The Conversation

Nora Fakim talks to two women about the health benefits of swimming in the wild. Rachel Ashe is the founder of Mental Health Swims, a peer support community organising wild swimming or dipping events in the UK. Rachel first tried cold water swimming in 2019, shortly after being diagnosed with mental health conditions, and during the pandemic she went from organising a monthly gathering at her loca...

Women from Brazil and the UK tell Nora Fakim how assistance dogs are improving both their mobility and wellbeing. Maria Villela lives and works in Brazil. She has glaucoma and was blind by the time she left university. As guide dogs are rare in Brazil, ten years ago Maria decided to email every international guide dog school she could to try and get an assistance animal. She was finally partnered...

Rich families around the world employ butlers and maids to look after their expensive properties. These houseworkers have access to every aspect of their employers’ lives: they get to know their habits and their deepest secrets. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two former maids who worked for wealthy families in the USA and the UK. Stephanie Land is the bestselling author of Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a...

There are many thousands of people around the world trying to protect endangered species in their natural habitat – around one in ten of them are female but that number is growing. In Africa alone 18 different countries employ female park rangers. Kim Chakanetsa is joined by two women from South Africa and Zambia to talk about what they do. Tsakane Nxumalo is a junior ranger from The Black Mambas...

It’s understood the climate crisis will disproportionately disrupt the lives of women around the globe. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two academics about the work they do and the impact of changing weather patterns on women. As the primary food growers and water collectors, women are hardest hit by floods and droughts. They’re also less financially equipped to flee when natural disaster strikes, and vul...

A man is twice as likely to rise to the top of an international non-governmental organization (INGO) than a woman. Kim Chakanetsa meets two exceptions to this rule. Amanda Khozi Mukwashi is the CEO of Christian Aid, an INGO that works to support sustainable development, eradicate poverty and provide disaster relief in South America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. She’s also the author of But wher...

The stereotype in the entrepreneurial world is that women are too risk averse to lead companies. But is that true? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women who turned their start-ups into successful enterprises. Linh Thai is one of Vietnam’s top female entrepreneurs. She was brought up in the USA, after her mother fled their war-torn home country with Linh and her sister, who died during the journey. Her...

What does it feel like to fall through the sky? Two women who have broken barriers and mastered the art of skydiving from India and the United States tell Kim Chakanetsa the answer. The very first time Rachel Thomas flew in an aeroplane, she jumped out of it at 4,500 feet. Fast forward to 2002 and she became the first Indian woman to skydive and set foot on the North Pole. In her 25-year career sh...

There are many different routes to parenthood. For a growing number of women that route does not involve waiting for a partner to start a family. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two mothers by choice about the joys and challenges of single parenthood. Marie Stern Olsson is from Sweden, where single mothers have only recently been given the same right as couples to access state-funded fertility treatments....

Street artists from Switzerland and Uganda talk to Kim Chakanetsa about creating public art to enrich lives and bring about change. The Swiss artist Mona Caron is best known for her multi-story murals celebrating the rebellious resilience of weeds. She first became a muralist in her adoptive hometown of San Francisco, and creates images on a massive scale in public spaces. She blends her artivism...

Dazzling lights, fancy costumes, thrilling dance routines and the nightly applause of an adoring audience - what's it like to sing on the world's biggest stages? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two musical theatre stars about life on stage - and the challenges that Covid-19 restrictions have brought. Australian actress Jemma Rix is starring as Elsa in Disney’s Frozen the Musical. With no formal training s...

What does it take to run a country? Kim Chakanetsa is joined by two international leaders who have championed women’s health, equality and empowerment throughout their careers. They will discuss their personal journeys, the impact Covid-19 has had on the wellbeing of women around the world, and why more women should join the political arena. The guests will also be taking questions from two young...

What's the appeal of a nomadic existence with no settled place to live? The award-winning film, Nomadland shone a light on the sense of community, support and friendship that exists among people in the United States living in their vehicles and moving from place-to-place. How much do these modern-day nomads have in common with traditional communities around the world? Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two...

