The 10 Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow 2022 by Insights Success Media

Door to Success Leaders that We Need Today Womanhood Unlocking the POTENTIAL of WOMEN for WELFARE of the WORLD

The 10 Most

Ambitious Women in Business to Follow, 2022

Audrey Hlembizky Building Generosity to Advance a Sustainable Future

VOL-04 | ISSUE-04 | 2022

Founder and CEO

TeamsynerG Global Consulting Inc.

Photo Credits : Carmela Conza

www.insightssuccess.com

Editor’s Desk

M Perseverance and Desire

any people are unaware that female business has a long and illustrious history. The ﬁrst well-documented businesswomen may be found in the city of Assur in northern Iraq, dating back to 1870 BC. During the period, Assyrian women were frequently involved in the region's large commerce networks, demonstrating that business was not limited to men.

Several names come to mind when I hear "women in business." Let's add one more adjective to the mix: ambitious. When I think about a successful female entrepreneur, Oprah Winfrey comes to mind immediately. Her struggles and efforts are widely known throughout the globe as she overcame them, becoming a strong women leader inspiring millions of people. "Turn your wounds into wisdom," Oprah says in a renowned and straightforward statement. It makes me wonder how many battles females in the business face daily. With gender discrimination still prevalent in many parts of the world, if you're a woman working on starting or joining a business, you're doing an incredible job. Women succeeding in business gives me optimism that the world will become a better place to live. Gender diversity has the added benefit of bringing new perspectives to the table, which can be highly beneficial to organizations. Today, men and women working together create a ray of hope for a better future.

Any businessperson must be sure of a few things, whether a man or a woman. Being good at what you do is one of them. And in today's world, fully utilizing technology is critical. Ambition is necessary to fuel your desire to succeed, but consistency is crucial. Self-conﬁdence is essential for success in any endeavor. I confront many challenges in this fast-paced world as a woman who wishes to slow down, and there are times when I must battle for what I want. Insights Success recognizes the leader who embarked on the path that fuels their ambition in this edition of "The 10 Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow in 2022." Learn about the eﬀorts of such remarkable females in changing the face of the business world. Also, look through the articles written by our inhouse editorial team focusing on shaping the future of authentication; last but not least, learn more about the industry through the CxO written by experts. Have a happy read!

Sonali Dhiwar

sonali.dhiwar@insightssuccess.com

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Door to Success Leaders that We Need Today

Womanhood Unlocking the POTENTIAL of WOMEN for WELFARE of the WORLD

C O V E R S TO RY

Helping SMEs Become Leaders in Digital Space

Daria Dubinina

Sherry Blinkhorn

Training Your Dog to be PAW-SOME

Heather Ripley

An Ardent Legal Professional Exemplifying Passionate Leadership

An Avid Designer Creating Spaces that are Collected, not Decorated

Ruthie Staalsen

An Accomplished Real Estate Broker and a Passionate Advocate for the Mentally Ill

An Admired Trailblazer Empowering the World for Better

Diana Jenner

Helping Businesses Stay Ahead of the Curve

Karina Tiwana

Building the Next-generation FinTech Products

Redeﬁning the Beauty Industry

Elissa Weimer

Adi Engel

Tracy Lamourie

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1 Most

Ambitious Women TO FOLLOW,

in Business 2022

Featured Person

Company Name

Brief

Audrey Hlembizky Founder and CEO

Teamsynerg Global Consulting Inc www.audreyhlembizky.com www.teamsynerg.com www.unimaginable.com www.IDareU2BEE.com

TeamsyerG Global Consulting Inc. is an Internationally recognized consulting ﬁrm that is committed to building generational sustainability and that empowers organizations to embrace a transformative and aligned approach to inﬂuence change.

Adi Engel Advisory Board Member

TalkDEI talkdei.io

TalkDEI is a marketplace where companies, DEI suppliers, and practitioners meet to build workplaces that embrace diversity, equality, and inclusion in business practices.

Daria Dubinina CEO and Co-founder

Crassula crassula.io

Crassula White Label solutions build PSP, Banking, FX products.

Diana Jenner Managing Director

Orchids Retreat Beauty & Wellbeing Clinic orchidsretreat.co.uk

Orchids Retreat oﬀers advanced face and skincare, make up, manicure & pedicure, a range of massage treatments, bridal make-up, threading and much more.

Elissa Weimer Owner & Professional Trainer

Paw & Order Dog Training pawandorder.com

Paw & Order Dog Training oﬀers certiﬁed dog training programs.

Heather Ripley CEO & Founder

Ripley PR ripleypr.com

Ripley PR is an award-winning, global public relations agency.

Karina Tiwana Vice President, Legal

Inﬁnera inﬁnera.com

Inﬁnera is a global supplier of innovative networking solutions.

Ruthie Staalsen Owner & Professional Trainer

Ruthie Staalsen Interiors ruthiestaalsen.com

Ruthie Staalsen Interiors helps you create relaxed, collected interiors, with a global inﬂuence.

Sherry Blinkhorn Broker/Owner

Blinkhorn Real Estate Ltd blinkhornrealestate.com

Blinkhorn Real Estat implements innovative technologies and oﬀers virtual reality tours and drone videography to enhance the listings services.

Tracy Lamourie Founder and Managing Director

Lamourie Media Inc. lamouriemedia.com

Lamourie Media Inc. a Universal Women's Network 2020 Woman of Inspiration Winner for the Women In Media award.

When you have a driving force within you that is your soul's work, you develop the resilience and stamina to stand up against anything.

Audrey Hlembizky

Founder and CEO

TeamsynerG Global Consulting Inc.

ow often do people ponder over the question, “what if?”

What if it was possible to create a future where no one was left behind? What if we could put an end to poverty and every nation came together peacefully? Humankind is heading towards an uncertain future, often turning a blind eye to many of our social injustices. It takes great courage to raise a voice against these issues and empower and encourage everyone to be a part of the reconciliation and repair needed to transform the world to create a sustainable future and hope for humanity. Audrey Hlembizky shares her conviction and deep emotional charge about when, where, what, who, and WHY building generosity could be the solution to resolve and evolve all the injustices that currently exist towards people and the planet. "The future needs all of us. We all need to do our part. The oceans are losing millions of miles of life every day. Animals are being unnecessarily slaughtered, and people are becoming addicted to a "convenience lifestyle.” We, the people, cannot sustain this type of lifestyle. We all need to hold one another accountable to live every day with this awareness and consciously give our best to create the best future possible for our kids," shares Audrey. With the eﬀorts to build ethical and generational sustainability for the world's most inﬂuential and impactful industries, Audrey leads with her venture TeamsynerG Global Consulting Inc. As the Founder and CEO of TeamsynerG, she is continuously evolving her organization to elevate corporate and social responsibility. As the founder and president of several other organizations, she plays a vital role in developing and funding solutions for today’s social, political, economic, and environmental issues. Audrey’s innovative approach and determination played a vital part in establishing TeamsynerG. It took many great failures to develop the company into what it is today. Yet, her grit and agile ability to grow through adversity is what provides her with the credibility to coach and lead others to be willing to go after what others believe is impossible. Let us unveil her uprooting journey!

Audrey plays a vital role in developing, funding, and implementing solutions towards social, cultural, and environmental issues.

Embracing Early Entrepreneurship Boarding on her entrepreneurial spirit, Audrey started her first lemonade stand business at eleven years. She later expanded her tiny venture to include popcorn bags with an opportunity for the kids on the street to barter their favorite culture candies with one another. “I remember one of my friends on my street introduced me to Nutella. I was blown away that I would be able to eat chocolate on toast in the morning and rushed home to tell my mom. I used to trade German orange chocolate that my grandmother brought in from Germany. My street was filled with kids, and I saw that all of us were so unique, and our food was so amazing. So why not create an opportunity to trade. We had a multicultural buffet. Hungarian, Jamaican, Italian, and we all learned about one another’s countries through our taste buds.” Audrey came from a business background. She watched her dad operate a large contracting business and her mom always supporting her father while raising 6 kids. From an early age of 7, Audrey learned to be responsible especially when her mom had a brain tumor. Through her mom’s healing journey and just being the eldest, her leadership came naturally. From babysitting her siblings, to being the live-in tutor, she took a great interest in watching her father and mother always talk about business and more importantly watched and witnessed her parents being so generous, inspiring, and inclusive with everyone.

