Causal Impact: How Quentin Turns Personal Branding into Opportunity

I first met Quentin Gaella over a year ago when he was about to come to Lithuania to teach students the Foundations of Data Science in Marketing at ISM University of Management and Economics. Let’s admit, for the majority of students, data science doesn’t sound like an easy topic – it doesn’t sound easy to me either! But then I looked up Quentin’s social media – LinkedIn and Instagram specifically – and was fascinated by how effortlessly and in such a relatable way he was able to explain complex concepts.

What also caught my attention was his exceptional personal branding on social media. From thorough descriptions that reflected a clear and strong positioning to consistent posting, visually appealing colors, and other branding elements, his profiles left me wondering: how and where did he begin his personal branding journey?

Now, with Quentin back in Vilnius, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to ask him a few questions about his journey and insights.

Quentin, you position yourself as an expert, consultant, and trainer who helps companies elevate their decision-making and data skills through causality. By uncovering cause-and-effect relationships, you help organizations move beyond mere correlation and intuition to make reliable, data-driven decisions that impact their goals.?Where did your passion for this field come from?

This is a question I get a lot, because anyone who talks to me or follows my seminars/lectures quickly notices that I have stars in my eyes when I talk about causality. I am obsessed with these questions, and they are everywhere. A return on investment is a causal measure (it’s the consequence of an investment), measuring the impact of any business decision on sales or environmental impact, and even health-related choices are all about cause-and-effect.

There are two main “rational” reasons (and many more): Causality is essential for decision-making and is widely misunderstood. Hence, it is particularly useful to highlight this, address the issue, or mitigate it by spreading knowledge.

How did you come up with your brand, “The Causal Mindset”? Do you feel that people are now more familiar with your own name or “The Causal Mindset”?

The under exploitation of causal analysis primarily stems from the fact that it is laden with complex math. However, I’ve taught these concepts to about 15,000 people so far and realized that most of the key ideas can be shared in a non-technical way. As my goal is to contribute positively to society, I focused on distilling this knowledge into a clear, non-technical framework that allows anyone to challenge causal claims and make better decisions. Moreover, I witnessed many people who rewired their brain once they started applying these concepts, viewing the world differently. Hence, the idea of a “Mindset” naturally arose. In conversations, I noticed many people spontaneously using this term and adopting it quickly, as if it were already widely accepted, which confirmed it was a good fit.

I feel like people are still more familiar with my name rather than “The Causal Mindset.” This might change due to big announcements later this year.

What inspired you to start focusing on personal branding on social media?

Two things, I would say. First, it goes back to my main goal: helping society. I started out as a scientist, an academic researcher, and in that domain, communication is key if you want to share complex results with people who might benefit from them. Note that I worked, to align with my goal, on very applied and timely topics such as the effects of COVID-19 lockdowns or the effect of sending weapons on conflict in Africa and refugee flows.

Second, I have a personal taste and interest in communication. Before going into academia, I did an apprenticeship where I crafted visual identities and websites. I have always liked the multimedia domain—playing with video editing, visuals, and so on.

What challenges do you face when branding yourself on social media?

It’s hard to assess the causal effect of all these numerous/constant small decisions you make while communicating online (from colors, to length, including hooks or pictures). What boosts my reach? What improves retention? And so forth.

But essentially, I just try to stay true to myself, offer valuable content, and of course, use my tools and framework to study the causal impacts.

How would you describe your personal branding strategy?

I stay true and just aligned with who I am and my values. That allows me to maintain a consistent message and attract people who appreciate what I share, my perspectives and who I am. Instead of trying to find an audience and cater to it, I let people come to me based on their interest in my content.

Take the bright pink colors I use, for example. I just really like them. It’s not engineered or deeply analyzed; it’s simply personal taste. It also happens to be eye-catching and differentiating, but that’s just a happy consequence.

What do you think makes your content resonate with your audience?

Many people have shared this with me, so I’m confident in my answer: First, they see my passion and enthusiasm, which is contagious. Second, they stick around because what I share is profoundly useful and very niche. That’s what’s so remarkable: it’s incredibly important for decision-making but still vastly underused (for now and it is changing with numerous companies, in particular tech giants having entire teams working on causal analysis).

Personal branding can feel overwhelming for many. What advice would you give to someone who feels intimidated by the process?

Isn’t it essential to know yourself and accept who you are?

Personal branding for me, and my strategy, is simply being true to myself and making that visible. Maybe I’m too honest, and it is not maximizing my reach/sales, but that’s who I am. So if your personal branding is “healthy” and aligns with your values, it can be a fascinating process that helps you discover more about yourself.

However, being “public” and posting on social media isn’t for everyone. You have to be ready to handle criticism, face trolls, or even receive insults. You also need to be prepared to make mistakes and own them.

What tools or platforms do you find most effective for personal branding, and why?

I post content on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Medium. However, LinkedIn is my main platform and the only one I use consistently. First, because I’m self-employed and support companies, LinkedIn is where I get my leads. Second, the other platforms (IG, TikTok, YouTube) require video creation, which I enjoy, but it’s very time-consuming and highly competitive. Finally, I don’t “surf” a lot on IG and never on TikTok, so I don’t have a natural engagement loop of posting and commenting there.

How has personal branding influenced your professional opportunities or personal growth?

This is a causal question. See, it is everywhere. Qualitatively, it is hard to disentangle the effect of my online activity from my personal branding. That being said, my online activity has a massive impact on my career. Almost all my leads come from Linkedin. Moreover, I actually learn a ton by spending time on LinkedIn, sharing content and exchanging with others. In addition, I created a real valuable network of people worldwide I talk to every week or meet. It also significantly opened my mind by exposing it to other views. I escaped the echo chamber of my initial small network within my department.? Finally, this activity is so important to show the world what you are doing. I don’t need to present myself usually as people already read my content, saw my message and hence it just helps tremendously to show what you are doing “out there”.

What‘s next for “The Causal Mindset”?

The biggest step is my book, which will hopefully be published in 2025. Many interesting people would like to join, so I’m looking forward to seeing it grow. Also, I see that my field of expertise is gaining more and more visibility. Everyone wants traditional AI, but its limitations are becoming increasingly clear, particularly the lack of “causal” understanding, which naturally leads people to causal analysis (including causal AI).

Quentin's journey shows that passion, authenticity, and simplicity drive impactful personal branding. Staying true to his values, he simplifies complex ideas, delivers consistent messaging, and leverages personal branding for growth and networking, fostering trust and meaningful connections. With a forthcoming book and growing global impact, Quentin proves personal branding is about staying true to yourself and making it visible.

Below are the places where you can follow Quentin and get to know him better (highly recommended):

• Quentin Gaella on LinkedIn
• Personal website: ?https://www.quentingallea.com/
• Free app: https://www.thecausalmindset.com/
• Quentin's TED Talk

Thank you for your answers, Quentin!

Hope this article inspired you. Looking forward to share more in the near future.

Sincerely,

Dominyka

wwww.personacognita.com

www.thepromise.lt

Feel free to contact me about personal branding consulting or employee advocacy (ambassadorship) programs for your business or organization.