Here at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting gals who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

JJ DiGeronimo

My Current Job/Company:
President of Purposeful Woman and Tech Savvy Women

My Birthdate:
January 29, 1973

My Work:
I am a motivational speaker, author, entrepreneur and advocate for women. I provide Proven and Practical Leadership Strategies for High Impact Women to effectively prioritize, align and achieve their individualized goals. I have authored the highly sought-after books for women, “The Working Woman’s GPS,” and “Before You Say Yes” (e-book). I have also co-authored, “The Confident Woman, Tapping into Your Inner Power.” I participate in events globally for women leaders, women in technology, women entrepreneurs and young women in Science Technology Engineering and Math (S.T.E.M.).

My Passion:
My family, faith, friends and life’s work.

My Family:
Rob (Life Partner and Husband), two beautiful, kind and purposeful children and my dog.

My Heroes:
The women before me that have endured scrutiny, pain, separation and sometimes torture to grant women additional rights. I am very grateful for their tenacity, sacrifices and passion to empower and elevate women. There is still so much to do for women’s rights globally and I plan to contribute often in my lifetime.

My Escape:
Being by a body of water, starting a new book, walking in nature and taking catnaps.

My Pet Peeve:
People who do not take responsibilities for their choices, people who complain and blame others but do not want to work to alter their outcome, and oh, long lines.

My Indulgence:
Learning something new, traveling, wine during the day, girl’s nights and new business ventures.

My Roots:
Honesty, giving it 110%, the right attitude, the confidence to go after your dreams and love.

My Future:
Magical

My Love:
When we are all together creating memories, donating our time to help others, seeing the world through our children’s eyes and feeling the touch of a spiritual connection

My Movie:
There are many movies I could name but in the spirit of empowering women, I would select “The Notebook” (2004). In the movie, Ryan Gosling buys Rachel McAdams a gift of painting supplies. He suggests through the gift that he wants her to pursue her dreams of painting and arranges a beautiful area in his house for her. There, of course, is so much more needed in a marriage than one gift but, I like what the gift infers – his commitment to her goals and dreams.

Marriage, to me and many successful women who I have interviewed, is about a mutually beneficial partnership that elevates both people to live their best and most purposeful life.

For many women, who they marry will determine their destination regardless of the rights available to them. Every chance I get, I share the truth about marriage to young women in an effort to set expectations that will help guide them toward a loving and mutually beneficial partnership.

My Quote on Life:
Gosh, so many to pick from, here are a few of my favorite quotes that guide me:
“You will face many defeats in your life but never let yourself be defeated.” ~ Maya Angelou

“There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women. ~Madeleine Albright

“Don’t wait.The time will never be just right.” ~ Napoleon Hill

My Accessory:
My phone.

My Advice to Young Women:
You can do anything you set your mind to. It comes down to your choices and who you surround yourself with. So, ladies choose wisely and do not compromise your dreams for someone else’s goals.

How I Balance it All:
HA! Balance is tough to find for women juggling the average load (family, extended family, career, community). With many of life’s demands, I have learned that I need to make selective choices each day that align to my goals and life objectives. This often requires me to say “no” to too many requests for my time. Through these sometime difficult choices, I’ve found personal strength, courage and determination. When I prioritize me first, I am a better mom, wife, entrepreneur and advocate. (More information about the Power of No can be found in the book, “The Confident Woman”.)

You can find me at www.purposefulwoman.com
Facebook Fan Page: Purposeful Woman
LinkedIn: JJ DiGeronimo

Here at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting gals who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

Jennifer Voit

My Current Job/Company:
Vice President, The Center for Family Safety and Healing. The family violence center, located at Nationwide Children’s, aspires to break the cycle of violence through advocacy, prevention, intervention, treatment and research.

My Birthdate:
12/30/72

My Work:
I manage the operations of a great organization and support the work an amazing team of experts in the field of family violence and child abuse.

My Passion:
My family and friends and learning new things

My Family:
My husband, Mitch Harville and our two sons, Blake, 5 and Maddox, 2. They keep me laughing!

My Heroes:
My parents, Ray and Marty Voit… they passed away too young, but left a lasting impact on many. I miss them terribly.

My Escape:
The beach, the sun, the outdoors

My Pet Peeve:
Poor customer service and people not caring about their work

My Indulgence:
Good food + good wine + good friends… and dessert of course!

My Roots:
Strong family ties and long-lasting amazing friendships

My Future:
It gets better every day!

My Love:
My boys! I love watching them learn, grow and discover something new. I absolutely love the way they care for each other. Nothing is better than when they give each other a hug or tell each other “I love you”.

My Movie:
If I had to pick one today it would be “Crash.” It was challenging and really left me thinking.

My Quote on Life:
“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt

And many (less appropriate) quotes from Tina Fey ☺!

My Accessories:
Bracelets and an occasional chunky ring

My Advice to Young Women:
Always think about your personal brand and what it represents….not just for today but also into the future.

