Woman of the Week: Anne Boninsegna

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.

Anne Boninsegna

My Current Job/Company:
Owner/The Kitchen

My Birthdate:
08.20.73

My Work:
I create immersive dining experiences that inspire a curiosity and passion for cooking by celebrating the art of preparing, eating and sharing great food with family and friends.

My Passion:
Life in a nutshell. My family, my friends, my love of food, culture and travel and pretty much any non-profit focused on enriching lives.

My Family:
Amy (the most amazingly supportive partner a person could ask for), Phinneaus (6, my always thinking and lovely son), Harper (5, my compassionate & imaginative elf of a daughter)

My Heroes:
Anyone who on daily basis finds a way to support another person unconditionally. Big and small gestures of kindness are what make the world a better place.

My Escapes:
Cooking and Travel. Both are the greatest ways I can think of to either get away or at least feel like you have.

My Pet Peeves:
Generalizations and Boastfulness

My Indulgence:
Anything outside of my business seems like an indulgence currently! But, I would have to say the idea of a mani/pedi seems like a dream come true!

My Roots:
I was raised as an only child by young parents and while I know they did everything they could for me, they were young. We all agree I wouldn’t be the person I am today without my amazing grandparents. They were simple people who couldn’t instill in me enough the values I cherish today…be generous, be nice and eat lots of pasta.

My Future:
I can only begin to imagine what is yet to come in my life. I have so much to look forward to. With young children just starting to hit grade school all the fun is to come and with a brand new business I hope to see it take off and inspire the next food and dining concepts.

My Quote on Life:
“If you have to do something you don’t want to do, do it gracefully” (told to me by my mother as quoted from her mother)

My Accessory:
Shoes (boots & flip flops), bracelets, scarves and my necklace with my children’s initials.

My Advice to Young Women:
Don’t be paralyzed by trying to find your passion and don’t let anyone convince you that you need to know exactly what you want to do with your life. Life is evolutionary as far as I can tell and for the most part it will guide you as much as you will guide it.

How I Balance it All:
With a lot of help, and now, a very distinct willingness to change courses whenever needed to make things work out as they need to. I put a lot of pressure on myself and my family (I wish I was more calm and Zen about things, I hope that will come with age) to follow a plan but it always turns out best when we sort of fly by the seat of our pants and adjust as we go.

Woman of the Week: Lisa Stein

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.

Lisa Stein

My Current Job/Company:
CEO/Founder, Revolutions Inc.

My Birthdate:
06/11/1962

My Work:
I lead a team of people who are revolutionizing the Home Medical Equipment industry. We are reinventing the business model and getting better product to people, faster, and less expensively.

My Passion:
Right now, there are two things that drive me: Raising great kids and creating change when a situation is static or broken. I am always interested in what is “next” and how it can be improved. And next year: I plan to grow great tomatoes (along with great kids!)

My Family:
Craig, my husband of 30 years, and our great boys Canon Jake (19) and Peter (16), who make me laugh every single day.

My Heroes:
Elon Musk for dreaming big, my dear friends for continuously loving me despite my many flaws, and the all the women who make it look so much easier than it really is.

My Escape:
Travel….anywhere without a McDonalds, which is a rule for most family travel. I want to go somewhere that reminds us what life is about when you strip away all the structure, physical and social, that humans have invented.

My Pet Peeve:
It used to be cigarette smoke but thank goodness that is nearly a thing of the past! I’m more tolerant now and have fewer pet peeves, and only silly meaningless ones, like mispronouncing “espresso.” No x, folks.

My Indulgence:
Massages and sleeping in on Sunday morning. Years of weekend soccer games have made Sunday morning in bed a real treat.

My Roots:
I am blessed with wonderful parents who let us make lots of mistakes and live our own lives. They are still my greatest cheerleaders, and I only hope that I am the same crazy cheerleader for my own kids.

