When Haydeé Acebo completed the Viking Swim in 7 hours and 10 minutes, becoming the first Latina to finish the grueling open-water challenge, she wasn’t just proving something to herself. She was gathering material for a message she delivers to boardrooms across the country: success isn’t about pushing through alone.
Acebo runs Exclusive Business Solutions, where she works with organizations as a Best Places to Work strategist and HR consultant. Her approach combines traditional HR expertise with an unconventional background that includes completing major open-water swims, including Lake Tahoe, and raising funds for 21 social causes through endurance swimming.
The connection between cold water and corporate culture might not be obvious, but Acebo has built her career on the parallels. As a TEDx speaker, she’s delivered talks on vulnerability, resilience, and what she calls “the life-changing power of asking for help” — themes that emerged from both her immigrant experience and her time in the water.
Building Culture Through Strategy and Story
Acebo’s consulting work focuses on helping companies strengthen engagement and retention through what she describes as high-trust cultures. She’s guided multiple organizations to Best Places to Work recognition, blending employer branding strategy with leadership development that emphasizes emotional intelligence and psychological safety.
Her client base includes organizations navigating growth or transformation, executive leaders looking to develop their teams, and companies committed to people-centered workplaces. She also works with professional associations and conferences as a keynote speaker, where she combines leadership development workshops with personal storytelling drawn from her experiences as both an HR executive and an athlete.
The personal narrative is central to her work. Acebo moved to the United States at 18 and learned English from scratch before building a career in executive HR leadership. That immigrant experience informs her perspective on belonging and resilience in workplace settings.
What Comes Next
Looking ahead, Acebo plans to expand her presence on the national speaking circuit, targeting HR conferences, women’s leadership summits, and corporate events. She’s working on a book about asking for help, positioning it as a resource for organizations focused on building trust and psychological safety.
Through Exclusive Business Solutions, she’s working to establish herself as a recognized partner for companies pursuing sustainable engagement strategies. Her workshops cover conflict resolution, inclusive leadership, and what she frames as emotionally intelligent team development.
The endurance swimming continues alongside the consulting work. For Acebo, the two pursuits reinforce each other. Both require preparation, community support, and the willingness to acknowledge limits. As she tells organizations through her culture consulting and speaking work, performance follows when people feel supported enough to ask for what they need.
It’s a message drawn from open water and tested in organizations where engagement and retention depend on leaders who can blend strategy with genuine connection.
