The Conversation

Collectives offer opportunities for like-minded individuals to unite over a common goal, approaching issues with a shared vision and democratic mindset. They can range in size from just a handful of people to thousands, and they have the ability to disrupt the status quo and be vessels for remarkable change. But what’s it like to start one? Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women who have founded femal...

Kim Chakanetsa meets two genealogists passionate about uncovering the forgotten stories of their clients' female ancestors. Kenyatta D Berry is a lawyer and genealogist from the USA. She is the author of The Family Tree Toolkit and the co-host of The Genealogy Roadshow on PBS. She caught the genealogy bug by chance, when she started looking into her ex-boyfriend’s family history. She is an expert...

From the first moving drawings that appeared on screens back in the 1930s to the highly imaginative, emotionally resonant filmmaking of today – animation has come a long way. It is no longer considered a pleasant cinematic distraction for kids. In fact, some of the boldest, most creative and slyly subversive filmmaking can be found in animation. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women responsible for b...

What's it like being adopted into a country far away from your birth and into a family that looks very different to you? International and transracial adoptions both come with challenges for children and parents. Beatriz de la Pava talks to two women born in Colombia and South Korea about trying to fit in and discovering more about their roots. Janine Vance was adopted from Seoul by an American co...

It’s scientifically impossible to read minds, so how do some magicians seem to do it? Beatriz de la Pava delves into the world of mentalism with two renowned women mentalists who regularly amaze and mystify audiences around the world. Ava Do is a magician, mentalist and deceptionist from Vietnam who moved to the United States at thirteen years old. Growing up navigating two different cultural iden...

Beatriz de la Pava talks to birdwatchers from Zimbabwe and Uruguay about their passion for birdlife. Zimbabwean ornithologist Merlyn Nomsa Nkomo was on her way to secure a work placement to study wild dogs as part of her degree when she went birdwatching for the first time. It changed her life and she went to work in a vulture rehabilitation centre instead. She's now studying for a PhD in conserva...

Millions of people around the world love doing puzzles, and since the pandemic they’ve become even more popular. From complex sudoku grids to cryptic clues in crosswords, and recent viral sensations like Wordle, we have long been intrigued by them and make time to pursue them in our daily or weekly routines. But, for some, puzzles are much more than a pastime. What’s it like to solve sudoku compet...

In the world of social media anyone can feel like a friend and become influential - and the internet is full of women giving tips on how to look your best. Kim talks to two beauty influencers with thousands of followers about why they share their lives online and what they get out of it. Dimma Umeh is from Nigeria and shares make up tips for women of colour. She's been creating content on her soci...

According to the World Health Organisation, over two billion people around the world have a vision impairment which could often be preventable or treatable. Women and girls are more likely to experience vision loss, which limits their access to education and work opportunities. Today we meet two women who are trying to change things, one pair of glasses at a time. Dr Priya Morjaria is a public hea...

Kim Chakanetsa talks to two engineers from Brazil and Kenya about generating energy for the future. Wangari Muchiri is based in Nairobi. Wangari works for the Global Wind Energy Council and is coordinating the wind industry’s efforts across the African continent. As well as monitoring the construction of vast wind power plants, she works with donors, government agencies and local communities to de...

Kim Chakanetsa meets two pioneering cinematographers who bring stories about women to the big screen. Rachel Morrison is the first female cinematographer to be nominated for an Oscar for her work on Mudbound, and she’s the only woman who’s ever shot a superhero blockbuster movie (Black Panther). Rachel now focuses on strong female characters: she worked on Seberg, a biopic on the iconic actor Jean...

Our lives, how we spend our money and the decisions we make, are often guided by the advertisements we see - whether that's on the streets we walk around or on our screens. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women from Brazil and the UK who are in the business of influencing our choices. Ana Balarin is co-executive creative director at Wieden & Kennedy Portland, US. She works with her husband, Hermet...

