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About the documentary
"Wellness" brand Teami Blends is sold by big-box stores and plugged by celebrities, flexing that it helps customers lose weight through a laxative “detox” tea. Even though the federal government sued Teami for deceptive marketing, influencers and major retailers continue to profit from it — but that's just the start.
Teami is also allegedly run by devout Scientologists who force their employees to take religion-based courses written by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. CEO Adi Arezzini’s mother Sari Halevy is an auditor who works for MGE Management Experts Inc., a group of business consultants linked to the World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE), the cult’s corporate recruiting arm according to multiple discrimination lawsuits filed against it over the years.
This documentary investigates the disturbing parallels between Adi’s alleged management style and Hubbard’s brutal cult doctrine, interviewing ex-employees about why “this job will give you PTSD” (per a Glassdoor review) and exposing the potential health dangers of Teami’s products. Most importantly, the film asks why this brand keeps winning mainstream support amid allegations that it’s enriching an abusive cult.
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Chapters
Teami Blends, Adi Halevy Arezzini (@adiarezzini) and Sari Halevy did not follow up to my requests to comment and participate in this video, but my invitation to interview them stands. I’d still love for Adi to share her side of the story and respond to the questions below about the allegations raised. If she contacts me to interview or offer written answers, I’ll share her replies in a future video on my YouTube channel.
Colon Cleanse tea
Licensed medical doctors have called detox products a scam and have said that pounds of waste don’t accumulate in our bodies over the years like you’ve claimed on Teami’s social media. What source(s) are you getting that information from?
People who’ve bought Teami Colon have said they were shocked to discover it contained a laxative. One woman even said she pooped herself on the way to work in a public train because she had no idea she should stay near a toilet. Do you feel like Teami should make it clearer that Teami Colon contains a laxative that could cause uncontrollable bowel movements?
The laxative in Teami’s Colon Cleanse Tea is senna, which medical experts say should not be taken for more than a week because of the risk of dependence and the serious health damage that can come from that. But your detox program tells customers to drink Teami Colon every other night for a month, and you’ve said some customers do it back to back. Do you feel like Teami should disclose the risk of senna dependance to customers more clearly?
You offer a subscription service where I can get multiple packs of Teami Colon Cleanse tea automatically sent to me every month. Do you think that’s a dangerous service to offer given the major health risks of senna dependence associated with long-term use?
You’ve said you’re not that educated on health and wellness. Why do you feel qualified to give medical advice that conflicts with guidance from licensed doctors who’ve had 10-12 years of regulated training?
Weight loss claims
On its blog, Teami has states that “Teami Skinny is FDA approved” but the FDA doesn’t approve dietary supplements. Why is Teami claiming this product has FDA approval?
You’ve said that people lose on average 5-20 pounds by doing Teami’s 30-Day Detox, and Teami Blends has even shared on social media that one woman lost 40 pounds on this program. But medical doctors say laxative-based cleanses don’t result in fat loss, but just in temporary water weight loss if anything. What would you say to a consumer who feels that Teami’s marketing is deceptive?
You’ve said you started Teami Blends in part because you really disagreed with the way existing detox and skinny tea companies were marketing their products using “a blonde Australian model holding a bag of tea“ and saying “Drink this tea and look like this model.” But Teami Blends’ marketing has used countless models holding bags of its tea. How’s that any different?
In an interview, you said that before you started Teami Blends, none of the detox teas you tried had solved your gut issues yet, but you noticed these companies were “preying on woman who want to detox but don’t really know what it is“ and “giving them this product that … doesn’t work.” Right afterward you said “that was the point when I was like, I’m going to make my own tea.” How do you explain your desire to launch a detox tea company before such a product had worked for you, but instead after you noticed this industry exploiting consumers?
You’ve said that Teami Blends’ customers are not health experts and they don’t want to get bogged down in science, and a consumer who got very sick from Teami Colon Cleanse accused Teami Blends of targeting customers “who don’t know any better.” What‘s your response to that allegation?