Audrey’s mother and grandmother came from the spa and wellness industry for four generations. Dermatology and the body fascinated her, and her ambitious and creative mind inspired her to continue the legacy with many new innovative industry ventures. Audrey saw a need within the hospitality and corporate industry to provide wellness in the workplace and she owned and operated a national organization that included group mindset development, team building, health and fitness, spa, corporate workshops, product development and experiential marketing opportunities that kicked off the boom of the spa and the medical cosmetic industry. Her true passion was business development, and she is recognized as the pioneer for many of today’s great industrial achievements. Unfortunately, in 2009, Audrey's previous husband Walter, tragically passed away; she was left in great shock, grievance, and depression. Audrey struggled with many things right after he died. Her son Stephan had just turned seven and she struggled to keep herself together for him. She now was a single mom and unfortunately her husband did not have life insurance. There were so many variables that began to be out of her control, and everything together was a recipe for a very painful ending to a business she had built for over twenty-five years. From a tragic loss to claiming personal bankruptcy in a span of eighteen months. She expresses, "It took me some time to accept all of the loss, from my son losing his father, his home he knew and watching his mother cry to sleep every day, I had a hard time seeing beyond my circumstances. As time passed, I was

The 10 Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow, 2022

able to see that Walter’s death taught me how short life really is, I recall so clearly hearing words in my head that said, “Audrey, you have a gift to develop things that others cannot see, you need to go build what is needed.” I knew if I was going to give my life to something, it had to be something legendary. I knew I wanted to make a big impact in the world especially for my son, and I can see now that all the diﬀerent stages of my life lead me to do what I am doing now." "Starting all over again had its challenges, yet along the way I had so many amazing people in my life that stood by me, particularly my parents, all my siblings and especially my sister Simone. I had 25 years of business experience, leading, and training people, creating startups, and developing innovative projects and products. I knew I needed to put it all together and apply it towards creating a future of hope.”

Transforming Pain into Purpose Audrey took all her experience and pain and shifted gears to start TeamsyngerG as a sole proprietorship focusing on youth and low-income families, especially the impacts of poverty and single moms within the community. For many years prior and during the time of running her first business she always participated in local, community projects and worked with several minority groups and indigenous communities. She was also able to take all her expertise to influence positive change within communities who did not have the financial resources. Advocating for those without a voice was what woke her up in the morning. She began coaching and consulting with a few select clients and took on projects that were primarily government run for high-risk youth. The more her clients expanded the more she was pulled forward towards the inequalities within the corporate and social sectors which lead her to focus on developing programs and design corporate thinking solutions to train and develop leaders to lead their organizations through empathy and accountability. Yet, what kept lingering in the background was the work she did prior when she led the development of the first 100% biodegradable, organic, and eco-friendly amenity products. When she worked in partnership with the hospitality industry for twenty-five years. Audrey shares, “You see so much unnecessary waste within the hotel industry, yet one thing that always bothered me was those little shampoo and soap bottles. I remember inquiring into what happens to all those plastic bottles. In North America alone there are millions of little plastic bottles that end up in landfills that may stay for a thousand years. That upset me, so I said “what if there was a bottle that could disappear once you place it in soil? I lead this project and brought it to fruition. However, at the time, sourcing biodegradable products that were affordable was not easy, yet with an amazing team we created a perfect product which I am proud to say is now the predominate bottle in all the major hotels.” Through that experience, Audrey opened her world to so many levels of manufacturing, fair trade, agriculture, and the mining industry. She shares, “Everything we use is either mined from underground, or grown above ground. All the ingredients in your vitamins, cosmetic products, to the way fertilizer is made and the baking soda used in household products. Everything begins somewhere and the supply chain process fascinated me. The more I researched the more I saw injustices towards people and the planet,

business. Most of all, train and develop the leaders and the workforce to "think sustainably." And show them how. The more I saw the disfunction in all the levels of the supply chain and how it would impact our planet and the future generation, I knew in my heart I needed to be part of interrupting what was happening." Today, TeamsynerG Global Consulting's mission is to advance generational sustainability in the world's leading industries. It believes in building ethical and sustainable communities and organizations to drive ambitious and transformative social impacts. TeamsynerG aims to collaborate with global leaders to develop standards, policies, and procedures that show the younger generation that their future matters. Sustainable Approach TeamsynerG creates a deep collaboration with clients to create people and business strategies that develop all levels of their leadership and workforce to "think" sustainably and plan accordingly. It drives accountability within the culture and sets alignment across their organizations to put their mission, vision, and values into practice.

which made me angry, sad and afraid for our children’s future.” This inspired her to declare her company would be a system changer. To bring integrity to how our industrial giants do business and begin to create a new demand around what doing great business looks like. Audrey shares. It took patience and perseverance. I had so many roadblocks; the corporate industry was not open to sustainable thinking initiatives, not like today where big companies are now in a big hurry to meet their SDG 2030 targets. There were many naysayers, but I knew that I could create a demand for the type of services that held leaders to account. I whole heartedly believed every company would begin to see how critical it was for them to create their sustainability road maps," explains Audrey. She shares, "With that, I began to build my consulting company to focus on minimizing the impacts of these injustices by focusing on enhancing the systems & processes and bringing integrity to how they conduct

TeamsynerG is data-driven, which allows it to let the data tell the story in every part of the project. With a combined thirty-five years of industry expertise, the genius within the team provides the best in leadership development, organizational change, engineering, operations and system design and extensive capability in governance and social responsibility. TeamsynerG has an extensive portfolio of proprietary tools and methodologies that when implemented can effectively advance generational sustainability. Its goal is to partner with the companies, design, develop and implement what is needed, then facilitate a train the trainer approach and measure progress until it knows the people will sustain the improvement. Tailoring Technology TeamsynerG strongly believes in technology, hoping for AI to be used in places where it can eliminate threats to people's lives. Audrey asserts, "I do not believe AI should ever replace people in doing what people are to do. It is an area that is difficult for some large companies always to understand, but your PEOPLE ARE YOUR ACCESS TO profits. Great people are irreplaceable and when people are valued, they produce so much more value. And technology

can play a big part in consistency, integrity, and accountability, which is why we have developed distinct systems to drive high performance leadership.” Audrey goes on to say, “There is a quote by Jim Bergeson. Data will talk to you if you are willing to listen.” We measure human performance. A person’s outputs are a direct reflection of the mental capacity and capability. The limits you have in your thinking will show up in your results.” As a result, Audrey and her team have developed a tool, supporting the development of human accountability and effectiveness. The brain works in a way that can learn from repetition. Consistency establishes new habits, and unless consistency is driving your actions, a new pattern cannot be formed. Thus, TeamsynerG has developed a platform that works with its leadership coaches and trainers. The platform elevates critical and strategic thinking, emotional and ethical intelligence and develops more agile and resilient individuals. Integrity and accountability are strengthened and optimized which directly impacts performance outcomes. The platform measures all levels of deliverables and is designed to train and develop new mental models that shape the way you act, think, plan, and behave. Data is continuously gathered measuring KPI’s and KBI’s which then supports the approach of the one-on-one coaching. The key focus is to train people to be high performing, without comprising their own personal needs and to focus on the critical behavioral skills and indicators to take them through any performance risks and provide them with the opportunity to stabilize their mindset until we optimize their human potential. Collaborative Culture Audrey proudly mentions that the team at TeamsynerG is driven to thrive together. We are all a part of something big and inspiring and are a critical part of the organizations mission and success. She notes, "When you are part of our company, you know you play an integral role in supporting, leading, and changing policies and practices that can empower gender and racial equality. You will be part of developing a system with less waste going into the ground or water that can kill wildlife. You are part of the governance and compliance process of honoring treaties for first nation communities. When you are part of our company, you are the face, voice, and heart. Each of us are building a future of generosity for all.” Her diverse and large team also includes her husband and

sister. Her husband Dr. Marvin Thompson is an internationally recognized educator with a doctorate in leadership and policy studies. Her sister Simone Vitellaro leads the coaching division. Audrey shares: “I love my team, and to have the privilege and honor of your husband and sister wanting to build sustainable futures alongside you, is part of what keeps me thriving forward.” As part of the organizations continued commitment to the 2030 SDG’s they have embraced goal number “17” through their partnership with RJC Global Impact Inc. SDG Goal “17” is to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. RJC Global Impact is an international organization and a trusted resource for the global resource industry. They specialize in elevating the social and sustainable footprint while transforming complex operations to be highly efficient, effective, and profitable.

RJC is owned and operated by Rosellen Johnson who had hired Audrey as her personal coach. Through this connection they both realized how aligned they were in their deep passion to build a sustainable future and especially how they wanted to eliminate so many social and environmental injustices. Audrey states, "Rosellen and I are cut from the same cloth. We both have an intense drive to create a greater world. I have never met anyone who gets as ill as I do when we see injustices like human trafficking, corruption, or manufacturing waste getting into the water sources and then impacting surrounding communities." She adds, "These are real-life issues, and most people are blind to what is happening in our back yard. Rosellen is someone who, when she wakes up in the morning, says, "Okay, what will I transform today?" As her business and personal coach, we became so united and could not resist the opportunity of creating the impossible together. We saw one another in each other's eyes and heard our words spoken from one another's voices. Rosellen and I knew that together we could do much more than apart. So, considering that, we created joint ventures where our companies and teams partnered, which took our capability to a whole new level." As their organizations grew, the demand for what they had to offer skyrocketed, yet the more they engaged in systems improvement and change management work, the more they could see a growing need. Audrey and Rosellen have now started ‘UNIMAGINABLE’- a non-profit organization

We ignite our clients minds and provide them with our proprietary tools they need to transform their goals into a reality and develop their leadership muscle.

