The words global warming, carbon footprint and net-zero and SDG targets are much more than mainstream media news and buzz words taking place in corporate board rooms. Real world issues exist for our future generations and the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives through today’s global organizations are playing a key role in transforming what is possible for our environmental and sustainable goals.

Audrey Hlembizky, Founder and CEO of TeamsynerG Global Consulting Inc. is an expert in social innovation, leadership, and sustainable business development. Her organization focuses on building socially responsible industries, communities, and economies. Her mission is to empower organizations to embrace an ethical and sustainable aligned approach in leading diverse, inclusive, innovative, and impactful enterprises to advance generational sustainability.

Audrey is passionate about developing rigorous and effective strategies in solving the world’s hardest challenges and her international team of experts are committed to bringing justice to many environmental and human rights matters.

Audrey has learnt over the years that people want to be held accountable, they want to make a difference and contribute to the success of the firms’ projects and goals, but often they cannot see how. The “HOW” is what can get in the way of what people see as possible. She believes her team of international experts are empowering others to achieve what they want to do through expert consulting, leadership coaching and effective training programs.  By engineering human inventiveness, it contributes to ethical and generational sustainability. She says, “Our services focus on developing an organization’s people leaders to be “sustainable and agile thinkers.” Our unique proprietary tools and methodologies are exclusively designed to have people’s key behaviors be a perfect match for our superior systems and process designs to create optimal performance outcomes.”

TeamsynerG is supporting today’s top industries in raising the bar for how they operate ethically and sustainably and demonstrating what leading-edge sustainable practices look like. She feels that the days of claiming to have a “sustainable system” are coming to an end. That measuring and achieving milestones and results through transparency of data, will demonstrate that an organization’s efforts are having a positive impact.

“At TeamsynerG, we are data driven and we let the data do the talking.  Data can provide one source of truth so that planning can be intentional and strategic,” says Audrey.  “For the most part, unless there is willingness to measure performance and the integrity of your systems and processes, you cannot hold people accountable. When leaders ignore data, they ignore possibility”

A Humanitarian Heart that Drives Entrepreneurship  

Audrey has been a successful entrepreneur for over 35 years. Her businesses have been grassroot initiatives and startups that were game changers and industry firsts. She founded, the first nationwide organization that focused on providing teambuilding, spa, personal development, and wellness in the workplace for the corporate and hospitability industry. Incorporating holistic wellness, massage, spa and alternative health care services she created stress management and personal and professional growth experiences that served hundreds of thousands of people from around the world.   She had forty-eight hotel partners and agreements with hundreds of top corporations. This type of experience was not easy to adopt through the late 90’s through to early 2000’s but with patience and perseverance it transformed into an industry need. Through her partnerships with hotels, she had so much firsthand experience to waste management, or lack of it. From food to the overuse of non-recycle plastics. The terms reuse and recycle was not part of any business culture, yet the on-going experience of witnessing waste began to impact Audrey morally. Millions of small plastic bottles that contained shampoo and body wash that a hotel guest would experience on the vanity counter would end up in landfills and take up to 500 years to decompose. Her strong values and principles would not let her mind let go of what she witnessed and began to see the compounding of humanity’s bad habits of what it could potentially do to the planet. This led to her participating in creating an amenities line that is biodegradable, organic, eco-friendly, and using fair trade raw ingredients. Today a large majority of hotels use this type of product as part of their go-green initiatives.

Audrey has been involved in community work since she was sixteen years old. This was something her mother always supported her to do. She knew Audrey’s big heart and saw how important it was for her. Fostering relationships that had others experience a sense of belonging inspired her. From working with young children, minority groups and troubled youth to supporting single moms, Indigenous communities, and immigrants. Providing hope and opportunity is what motivated Audrey and has always been a natural part of her self-expression. Through her work in developing the amenities line and operating her organization she was introduced to many global issues specifically around fair trade and the use of our planet’s raw resources. All ingredient in the cosmetics, Cosmeceuticals and Nutraceuticals   we use come from somewhere and as the “alternative healthcare and organic product” trend evolved consumer demands for natural products became better for our bodies, but not better for our planet.

For ten years she worked in the background researching the impacts of this growing trend and began to clearly see how every action we take has a reaction that most people are not aware of that is cutting off the lifeline for our future generations.

