The Conversation

Skeleton is one of the oldest winter sports in existence. Ella Al-Shamahi talks to two Olympic medallists whose careers have seen them sliding down an icy track – face first – at speeds of up to 140 kilometres an hour. Lizzy Yarnold won gold medals for skeleton at successive Winter Olympics. She joined the Great Britain national squad in 2010, winning Olympic gold in 2014 and 2018, and is the most...

In the season of giving, Datshiane Navanayagam talks to philanthropists from France and Nigeria about using their wealth to help others thrive. Historically philanthropic giving has been dominated by men, but as women’s global wealth grows so does their capacity for donating money to charitable causes and enterprise. The Conversation talks to a French heiress who felt compelled to give away her mo...

Having a severe allergy doesn’t just affect physical health - it’s often the social isolation and mental toll of dealing with a somewhat ‘invisible condition’ that people with allergies also have to contend with. Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two women from the US and Spain who’re advocating for more awareness and visibility around the real-life impacts. Sarah Ackerman is from the US. Her sensit...

Jamaica to the Philippines, Cuba to Vietnam – countries around the world are dealing with aftermath of heavy storms and flooding; with hundreds dead and billions in damage. The role of meteorologists warning of extreme weather is increasingly valuable. Ella Al-Shamahi talks to two women tracking hurricanes and cyclones about the importance of their work. Kathy Ann Caesar is chief meteorologist at...

What's it like navigating the world as a disabled parent? Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two women from the US and Italy about the reality of parenting with a disability and about why it’s important to reconsider some of the common misconceptions that exist within society around the kind of life that disabled mothers can provide for their children. Jessica Slice is an American disabled author, sp...

Across continents and generations, the art of weaving has connected humans for thousands of years. But it’s dying out. Ella Al-Shamahi speaks to two women from The Netherlands and Turkey about their passion for preserving the traditional craft. Turkish social entrepreneur Damla Saydam founded Qirqit Studio to help preserve the endangered tradition of handwoven Turkish rugs. She was inspired by her...

After the discovery of a new gene therapy for Huntington's, a devastating brain disease, Datshiane Navanayagam talks to one of the women in the UK who worked on it and a biologist from India who's made recent discoveries that could improve treatment for TB, which still kills over a million people globally each year. Anne Rosser is Professor of Clinical Neuroscience at Cardiff University, combining...

Artistic swimmers are known for making perfect synchronicity look effortless. Datshiane Navanaygam talks to athletes from Spain and Slovakia to reveal why the sport is far tougher than it appears. Silvia Solymosyová from Slovakia was the first artistic swimmer to reach 1 million followers on social media after videos of her dancing underwater went viral . She is a multiple World Championships fina...

Can women earn more than their partners and still be happy at home? How does a higher income affect family dynamics and the division of household chores? Datshiane Navanayagam talks to an author in the UK and a South African academic who've researched the issues. Dr Bianca Parry is a social psychology lecturer at University College London. While working at the Centre for Mediation in Africa (CMA)...

Datshiane Navanayagam talks to an ice hockey referee from Austria and a football referee from Denmark about their experiences as female officials in men's leagues. Austrian Julia Kainberger played ice hockey professionally for the Salzburg Eagles while also pursuing a career in officiating. She was one of the 12 European officials for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and, in 2024, became the first...

What can the sounds of the natural world tell us about the health of our ecosystems? Datshiane Navanayagam talks two sound ecologists in Scotland and Australia about using soundscape monitoring as a tool to help in conservation work. Dr Elizabeth Znidersic is an Australian environmental scientist with a particular interest in sound ecology. She has worked extensively in the US and in Tasmania with...

For many families, income plunges and poverty spikes right before a child is born and remains high throughout the first year. Datshiane Navanayagam talks to doctors in Kenya and the US about the positive impact of giving cash to pregnant women and new mothers. Dr Mona Hanna is a paediatrician, professor, public health advocate and director of the Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Hospita...

Ella Al-Shamahi talks to two women from South Africa and Germany about reclaiming the craft of brewing beer - something which was historically the domain of women. Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela is a brewmaster and the first black, female co-owner of a craft brewery in South Africa. Her award-winning range of Tolokazi beers pays homage to the female brewers of Africa, inspired by the Tolo Kingdom’s rich bre...