Photo Credits : Carmela Conza

regulating education and supporting the corrections of global political, economic, social, and environmental injustices. It focuses on ethical and sustainable practices holding industries accountable for their negative impacts, inefficiencies, corruption, and unethical practices. It is in the early stages, yet it will be an online destination for Philanthropists, C-level executives, and their leaders to ensure their organizations meet the requirements of operating a socially responsible company. It will partner with organizations to be future leaders, ensuring generational sustainability is at the forefront of business practices. Long story short, UNIMAGINABLE 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 the immediate sustainable development goals and the goals that will drive sustainability and ethical practices for future generations. Farsighted Future Audrey envisions herself seeing the fruition of the efforts she is instilling at present. She is deeply committed and passionate about contributing to children and teenagers’ psychological, physical, and spiritual needs. While describing her plans she puts, “I have worked with children’s groups and developed programs for many years and always knew one day I would have my own company that would be a staple in the development of our young leaders.” “Being a mother is the gift that life has given to me. Up until recently, I was the mother of one, my son Stephan and now through my marriage to Marvin, I have another son Haden and daughter Kristian and I am also a grandmother to my grandson Makhi. My motherly love and instincts tell me that unless the adult generation of today are willing to do something to stop the rapid destruction of oceans, land, and the critical thinking of our children’s minds, my kids and grandchild will have a very hard world to try and be happy in. It is very important to me to be someone who can train and develop young minds to think confidently, courageously, and generously. Empathy and kindness are needed now much more than ever. One day I am sure I will hand over TeamsynerG to my extraordinary team, yet I will never be able to retire and want to spend the rest of my life developing our kids and writing." As a result, Audrey has already started up transforming the future for kids with her business partner Alanna Carr. They started the company IDareU2Bee.com, focusing on

developing kids to be kind. They have designed a curriculum that teaches children the necessary life skills such as empathy, confidence, trust, positive communication, diversity, inclusion, and self-love. Their propriety programs are accessible on-line for homeschooling and there are inclass programs within schools, with exclusive afterschool programs and summer camps. Their teens program is very dear to Audrey’s heart as it specializes in teaching programs that train kids in financial literacy, project planning, goal mapping and all the necessary growth mindset and leadership tools to empower future social entrepreneurship. Generous Guidance In her advice to emerging entrepreneurs, she says, "Focus on what is important to you and never negotiate with your values. Do not just work for money yet learn how important financial integrity is. Do what you know you love to do as there are so many things that you will come up against that will trigger you to quit. When you have a driving force within you that is your souls work, you develop the resilience and stamina to stand up against the triggers. "Be the best at what you do and hire other experts to do everything else. You take away from your craft and steal any possible results when you do it all. Making money is important; know your worth. As a high-performance coach and consultant, I fall in the high paying category. You need to earn your way here and there is no quick way up the ladder unless you sell out on your integrity. I am a professional who takes my profession seriously. I do not play games or gamble with my clients’ futures. Their future is more than just a paycheque, their future goals could be what transforms this planet. I do not give in to my clients’ problems as my job is to see the solution and then help them see it themselves. Most of the time I go to battle with their negative thinking and not the person as when they believe something is impossible, my response is “Impossible is for the unwilling”. If you want to succeed in anything, pay more attention to the level of your work ethic, than the level of your bank account. Put in the time, give more than you get and have a non-negotiable mindset with your values and always remember your moral equity will sustain you forever.”

The 10 Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow, 2022

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Daria Dubinina

CEO and Co-founder Crassula

Daria Dubinina Building the Next-generation FinTech Products

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The 10 Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow, 2022

omen have made enormous strides in the finance sector. Their contributions in the space are strengthening the financial-services industry and helping businesses stay ahead of challenges. One such woman shaping the future of finance is Daria Dubinina. Before diving into entrepreneurship, Daria's journey has been full of discoveries and industry research. She has been working in the FinTech and payments field for five years, doing e-commerce and online payments. This allowed her to get to know the FinTech industry and strengthened her desire to learn and develop in FinTech. Daria has dedicated more than nine years to mastering payments, e-commerce, and business development. As a leading strategist and entrepreneur, she has also led major partnership deals with top international companies. Today she is the CEO and Co-founder of Crassula. Let's unveil more about Daria's journey and how Crassula is delivering the world-class products. Putting Accumulated Knowledge into Action Crassula's story began when Daria met Alex Novozhenov and Vlad Nikolayev. They all are co-founders of Crassula.

The decision to found Crassula was a natural progression of the desire to put the accumulated knowledge into action. They started with a simple idea to provide fast and easy core technology for launching FinTechs. And today Crassula White Label solutions are trusted by the industry leaders. The company allows users to build their PSP, Banking, FX products in days and provides access to worldclass products to over 5 million users. Allowing Companies to Create their Products and Services Crassula White Label software provides the technical infrastructure for the FinTech companies that allows creating their services and products. With Crassula, companies can concentrate on building their businesses without spending years and huge budgets developing their solutions. Also, this approach reduces the risks when testing a business idea; now the company can begin to implement its idea on Crassula's platform, attract customers and enter the market. Crassula allows its clients to launch their crypto banks and wallets, accepting crypto payments. Using its solutions, clients can start their crypto business in days.

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Helping Companies Bring their Ideas to Life Daria is playing a crucial role in supporting the launch, growth and development of FinTechs around the world through Crassula. Firstly, Crassula helps FinTech companies to bring their ideas to life quickly and save their budgets. It also creates a whole infrastructure of solutions and products, a kind of tech hub, stimulating the creation of new products and services development. "We also do a lot of R&D and there is a clear trend of FinTech penetration into most tech industries. Social media, retail, gaming, and other industries are developing FinTech components. Thus, our solutions are also becoming more global, which allows us to develop the global market," Daria notes. Creating Most Effective Products for Customers Further Daria mentions that Crassula researches and tests the latest technological advances to create the most effective products for its customers. Today, the Crassula platform offers 3 main products: Core Banking System, Crypto Banking System, and PSP. Core Banking System provides ledgers with IBANs, card management system, KYC onboarding and verification module, AML financial monitoring module, SWIFT & SEPA transfers, Currency exchange, and more.

“We are constantly developing, growing and improving.” Crypto Banking product allows Crassula's clients to launch their crypto projects, manage and open accounts with unique crypto addresses, exchange ﬁat to crypto, make crypto transfers, invest in crypto, issue cards for private and business clients. PSP is helping create a global payment gateway attributed with alternative payment methods, anti-fraud, risk management, merchant integration, smart routing, and virtual currencies, enabling payment companies to make online payments secure and smart for merchants and payers. Encouraging Out of the Box Thinking in Team Members Stating the importance of culture Daria states that the most

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important value for Crassula is its team. For its community, one of the key principles is called "Freedom And Responsibility". It does not control every minute of working time, giving its teammates freedom to create whenever they want, but expects responsibility of finishing the projects on time and with the highest quality. It created its product with the ability to think out of the box and tries to encourage this skill in its team. As a CEO, Daria tries to motivate Crassula's community, be a role model, share her experience and stimulate creativity in the area of responsibility of Crassula's teammates. Daria believes that the basis for building a team is to work with the best. To cooperate with the best professionals from around the world, Crassula developed remote working practices even before the pandemic. So, when COVID-19 flipped the workplaces upside-down, Crassula had already embraced a remote work model before hiring professionals online began to get popular. This approach enabled the team to double in size in 2021. Currently, Crassula is a technical hub bringing together professionals from all over the world. Its dream team is working remotely from Latvia, the UK, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan. Keeping Pace with World Trends and Availing Edge We asked Daria her opinion on the next big significant change in the FinTech space, to which she says, "Pandemic, lockdown, and society changes led to radical changes in technology. Technologies today are developing rapidly as never before, and the FinTech industry is growing as well. Online banking is becoming a transforming tool in finance. And it's not just about the cashless economy. Digital banking offers more innovative services and products, improves security and transparency. It is important to mention white labelling as one of the main trends. White Label FinTech solutions allow the market to develop faster, and the businesses to launch their own solutions, minimize risks and costs.”