How I Balance it All:
First of all, I realize that not all areas will be perfectly balanced all of time. Secondly, I try to be flexible and focus on the right things to achieve the right amount of balance in the right area at the right time.

Here at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting gals who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

Marti Taylor (Martha Ann Croll)

My Current Job/Company:
Executive Director, Ross Heart Hospital and COO, Heart and Vascular Center at The OSU Wexner Medical Center

My Birthdate:
July 10, 1964

My Work:
Helping to make sense of health care reform, which I believe in the end will be better for all of us, even though getting there will be a challenge! I oversee all aspects of the Ross Heart Hospital and the OSU Heart and Vascular Center and I work with amazingly talented doctors, nurses, researchers, technicians and other great staff.

My Passion:
My family, my work and my faith. I find that a balance of all three is what keeps me going!

My Family:
My husband, my sons Zachary, 10 and Andrew, 8 and 4 older siblings.

My Heroes:
My parents, my siblings, and a dear friend—all for different reasons. My mother taught me that women have great strength and endurance….she worked full time and raised 5 children. She was my greatest coach, teaching me to be thankful for all the blessings of life, reminding me that integrity is so important, encouraging me to try my best and to always reach for the stars! My father, who didn’t finish high school, taught me that in the end, a hard day of work was well worth it. My siblings are my heroes, too, because they are all successful in their own unique ways. And lastly, Wanda Bride, who is someone who took a chance on me for my first “real job,” pushed me beyond my comfort zone during my early career and continues to give me wise advice.

My Escape:
Most recently, working with a personal trainer. I find it to be tough work, but at the end of a session, I am “ready to go!” I also love Bikram Yoga. It’s 90 minutes of heat and hard work that ultimately results in relaxation.

My Pet Peeve:
Excuses and negativity. The world would be a better place without both.

My Indulgence:
Fine red wine and chocolate

My Roots:
The youngest of 5 children, I grew up on a farm in Oak Harbor, Ohio. I spent a lot of time in the Lutheran Church, played in the band and was always surrounded by friends and family.

My Future:
Probably a little crazy and busy but full of excitement!

My Love:
Beaches, sunshine and time with family! I also love a challenging professional role…status quo just won’t do!

My Movie:
“The Sound of Music.” I have early family memories of watching it together.

My Quote:
“They may forget your name but they will always remember how you made them feel”—Maya Angelou

My Advice to Young Women:
As a nurse by training, one of favorite pieces of advice comes from Florence Nightingale: “Never give up and never accept excuses.” I also like a couple of quotes by Wayne Gretzky: “You will always miss 100 percent of the shots you never take” and “Don’t aim for where the puck is, aim for where the puck is going!” So for young ladies-: don’t give up, take risks and look to the future!

How I Balance it All:
I tend not to get too caught up in the details and try to keep the big picture in front of me. I keep a positive attitude and am thankful that I have amazing friends and family that will help out in a bind. If I am not busy and facing a challenge, life seems dull!

Here at Executive Elements, we like to feature fantastic women we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting gals who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

Rachel Friedman

My Current Job/Company:
EVP Marketing, Continental Office Environments
EVP, 3d Branding (division of Continental Office)

My Birthdate:
04.06.70

My Work:
I lead a division of Continental Office Environments called 3d Branding. We help clients ‘tell their story’ within their space through environmental graphics. We create an authentic brand experience for visitors and employees by communicating themes and imagery that celebrate company vision, values, history, mission, associate recognition and more!

My Passion:
My children, family, friends and my creative work…both personal and professional.

My Family:
Davis (13), Lena (10), Miles (9)

My Heroes:
My mother and grandmother (of blessed memory). Two women who have taught me everything about strength, grace, dignity, and selflessness.

My Escape:
Any time I can wander without a schedule…the beach, shopping, gardening, cooking.

My Pet Peeve:
Office politics

My Indulgence:
Whit’s frozen vanilla custard with peanut butter mixed in. Try it! It’s amazing.

My Roots:
Strong, adventurous, bright and resourceful, Jewish immigrants who came to this country to build a better life for future generations.

My Future:
Exciting and fast paced!

My Love:
Entertaining….making memories for myself, my family and friends, in my home on special occasions or just any regular day.

My Movie:
“Shawshank Redemption”…I love the story of friendship in this movie.

My Quote on Life:
Quotes are like tattoos…I find it very difficult to commit to one. (Which is why I will never have a tattoo!) I recently saw this one from Dr. Seuss…” Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

My Accessory:
Bracelets and a scarf around my neck during the cold winter months…or for cold air conditioning.

My Advice to Young Women:
Experience as many things as you can and take as many risks as possible….never stop exploring who you are. And travel! Find your passion and follow it.

How I Balance it All:
I try to be mindful and have a sense of awareness when the balance is out of whack. When it is, I readjust course which could mean saying ‘no’ or taking a break…or just plain giving myself a break.