Building While Flying

Hal Andrews is a lawyer turned entrepreneurial healthcare executive. He's currently the CEO of Trilliant Health, an analytics and data science company that provides market analytics, predictive analytics and market research for healthcare providers. It's the fifth healthcare startup for which he's served as CEO. On this week's episode, Hal joins Mickey to talk through each step of his career, and...

Victoria Garrick is not only an accomplished collegiate athlete. She's a speaker, TED Talk host, nonprofit founder, and mental health advocate who shares her story and message of support to millions. After struggling with her own depression and mental health in college, she gave her now famous TED Talk, "The Hidden Opponent," in 2017, which explored mental health challenges for student athletes. N...

When Stacy Tuschl started teaching dance classes in her parents' backyard at age 18, she wasn't planning on starting a business. Within three years, she had 100 students, and the Academy of Performing Arts was born. It's now grown to hundreds of students, two locations, an entire team, a consulting business, and a 2019 Wisconsin Small Business Person of the Year award.  Stacy's small business jour...

For Gary Sheng, the year 2016 kicked off a deep exploration of civics, leadership, and the future of democracy—which ultimately led him to his calling.  Gary Sheng is a Co-Founder and the COO of Civics Unplugged, a platform and movement focused on empowering the next generation to build the future of democracy. Its three-month civic leadership fellowship for high school students provides a civics...

Jess Tillyer is the Chief Brand and Experience Officer at re—inc., an eco-conscious fashion and lifestyle brand. re—inc. was founded in 2019 by U.S. Women's Soccer superstars Christen Press, Tobin Heath, Megan Rapinoe, and Meghan Klingenberg to empower people to reimagine the status quo and the world around them. In this week's episode of Building While Flying, Jess joins Katie to tell re—inc's st...

Sports fan apparel has gotten a major facelift recently, thanks to Whitney Bansin and The Wild Collective. In 2016, Whitney founded The Wild Collective, a fashion-forward lifestyle and apparel brand that sits at the intersection of sports and fashion. They are licensed across the nation's biggest sports leagues, including the NHL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, and MLS, as well as select collegiate teams. Whitne...

Storytelling has been in Alex Kushneir's blood since birth. After studying film and television (and playing football) at Baylor University, Alex cut his teeth in the production world working for companies like CNBC, Huffington Post, Cheddar, and more. After just eight years in the industry, Alex and colleague Jay Shetty co-founded Icon Media, a full-service content studio that helps brands create...

Not everyone can say they co-founded and built a brand while navigating business school. This week's Building While Flying guest did just that—and this is only the beginning of her entrepreneurial journey. Libie Motchan co-founded Fulton with her business school classmate Daniel Nelson, after they bonded over shared foot pain and a lack of a reasonable solution for it. Between their classes and ho...

College athletics are going to look a lot different this year, thanks to the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rules that were signed into effect earlier this year. Joining us this week on Building While Flying is Mike Neligan, CMO of VaynerSports, to answer the question we're all asking: what does all this mean?  Mike joined VaynerSports two years ago, after 15 years in sports management at places...

We're keeping it short and sweet this week on Building While Flying. Mickey and Katie announce a hiatus from new episodes for the month of August. We've tested and learned—as is in our DNA—and it's time to optimize. There's a lot of awesome work happening behind the scenes, with exciting new guests and improvements coming. We look forward to sharing them with you all in our first episode back on S...

For this week's podcast guest, almost every relationship, opportunity, and experience can be tied back to the sport of basketball. He now uses lessons from his own experiences and from some of the all-time greats to teach and lead others to success. Welcome to Building While Flying! This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the Vayner...

Building a brand for your clients is one thing. Building your own brand and company—with your husband, no less—is a whole different adventure. But it's one adventure that this week's guest embarked upon head on. And their story is quite magical.  Welcome to Building While Flying! This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the VaynerX f...

Earlier this year, Mickey and Gary joined Matt Hunckler for the Powderkeg Unvalley Conference. Powderkeg is a network of local communities with global reach for tech entrepreneurs, investors, and top talent. Unvalley is a two-day virtual event that explores the untapped potential beyond Silicon Valley.  In this special bonus episode, we're bringing their keynote session to our listeners, so you al...

Some things just run in the family. Such is the case for this week's guest. What started with a $2,000 investment and a dream is now one of the world's most popular barbecue brands that people enjoy in restaurants and their own homes. Welcome to Building While Flying! This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the VaynerX family of com...

The restaurant industry is not for the faint of heart, especially if you're operating in college towns. When the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the industry, many businesses closed and let their staff go. This week's guest did the exact opposite.  Welcome to Building While Flying! This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the Vayn...

It's easy to tell when a company has become "truly digital"—especially in the financial services industry. This week's guest discusses why being "truly digital" in fintech matters, and the best ways to get there while building trust with your customers. Welcome to Building While Flying! This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the Va...

Non-profit owners, employees, donors, supporters—this week's episode is for you! There are a lot of assumptions and stigmas surrounding non-profits and what it's like to run them. This week's guests debunk many of those, and show what has made theirs so successful for the last seven years. Welcome to Building While Flying! This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-t...

Agency life is packed full of lessons and experiences you'll take with you on every next step of your career. For this week's podcast guest, those lessons helped him build a multi-million dollar brand that's now a household name and has made a difference in wellness for thousands of people. Welcome to Building While Flying! This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-...

There's a nuance between networking and relationship building. While the former can feel superficial and, at times, self-serving, our podcast guest this week explains how the latter can impact your career and life, and how it has helped her grow as a professional and human. Welcome to Building While Flying! This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized b...

If entering the spirits industry—as rookies, no less—were easy, everyone would do it. Childhood best friends JD Recobs and Chris Buglisi are tackling this challenge head on with a unique product: whiskey for everyone. Welcome to Building While Flying! This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the VaynerX family of companies. We help a...

Live events were one of the biggest casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic. But Daniel Curtis and his teams saw this as an opportunity to slow down, reflect, and find their next path forward. Welcome to Building While Flying! This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the VaynerX family of companies. We help ambitious companies build stro...

Fixing the broken food system is no piece of cake—but one brand believes they can do it, one bowl of soup at a time.  Welcome to Building While Flying! This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the VaynerX family of companies. We help ambitious companies build strong brands that flex with the times through strategy, branding, media, a...

What is modern fatherhood? How do you build an authentic brand, and remain true to it over time? How do you pitch a show to Food Network? Is being in reality TV worth it? All these and more are answered in this week's episode of Building While Flying—so buckle up, it's gonna be a ride! Welcome to Building While Flying! This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-me...

The beauty industry is often seen as shallow, and it's not often taken very seriously. One entrepreneur is out to change that stigma and make a difference. Real-estate investor turned beauty entrepreneur Arah Sims brings her passion for purpose to the industry, while empowering people everywhere to explore a new form of self-expression. Welcome to Building While Flying! This weekly podcast is brou...

What does it mean to be a "conscious entrepreneur" and lead a purpose-driven business and brand? This week's episode of Building While Flying answers that question (and more!) and addresses the need for more companies to start doing the same.  Welcome to Building While Flying! This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the VaynerX fami...