Looking Forward to Working on New Solutions Looking backward, Daria sees a lot of amazing clients, successful projects, and collaborations. Therefore, she is looking forward to working on new solutions for Crassula's clients, to new integrations, nominations, and collaborations. Being Open to New Opportunities In her advice to emerging entrepreneurs, Daria says, "Building your own business is one of the most hard yet exciting journey. This is a chance to give rise to new trends that may one day change the world. Therefore, you should be open to new opportunities, work hard, and develop your networking skills. You should always take care of yourself, of your team and keep moving to the new goals.”

According to Daria, one of the most important ﬁnancial innovations and one of the main trends is crypto. Trends such as robotic process automation and voice-enabled payments cannot be ignored. No one could even imagine how quickly it could evolve when online banking has just started. Big data projects are still an important trend, as people create an incredible amount of data every second. Crassula is at the cutting edge of technology development, and it is going to work to let its products keep pace with world trends and possibly lead them.

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The 10 Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow, 2022

veryone deserves to feel great about the way they look. It was this belief that led Diana Jenner to found Orchids Retreat.

Diana turned her passion for beauty into a boutique Beauty Salon that genuinely cares about the wellbeing of its clients. From starting her career by working in a Spa to running an award-winning salon, she has come a long way. At Orchids, she creates tailored programs to suit each client's individual needs of Chemical Peels, Mesotherapy, and Customised Facials to promote and maintain healthy skin. Inspired by her urge to take beauty industry to the new heights, we at Insights Success caught up with Diana to learn more about her journey and Orchids Retreat. Below are the highlights of the interview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Orchids Retreat. What challenges did you overcome to reach where you are today? My career in the beauty industry began working in a Spa at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas whilst attending University Nevada Las Vegas. I always wanted to own my own business, and as a lifelong passion for beauty, I wanted to have my own salon. My Dad told me that I couldn't go to beauty school as I needed a formal education not just to learn a trade skill; he wouldn't even let me attend an evening massage course whilst at university. Instead, I got a job in the spa whilst studying at UNLV to gain hands-on experience. Fast forward a few years, and I moved to England to be near my Mom. In Europe they oﬀer Beauty Therapy courses that teach you a variety of skills, so I enrolled in every course possible. For a year, I attended holistic, beauty and advanced courses full-time during the day as well as

evening and weekends, so I completed three years of courses in one year. Now it was time to gain some experience in the industry. I started my own business called Orchids Hideaway and set up a treatment room in my bedroom at home. This expanded to a two bed house with one room just for salon use; while building up my own clientele, I was working in a salon and managing a bar and restaurant to make ends meet. I then took a job with Virgin Atlantic to see the world and visit spas and salons around the globe. In 2008, I gave up my wings and bought my first salon on the top floor of a hair salon. I was enjoying training and sharing my passion as I grew the team, so I gained my teaching qualification from Greenwich University to enable me to teach beauty. Teaching, running a salon, and growing a family proved to be too much to juggle, so the next chapter was to be a solopreneur. I kept a treatment room on the coast and took up a residency at the Soho Hotel in London, which gave me the opportunity to host seasonal skincare events for beauty magazines, bloggers and treat celebrity clientele. It was a fantastic experience, and I'm so grateful to Kit Kemp for the opportunity. The pandemic proved difficult for many, but with grit and motivation, I was determined to swim upstream and provide wellbeing for the community. Last summer, I opened a sixtreatment room beauty and wellbeing clinic. And, we now have a team of twelve to offer beauty, holistic, wellbeing and advanced aesthetic services. Tell us something more about Orchids Retreat, its mission and vision. Orchids Retreat's mission is to help others put their best face forward. To educate our team and clients about how to care and maintain a healthy body and glowing skin all year

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round. We pride ourselves in oﬀering a high standard of treatments, customer service and client care.

Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run and what are your future goals for Orchids Retreat?

Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the Aesthetic Facials niche through your expertise in the market.

I have so many goals and aspirations!

With over 20 years of experience in the Beauty Industry, I still have the same motto - put your best face forward. Healthy glowing skin naturally is about looking after your skin. We're only given one body in this life and you've got to look after it. As one of the ﬁrst UK Brand Ambassadors for Dermalogica and an Advanced Skin Expert, I created the Youth Boost facial along with a trio of others to focus on clients' speciﬁc skincare needs. We use Dermalogica Professional Skincare, mesotherapy, micro-needling and Bio Therapeutics technology to design bespoke facials for each client. If given a chance, what change would you like to bring in the Body Massage industry?

During the pandemic, I obtained a distinction in an aromatherapy course and used my years of product ingredient knowledge to create my signature scent and formulate my own bodycare range to help clients refresh, relax and restore at home. I would like to be a household name one day and to advance Aurum D to being stocked and sold in high end retail stores, not just at Orchids Retreat. The British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology asked me to help the government write the guidelines for our industry to be covid compliant. I was delighted to help the Department of Business and Industry Strategy (BEIS) and to share my knowledge and experience with others in this sector I set up Signature D coaching and consulting. Going forward, I would like to share my passion and combine features from all three companies to franchise Orchids Retreat around the United Kingdom and launch our Beauty and Wellbeing Clinics globally. Oﬀering a 'Beauty Business in a Box' with advanced coaching, policies, procedures, business set up, marketing materials and ongoing support.

I think teaching therapists how to save their hands and look after their body's is crucial to a lifelong career in this industry. At Orchids Retreat, we welcome apprenticeships and college students to join our team as junior therapists. I host monthly masterclasses for our whole team to further develop their skill set and am amazed how many do not know hands free or trigger point techniques that can be used to save their hands from repetitive strain. I believe the industry should oﬀer this training as part of therapists initial course content.

What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the business sector?

What, according to you, could be the next big change in Skin Therapy industry? How is Orchids Retreat preparing to be a part of that change?

Just go for it! You'll never be completely ready; there is no such thing as failure, just lessons learnt. I learn new lessons every day, and it helps us all to grow, develop and blossom.

I think the next big change in the industry will be people trying to undo the effects of having too many fillers and enhanced treatments. Advanced aesthetics are a growing market, but it is important to maintain standards. I think it's also vital for professionals to only recommend what is needed and advise when to put the brakes on and educate their clients about the need to look after the canvas not just continue to plump out the lines artificially. You can't turn back the clock you have to look after your skin.

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Door to Success

Leaders that We Need

Today

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ife is a struggle that revolves around personal and professional challenges. And, when you are struggling, seeking advice from genuine friends always helps you. But instead of following people and their advice, create your own opportunities that help you find your own path. Because fate is by far the greatest mystery of all, and you can never know where it will take you. But the real question is there an alternative to all of this? While everyone speaks about these complicated things, let’s discuss the solution through this article. Our lives are connected to technology and social media, as they play a key role in today’s modern world. As business leaders, we have to accept the fact that the vision to bring change in the lives of the people and transform the world is possible with technology. But, promoting compassion and wellbeing among the people is also equally important. Understandably, everyone wants to create their identity and influence the world. But developing leaders just for the sake of business output and profits will degrade the quality of the leadership. And, we don’t want such leaders, especially in tough times like today. We want leaders who can get the best out of their team, which is possible only without the fear of judgment. It is a great way to lead, discuss, guide, and help each other in crucial times. A ray of hope is all people need, and leaders can bring that hope through these sources. For example, if any employee knows that he/she does not have to face the issues alone and there is someone to talk about it, it gives hope to that person. Yes, that’s the alternative for a leader – to connect - to help those who feel down and try to bring the best out of them. That’s what the leader should be recognized for, and this is the shift leaders need to bring currently. As an organization and as people, we should develop compassion and ethics that reflect our outlook on the world.

and well-being among the people. Now that we have got the alternative solution for the leaders. The next question is, how do you recognize that you need help? Most of us today are too busy making a living. We exist only within our daily routine, as we are preoccupied with massive responsibilities in many aspects of our lives, like academic, financial, career, household chores, etc. And due to this, it becomes too late to realize that you are already struggling – emotionally and mentally. We no longer listen to our body & mind, and finally, we do not appreciate our actual/real life. There appears an absence of self-care. Taking care of yourself can be overlooked against all the professional pressures of our life. But it is important to take time to care about your physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental health. Before you extend your compassion and authentic care for people, you must first practice self-care. Why? Because you can never give what you do not have. Below are things that can help you in practicing selfcare: Ÿ Start your day doing things you love the most and boost your mood. Ÿ Be grateful for things you have, no matter how small or big it might be. Ÿ Have sufficient sleep, healthy food, and exercise regularly Ÿ Do activities and interactions add value to your life There are much more things that you can discover yourself to practice self-care. After following all the things, you will appreciate your life, even more, resulting in a healthy work-life balance. With peace of mind, you will achieve your life goals. You will know yourself better – see a better version of yourself and attract positivity in your life.