Great Things Take Time

Audrey is no stranger to hardship and in 2009 her former husband tragically died. This left her shocked, depressed and at a huge loss not only of her late husband, but one year later was forced to claim bankruptcy and after building her business for 20 years she lost everything and every asset she created. At the time her son Stephan was only 7 year old and now as a single mom her whole life was about him. She shared how hard it was to look in his eyes with all the loss he also just experienced and have the desire to start all over again. Yet, once her deep grief began to lose the stronghold on her, her love and commitment to her son gave her the motivation to pick herself back up. She said that the sudden death of Walter taught her that life is short, tomorrow is not guaranteed and that the time is our greatest gift.  Audrey was called into action to take all her years of business development and the research she did for 10 years on human behavioral contributions to climate changes and ethics, and apply it to a new venture.  She says that one of the most important lessons she’s learned since becoming an entrepreneur is that” great successes need enormous patience.” There is no easy way to move forward without sacrificing integrity and bargaining with integrity is not an option for her.  Whether you are starting back up from a failed business experience or starting for the first time, integrity and not negotiating with your vision and values is your greatest assets. Audrey learned an excellent work ethic from her parents, as well as the need for positive mental stamina and strong faith in God, in order to be tough in the face of naysayers, failures, and, most importantly, hardships.

She feels that no amount of schooling can deliver what life experience does, and the same is true for running a business. She opines, “When you own a business, what you really own is the responsibility for the people who work for you. Their happiness and their contribution depend heavily on whether they believe in the vision.”  She further adds, “Without their belief and buy in of your vision and mission, and the willingness to explore what could be possible, you will face a roller coaster of extreme highs and lows of resistance that do not allow you to advance forward. When I say, “buy in,” I do not mean they need to have the same conviction as you. Yet they need to have the experience that you believe in your vision wholeheartedly enough that you will never give up.  This takes great patience and a resilient mind.”

Willingness is the Real Motivation

In her 35 years of leading people, Audrey has understood that everyone has basic, critical needs. She says, “One of the top needs is to know we are valued, and that what we put out into the world is cherished by others.” She claims that it doesn’t take much to encourage individuals to go the additional mile. She believes that everyone naturally and willingly wants to do it, but what they are confronted with is their brains telling them that what they do is insignificant.

As a high-performance leadership coach, Audrey reminds the CEOs, leaders, and other high-level executives of their humanity. Just like the people who they lead, they are human too. She believes, they must recognize their own value to recognize the value in others. High quality growth of an organization requires leadership that is willing to go beyond the policies of today to create the type of policies and practices that will create a greater tomorrow.  She adds, “Motivating people is not a strategy; it is a sincere and authentic expression. Going the extra mile simply looks like taking the time to positively reinforce what matters to people. Talk to them one-on-one and remind them how much they matter to you and the world. When they are reminded of who they really are and why they are here, they connect their purpose to the purpose of the organizational goals.”

A True Sense of Achievement

Audrey defines success as when she can measure things, like how effectively her clients have reduced and eliminated the threat of the contamination of natural water systems or when young Indigenous women learn new business skills and then share that knowledge and train others within her community. Her level of satisfaction comes strictly from the positive social and environmental impacts through the work her and her team lead.

Advice for All Emerging Woman Leaders

When Audrey was asked what advice you would provide the future generation of female leaders, she said one day she will need to write a book to be able to share all that knowledge, yet for now here is some of the top pieces of her advice:

• “If I was to sum it all up, it would be to not negotiate with your values. Your values are who you are and they are what others experience. Your values shape every decision and direction you take and most of all, your values are what will create your company’s culture and what you will be remembered by.

• “Bring generosity to the forefront of everything you do. See beyond the dollar; see beyond your need to be on top. Be someone who generously gives your time and shares your ideas with others for them to prosper. Do not keep everything to yourself in fear someone will steal an idea or a client. There is an abundance of opportunity for everyone and when we remain fixed in a view that we must fend for ourselves, we lock ourselves in box to fend for survival. Women supporting women is one of the most under rated business tools and it is bad enough that we have had to work our way through a struggle of gender equality, but to position yourself to compete against other female leaders is a recipe for destruction. 

•  “Value and honor everyone. Right from the start, give people your trust and work on continuously improving yourself. As a leader, one of my rules is “there is no blaming others.” The blame game does not work, and everything starts and stops with you. If you get that, you will always value and honor everyone’s contribution and never step over integrity for yourself and others.”

A Way to Build a “Great Team”

According to Audrey, the best way to build a great team is to speak to them, be respectful, inclusive and plan with them, “KNOWING’ in your mind and heart that they “ARE GREAT PEOPLE.” She trusts, “When you give people the benefit of the doubt and expect greatness, they will by default demonstrate greatness in everything they do. I believe when you believe your people are your greatest asset, and then incorporate all the tools, practices, and values to honor that belief, you will create a corporate culture of people who know they matter and that they are valued.” She also says that for any organization to be a leader in guiding their people, ongoing positive reinforcement strategies are required, and the best way to maintain your team is to show them you care about them.

Sharing the Significance of Performance Culture

Audrey defines a “performance culture” as a group of individuals who are prepared to accept responsibility for their ineffectiveness. Audrey indicates they worked for an objective and are ready to review and seek ways to enhance and elevate, not because what they achieved was inadequate, but because they aimed for optimal results. Audrey, together with her team, focuses on the root causes of ineffectiveness and takes the people out of the problem. If we look at problems simply as opportunities to create solutions together, an organization will grow together. From top down to bottom up and everyone in between, everyone is key to the success of an organization. Audrey believes that the secret to leading high-performance teams is that the team needs to take priority over profits.  Audrey states, “We understand that if our people are achieving their goals and are satisfied with their own performance achievements, they will celebrate their wins and more importantly, be curious about their ineffectiveness which then drives an organic and a wholistic business improvement culture.