My Future:
I’ll always work at building something new, but once my kids are grown, I’ll do that work from many different places. I want to experience a broader range of cultures and see more of the world before it is one homogenous inter-connected network. And always, be working on helping something to grow, be it a business or people.

My Quote on Life:
“We go out of this world with nothing but the sum total of our actions. Make sure you are comfortable owning all of your actions.”

My Accessory:
Love a great scarf. When I feel schlubby….a scarf is my go to pick-me-up.

My Advice for Young Women:
It is not hard to have it all, but it is impossible to have it all at once. Be okay with knowing that not all elements of your life can be balanced at all times. When my kids and my business were both young, that is all I could manage. No boards, no community work, no volunteering…and no guilt. I wrote checks and did what I could do. Now that my kids are older and my business has matured, I serve on boards and try to spend more time mentoring…..and still write checks because that is sometimes my highest and best use. Get to it all, but don’t try to do it all today!

How I Balance it All:
See above. And I try to remind myself, I never regret spending more time with my kids, my husband, and my friends.

Woman of the Week: Brenda Sears

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.

Brenda Sears

My Name:
Brenda Sears

My Current Job/Company:
Project Director/IJUS, LLC

My Birthdate:
08.16.79

My Work:
I set-up and manage new clients while maintaining relationships with existing clients. I assist in acquiring new clients and projects. My background in engineering gives me opportunities to set up the engineering specifications required for projects and engage on a detailed level. Guiding and training future managers and leaders is an added bonus in my daily routine.

My Passion:
Family, friends, work, and The Buckeyes.

My Family:

My husband, Clint (so thankful that he found me), and our fur-baby, Leia.

My Heroes:
Barb (my mom – amazing role model). Colleen (my sister – pure strength). Meagan (my friend – no fear).

My Escape:
Anywhere where I feel “unplugged”.

My Pet Peeve:
Bad drivers and people who go in the “Out” door.

My Indulgence:
Any sort of pampering – massage, mani, pedi, facial.

My Roots:
Middle-class, suburban. Eventful! Always feel welcomed by my friends and family.

My Future:
Exciting! Expanding our family.

My Quote on Life:
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller

My Accessory:
I’m a purse girl.

My Advice to Young Women:
Don’t be afraid or ashamed of being smart.

How I Balance it All:
I get a lot of satisfaction from accomplishing tasks. So I make many to-do lists and feel good about crossing things off. I try to prioritize whatever I can and make sure there is always time for those that positively impact my well-being, including myself.

Woman of the Week: Regan Walsh

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.

Regan Walsh


My Current Job/Company:

Chief Storyteller, Flying Horse Farms

My Birthdate:
07.13.77

My Work:
I tell stories about the extraordinary campers of Flying Horse Farms to anyone who will listen. My job is to build awareness about Flying Horse Farms, a camp for children with serious illnesses. My goal is three-fold: reach more camper families, find more volunteers, and inspire donors to continue to fund this important work.

My Passion:
Random acts of kindness.

My Family:
Nick (We are getting married in November), loving parents, five older siblings, 13 nieces and nephews and supportive friends.

My Heroes:
Janice & Leo Walsh, my parents. They gave their children wings to fly and deep roots to come home to.

My Escape:
A little island called Vieques. Or my front porch.

My Pet Peeve:
Gossip.

My Indulgence:
Classes at Thank Yoga, facials (Sarah Goetz), massages (Laura Wieck).

My Roots:
I come from a loving (and hilarious) family. My parents raised six children and ran a family business together. We were taught to work hard, take risks, be kind to others and invest in our community.

My Future:
..is happy.

My Quote on Life:
“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.” -Kurt Vonnegut

My Accessory:
Bright lipstick. (I believe bright lipstick is a mood-shifter. It’s hard to feel bland when you’re wearing bright lipstick).

My Advice to Young Women:
Life is more interesting if you don’t follow a plan. Be adventurous and surround yourself with smart people.

How I Balance it All:
I don’t fill my schedule with “I should’s.” I am protective of my time and I invest it in people I love and work I am passionate about.