Health claims
A former chat rep said when customers had medical questions about products, management told them to simply recommend a tea to them. Has this ever been the policy?
Ex-staff say that when they asked questions about product health claims, Teami’s management immediately got defensive. Are these types of questions allowed at Teami?
Former staff said they don’t think you care whether product health claims are true. What would you say to that?
Product quality
Have customers ever complained about unopened tea packages containing bugs, screws, plastic or cigarette butts?
Has Teami received a lot of complaints about customers getting sick or having diarrhea?
Do you think it was dangerous to release a hand cleanser without alcohol or any ingredients proven to kill COVID during the height of the pandemic when consumers were panic-buying hand sanitizer at record-breaking prices?
Why was Teami Protect canceled?
Was first iteration of the MixIt blender actually made by a company called iMaster?
Were there reports of this product exploding and catching on fire, or refusing to turn off?
Has Teami ever had so much unsold and returned product that boxes overflowed into the office creating a maze?
Ex-employees allege that Teami’s products are sourced from China at cheap prices that are jacked up and sold as luxury. How would you response that claim?
Are any of Teami’s products made by manufacturers listed on Alibaba?
Is Teami’s skincare fridge made by an Alibaba manufacturer named Ningo Iceberg Electronic Devices?
Do you feel that the margins on Teami’s products are fair?
Has Teami used pre-made formulas and product descriptions from Build Your Own Brand?
Reviews
Have you asked employees to post positive employer or product reviews?
Have you asked employees to downvote negative reviews of Teami’s products?
I found several negative product reviews on Teami’s site that still had five stars, including one review where someone said the site wouldn’t allow them to leave one star. Has Teami’s site ever prevented low-star reviews?
Have negative reviews ever been removed on Teami’s site?
Ex-staff say you positive customer reviews were reviewed with the team every week, calling it “emotional manipulation” to make employees feel like they were helping people instead of scamming them. How would you respond to this?
Ex-staff said that Cardi B. took a promotional photo with a Teami tumbler containing a liquid that wasn’t your tea, but instead looked like cranberry juice, and that when asked about this, she said she didn’t feel comfortable taking the risk to drink Teami’s tea because she was pregnant at the time. Is this true?
FTC lawsuit
The Federal Trade Commission sued Teami Blends for making deceptive health claims that were not backed by scientific evidence, including, for example, that your Profit Tea “rejuvenates internal organs” and “fights cancerous cells”. Why was Teami making these claims without scientific proof?
Are you concerned about what kind of harm these claims might have caused your customers?
Have you ever addressed these claims or the FTC’s lawsuit with your customers?
If so, how? If not, why not?
The FTC said Teami Blends’ influencer partners did not clearly disclose their material connection to Teami above the “more” link in promotional posts, even after the FTC warned Teami that this violated Truth In Advertising laws, and even though Teami’s partners were contractually obligated to get approval of their post text before publication. How do you explain these charges by the FTC against Teami Blends?
The FTC said that consumers paid Teami Blends more than $15 million in “ill-gotten monies” because of deceptive marketing, but Teami ultimately only paid a $1 million fine because it said it was unable to pay the full amount. What was the rest of that money spent on?
The Sun news has estimated your net worth at $50 million, which might make some people feel like the large reduction in the FTC’s fine wasn’t fair. What would you say to those people?
Scientology ties
Are you a Scientologist?
Have you taken Scientology courses?
Do you own a property in the same building as Tom Cruise?
The Sun newspaper has estimated that you’ve donated $5 million to the organization known as the Church of Scientology. Is that true?
Have you received recognition by the organization known as the Church of Scientology for your donations to it?
Does your husband Alex work for the organization known as the Church of Scientology in Portland?
Is Jeremy Arezzini Alex's brother?
Hubbard courses
Does Teami offer its employees courses written by the founder of Scientology L. Ron Hubbard?
Are these courses mandatory or voluntary?
Are employees required to take these courses to receive raises and bonuses?
