Where would the world be without the incredible women in business? Zilker Media is celebrating National Women in Business Week by focusing on the women we are lucky enough to work with. Explore this page to learn more about their ventures! 

Manisha Thakor

Manisha Thakor, CFA, CFP®, is a nationally renowned financial literacy advocate for women and founder of MoneyZen, a boutique financial wellbeing consultancy. A 25-year veteran of the financial services industry, her work has been featured in a wide range of media outlets including: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, CNBC, Women’s Health and Real Simple. Manisha sits on the board of The National Endowment for Financial Education and has authored two personal finance books: On My Own Two Feet and Get Financially Naked. Manisha earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and her BA from Wellesley College. 

Dr. Mona Delahooke

Mona Delahooke, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 30 years of experience caring for children and their families. Author of an award-winning parenting book, Beyond Behaviors: Using Brain Science and Compassion to Understand and Solve Children’s Behavioral Challenges. She is a frequent speaker, trainer, and consultant to parents, organizations, schools, and public agencies. 

Rebecca Contreras

Rebecca Contreras is currently the President & CEO of AvantGarde LLC (AG), a consulting firm she co-founded in 2011 as the majority owner.  AG has grown to over 110 employees spread across TX, DC, VA, MD, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Florida, and a few other states. AG’s Offices are in the Austin and Washington DC area with clients in 26 different government agencies.  AG offers a one-stop-shop approach to addressing complex organizational issues, AGs capabilities center around four key areas: Human Capital (HR), Organizational Development, Business Operations and Technology. Rebecca commutes back and forth between her TX and DC offices. 

Shanna Hocking

Shanna Hocking is a thought leader, keynote speaker, and writer on women’s leadership and career development, as well as Associate Vice President, Individual Giving at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she manages a team of 45. She will have a forthcoming book (McGraw-Hill) on women and leadership. She is also Host of One Bold Move a Day podcast, a 6-minute leadership podcast with more than 220 episodes.

Ilana Zivkovich

Ilana Zivkovich is the Founder and CEO of Werq, a strategic leadership advisory firm headquartered in Austin, TX, serving clients around the country and abroad. An experienced executive leader and Certified Executive Coach and certified Genos Emotional Intelligence Practitioner, Zivkovich helps leadership teams align their people, processes and strategy so that businesses can achieve exceptional results.

Juliet Funt

A regular feature in top global media outlets, including Forbes and Fast Company, Juliet Funt is a renowned keynote speaker and tough-love advisor to the Fortune 500. As the founder and CEO of the boutique efficiency firm WhiteSpace at Work, she is an evangelist for freeing the potential of companies by unburdening their talent from busywork. Check out her recent book, A Minute to Think: Reclaim Creativity, Conquer Busyness, and Do Your Best Work.

Carey Lohrenz

The first female F-14 Tomcat fighter pilot in the U.S. Navy, Carey Lohrenz is an in-demand speaker, business consultant, military aviation pioneer and author of the book, Span Of Control: What To Do When You’re Under Pressure, Overwhelmed, And Ready To Get What You Really Want.

Charlene Wheeless

Charlene Wheeless is a renowned communications expert, author of You Are Enough, speaker, principal of Charlene Wheeless, LLC and the senior advisor for equity and justice for APCO Worldwide. Combining her extensive knowledge of leadership, three decades of communications experience and her skills managing adversity she helps others learn to retain authenticity, in life and in business, and find strength in vulnerability. 

Ronit Molko, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Dr. Ronit Molko is a leading behavioral health expert and pioneer in the field of autism treatment and awareness, channeling her passion for the subject into roles as a serial entrepreneur, thought leader, and published author—in addition to holding multiple nonprofit and for-profit board roles.

Karen Jenkins

Karen R. Jenkins is the president and CEO of KRJ Consulting, a full-service consulting firm providing companies and their employees with the skills and resources to become more committed to their performance, empowered to effect change and be prepared for the journey ahead. With over 30 years of experience, Karen is a recognized speaker, author and leadership consultant, equipping executives with the necessary tools to create results-driven organizational change. 

Lauren Carson

Lauren Carson has over ten years in the solar industry and currently is CEO and founder of Kinect Solar. In addition to Kinect Solar, Lauren is co-developer and owner of Constellation ATX, a luxury tiny home community that is breaking norms in affordable housing.

Lauren Daugherty

Lauren Daugherty is the founder and CEO of Evergreen Wrapping, an eco-friendly reusable gift wrap company that provides a zero-waste alternative to traditional wrapping paper. When not leading at Evergreen, she serves as publisher and CEO at Texas CEO Magazine, a regional publication focusing on Texas businesses, CEOs and insight for executives.

Anjani Amladi, M.D.

Anjani Amladi, M.D., is a double board-certified Adult Psychiatrist and Child/Adolescent Psychiatrist focusing on an integrative approach to patient care. Dr. Amladi has an extensive background in treating a wide variety of psychiatric disorders and is the author of Amazon best-selling children’s picture book, When the World Got Sick, which helps children and caregivers talk about the impact of COVID-19 and how to navigate this stressful time.

Natasha W. Lewry Beauvais, MD, MPH

Natasha W. Lewry Beauvais, MD, MPH is a physician at Northern Virginia Family Practice Associates (NVFP), an internal medicine practice that offers full-service concierge health care in the Northern Virginia area. With more than 16 years of professional experience, Dr. Beauvais understands the importance of providing care for the whole family through every stage of life and values the continuation of long-term patient care. 

Cecily D. Havert, M.D.

Cecily D. Havert, M.D., is a physician at NVFP. With an impressive background in preventive health care, mental health support and outpatient medicine, Dr. Havert specializes in women’s health with an emphasis on the LGBTQ+ community. She has a passion for nurturing patients’ emotional and mental health needs, with a goal of providing the utmost in quality, personalized medical care and a safe environment for all.

Laura Malcolm

Laura Malcolm has spent 20+ years building education technology to improve student success. As a leader in edtech product design and innovation, her expertise centers around using data and design thinking to help learners thrive. Laura first discovered her passion for improving student success as a K12 classroom teacher. Currently, Laura is co-founder and Chief Product Officer for Eddy Learning, which connects parents and kids with the information, people, and tools needed to achieve shared learning goals.


Amy Newmark

Amy Newmark is the bestselling author, editor-in-chief and publisher of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. Since 2008, she has published more than 150 new books, most of them national bestsellers in the U.S. and Canada, more than doubling the number of Chicken Soup for the Soul titles in print today. Amy is credited with revitalizing the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand, which has been a publishing industry phenomenon since the first book came out in 1993. By compiling inspirational and aspirational true stories curated from ordinary people who have had extraordinary experiences, Amy has kept the twenty-five-year-old Chicken Soup for the Soul brand fresh and relevant.

Gabrielle Fried

Gabrielle Fried is Texas Operations Manager at Strategic Claim Consultants (formerly AAPA). She has been an insurance adjuster since 2009. She has worked multiple catastrophes including Hurricanes Ike, Isaac and Sandy, as well as tornadoes in Moore Oklahoma, all of Alabama and Texas. Gabrielle also has experience as an office manager for an insurance agency and has been a licensed agent since 2010. She specializes in insurance policy interpretation, personal property damage inventory, and the insurance claims process.