It is only with this approach we can make it possible to sustain and impact lives for longer, creating a better world for all. This is a much-needed alternative in today’s pandemic situation – promoting compassion

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The 10 Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow, 2022

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Elissa Weimer Training Your Dog to be PAW-SOME

f you are a pet owner, you may understand that the bond between a dog and owner is impeccable. You might have come across several videos on social media where a dog is happy, carrying out his shenanigans, spreading smiles on millions of faces. However, many efforts go into training these dogs, considered as an essential part of canine companionship. Elissa Weimer takes dog training to her heart to deepen the bond between the owner and the dog to widen their smile. Elissa is the Owner of Paw & Order Dog Training and is a Professional Trainer, with numerous certifications to her name. Through Paw & Order, she offers professional, balanced, dog training and behavioral problem solving throughout the Pittsburgh area. Paw & Order recently expanded its reach to Southwest Florida, Houston, TX, and Central Ohio through franchising.

different feeling than seeing an agent or police officer at your door. I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I did not know where to start. I spent a long time figuring out what I was good at and realized I am good at teaching people. I just had to decide what I would be excited to teach! I realized that I love animals and that they had the power of making people feel good in so many ways. I realized that so many people have dogs, so I decided to shadow many other dog trainers and attended a ton of schools to learn as many techniques as possible to help people ENJOY their dogs. To this day, I continue to learn and better myself and my team of trainers to help as many people as possible. We not only continue our education with behavioral problems, but also

Insights Success caught up with Elissa in our endeavor to ﬁnd “The 10 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch 2022” and talked about how she is instilling pride in dog owners, as well as making dogs safer in the community as a whole! Below are the highlights of the interview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Paw & Order Dog Training. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today? I joined the military right out of High School. Being a Military Policewoman led me to the path I am on now. During college, I acquired a paid internship with the Attorney General’s oﬃce and later with the Federal Bureau of Investigations on their Violent Drug and Gang squad in Philadelphia, PA. After two years of interning there, I applied for a Special Agent position, but quickly realized that just was not what I genuinely wanted to do for the rest of my life. I wanted to help people and wanted people to be excited when they saw me arrive at their homes—a

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“We pride ourselves on solving behavior problems and teaching good behaviors for the long term, not just for the moment. We will investigate and solve your dog's behavior problems.” with other areas of dog training such as trick training, Therapy Dog Training, Canine Good Citizen, agility training, large field socialization classes, and K9 Detection training (my Belgian Malinois and I won 1st Place Narcotics at last year’s Police K9 Competition in Kentucky). We realized how much we have to offer and how unique our company is that we decided it was time to franchise in 2019! Tell us something more about your company and its mission and vision. Paw & Order’s mission is to improve the lives of as many families as we can by providing quality and effective individualized dog training. Our vision is to continue spreading Paw & Order nationwide and have an amazing training program to ensure that the quality of our local Pittsburgh market is mirrored in every major city in the United States. We train our trainers to the highest standards and treat our employees like family. All our trainers are extremely valuable to us, and we make sure that they are well taken care of. It builds their loyalty to our brand, making them want to work even harder to ensure that our clients are happy and excited to refer us to their family and friends. Enlighten us on how you have impacted the training niche through your expertise in the market. Our training is unique to each dog and family. We have also made training simple and effective for families and dogs. So often, we hear that “my dog will only listen if I am holding treats or the leash/some other piece of training equipment.” Or a client will say that their dog knows all basic commands (sit, down, come, stay) but will not do it when there are other distractions around or the environment does not look the same every time for the dog. Dogs do not generalize things well and need hundreds of repetitions in as many situations as possible to reliably understand what you are asking them to do. We have mastered our communication with dogs and their owners to

train SIMPLE. We have found that overloading our clients with a bunch of training jargon that means nothing to them is not helpful. Dog owners want their dog to be a good family dog they can trust and be proud of! They are not competing in shows with their dog where they need to learn fancy tricks and unrealistic positions to their family situation (there is nothing wrong with competitions, but most pet owners do not care about that). Most people do not have perfect timing when it comes to communicating with their dog, so we use methods that allow a delay between rewards and consequences once their behavior, like/dislike, has been identiﬁed. This helps tremendously so that their dog will listen even if their owner does not have food or a leash in their hand. We pride ourselves on solving behavior problems and teaching good behaviors for the long term, not just for the moment. Our clients have lifetime access to our trainers and they have access to a free private adventure group after their training is complete to make sure that they continue to be successful. It introduces them to an amazing community of other dogs and owners to experience fun things with. At least once a week, we meet up at trails, parks, stores, lakes, bars, etc., and go hiking, camping, kayaking, or just enjoy a nice day outside with our dogs and a drink! We want people to experience how life-changing our dog training programs are. Once your dog is well trained, your world becomes more fulﬁlling and exciting! Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future Paw & Order Dog Training goals? We recently started opening new locations nationwide and want to continue doing so. We strive for the QUALITY of our trainers instead of quantity. Paw & Order is my “baby,” and we will only expand with individuals that match our integrity and motivation to work hard, be proud of what they are doing, and continue to improve the quality of the business.

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Elissa Weimer

Owner & Professional Trainer Paw & Order Dog Training

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The 10 Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow, 2022

Heather Ripley Helping Businesses Stay Ahead of the Curve

hat was it that made your competitor position itself as an industry leader? It was likely a PR agency that helped it gain a competitive edge.

Well, your business can make it too. What it needs is an agency that can create results-driven branding for your business and help you compete successfully. This is exactly what Ripley PR brings to the table. Spearheading the operations of the company is Heather Ripley, an accomplished PR executive and its founder and CEO. Heather combines business management, solid analytical skills, and creative B2B public relations strategies to deliver measurable results for your brand.

Inspired by her passion for serving clients, we at Insights Success got into conversation with Heather to learn more about her journey and how her rare combination of creativity and analytical thinking is helping businesses thrive. Below are the highlights of the interview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Ripley PR. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today? In 1996, I worked for a department store’s buying office and fell in love with ad copywriting. My career over the years evolved into public relations and marketing. In 2009, I was managing PR and marketing for a large franchisor, Clockwork Home Services. While there, I secured a spot for our three franchise brands, One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and Mister Sparky, on The Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump. That appearance helped our CEO position the company for acquisition, and he sold the brands for more than $180 million. I then entered the agency world and worked in senior management for two different agencies before moving back to my hometown of Maryville, Tennessee and starting Ripley PR in 2013. Within 45 days of starting Ripley PR, I had secured my first three retainer clients. Within six months, I had hired my first full-time employee. Now, Ripley PR is a global public relations agency that has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as a Top

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Heather Ripley CEO and Founder Ripley PR

“Success to us is all about you. It’s not about placing another award in our ofﬁce. It’s about your success in clear, easy-to-understand, concise numbers.” Franchise PR Agency four years in a row and was honored by Forbes as one of America’s Best PR Agencies in 2021. Through our hard work, we have cemented ourselves as one of the top PR agencies in the country for the home service industry and skilled trades. I also published a book for the home services industry last year, entitled “Next Level Now,” which is available for purchase on Amazon.com. Tell us something more about Ripley PR, its mission and vision. My team really loves what we do. We only succeed when our clients succeed. It’s not about gathering awards for Ripley PR, but how best to ensure that we successfully advocate for our clients. At Ripley, you don’t just get one person to help you increase your company’s visibility; you get an entire team of specialists. Our experts can help you create content, pitch

story ideas to the media, and show you the best way to become an expert in your industry. Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the PR niche through your expertise in the market. We pride ourselves on our knowledge of the home services industry and the world of franchising. Those are two of our nicheindustries that we serve. During the time I spent at Clockwork Home Services, I came to realize that the home services industry was underserved in the public relations ﬁeld. Many home services business owners don’t understand the power of PR or feel they don’t need public relations until their business is larger or has a crisis. Ripley PR’s success in driving growth for home service companies and adding value to a franchise system illustrates how important public relations is to these industries. Our goal is to help home services and franchises dominate in their service areas.