If an employee refuses these courses, are they terminated or treated differently?
Do these courses teach Scientology beliefs?
Are these courses licensed from the World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE)?
Are employees required or asked to sign an agreement that the courses are non-religious?
Does your mother Sari teach these courses?
Are these courses an effort to recruit new members into Scientology?
Does Sari (or anyone connected with her) earn a commission if Teami employees decide to buy training from the organization known as the Church of Scientology?
Are these courses an effort to make Teami as profitable as possible to increase donations to Scientology?
An ex-employee says they had water poured on them during one of the courses and was told she was weak. Is this true?
Ex-staff say they were forced to say extremely hurtful insults to each other during courses until they had no reaction. Why would they say this?
Pay & benefits
You’ve said in an interview that you used to work a job for $10 an hour, and you knew that was never going to be enough to take care of your family. Yet you’ve paid Teami workers $10 an hour. How do you reconcile this?
Ex-staff say they were denied promised bonuses and that pay raises were delayed again and again. Is that true?
Have you asked employees to work at home without pay?
Have employees ever complained to HR such requests?
How many vacation days do employees get? (Some ex-staff allege only three per year.)
Do you think that if someone gets sick, it’s their fault?
If employees took sick leave, did you examine their performance and question whether they were trying to harm the company?
Did you dismantle a manager’s department after they took sick leave?
Are employees made to feel like criminals if they ask for sick leave?
Employee appearance
Are thin, attractive employees favored at Teami Blends?
Has management ever created a list categorizing employees based on their body type?
Have heavier employees ever been asked to stay out of photo shoots?
Are Teami employees required to do the 30-day detox?
Are they reprimanded or let go or considered for termination if refused?
Management
Do you hire young women at Teami because their minds are more impressionable?
Employee reviews say you have “no leadership qualities whatsoever” calling your management style toxic. Why would they say this and how would you respond to them?
Did you demand that employees friend you on social media, saying that if they didn’t it meant they were bad-mouthing you or that they weren’t loyal to Teami?
Former staff say their every move was tracked at Teami, that you went through their emails and phones, that you put a nanny cam toward their desks to monitor them, that they suspected the office was bugged, and that they wondered whether their personal devices were spied on using the company’s wifi connection. Are any of these allegations true?
When an employee reaches a quota, is that quota immediately raised?
Were employees’ stats expected to rise month to month regardless of consumers’ seasonal buying habits?
Ex-staff say they didn’t get enough sleep trying to meet Teami’s goals. Are the goals unreasonable?
Are employees severely reprimanded if they don’t meet quotas or if their stats fall, even if for reasons beyond their control?
An employee review says “the second you disagree or she even perceives something is wrong with your stats, she turns into a horrible spidery monster who will eat you alive. In front of the whole company, too.” Would you like to respond to this?
Do you think that any decline in an employee’s stats is ultimately their responsibility or fault?
If an employee’s stats fall, does management refuse to speak or talk to them, acting like they don’t exist?
Do you encourage employees to report each other for bad behavior?
Do employees get in trouble or get terminated if they criticize Scientology?
Have you offered money to terminated employees in exchange for them signing an NDA?
Employee effects
Does Teami have a high turnover rate?
Employee reviews say Teami Blends is “cult-like” and “will give you PTSD,” warning others to “please go find any other job.” Why do you think many of these reviews are so negative?
Former employees told me they cried daily working at Teami and that the job made them feel worthless, destroyed, severely depressed and suicidal. What do you think when you hear this?
Do you think changes need to be made in the workplace culture at Teami Blends?
There have been so many reports over the years detailing evidence that Scientology is an incredibly abusive cult with hundreds of former members and their loved ones corroborating claims. Have you looked at sources that criticize Scientology?
Ex-staff have called you brainwashed. Would you like to respond to this?
Former staff say they don’t think you’ll leave Scientology because they think you see it as the reason for your success and that you’d stand too much to lose now that you have a family. Would you like to respond to this?
Anything else you’d like to say?