Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Nucete-Elliott.
Hi Andrea, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born in Venezuela raised in Italy. Former Indoor volleyball Pro transitioned to beach volleyball in 2015/16. Having had a very difficult upbringing filled with emotional, physical and sexual abuse, I like to think of myself as an incredibly resilient human being.
When I moved to the US in 2013, I had the goal to become a Neurosurgeon as well as retying the bond with my father, who lived in Houston at the time. Little did I know that life had different plans for me, as I met my husband, Jerritt Elliott, head volleyball coach at the University of Texas in Austin. My life changed direction as I chose to move to Austin, graduate in liberal arts from UT, start a business (www.tiyproducts.com) and pursue my beach volleyball dream. I am lucky to be able to do all those things directly from my home here in Austin and love the impact that my life has had on others.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As I mentioned before, I was sexually abused for ten years by a family member as well as emotionally and physically abused by my biological mother. I found refuge in nature when I lived on the Caribbean island of Margarita in Venezuela and later in sports and school when I lived in Italy.
I developed an eating disorder when I was 16 due to the constant comments made by my mother about my body changing, and finally healed completely from it at the age of 24! I never sought medical help for it, I wanted to get over this huge hurdle all by myself… I did it, as well as dealing with the aftermath implications of my early years.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Besides Beach Volleyball, my husband and I started a hair tie company. TIY stands for Tie It Yourself, which is customizable for the volume of your hair. It started with our friends and family and quickly spread to the volleyball world, as well as the running world since one of our Team members is Olympian Colleen Quigley – Steeple chase runner. We are known for having made such a simple product that works with all hair types, performs and holds true our claims. The TIY Hair Ties is so strong that you can do pull ups with it and it won’t brake, it’s certified up to 13x stronger than a drug store hair tie and at the same time is super SOFT and stretchy.
Brandwise, we are most proud the inclusive community we are creating, regardless of your race, color, hair type and background TIY brings people together and it has become a token of unity and support.
I would like your readers to know that once they try it, TIY will never let them down, fits perfectly and it’s high quality, so give it a chance.
How do you think about luck?
I am not sure about the luck factor in my life. I feel that it has not been of much significance during the course of my life and my business.
Contact Info:
- Email: andrea@tiyproducts.com
- Website: https://www.tiyproducts.com
- Instagram: andreanuceteelliott
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiyproducts/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/tiy_products
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_pkD5F4o8aCcGFcYYS40Tw
- Other: https://www.beachbydre.com
Image Credits
Morgan Knight