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Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful? The ability of the average person to influence the reputation of service companies through review sites like Google or Yelp is a perfect example of why an agency like Ripley PR is useful to this industry. While we do rely on tried-and-true earned media outreach strategies, we employ world-class systems like media databases and workflow management platforms to help us provide measurable results for our clients. In addition to using technology ourselves, we also represent several tech and SaaS companies operating both in and outside the home service industry. Journalists are hungry for more news about innovation, so we lean into and leverage the stories behind our clients’ own tech advancements to keep their brands top of mind. If given a chance, what change would you like to bring to the sales and marketing industry? I’d like to show smaller businesses who want to double or triple in size how public relations can help them grow. Many smaller companies think they don’t need PR because they either aren’t big enough or they aren’t going through a crisis. But public relations can work for any size organization. If you’ve ever wondered why your top competitor was quoted as an expert on your local news, the chances are it wasn’t just luck. The owner probably hired a PR agency. A public relations agency can help any size business become known as the thought-leaders in their field. What, according to you, could be the next big change in the public relations industry? How is Ripley PR preparing to be a part of that change? Social media will continue to grow and evolve. While social media has had a share of bad publicity lately, it’s still a medium that journalists follow. So, in order to stay relevant and top of mind for those delivering the news, companies will need to stay active on social media. In addition to legacy media, non-traditional media is becoming increasingly popular. Influencers, podcasters, YouTubers and others will continue to impact more of our decisionmaking on media outreach. Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run and what are your future goals for Ripley PR? Ripley PR has clients across the U.S., as well as internationally. We will continue to evolve, improve and grow as an agency and deliver results for our clients, no matter where they are based. We provide our clients with

detailed reports that help us determine what is working and what is not, and we make the necessary adjustments to improve results. Four years ago, I started another division of Ripley PR called Orange Orchard. This agency division is committed to using what we’ve learned at Ripley to advocate for organizations that are providing eco- and animal-friendly products and services. I would like to see Orange Orchard be a global force for good in the world. What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the business sector? If you believe in yourself and you are willing to work harder than ever before, you can be successful. When I started Ripley PR, I had my knowledge of the industry and my business acumen to fall back on, but I experienced a lot of challenges and was determined to remain resilient. If you believe you have a unique talent or product to oﬀer the world, take a chance and showcase what makes you special.

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The 10 Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow, 2022

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Karina Tiwana An Ardent Legal Professional Exemplifying Passionate Leadership “

t takes dedication and laser focus to ﬁnd success, not to mention rolled-up sleeves and dirt under your ﬁnger nails”, states an ardent leader, Karina Tiwana. As the General Counsel, Vice President and Corporate Secretary of ALE USA – the U.S. entity name of AlcatelLucent Enterprise - Tiwana has been an integral part of the success of the company. Her passion for the business side of law and sheer dedication has led Tiwana to where she is today.

After spending almost 15 years at Alcatel-Lucent, first as a Contract Manager for five years, Tiwana moved up through the ranks of the legal department, where she landed a corporate counsel position supporting the most innovative business divisions of the company. Eventually, became a primary legal resource to one of these divisions, the Enterprise division, in 2006. Thereafter, she was tapped to support one of the highest revenue-producing divisions in the company. She did that up until 2014 when she was invited to support the planned divestiture of the Enterprise division as General Counsel in the United States. Tiwana would be charged with building a department to support all the legal needs of Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, the new stand-alone company, in North America. This was no small feat but, she said, “many talented and professional people carried my torch.” Reflecting on the experience, Tiwana recognizes she’s grateful for the men and women along her path that buoyed her up when she felt she might be drowning. Helping a new company be born is a daunting task. The Enterprise Business Division, turned Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, contains a close-knit group with many employees boasting long tenures with the company. Let’s know more about Tiwana and her contribution to the industry through an interview conducted between her and Insights Success.

Below are the highlights of the interview: As a business leader, what is your opinion on the impact of the current pandemic on the telecommunications industry? The pandemic’s impact on people, in some cases, has been horrifying and deadly. I will in no way minimize my feelings of empathy toward families that have lost loved ones and those who have fallen ill from the virus. And, of course, to parents trying to cope with both at-home working and at-home teaching of children ripped from schools and their friends. This at-home working and teaching has created an increase in the need for tools like the AlcatelLucent Enterprise Rainbow Unified Communication Platform, as well as infrastructure solutions, such as the company’s OmniAccess Stellar wireless LAN and the OmniSwitch network switches that make everything connect to support the increased communication needs spawned by the crisis. In this way, many telecom industry segments are reaping the benefits of the “new normal”. It’s a shift from in-office to home working and from in-person school to home school. Even events and what used to be live entertainment have gone online as we all try to cope with the restrictions required to keep all of us safe through the pandemic. I hear through news reports that many companies will continue the work-from-home options in some form or other so, it looks like the need for telecom industry tools, solutions and infrastructure is going to continue to grow. What is your opinion on the necessity for businesses to align their offerings with newer technological developments, especially when it comes to Digital Transformation? I think that when it comes to digital transformation, businesses that align their offerings to advances in

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How do you bring your General Counsel skills in establishing strategic direction and delivering results globally? I do this in many ways, but one of my greatest pleasures in the recent past has been contributing legal advice to our team of women and men that have created the Diversity and Inclusion Employee Resource Group (ESG) under our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. With the executive sponsorship of Rukmini Glanard, our Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales, Services and Marketing, the ESG hosted our second global online summit to highlight that diversity and equality are life issues and, deﬁnitely, a business issue impacting ﬁnancial results. An equal world in business results in an enabled and better world for business. We need all of our minds and all of our hands, as a company, to compete and succeed. Diversity and inclusion – across gender, ethnicity, age, religion, etc. – enable a better, balanced environment for economies and communities to thrive. In what ways have you contributed to the community? In my community, as a woman Veteran, I am very active in our American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary. This “American Legion Family” provides support to local Veterans, their families and the general community where Veterans live and work. One example of a recent project in 2020, we recognized the needs of so many children in our community around Christmas time. We sponsored, locally, Toys for Tots supported by the United States Marine Corps Reserve. We served over 300 children and all of them received gifts and a food donation for their families. Supporting this kind of “all-volunteer” community event brings me great joy because I saw the power of giving in action. College students, home for the holidays, stood

alongside their Parents, Grandmothers and Grandfathers to participate in the toy and food distribution portion of the event. I strongly believe in the empowerment provided by serving a cause much greater than yourself. I get this empowerment through working within our American Legion Family. I currently serve on the Executive Board as Sergeant-at-Arms and have served in the past as Post Commander. At the time I served as Commander, I was the very first woman everto serve as Commander in the Post’s 77-year history.Today, I’m proud to say, as other notable “first women” leaders are saying more and more, “I may have been the first, but I won’t be the last.” If given a chance, what change would you bring in providing growth opportunities to Women? I am very lucky to have been given the chance at AlcatelLucent Enterprise to effect real change in my role as General Counsel at ALE USA. I hired student interns in 2014 as a creative way to augment my staff. We showed so much success with training and utilizing student interns in our legal department that it inspired the company to adopt an Internship Program and now, many departments are hiring student interns. In fact, a recent hire is going to supplement our global CSR endeavors. She will be graduating from college soon with a degree in Ethnic Studies. I think these internship programs are vital to

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Step-up and lead from the front.

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technology further drive the evolution. Technology continues to be instrumental in our lives and the growth of business. In particular, I think, as a strategy, aligning business infrastructure with Cloud technology builds a mindset that pushes innovation, agility and problemsolving. Our company’s Cloud technology products and services have helped our customers push beyond digital transformation plans and overcome the challenges of working through a pandemic. It’s clear to me that Cloud delivers the benefit of scale and adapts to opportunities, while being reliable and secure. It just makes sense to me how flexible technology enables businesses to adapt the work environment, ensure efficient operations and manage costs.

Karina Tiwana,

General Counsel, Vice President, and Corporate Secretary,

ALE USA Inc.

creating opportunities and success for everyone, especially for women. In my case, all of my interns moved on to become practicing lawyers and have secured positions in law ﬁrms. I’m very proud of all of them. As an established business leader, what would be your advice for the budding women entrepreneurs?

your classmates, your teachers, your family, your colleagues, and your professional network. They will help you navigate. But, above all, do what you love. Do it a lot. If you do what you love and you do it a lot, you will get really good at it. If you get good at it, you will likely make money at it and you will be wealthy. Wealth is not money alone. Wealth includes not only professional success but also self-fulﬁllment and realizing your dreams.

