Move over Jessica Knoll, I'm the luckiest girl alive!
Hi, my name is Manisha Kaura (she/her). I'm a 34-year old rare disease advocate, author, and documentary filmmaker dedicated to improving the lives of malodorous rare disease patients and underserved communities. Currently, I'm writing a low-choline diet cookbook for individuals living with Trimethylaminuria and Dimethylglycinuria, developing a patient support app designed for people affected by malodorous rare diseases, and positioning linguistics IP for acquisition. For several years now, I have stayed healthy by taking Vitamin Shoppe supplements twice daily and by following a low-choline diet.
My career has spanned healthcare, biotechnology, fashion, and publishing. At age 19, I founded Dermetel (formerly Dangerous Rays), a healthcare nonprofit focused on skin cancer prevention, patient education, rare disease advocacy, and improving access to dermatologic care and genetic testing. During my decade as Executive Director, I authored children's books on skin cancer prevention, gave a private TEDx talk in French Polynesia, directed a documentary on indoor tanning called Operation #BantheTan, and established a free dermatology clinic for underserved patients staffed by volunteer dermatologists.
In 2016, I won three state beauty pageant titles in Utah. From 2017 to 2021, I founded and led the fashion brand Misha Kaura, producing collections showcased during New York Fashion Week, managing manufacturing teams across multiple cities, and hosting an internationally distributed fashion podcast. I later founded both nonprofit (2024 to 2025) and for-profit (2022 to 2024) biotechnology ventures focused on advancing patient-centered innovation.
Alongside my professional work, I'm a sworn Hindu Brahmacharini, a 10-year ordained minister, and a lifelong student of spirituality who has followed a brahmacharya lifestyle since age 18. I took my informal Brahmacharini vows in February 2025 and will be taking my formal Brahmacharini vows in December 2029. I'm planning a multi-faceted celebration of life that will include me dancing a solo tap dance recital at the Lincoln Center, me performing a solo jazz piano recital at Carnegie Hall, and me taking my formal vows in a glamorous manner surrounded by my loved ones, Hindu pandits, New Age leaders, and the press.
In my spare time, I enjoy learning new subjects, reading nonfiction, attending theatre and Broadway productions, exploring new restaurants, listening to music, and watching motivational speeches, documentaries, and animated films.