ANIKA HOWARD
Contributor to You’re On Mute: 13 Lessons for Women Frustrated with the Tech SectorÂ
About Anika
Anika Howard is President, CEO, and Board Director of WONDR NATION, where she oversees the company’s strategic vision, mission, and culture. With more than 20 years of experience, she is widely recognized for her ability to push gaming companies into new, innovative territories and for bringing creativity and tech together to transform player experiences.
Anika is one of the few executives with a 360-degree view of the gaming industry, having held leadership roles across land-based casinos, lotteries, gaming manufacturing, and tribal gaming. Passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion, she uses her platform to amplify diverse voices and foster a more dynamic and thriving industry.
An award-winning leader, Anika is known for her resilience, creativity, and advocacy for building inclusive spaces where innovation can thrive.
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CONNECT WITHÂ ANIKA
Anika's Chapter:
The Road Less Travelled: Rejection, Redirection, and Radical Confidence in a Male-Dominated Industry
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Anika’s chapter is a powerful reflection on what it means to be the “first, only, or different” in a white, male-dominated industry. She shares her journey from growing up in a family of activists and artists to carving out her own place in the gaming and tech world, often as the only Black woman in the room.
She candidly describes her early struggles with self-doubt, code-switching, and trying to fit in, before realizing that true success came when she leaned into her differences instead of hiding them. From facing career setbacks to navigating rejection and redirection, Anika shows how each challenge sharpened her resolve and reshaped her path.
Her chapter is full of hard-earned lessons: don’t let others write your narrative, find advocates who believe in you, and stop playing scared. Most of all, she reminds readers that pressure makes diamonds, and that radical confidence comes from embracing your power, not waiting for permission.
“Rejection redirected my path and made me realize the obstacles I saw as deterrents were actually guideposts moving me toward my destiny.”
— Anika Howard, You’re On Mute
About the Book:
You’re On Mute: 13 Lessons for Women Frustrated with the Tech Sector
You’re On Mute: 13 Lessons for Women Frustrated with the Tech Sector is a bold anthology by women in tech, sharing unapologetic stories of resilience, exclusion, and transformation. From global leaders to grassroots innovators, these chapters are lessons and rallying cries that challenge the systems holding us back and imagine a more inclusive future. In a moment where AI is reshaping everything, this book reminds us that real change won’t come from technology alone, but from community, care, and collective action.
Listen to Anika's Episode:
Diversity and Inclusion in Online Gaming
Marie Wiese is joined by Anika Howard, Chief Executive Officer of WONDR NATION. Don’t miss out on this exciting conversation about promoting safety and responsibility in online gaming, why diversity is a competitive advantage in the tech sector, and how AI can be used ethically for action!
LISTEN NOW