Family businesses play a crucial role in economies across the world. It is estimated that they account for more than half of global GDP – but few family firms are led by women. Kim Chakanetsa meets two women who’ve become the first females in their family to take over at the top. Caroline Fattal Fakhoury is on the Board of Directors of the Fattal Group in Lebanon. The firm started as a small compa...

How can we help people with dementia? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women from Singapore and the UK about how they’ve adapted to living with the condition and why they now want to help others understand dementia better. Wendy Mitchell was diagnosed with young onset dementia at the age of 58. She wrote a bestselling memoir, Somebody I Used to Know about the slow realisation that she was changing, and...

Of the many different items of clothing a woman will wear throughout her life, there is perhaps none loaded with so much significance as her wedding dress, and finding the perfect one can be an enormous source of stress. Kim Chakanetsa meets two wedding designers who help women dial down that pressure by helping bring their bridal visions to life. Yasmine Yeya is the founder of Masion Yeya, a cout...

It is estimated that one in four pregnancies will end in a miscarriage. But despite being a common occurrence, this topic is still shrouded in secrecy, stigma and shame. Kim Chakanetsa meets two women who are using their first-hand experience to help other people heal. Wanjiru Kihusa is a maternal health advocate from Kenya who lost two of her three children through miscarriage. She’s the founder...

Dry stone walling is an ancient craft that goes back thousands of years and remains an important means of enclosing fields in rural areas of Europe, and of constructing terraces for agriculture in more mountainous regions. But it’s a craft, along with other countryside skills, that’s practiced by fewer people these days. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women from the US and Italy about their passion...

Mountain rescue volunteers are a rare breed: they’re on call 24/7, ready to risk their lives to save hikers and skiers who get stuck on the mountains. Kim Chakanetsa meets two women who lead perilous rescue missions in Canada and in the UK. Kirsty Pallas is a mountaineering and climbing instructor based in Scotland. In 2014 she joined the Oban Mountain Rescue Team, where she’s a callout manager an...

Men run most of world's cultural institutions, but in recent years more women have been given top jobs at leading galleries and museums. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women from Australia and Germany about the importance of getting a woman's view on what's worth displaying and history worth preserving. Margot Neale Ngawagurrawa is an Aboriginal Australian curator and one of the world's leading expe...

Sound is everywhere around us: from blockbuster Hollywood films to live music events, from broadcasting the news to speaking with astronauts in space. For every broadcast, big or small, there are engineers and sound designers working behind the scenes to make sure you get the highest audio quality possible. Kim Chakanetsa explores the world of audio production with two of the best in this field. N...

Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women who are making chocolate production both more sustainable and equitable. Vicki Bain is a South African chocolatier from Johannesburg who blends Belgian chocolate with the finest local and fresh African ingredients. Five years ago, Vicki left her job in environmental consulting to learn the craft of artisan chocolate making in Brussels. Her company, Chocoloza, is...

Very few people in the world are blessed with exceptional musical talent that is apparent from an early age. What is childhood like in the spotlight, especially as a young woman? To find out, Kim Chakanetsa meets two musicians whose careers began when they were children. Tosin Jegede was a child singing sensation in Nigeria in the 1980s. She released her first solo album in 1985 when just five yea...

Singing is said to improve your mood, relieve stress, help you sleep better and produce pain-relieving endorphins - as well as improving posture and boost immunity and lung function! Kim Chakanetsa finds out more about the benefits of singing together, and the strange world of choir competitions. Adwoa Dickson is from Jamaica. She is Choir Director for The Amies Freedom Choir, in the UK, which sup...

It is not easy to be a woman on public transport. Across the world, you will hear reports of women being harassed, groped and even sexually assaulted. This has an enormous impact on women being able to take up employment and education opportunities, as well as accessing healthcare. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women who are trying to change this. Angie Palacios is a Gender and Transport Specialist...

The first female known to have played rugby was Emily Valentine, an Irish schoolgirl, who played alongside her brothers in 1884. It took another 80 years for a women's team to be formed, and the first Women's Rugby Union World Cup was held in 1991. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women from Uganda and Spain about the game's increasing popularity and how it's changed them. Patricia Garcia is a profess...