From emergency-rescue helicopter nurses to actresses to wedding planners, these were the women who inspired you in 2019.
2019 was a big year for Austin Woman. In May, we recognized 11 local business owners at our fourth annual Woman’s Way Business Awards and celebrated their achievements with more than 500 women. More than 300 women applied and our judges had a difficult time narrowing it down to 34 finalists and 11 winners. In September, we celebrated our 17 birthday with 400 women at our annual anniversary party. Like every year, we also featured and celebrated Austin women in print and online.
From actresses committed to sustainability to editors leading nationally renowned newsrooms to life-saving nurses in a male-dominated industry, our fellow Austinites impressed and inspired us. Look back at the most-read articles of 2019.
1. Zooey Deschanel on Her New Austin-based Startup by Brianna Caleri
Zooey Deschanel is empowering Austinites to take sustainable agriculture into their own hands—in their own backyards.
2. Meet the Women of Travis County Star Flight by Jenny Hoff
As part of an elite team of emergency-rescue helicopter nurses, the women of Travis County Star Flight are everyday heroes putting their lives on the line to perform high-risk, lifesaving missions.
3. Emily Ramshaw is the Editor-in-Chief Next Door by Courtney Runn
As the editor-in-chief of The Texas Tribune, Emily Ramshaw is on the cutting edge of the nonprofit-journalism model and at the helm of one of the most successful newsrooms in the nation. As a leader and a mom, she is proving having it all together is overrated and that there’s value in vulnerability.
4. Meet Lindsey Sokol, the Director of Austin City Limits Music Festival by Chantal Rice
As the festival director of Austin City Limits Music Festival, Lindsey Sokol is a show of force, dedicating her time, her career and her passion to ensuring this city’s most popular and successful live-music event is the experience of a lifetime – every time.
5. Small Town 2.0: A Guide to Coleman, Texas by Chantal Rice
Two optimistic serial entrepreneurs are breathing new life into historic Coleman, Texas, with their modern and sophisticated establishments.
6. How to Spend a Weekend in Salado by Chantal Rice
Discover rich Lone Star State history, eclectic cultural flourishes and vibrant and artistic treasures in Salado, Texas.
7. Where to Watch the Women’s World Cup in Austin By Courtney Runn, Jordan Burnham and Lindsey Logan
June 7 kicked off the Women’s World Cup! Here’s where Austinites cheered on team USA to victory.
8. STEM-Sational: Meet Rani Johnson & Autumn Manning by Mauri Elbel
Innovative women working on the cutting edge of Austin’s tech community continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in this long male-dominated industry while laying the groundwork to make the field more welcoming to women.
9. A Modern Fairytale: How Kim Hanks Helped Build the Wedding Capital of Texas by Hannah J. Phillips
On somewhat of a whim and with a fierce bootstrapping mentality, hospitality and special-events queen Kim Hanks built her vast kingdom, coming to reign in the Wedding Capital of Texas.
10. Exploring the Enneagram with Jamie Ivey by Courtney Runn
Austin Woman chatted with local author and podcaster Jamie Ivey about the latest personality-test craze, the Enneagram.