Make sure you know a good lawyer! Not a shameless plug. No, seriously, it’s very important to build a strong network of diversely talented individuals that can be asked for the help you need along the way. Be yourself because your authentic self is your best face. Have a clear picture of what your authentic self is. Remember, there will be roadblocks on your journey to success and some may be related to your gender, your age or any number of things but the roadblocks are just hills to climb and there are plenty of people to give you a helpful push so you can keep going. Leverage your mentors and allies. These are your friends,

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Unlocking the POTENTIAL of WOMEN for WELFARE of the WORLD

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Womanhood

here is a tremendous amount of potential in every living entity. Untapped potential should be trapped for the welfare of the world. Where women are empowered that place flourishes in abundance. Empowered women leads to the prosperity of families, societies, nations and the world. Deep down, every person likes to live with dignity by contributing something to the world according to one’s capabilities and potential. Therefore, that potential should be nurtured in everyone and especially in the girls and women. Nothing can dim the light in every person that shines from within. All girls and women has to do is to be aware of their own inner potential and they can contribute to any field of their choice. The world is currently going through the unprecedented times due to the ongoing pandemic. This is certainly challenging time for many people but some exceptional women leaders see the positive opportunity even in such unprecedented time and actually that is the hallmark of good women leadership. Exceptional women leaders are always aware and they understand that the unprecedented times always call for unprecedented actions, innovative, thoughtful, and win-win solutions. The world may be filled with lot of negativity due to inevitable challenges and causes, but exceptional women leaders call upon their inner light and they use such unprecedented time to develop and nourish their skillsets so that they can be an instrument of positive contribution to the world in the coming times. Now more than ever, women and girls need to call on their inner light to utilize the toughest times to tune into their conscience, learn new things by using virtual platforms and make themselves competent. In the difficult times of pandemic it is essential for women leaders to be detached from the negativity around themselves. Unless and until one is detached from the negativity, it is very difficult to focus on the positive and to make the most out of that positive. Exceptional women leaders prefer to be courageous to confront issues more diligently and deal with people with empathy and due consideration. Exceptional women leaders choose to think deliberately and act on the conclusion of logical, rational, analytical, systematic, and cognitive-intensive thought process. That is really the most important part of exceptional women leadership. Leaders are supposed to think deliberately and act on the basis of logical conclusion for delivering the efficient results. Educating and empowering a girl child creates a ripple effect and it creates a positive influence in the community. Empowered women invest time and energy in creating the stronger next generations. The future leaders of tomorrow can be more talented, dynamic, and competent to deliver maximum contribution for the welfare of the world if they are raised by the empowered women. Empowering women is beneficial in so many ways and their contribution play a

very important role in creating the genuinely exemplary future leaders. Gender equality is beneficial for the whole world. Promoting gender equality is not just responsibility of women leaders or women issue but it is a societal issue and everyone should support in promoting the purpose of gender equality. United nations is again and again promoting the empowerment of women. That’s very crucial. The greater number of women in every field is a sign of growth and evolved culture. The empowered women are boon to the world. That is the reason ‘Gender Equality’ is one of the most important sustainable development goals. Empowering women is essential for the sustainable development of the world. Empowered women become great asset for businesses, families, societies, communities, nations, and that is ultimately beneficial for whole world. There are plenty of fields where women have opportunities and they can contribute immensely. The world is in desperate need of genuinely exemplary women leaders to make a difference through businesses, science, research, technology etc. Women can become the leaders in the field of businesses, science, research, technology and in any choice of their field if they are willing to be bold and courageous enough to pursue their career in such fields relentlessly. They have the potential to make a difference in the choice of field they go and therefore women should not shy away from utilizing their best capabilities and they should deny the world of their valuable contribution. Empowered women are the secret weapon of creating a positive change in the society and the world at large. Empowering and enhancing women and investing in them unlocks a tremendous potential for the world. Empowered women are the most important weapon and resource in the fight against the global poverty. The untapped resource of women has the tremendous potential and that should be recognized by the people in the world especially by the people who have the opportunity to create awareness related to this. The empowered women have the potential to significantly improve livelihoods, productivity, economic outputs, and the overall human life itself. The basic longing to live with dignity, the fundamental desire to have control of one’s lives and one’s future and to be part of determining the course of our communities and our nations are very much universal in the empowered women. These longings burn in the women and girls, and with these longings they can be a great dynamic force in the world to be an agent of change and make a significant contribution for the welfare of the world with their talents, skills, and abilities and that will lead to the ultimate welfare of the world.

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Ruthie Staalsen

Owner Ruthie Staalsen Interiors (RSI)

The 10 Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow, 2022

An Avid Designer Creating Spaces that are Collected, not Decorated

nown for her exquisite taste, superior sense of style, and infectious personality, Ruthie Staalsen of Ruthie Staalsen Interiors is a prominent name in the interior design space. Born and raised in South Africa, Ruthie has lived all over the world. She creates homes that have a relaxed, collected look and adds a global flair to her designs. Her knack for utilizing existing pieces within a space to create something completely new makes her a preferred choice among her clientele. Besides, she has also co-authored the book, Behind Her Brand, which depicts what life is like as a female entrepreneur, mother, and wife, and how to best integrate these aspects to create a balanced business and fulfilling life. Inspired by her passion for designing spaces, we at Insights Success caught up with Ruthie to learn more about her journey as a business leader. Below are the highlights of the Interview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Ruthie Staalsen Interiors. What challenges do you have to overcome to reach where you are today? I’m the oldest of 3 kids and carried the role of leader as a kid and still do. I was born and raised in South Africa and traveled the world in my childhood. Leadership has always been part of my DNA, and I think living in different countries all my life, made me a better leader because I learned to adjust to hardships and certainly learned about being flexible. That being said, I’m a very driven person and one of the biggest challenges I’ve had to learn is how to take time to relax. Being that my business relies a lot on me, it is hard for me to shut work off. I learned the hard way and have now hired people to help me do the things

I’m not so good at. This relieves me to do the things that I love, and that brings me more joy and time to relax. Tell us something more about your company, its mission, and its vision. We are a Dallas based boutique design ﬁrm focussing on residential design. We do everything from walk through consultations to full-service design projects. Again, because of our travels, I watched my mom set up home each time we were in a new country. She always surrounded us with the things that were important to us and created a home around those things. Our mission at RSI is to always give our clients a home they enjoy being in, one that welcomes them home and makes them spend time with family and friends. We want the homes we create to be practical, functional, and beautiful. We create a “feeling” that not just anybody can create. Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the Interiors niche through your expertise in the market? I am a part of the Interior Design Society and keep as involved as I can. I believe that when you have good relationships with others in the same industry, you can add your knowledge and experience to others and, interns learn from others, making our businesses stronger together. I’m not afraid of making changes to our company if things are not working as they should. Change is hard but can sometimes lead you in a more positive direction. Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization. We have a positive and fun vibe here at RSI, and we hire people with that same energy. We love employees that have a lot of experience, however, the most important thing to me is their attitude, character, and “can do” spirit. Everything else can be learned, but these characteristics are crucial additions to my business model.

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God is the giver of gifts, it is up to me to use those gifts to serve Him.

Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful? We are incredibly active on social media platforms and use them to educate and inspire our existing clients and our future clients. We do before and after videos of our install days and document our behind-the-scenes happenings with our remodels and full home makeovers. What, according to you, could be the next big change in the Interiors industry? How is your company preparing to be a part of that change? Travel takes up so much time and although we love to travel, we often can't take time away from our ongoing clients. I see more and more virtual events, showroom tours, etc. happening (especially since Covid) so that we can still attend while being in our office. The only problem is the energy and comradery that goes along with in-person events is irreplaceable and needed in this lonely career. We work alone a lot as designers preparing design plans, doing office paperwork, etc. Being with others that motivate and encourage us is very important. I certainly don’t want inperson events to go away. Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run and what are your future goals for your company? I would love to have a unique line with lighting, rug, or furniture company. I believe my international flair could

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really be a benefit. So many companies need to revamp their outdated showrooms and products to keep them in line with their competition. Promoting other companies through my social media is one of the things I do naturally so putting these two things together only makes sense. Another goal of mine is to have a Jewelry line made with bamboo, wood, string, metal, and other fun textures similar to the textures I use in my designs. My future goals are to be able to donate more money to my favorite charities. I started this business with that very goal in mind and want to continue doing so more than ever. What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the Interiors sector? Though this industry is a fun one to be in, think about it seriously. There are lot of clients to please and loads of balls in the air to juggle constantly. When you first start, you are solo doing all the things a business needs. Hiring people comes later and those first few years are HARD. I would also say that if you are not good at working with others or are not a problem solver, this industry is not for you. You need thick skin to be an entrepreneur in general, also being a marriage Counselor is definitely in your job description 90% of the time.

