can go for it if you want. Yeah, I know I am. I’m gonna go for my role that my Rolando. No,
Rolando Rosas 3:11
yeah, I’m giving that clap up. I’m gonna clap that up. I love that. That’s great pronunciation. Love it. Dave’s from the northeast, so you know, that may be a bit of a challenge for him, huh? Well, you
Andrea Sullivan 3:22
know, I’m from the Midwest, Ave, and if I can get there, I know I can bring you along too. Let’s do it together. Let’s do it together in 2025,
Dave Kelly 3:29
2025 that’s my new thing. Roll my R’s. Roll
Andrea Sullivan 3:35
your R. Did you say, James Orsini, is that what I heard you saying, yes. Did I say, oh my gosh, it’s so good. I mean, I love you guys madly, but James Orsini he is everybody’s uncle, isn’t he? He’s like, the smartest uncle that you want to have by your side at all times. And I have to say, I’m really lucky to be a business partner with him.
Rolando Rosas 3:55
He came on the podcast, and this is no exaggeration, the words he spoke really stuck with him, and I’ve talked to a lot of really good people, but you know, he’s wise, he’s been around a lot of people, and he’s just a fascinating person. Because you wouldn’t think he’d have a nickname like Jimmy the pencil, right? Like, that’s a more of a mob guy kind of name, right? Made guy kind of name. But an accountant with the name Jimmy the pencil. He’s got to be a very intriguing guy,
Andrea Sullivan 4:22
yeah, and he’s got pictures to back that whole image up, I’ll tell you. And, yeah, I mean, there’s nothing like having somebody who can really give you smart, intelligent insights in a way that he’s always there for you right when you need it. And he’s got tremendous follow through, and he makes people feel seen, which I think is something that’s so important, especially now, as you guys were talking about 2025 I think everybody’s trying to figure out, how do they find themselves and maybe create that breakthrough moment? And he’s somebody that does a lot of that kind of work for a lot
Rolando Rosas 4:55
of people, working for somebody as dynamic is Gary, and he told this story of how he. Got hired. Gary is no slouch. He does his homework and to impress somebody like him, and he told us this story over dinner how that happened. It was just a little bit of a reveal behind the curtain, a bit into Gary’s thinking and his world and what somebody like James and by extension, yourself, because now you’re working with him very closely in this new kind of division that VaynerX has in vYve. That’s
Andrea Sullivan 5:27
right, yeah. So it’s a whole new venture that we just launched in 2024 called vYve by Vayner, and we can talk about that a little bit more, but it’s essentially a leadership acceleration program that’s designed for entrepreneurs and for C suiteers to become their best and their happiest selves. And I feel so lucky to be doing this work now. But yeah, if you roll in the clock bag and to think about, How did I end up joining Vayner, I have a secret. You can’t let this out. This is a secret. Did not join Vayner because of Gary Vaynerchuk, I joined because of James Orsini. James and I worked together at Interbrand for many years, and I was a part of inter brand and Omnicom for almost 16 years. And when he joined Vayner, I actually was one of the last ones to talk to him to say, you must go take that role at Vayner. He then called me a couple years later and said, hey, it’s time for you to come over. And I said, Oh, I’d love to talk to Gary, but I’m not sure if I want to work for Gary, only to then meet Gary, and even more importantly, meet other members of his team beyond the James’s of the world, and to realize that he attracts just the most incredible talent, very diverse talent, in terms of the way that people think, the way they behave. They’re all extremely curious, they’re really driven, but they are some of the kindest people I’ve ever met in my life. So feel very lucky to be here. But yeah, it was actually James. Was the one that was across the dinner table. For me, it wasn’t
Rolando Rosas 7:01
necessarily he played the role of Gary V at your That’s right. That’s right. You know, let’s jump into the brand question. Because I think a lot of people, when they think about Gary V, they think VaynerMedia, they think social media. And as you were talking about 2025 will be different. What do you think it will take to build a brand in 2025
Andrea Sullivan 7:23
Yeah, so I think it’s going to take major breakthroughs. And it’s not just enough to be differentiated. You got to be really close to culture. You have to be connected in ways that show that you are all about the walk, not just the talk. And I think that there’s so much complexity out there. You guys were hitting it straight away, that everything is changing so quickly, and we’re out there on the front lines, really tracking what’s going on on the platforms and social media, with the algorithms, but with culture, most importantly, and the only way to stay relevant, whether it’s a business and a brand, or whether it’s a leader, is to really lean into who you are and to really live that authentically, but also connect with people where they are, so that you can make a difference.
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