While drag queens sit brightly under the pop culture spotlight, fewer people know about drag kings, the mostly female or non-binary performers who create male characters on stage and poke fun at the patriarchy. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two drag kings who have found a community through performance and are using their characters to explore their own masculinity and femininity. Mētra Saberova is an a...

Kim Chakanetsa explores the rich and long history of body-bending work and hears about the complex skills that you need to succeed. Sosina Wogayehu is a contortionist and juggler from Ethiopia. She started performing at the age of six in the streets of Addis Ababa. After a long career travelling around the world, she has moved back to Ethiopia where she’s now training new performers and planning o...

Around the world, languages are disappearing. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women who are helping to keep their endangered languages alive – how has learning the words of their ancestors shaped their identities? Mshkogaabwid Kwe from Turtle Island, an indigenous name for Canada, learned her clan’s language, Anishinaabemowin, as an adult. She is now raising her children in an English-free home. She...

Kim Chakanetsa in joined by two pioneering dermatologists to talk about the challenges and satisfaction that come with working with one of the body’s most fascinating organs. Dr Margaret Yaa Lartey is a Professor of Medicine and Dermatology at the University of Ghana, and the first woman to lead the Ghana Society of Dermatology. She had very personal reasons to become a skin specialist, and she is...

For many women having a newborn baby is one of the happiest times of their lives - but for a tiny proportion that new arrival begins a terrifying nightmare. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women who experienced extreme psychosis after the birth of their child. When Catherine Cho’s first child was three months old she and her husband embarked on an extended trip to visit family and friends back home in...

Despite its long and rich history, the ukulele has often been snubbed or dismissed as a novelty instrument by the music world. But over the years, rock stars have embraced the guitar’s smaller cousin, from Elvis Presley to the Beatles to Taylor Swift. Kim Chakanetsa meets two women who turned their love for the ukulele into a successful musical career. When Taimane was gifted a ukulele at 5 years...

What does it take to run a country? Kim Chakanetsa is joined by two international leaders who have championed women’s health, equality and empowerment throughout their careers. They will discuss their personal journeys, the impact Covid-19 has had on the wellbeing of women around the world, and why more women should join the political arena. The guests will also be taking questions from two young...

Some people live the most amazing lives but aren't always the best at putting those experiences into words. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two ghostwriters about collaborative writing - what do they enjoy about telling someone else's story? Michelle Burford is a celebrity memoir collaborator who’s written for hugely successful women like Cicely Tyson, Alicia Keys and Simone Biles. Having carved out a nic...

Two women restoring forest in Brazil and Nepal tell Kim Chakanetsa about working with local communities to plant thousands of trees and restore the natural environment. Francy Forero Sánchez is a Colombian primate researcher who volunteers with the environmental organisation Copaiba. It works with the community to restore parts of the Atlantic Forest in south eastern Brazil - one of the most endan...

Women throughout the centuries have put their hiking boots on and set out into the great outdoors, but their stories are rarely told. Kim Chakanetsa is joined by two women who, through their own writing and journeys, are helping to change that. Cheryl Strayed is the author of Wild, a bestselling memoir of her 1100 mile solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. Cheryl impulsively embarked on the hik...

Kim Chakanetsa talks to two choreographers whose careers took off after they posted dance routines on social media. Sienna LaLau is an Hawaiian choreographer and dancer. Her routine with K-Pop sensations BTS, for the music video 'ON', where she also dances, was watched 7 million times within 3 days of its release. Just 20 years old she's gained an international reputation, working with artists lik...

For a long time there was a wall of silence around the menopause, but more women are choosing to speak candidly about their complicated and illuminating experiences. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women on a mission to demystify the menopause. Dr Nighat Arif is a British Pakistani family doctor specialising in women’s health. She is passionate about making the menopause a less taboo subject for all,...