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Sherry Blinkhorn Broker/Owner

Blinkhorn Real Estate Ltd

The 10 Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow, 2022

Sherry Blinkhorn

An Accomplished Real Estate Broker and a Passionate Advocate for the Mentally Ill

t is easy to say be the change you want, but it is quite difficult to really understand the struggle one goes through to change oneself. We hear stories about people who have achieved success and paved their way to the top of their field, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Numerous factors drive one to make desired changes to be the change they want. In our search to find such a persona, driven to adapt to change, we came across Sherry Blinkhorn, who perfectly fits the definition of 'be the change you want.' Currently, Sherry passionately leads her venture, Blinkhorn Real Estate Ltd., with her dedication to being the best of the best. The Thorns and The Roses Sherry's journey hasn’t been an easy one. She came up through the foster care system and went through many challenges in her life, but she made some conscious decisions that would change her life for the good after her children were born. Sherry began her professional journey as a commercial and residential property manager in her initial years then in 1998 she pursued getting her salesperson’s license. She began to achieve one milestone after the other by utilizing her extensive knowledge and experience to accumulate record-breaking sales. It resulted in her receiving national recognition in 2002 and 2003 and in 2004 she received the 'Platinum Award' for her sales achievement, placing her in

the top 5% in Canada's total sales volume with Royal LePage National Franchise. Subsequently, embarking on the success, Sherry's adaptability to change led her to the quest of incepting her independent real estate firm, in 2005, Blinkhorn Real Estate Ltd., and she has never looked backed since. She sowed the seeds of efforts and dedication, forming a team with likeminded colleagues that reaped her and her firm the fruit of gaining a solid reputation for providing exceptional services and supporting many non-profit charitable organizations. Adding Different Ingredients to the Recipe of Success Plunging forward in her path of success, she says the learning process never stops. Sherry holds a diploma in adult psychology, social work, and counselling skills. Being amply trained in the mental health field, she understands how stressful it can be to buy or sell a house. Sherry has fostered an environment where she puts people first and encourages her colleagues to do the same. She’s created a caring and natural positive atmosphere in her workspace. She knows how crucial it is and is humbled to be part of the most significant transaction of one's life and is overjoyed to help it to become a reality. “We don’t see ourselves as good salespeople – we are good Realtors; there is a big difference,” says Sherry. Sherry has focused her work approach around her buyers and sellers making them the utmost priority. It was vital to

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her to create a familial workspace which gives a feeling of comfort and smoothens the work process. She truly cares about her clients and understands their real estate needs, which is why she implies a friendly and professional atmosphere in her unique way. She has sculpted a valuedriven team that strives and implements effective marketing strategies with honesty and hard work. Cherishing The Victories The amount of hard work and dedication Sherry puts in her work is commendable in itself. Her work ethic has set an example, and her efforts have been acknowledged with numerous awards, including the ‘Community Mentor Award’ from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pictou County. She also received the prestigious ‘Business Leader of the Year award at the Pictou County Chamber of Commerce Gala in 2012. Sherry is the first female to receive this honor since its inception in 1991. Her achievements don’t stop there and go further; in 2018, Sherry received the ‘Volunteer Vision Award’ from the Nova Scotia Mental Health Foundation. The following year she was also recognized with the ‘Women in Business Award’ at the Chamber Business Achievements Gala. Aside

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Blinkhorn Real Estate is dedicated to selling your home or nding you that dream home creating the best possible experience throughout the entire real estate transaction. Professionally we serve, personally we care!

from awards, Sherry was featured in 2020 in the International ‘Top Agent Magazine’ and her life story in the Nova Scotia ‘At Home Magazine’. Leveraging Technology to Provide Upscale Services At Blinkhorn Real Estate, Sherry has created a work culture driven by values to make client's lives easier and delivers high-quality products. The company implements innovative technologies and offers virtual reality tours and drone videography to enhance the listings services. They do their best to ensure that clients get the best prices for buyers and sellers by through their experience and expertise. Above and Beyond for the Community The journey that Sherry embarked on has been a challenge in itself, she’s worked hard to forge her path to be at the position she is today. Her experiences have all contributed to finding transparency in her life. She has been a passionate advocate for the mentally ill for years. She was also the public relations director for the Canadian Cancer Society, Pictou, volunteered for years on the Palliative Care unit and made it part of her life to give back to her community. Sherry has built Blinkhorn Real Estate from the ground up and contributed to many community organizations in various ways along the way including sponsoring sports teams and is routinely involved with multiple non-profits and other organizations across the county. The Guiding Flame Unfolding the pages of Sherry's life, it is crystal clear that despite hurdles she’s faced, she always has come out on top. She always empowers, inspires, and encourages a TEAM environment at her work. She ensures an ambiance of professionalism, integrity, and superior client service. She leads with a positive attitude, high ethical values, and hard work and says she will persist in doing the same into the future. Last but not least, Sherry has asserted herself in a firm spot being a leader in the field of real estate. She is an inspiration to numerous people and continues to change many lives. Her compassion, dedication, and her drive to change have made her a successful businesswoman. She is truly an example of taking charge of her own life and being the change, she wants.

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Tracy Lamourie Founder & Managing Director Lamourie Media Inc.

Photographer- Dave Gruggen, gruggenphotography.com

The 10 Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow, 2022

Tracy Lamourie

An Admired Trailblazer Empowering the World for Better

As the Founder & Managing Director of Lamourie Media Inc., Tracy has been at the forefront in getting major media attention to help people. She is an award-winning international publicist working across borders and industries, from major entertainment projects to small businesses. Let us unveil her impacting journey. The Immense Rise Tracy garnered various skillset that ultimately led her to start a business helping other entrepreneurs and creatives build their global brands and reputations for thought leadership as a young advocate for causes she cared about. With no financial resources, no formal backing - nothing more than an internet connection and an old computer in the apartment she rented at the time - and a whole lot of selfbelief and willingness to put the work in. Tracy started working as a freelancer, which quickly led to her first company Lamourie PR, with her husband and business partner, Dave Parkinson. In 2020, they incorporated Lamourie Media. She mentions that in the early days. The biggest challenge was climbing that mountain to prove herself without the five-year degree behind her name, without thousands of dollars to spend in advertising.

After spending all those years of conducting business, COVID hit, and about 80 percent of Tracy's contracts relating to entertainment, events, and travel were grounded - so she had to pivot to find new clients who needed their messages amplified. She managed to do that very successfully to the point that the last two years have been her best yet from a financial and business growth perspective - even though most of the travel is still grounded! Build YOUR Brand In essence, Lamourie Media amplifies the incredible things its clients across industries from the creative to the entrepreneurial to experts of all kinds - are doing and give them a global presence. In terms of values, this truly is a company that grew out of its founders' values, from learning to write that first press release that led to a 19-year campaign that ultimately freed an innocent man from death row. This experience taught Tracy the value of media attention and how difficult it is for some to make their voices heard without help. She asserts, "Though today we are a for-profit business, we still make the choices about whom we will represent and what kind of messaging we will put into the world with our values at the forefront."

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he power of media is very impactful. It can drive several transformative changes that are essential for humankind. The voice that media can give a person holds the signiﬁcant potential to amplify essential messages. Being a long-time advocate on a myriad of critical worldwide issues, Tracy Lamourie is passionate about being a voice for those who most need one.

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Don't Dream It, Be It

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Becoming a Strong Voice As the recent winner of the Women of Inspiration award in Media, Tracy heard many aﬀecting words from women she worked with. These women come from all backgrounds, levels of education, and cultures - thanking Tracy for the diﬀerence she has made in their lives and businesses by giving them a voice.

Setting Up For the Next Change Tracy mentions that the media industry is changing, and it is starting to reach a signiﬁcant milestone. However, it needs to do more work - continued diverse voices and experiences need to reach the public. Those in the positions of privilege need to continue to do the work to level the playing ﬁeld.

Cherishing this remarkable achievement, Tracy says, "I think we have been successful in what we set out to do. Elevate And Celebrate what these incredible people are doing and sharing it with the world. I've also heard from many women who tell me that my career trajectory over the last decade, watching me create this company, and seeing the success I am having with it has inspired them to ﬁnd their own conﬁdence to put their passions forward and work to create lives for themselves out of those passions!"

Tracy states that the world will continue to see the effects of people creating their media and effective forms of expression with the evolution of blogs and podcasts and social platforms like clubhouse. It will get more effective, allowing people to reach their growing audiences and mainstream media responding to and often taking cues from that.

Keeping Up with Technology Like most industries, the way Tracy does public and media relations has been changing faster than many can keep up. She believes that technology is the name of the game, from new social platforms to services that connect people with thousands of media contacts and beyond. Keeping up on all that is available can seem like a job in itself but ultimately makes your processes more accessible.

What Lies Ahead Tracy looks forward to the world opening up for travel again to see herself traveling again. She says, "I am blessed that I can do most of my work from anywhere and after two years of being mostly locked down travel-wise in cold Canada. I'm looking forward to more trips back to Malta in the Mediterranean: one of her favorite destinations for business and pleasure. She gives a huge shout-out to the incredible BE hotel that I feel like is my second home!)." Tracy wants to visit the world that aligns with her business. She intends to continue pursuing her and her clients' goals with the relentless passion that has got her this far! Bequeathing Excellence Tracy advises upcoming entrepreneurs aspiring to venture to start their entrepreneurial journey to "Don't Dream It, Be It." It is one of her favorite inspirational quotes from the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack.

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The 10 Most Ambitious Women in Business to Follow 2022

Articles inside

Diana JennerRedefining the Beauty Industry

Heather RipleyHelping Businesses Stay Ahead of the Curve

Adi EngelHelping SMEs Become Leaders in Digital Space