Audrey asserts, “When we work with our clients, we mentor, train, and develop their leaders and workforce to optimize their thinking and performance to grow into a 2030 and beyond framework.” TeamsynerG’s team deliberately built in a foundation that would sustain them beyond the objectives, inspiring a creative imaginative and resourceful culture that will allow that organization to be grounded in purpose to stimulate long-term development.

Driving Sustainability and Ethical Practices

Audrey, together with her husband Dr. Marvin Thompson, who is the mastermind behind the leadership, policy and organizational development aspect of the business, and her sister, Simone Vitellaro, who leads the high-performance and accountability coaching division, alongside their team of international consultants, each have a stake in the success of TeamsynerG. They play a critical role in the promise made to the organization’s clients. More importantly, they all operate within a context that who they are advocating for is our oceans, rainforests, Indigenous land, and people, minority groups and all animals and human beings who are facing injustices. We are here together for a purpose and Audrey proudly shares that the team is growing by the month to meet the demands and that is because the needs of the environmental and social injustices keep elevating at a risky pace.

To support the expansion efforts and ensure the company’s vision and mission becomes possible, TeamsynerG Global Consulting has partnered with RJC Global Impact Inc.  RJC is an internationally recognized organization, specializing in the Mining, Oil and Gas Industry. RJC is founded and owned by Rosellen Johnson, who has worked in mining for twenty-five years, in thirteen different countries around the world. Rosellen diverse portfolio and strong operations background in business improvement represents a sound blend of theory and practice in strategy and operations management. Audrey says, “Just like the saying ‘surround yourself with like-minded people’, it is important to partner with like-minded CEO’s.”  Rosellen and Audrey’s relationship began when Audrey was Rosellen’s personal and business coach. . This then transferred to the two of them working together and collaborating on and implementing strategies that would really make a positive impact in the industry. The connection was deep with aligned views on making it their life mission to transform the world one organization at a time.  They both advocate for ethical and sustainable standards and practices and are committed to ensuring that all Industry giants throughout the supply chain adopt the same mindset. Audrey asserts, “We are two very powerful thinkers who want to use our power for good, and uniting our businesses and teams has elevated our capacity and capability.”

Audrey and Rosellen’s authentic convictions, partnered with their bold leadership to bring solutions to global corruption, are what have inspired them to start the new non-profit called UNimaginable Inc. It is a resource for the world’s largest industries to measure where they rate in their ability, capacity, and capability to meet the needs of immediate sustainable development goals and the goals that will drive sustainability and ethical practices for future generations. UNimaginable is launching on Earth Day April 22, 2022 @ www.unimaginable.world.

A Social Entrepreneur for a Socially Responsible Future

TeamsynerG was founded on eight core values and lead by the principles of integrity, accountability and inclusion.  On their website is listed their vision, mission, values, purpose and commitment which also includes promise targets that they will cause through their work towards the environment, and sustainable goals. Sustainability is beyond keeping something effectively moving, sustainability is about life. Keeping life effectively moving and thriving forward.  The definition of sustainability that speaks to Audrey is “meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” As a strategic planner, she has been drawn to build in a framework promise and guarantee that the legendary work TeamsynerG accomplishments, has the opportunity to be carried forward by our younger generations.

As a result, Audrey has founded another organization with her partner Alanna Carr called IdareU2Bee.com. They train and develop children and teens from ages 5-19 to use the skill of kindness to transform their experience of themselves and how they are with others. They have developed a unique curriculum that teaches the essential life skills of trust, empathy, confidence, forgiveness, communication, body positivity, diversity, and inclusiveness. She says, “Our proprietary programs are available through homeschooling, in the classroom, after school, and summer camp programs. We believe that if you teach children and teens how to effectively communicate and inspire their curiosity and creativity, it will give them the thinking tools they need to critically think through the problems we are facing today that may only become a different challenge in their future.”

Audrey’s favorite programs that they offer for grades 4-12 teach social entrepreneurship and impact leadership, which includes financial literacy, project planning, mind and goal mapping, growth mindset training, sustainability and enabling students to gain leadership abilities to create a better future for humanity. In a nutshell, using all of the abilities that the organization has in TeamsynerG and teaching them to the young people of today so that they may establish a sustainable existence for themselves.

From motherhood and developing leaders, to transforming organizations, to reach their greatest potential, what is certain about Audrey Hlembizky is her commitment to leaving a legacy that can not only be inherited but is the reason why her children, grandchildren and all the children around the world live with unlimited opportunity, have hope in each other and believe in themselves to dream BIG!