From mushrooms to sea kelp: Two female foragers in South Africa and Japan tell Datshiane Navanayagam about how picking wild food has helped them to feel more connected to their natural surroundings. Emily Smith is from the UK and lives in rural Japan. She moved there to explore her Japanese heritage and says she felt a deep and calming connection to her natural surroundings. She spends her days le...

Ella Al-Shamahi talks to two women from France and Finland who service and create timepieces.  Camille de Rouvray is a French watchmaker from a family of horologists. One of her ancestors was the official clockmaker for King Louis XV in the 1740s. Centuries later, when Camille was 35 years old, she decided to change careers completely to continue her family's legacy and follow her true passion. Af...

Ella Al-Shamahi talks to women from Italy and US about the craft of film restoration and the importance of bringing movies, especially those by women, back to life. Sandra Schulberg is the founder and president of IndieCollect – a nonprofit in the US that has restored more than 85 films since 2016 and rescued thousands of abandoned film negatives. She describes the independent movies they care for...

Ella Al-Shamahi talks to women running orchestras in Hungary and the UK. Orsolya Erdödy is the managing director of the Budapest Festival Orchestra working alongside founder-conductor Iván Fischer. The BFO is rated among the top ten orchestras in the world regularly performing at the world’s most prestigious concert venues. Orsolya is also chief musical advisor of the Benedictine Archabbey of Pann...

Datshiane Navanayagam speaks two women from the Czech Republic and the UK about the ways in which they use horses to promote human physical and mental health. Vera Lantelme-Faisan’s professional background is in Equine Assisted Physiotherapy in the Czech Republic. Between 2004 and 2009, she played a key role in establishing a EAT centre for children at a rehabilitation hospital in Saudi Arabia and...

While confidence is widely understood as important, actually building and maintaining it can feel like an impossible task. A comedian from New Zealand and a body positive writer, speaker and influencer from the UK tell Datshiane Navanayagam about how they grew their self-confidence and give advice for others on how to get it. Megan Jayne Crabbe is a British bestselling author, presenter and body c...

The global housing crisis continues to grow, with the UN’s urban development agency estimating 40% of people worldwide lack access to adequate housing. Datshiane Navanayagam talks to female architects in Tanzania and Spain designing cheaper, more sustainable homes. Victoria Heilman founded the Tanzania Women Architects for Humanity (TAWAH), a group of architects, engineers, quantity surveyors and...

Two women from Greece and Sweden tell Datshiane Navanayagam about the dog training process and the prejudices service dogs still face when it comes to broader societal acceptance. Lia Stoll is a Greek-Canadian guide dog trainer and co-founder of Lara Guide Dogs school in Greece. She was inspired by her father, who was also a guide dog mobility instructor, as Lia grew up with guide dogs and working...

Two women from Italy and the US tell Datshiane Navanayagam about following the movements of growing wolf packs in Yellowstone National Park and the Italian Alps. Elisa Ramassa started work as a park ranger in Italy's Gran Bosco di Salbertrand, near Turin, in 1997. That same year the park recorded the first sightings of a wolf pack. They'd been extinct in the Italian Alps since the 1920s. She's spe...

Two women from Australia and Germany tell Ella Al-Shamahi about their work in robotics: from tackling loneliness with humanoid companions to making industrial robots more accessible. Australian Grace Brown began building robots at 15, but it was the isolation of pandemic lockdown - five months without human contact - that led her to create Abi, a friendly humanoid companion robot inspired by Disne...

Two women from Nigeria and the Czech Republic speak to Ella Al-Shamahi about what it's like to lead adventurous expeditions for other women to countries not usually on the tourist trail. Lenka Hrabalová is an expedition guide and academic from the Czech Republic. Her PhD focused on the destruction of cultural heritage in the Muslim world. Lenka uses her knowledge to lead adventurous expeditions ac...

Two doctors from South Africa and Australia tell Ella Al-Shamahi about rewards of working in rural communities and the challenges of being hundreds of miles from the nearest large hospital. Dr Melanie Matthews runs a medical centre in Maningrida, about 500km east of Darwin. She’s a GP with the Mala'la Indigenous health service in the Arnhem Land, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisat...