The Conversation

Artificial intelligence is changing the way we live and work. Should we accept it, or push back? Kim Chakanetsa meets two women pioneers in the field of AI and ethics. Aleksandra Przegalińska is a philosopher and data scientist. She’s the vice-rector and the head of the Human-Machine Interaction Research Center at Kozminski University in Poland and a Senior Research Associate on AI, Robots, and the Future of Work at Harvard University in the USA. Mia Shah-Dand is the founder of Women in AI Ethics, a non-profit aiming to increase female representation in the field of artificial intelligence. She is also the CEO of Lighthouse3, a consulting firm based in California that helps large organisations deploy new technologies responsibly.Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Aleksandra Przegalińska, credit courtesy of Aleksandra Przegalińska. (R) Mia Shah-Dand, credit courtesy of Mia Shah-Dand.)

Kim Chakanetsa is in the heart of Los Angeles' comedy district to meet two stand-up comedians who recently opened their own venues. Jiaoying Summers is a stand-up comedian, a social media star and the owner of The Hollywood Comedy Club and the Pasadena Comedy Club. Originally from China, she moved to the US when she was 18. She studied theatre and drama, but after director John Singleton failed her at an audition and suggested she should try comedy instead, she gave stand-up a go. She says comedy saved her life and helped her through her post-partum depression and her divorce. Nthenya Ndunda is an actor and comedian who, in 2021, opened The Comedy Nook, a venue promoting the work of black artists. She was born in Kenya and grew up in Canada, and decided to open her business after her best friend passed away. Nthenya draws inspiration for her jokes from her personal experience as a black woman living in the US and as the mother of a one-year-old.Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Nthenya Ndunda, credit Getty Images. (R) Jiaoying Summers, credit courtesy of Jiaoying Summers.)

Kim Chakanetsa hears about the awe-inspiring journeys of two white-water kayakers from the US and France, and the resilience that's kept them at the top of their discipline. Nouria Newman is the first and only woman to run a 30-metre waterfall, a feat captured in the film Wild Waters which charts some of her most audacious expeditions. After a career on the canoe slalom competition circuit, she left that behind to explore her love of the great outdoors, a passion which has taken her to some of the world's most remote and challenging rivers. Having heard many times what small, slight women like her weren't expected to do, Darcy Gaechter set out to prove them wrong. Her memoir, Amazon Woman, describes the 4,300-mile long perilous journey she undertook in 2013 from one of the sources of the Amazon to where it meets the Atlantic Ocean.Produced by Fiona Clampin(Image: (L) Nouria Newman, credit Getty Images. (R) Darcy Gaechter, credit Matt Power. Background image: East Fork Kaweah River, credit Don Beveridge.)

In many societies there are misconceptions about disability and sex. Beatriz de la Pava meets two activists from Pakistan and Nigeria who break taboos and help disabled women access family planning services. Abia Akram is chief executive of the National Forum of Women with Disabilities in Pakistan. She was on the BBC's 100 Women list in 2021 and has spoken out about the unique disability challenges faced by women in Pakistan. Abia is also a trustee with international charity Sightsavers. Lois Auta is the founder and chief executive officer at the Cedar Seed Foundation, an organisation that promotes the participation of women with disabilities in human rights-based development in Nigeria. She focuses on inclusive legislation for people with disabilities. Lois also works on an inclusive family planning project in northern Nigeria run by Sightsavers and BBC Media Action.Produced by Hetal Bapodra and Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Abia Akram, courtesy Sightsavers. (R) Lois Auta, credit Sejoro Ekundayo.)

Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women who help save cultural heritage in areas afflicted by conflict and natural disasters.Kateryna Goncharova has a Ph.D. in Museum and Monuments Studies. She joined the World Monuments Fund in April 2022 as Ukraine Heritage Crisis Specialist and she works on the ground to safeguard the country’s cultural heritage. Some of the sites she’s currently working in are the Khanenko Museum in Kyiv, the Library of Youth in Chernihiv, and the Local History Museum in Okhtyrka, which have been severely damaged by missile attacks. Aparna Tandon leads the First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis Programme at Iccrom, the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property. She has worked in countries afflicted by conflict and natural disasters – like Haiti, Nepal, Japan, Italy, and more recently, in the areas of Turkey and Syria hit by the 2023 earthquake. Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Kateryna Goncharova, credit World Monument Fund. (R) Aparna Tandon, credit courtesy of Aparna Tandon.)

Kim Chakanetsa talks to two Paralympic wheelchair rugby players from UK and Denmark about competing at the top level in this mixed-gender, adrenaline-filled, high-impact sport – that used to be known as murderball.Kylie Grimes is an Paralympic gold medallist, competing at three Paralympics for Great Britain. As a teenage athlete and show jumper, Kylie had a life-changing spinal injury in 2006 but her passion for sport remained. Within three years she was cycling 450 km, from Vietnam to Cambodia, to raise money for charity and was playing wheelchair rugby. In 2012 she qualified for her first Paralympics in London she helped Team GB win its first Paralympic gold in the sport at Tokyo 2020.Sofie Skoubo helped the Danish wheelchair rugby team qualify for their first Paralympics in Tokyo. She has Muscular Dystrophy and has also fought off the court to focus on the special needs of para-athletes. Alongside her sports career she works for the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation on an initiative supporting disabled children access education.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Sofie Skoubo, credit D Echelard. (R) Kylie Grimes, credit Megum Masuda.)

Perfumers from Colombia and Sweden tell Kim Chakanetsa about inventing fragrances that evoke emotion and nostalgia.Adriana Medina is a Vice President Perfumer at one of the world's biggest fragrance companies, Givaudan. She grew up in Colombia and after a Masters degree in Cosmetic Science, she attended the Givaudan Perfumery School in Paris. Her creations include 3121 for Prince and Meow for Katy Perry as well as Bombshell for Victoria's Secret – one of the most popular perfumes in US for more than a decade.Born in Västerås Sweden, Maya Njie moved to the UK to study at the University of the Arts London. She started making her own fragrances as part of her art and as interest grew among friends and fellow artists she founded Maya Njie Perfumes in 2016. Her scents are deeply rooted in her Swedish and West African heritage.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Adriana Medina, courtesy Givaudan. (R) Maya Njie, courtesy Maya Njie.)

In a world that is dominated by news of destruction and disaster it seems as though we will never see any positive news. Amongst this bad news fatigue, media forums focusing purely on positive and uplifting stories have begun to seep through to mainstream media. Kim Chakanetsa meets two women who decided to start their own positive news ventures. Anuradha Kedia is the co-founder of The Better India, the world's largest positive and solutions based media platform. Anuradha focuses on objective reporting and impact driven media to create a positive impact across India. Geri Weis-Corby is the founder and editor-in-chief of the Good News Network, an online newspaper which solely publishes positive and uplifting news stories. Geri is also the author of ‘And Now, The Good News’ which highlights some of their best news stories from the past 25 years.Produced by Abbie Bulbulian and Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Geri Weis-Corby, courtesy Geri Weis-Corby. (R) Anuradha Kedia, courtesy Anuradha Kedia.)

What does it take to become a world champion tree climber?Josephine Hedger is a five-time World Champion and a Six Time European Champion tree climber. She lives in the New Forest, in the South of England, and when she's not competing or training she runs her own company, Arbor Venture Tree Care.Jess Hamer is an arborist from Australia and the record holder for fastest 15 metres ascent in the Tree Climbing World Championships. She’s passionate about conservation and she uses social media to document the amazing trees she climbs and the animals she encounters - including scary looking spiders and hairy caterpillars.Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Jess Hamer, courtesy Jess Hamer. (R) Josephine Hedger, courtesy Josephine Hedger.)

Women playing, watching and reporting on sport is increasingly common. Yet sports journalism is an area still dominated by men, especially in written media. The women cover sports are subject to greater criticism and abuse than male counterparts. Beatriz de la Pava talks to sports journalists from India and Northern Ireland about the love of their careers.Orla Chennaoui is a sports presenter from Northern Ireland. She works for Eurosport covering MotoGP and the Olympics. Growing up she was a national level track and field athlete. She was a news journalist and broadcaster before a job as Sky’s London 2012 correspondent reawakened her passion for sport. One of India's most respected sports journalists, Sharda Ugra has been writing about cricket and other sport in India over 30 years. She got her first job as a sports writer at the Indian newspaper Midday after she and friends interviewed the cricket legend Imran Khan. She went on to be a senior editor at the sports channel ESPN in India and the CricInfo website. She’s now freelance and has written several books on cricket.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Orla Chennaoui, courtesy Eurosport. (R) Sharda Ugra, courtesy Sharda Ugra.)

A skin positivity influencer from Venezuela and dermatologist from Barbados tell Kim Chakanetsa about the impact having acne has on their lives.Constanza Concha has a rare and extreme form of acne called conglobate which started when she was nine years old. With over 57,000 followers on Instagram @cottyconcha she’s appeared on the covers of both Vogue and Glamour magazine. She says she’s proud to be the representation she wanted to see when she was younger.Dr Sharon Crichlow is a consultant dermatologist from Barbados who works in the UK. As a lifelong acne sufferer, Dr Crichlow understands fully the enormous impact dermatological disease can have on a person’s quality of life and mental health. She focuses on acne, treatment of acne scarring and the problems associated with skin of colour.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Constanza Concha, courtesy Constanza Concha. (R) Dr Sharon Crichlow, credit Michelle Jovic.)Produced by Jane Thurlow

Kim Chakanetsa meets two women who work on the world’s fastest cars. Bernadette Collins is a strategy engineer from Northern Ireland. She worked for the Aston Martin Formula One team and with McLaren. She is currently a freelance engineer working on projects where she brings the lessons from F1 to other industries as well as continuing to work within the Formula One field. Lisa Veltman is a Dutch design engineer working with Scuderia AlphaTauri, an Italian Formula One racing team and constructor. She previously worked with the French team Alpine.Produced by Hetal Bapodra, Alice Gioia, Jane Thurlow.(Image: (L) Lisa Veltman, credit Patricio Barroso. (R) Bernadette Collins, credit Glenn Dunbar.)

There is an impressive list of female creatives on this year's Oscar nominees list – actors, producers, costume designers - but no female directors. In fact, in the Academy’s 94-year-history, only seven women have ever been nominated. Why is that? And what is getting in the way of achieving gender parity in filmmaking? Kim Chakanetsa travels to the heart of Hollywood to find out more. Keri Putnam is a film executive and producer and the founder of Putnam Pictures. She served for 11 years as the CEO of the Sundance Institute which runs the Sundance Film Festival. Prior to that worked as a senior executive at Miramax and HBO. She is also the co-founder of Re-frame, an organisation providing mentorship and training to help women making it into the industry, and served 3 terms on the Women in Film Board of directors. Stephanie Allain is a film Producer and writer and the newly-elected co-President of the Producers Guild of America, the first woman of colour to serve as PGA president. Stephanie was one of the original ReFrame ambassadors and served 3 terms on the WIF Board of Directors including 9 years as Vice President. Stephanie was also the first Black woman to produce the Academy Awards in 2020. She runs her own company, Homegrown Pictures, which focuses on creating content by and about women and people of colour.Producers: Alice Gioia, Jane Thurlow, Hetal Bapodra Sound recording: Devin Pinckard Production assistant: Abbie Bulbulian(Image: (L) Stephanie Allain (R) Keri Putnam. Credit: Devin Pinckard)

Kim Chakanetsa meets two of the most influential stylists in Hollywood. Camille Friend is a hair stylist and she’s been nominated in this year’s Academy awards for her work on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She has worked on 7 other Marvel movies – including Captain America – and on other blockbuster movies like The Little Mermaid, The Hateful Eight and Django Unchained. She also trains younger generations of hair stylists through her academy, Hair Scholars.Zerina Akers is an Emmy award winning fashion stylist and costume designer. She’s best known for her work with Beyonce – she was Queen B’s personal wardrobe curator for 7 years, and you can see her creations on the visual album Black is King. In 2020 Zerina founded Black Owned Everything – a platform supporting black artists and creators.Producers: Alice Gioia, Jane Thurlow, Hetal Bapodra Sound recording: Devin Pinckard Production assistant: Abbie Bulbulian(Image: (L) Zerina Akers (R) Camille Friend. Credit: Devin Pinckard.)

Kim Chakanetsa is in Hollywood to meet two award winning women who’ve made it onto this year’s Oscar nominees list. Lesley Paterson co-wrote the screenplay for All Quiet on the Western Front, which is nominated for 9 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Lesley competed for Scotland and GB as a triathlete and is a five-time World Champion. Wendy Tilby is a Canadian director, animator and illustrator. The short movie she co-directed, The Flying Sailor, is nominated as Best Animated Short Film in this year’s Academy Awards.Producers: Alice Gioia, Jane Thurlow, Hetal Bapodra Production assistant: Abbie Bulbulian(Image: (L) Wendy Tilby. (R) Lesley Paterson. Credit: Getty Images.)

Companies around the world are making their employees redundant. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women who managed to re-invent themselves after losing their jobs. After being laid off in 2015, communication executive Dawn Kelly used her severance pay to open her own cafe, The Nourish Spot, in Queens, New York. Dawn, who was 58 when she started her entrepreneurial journey, had always wanted to run her own business but never had the funds to start. Hers is a story shared by many black women who, despite being the fastest-growing demographic of small and medium entrepreneurs in the USA, still face discrimination and struggle to access capital.Eleanor Tweddell worked in senior management positions in the corporate world for over twenty years for companies including Virgin Atlantic, Costa Coffee and Vodafone - until she was made redundant, twice. She wrote a book about her experience, Why Losing Your Job Could Be The Best Thing That Ever Happened To You, and started her own company, Another Door. She now coaches individuals and organisations to provide advice and support through redundancy.Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Eleanor Tweddell, credit Aga Mortlock; (R) Dawn Kelly, courtesy of Dawn Kelly.)

Kim Chakanetsa talks to a US step-parenting coach and a journalist in India about their experience of being a step-mother. They discuss the challenges of blended families and give advice to women in similar situations.When Naja Hall began dating a divorced man with three young children she was soon dealing with difficult, confusing and stressful scenarios. When she couldn't find the practical advice she needed she set up online forums Blended and Black and VIP Stepmom. She's now a well-regarded step-parenting coach who specialises in high-conflict situations.Aarushi Ahluwalia was 26 when her husband's son came to live with them. In India there's a social stigma around being a step-parent where just 1% of marriages end in divorce and she knows very few other women with her experience. She says that as a step-mother you have all of the responsibility but none of the rights of a parent, despite this she's found it really rewarding to care for and love her step-son.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Aarushi Ahluwalia, courtesy Aarushi Ahluwalia. (R) Naja Hall, courtesy Naja Hall.)

In the past few years, the internet has been spreading rapidly across Africa. The continent has nearly half of the world’s mobile money accounts, and a thriving start-up ecosystem. But in sub-Saharan Africa, women make up a very small percentage of the tech workforce. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two entrepreneurs who believe that teaching women and girls how to code could be a game changer. Rachel Sibande is a computer scientist and social entrepreneur. She is the founder of mHub, Malawi’s first technology hub. During her career she has developed innovative tech solutions in fields like health, elections monitoring, citizen engagement and agriculture in Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. She also works with the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) at the United Nations Foundation, leading the efforts to facilitate a digital revolution across Africa.Baratang Miya is the founder of Girlhype Coders Academy, which has taught more than 10,000 women and girls how to code. Baratang has been named among the 50 People Who Made the Internet a Better Place in 2016 and has received a TechWomen scholarship to train in the Silicon Valley. She is also a regular technology writer, judge, advisor in tech competitions and hackathons.Produced by Alice Gioia and Hetal Bapodra(Image: (L) Baratang Miya, courtesy Baratang Miya. (R) Rachel Sibande, credit Ulemu Nkhoma.)

There are many reasons someone might choose to get a tattoo – it could be a cultural or a simple fashion statement. Sometimes it’s a creative way to cover up a scar. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women transforming burns, self-harm cuts and surgery scars into body art, helping women reclaim their bodies.Tran Ngoc is based in Hanoi, Vietnam. Known as ‘Ngoc Like’, Tran started covering scars with her art when she was 19, and is the only female Vietnamese tattoo artist to specialise in transformation. She bases her designs on the personality of her clients, and loves to use colour.Madlyne Van Looy is from Berlin, Germany. Madlyne is currently touring Europe in a van, guesting in studios as she travels. Her art consists of black and white nature designs, influenced by her traveling. She speaks to us from Italy.Produced by Lorna Treen(Image: (L) Tran Ngoc, courtesy Tran Ngoc. (R) Madlyne Van Looy, courtesy Madlyne Van Looy.)

The loss of a sibling can be devastating. It means the severing of a shared history and common memories. But the grief can be overshadowed by that of children, parents and partners. Kim Chakanetsa talks to an Irish writer and an academic from Botswana about how the death of a brother and a sister changed their lives.Dr Senzokuhle Doreen Setume is a professor at the University of Botswana. She researches the impact of ignoring traditional rites in grief counselling. Her twin sister died when they were 37. As well as losing the person she’d shared her whole life with Senzokuhle lost her identity as a twin. She says the cultural pressure to not show grief affected her deeply. Carmel McMahon was living in New York when her 20 year old brother died in a car crash. Her grief triggered a long period of alcoholism and she turned to writing to help her recovery. Her book, In Ordinary Time, mines the ways trauma reverberates through time and through individual lives. She draws connections from tragically lost siblings to the broader social scars of Ireland’s long history. Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Carmel McMahon, credit Lauren Carroll. (R) Senzokuhle Setume, courtesy Senzokuhle Setume.)

Headache, nausea and sensitivity to light are all common symptoms of migraine. According to the BBC, one in five women suffer from migraines. Studies also show that between two to three times as many women endure them as men – a ratio that fluctuates depending on stage of life. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women whose lives have been shaped by migraines.Sarah Shaw from New Jersey, USA, has lived with chronic migraine for 10 years. After years of searching, Sarah finally had a breakthrough with treatment last year – when she found a Black neurologist. Sarah journey with migraine led her to a job in patient advocacy for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) patients, with the non-profit patient advocacy organization, the Global Healthy Living Foundation.Lise R Øie is a Norwegian neurologist and postdoctoral research fellow at the Norwegian Headache Research Centre (NorHEAD). Lise conducts clinical research on migraine treatment, and is currently looking into a blood pressure preventative treatment for migraines.(Image: (L) Sarah Shaw, courtesy Sarah Shaw. (R) Lise R Øie, courtesy Lise R Øie.)

Divorces are often messy. In countries like Turkey and Egypt, they can also put women at risk of losing everything: their financial independence, the right to see their children, and their social status.İpek Bozkurt is a lawyer based in Istanbul. She focuses on cases of violence against women and works with a grassroot organisation called We Will Stop Femicide. Her story was featured in the documentary “Dying to Divorce”, which was the UK’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2022 Academy Awards. Nada Nashat is a human rights activist based in Cairo. She is the Advocacy Coordinator at the Center for Egyptian Women's Legal Assistance (CEWLA), an organisation supporting women who want to divorce their husbands. She’s also campaigning to make divorce legislation fairer. Produced by Alice Gioia and Lorna Treen(Image: (L) Nada Nashat, courtesy Nada Nashat. (R) İpek Bozkurt, courtesy İpek Bozkurt.)

Women’s football is being played in front of record crowds – interest and attendance has soared and the game is flourishing but getting here hasn’t been easy and there are still some significant hurdles to overcome. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two players at the very top of their game who have been instrumental in helping bring about change. Sara Gama is captain of the Italy women’s football team and Serie A club Juventus. Growing up she was unaware women even played football and was the only girl her team. She’s been pivotal in gaining greater recognition and equality for the women’s game in Italy which finally became professional in July 2022.Women’s football has changed a lot since Rafaelle Souza used to play barefoot with the boys in the small town in Brazil where she grew up. Rafa went to the United States on a football scholarship and studied civil engineering, she then became the first foreigner to play for a club in China. She’s now at Arsenal. Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Sara Gama, credit Getty Images. (R) Rafaelle Souza, credit Getty Images.)

Kim Chakanetsa talks to a multi-award winning wine expert from France and a young sommelier from Kenya who was part of the first all-female team to take part in the World Wine Blind Tasting Championships 2022. Pascaline Lepeltier was studying for a PhD in Philosophy when she switched to work in a restaurant and pursue her interest in wine. She went on to become the only woman to have been named “Un des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France - Sommellerie”, and also in 2018, Best French Sommelier. She has a passion for championing organic, natural and biodynamic wines and is beverage director at the New York restaurant Chambers.Melissa Mwende is a Kenyan born and raised sommelier and wine educator. After working as a wine ambassador for a brand in South Africa she opened a small wine shop outside Nairobi and works as a wine consultant. She wants people to learn about fantastic wines produced across the African continent.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Pascaline Lepeltier, credit Cedric Angeles. (R) Melissa Mwende, courtesy Melissa Mwende.)

What role did women play in the social and cultural life of Ancient Egypt? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women uncovering secrets from this incredible civilisation. Dr Monica Hanna is an Egyptologist and a leading heritage expert. She’s the acting dean of the College of Archaeology and Cultural Heritage at the Arab Academy in Aswan. Monica’s been awarded for her fight against looting. Dr Solange Ashby is an Egyptologist at UCLA whose work focuses on Nubia, a region in Northeast Africa split between present-day Egypt and Sudan. Solange’s current research explores the role of women in ancient Nubia and she’s writing a monograph about the royal women of Kush.Produced by Alice Gioia and Lorna Treen.(Image: (L) Dr Monica Hanna, credit Justin Merriman. (R) Dr Solange Ashby, credit courtesy of Dr Solange Ashby).

Today we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of BBC 100 Women - an initiative that highlights the work of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world. Australian activist Chanel Contos started a movement dubbed 'Teach Us Consent’. Thanks to her campaign, consent education will be mandatory in all Australian schools from kindergarten until year 10. It all started in 2021, when Chanel posted a story on Instagram, asking her followers if they or someone they knew had been sexually assaulted at school. Within 24 hours more than 200 people had replied “yes”. Now she is educating people about non-consensual condom removal, or stealthing, as well as campaigning to criminalise the act.Ghanaian writer Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah is the author of The Sex Lives of African Women, which has been described as “an astonishing report on the quest for sexual liberation”. She is the co-founder of Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women, a website, podcast and festival that publishes and creates content that tells stories of African women’s experiences around sex, sexualities, and pleasure.Produced by Alice Gioia (Image: (L) Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, credit Charles Lawson. (R) Chanel Contos, credit Side-Note.)

Global food insecurity is putting millions of people at risk, and during hunger crises women are more vulnerable to the effects of malnutrition. Rukia Yacoub is the World Food Programme’s deputy regional director in East Africa. A nutritionist by trade, Rukia currently oversees the UN agency’s efforts to provide food to people in crises in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. In the past, Rukia worked to tackle malnutrition in Yemen, Ghana and Rwanda. Neha Mankani is a midwife from Pakistan. In 2015 she started the Mama Baby Fund, a charity providing women with emergency medical treatments and food supplies. She has been working in the poorest regions of Pakistan, including remote islands in the Arabian Sea and in the Sindh province, which was devastated by floods in the summer of 2022.Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Neha Mankani, courtesy of Neha Mankani. (R) Rukia Yacoub, credit WFP/Alessandro Abbonizio.)

While synonymous with status and romance, diamonds have also been linked to controversy, colonialism and conflict. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women whose lives have been shaped and transformed by the diamond industry in Botswana and Namibia.Anna Marie Johnson was paralysed at the age of eight. Reliant on a wheelchair, she missed out on completing her education. She's found a new lease of life and renewed ambition as part of a diverse workforce at Andre Messika in Windhoek, Namibia.Naseem Lahri is the first woman, and the first female citizen of Botswana, to run a diamond mine in the country. She says she's a product of diamond mining through the funding the industry puts into education in her country and that she's delighted to be part of the process giving back to the local community.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Anna Marie Johnson, credit Natural Diamond Council. (R) Naseem Lahri, credit Lucara Diamond.)

An increasing number of women have become addicted to gambling in recent years, and experts fear the current cost of living crisis could put even more women at risk. Sandra Adell is a professor of literature in the Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the author of a memoir, Confessions of a Slot Machine Queen, and she is currently working on a book about the impact of gambling on underprivileged communities in the US called And Then The Casinos Came: Narratives of Gambling and Loss. For Lisa Walker, gambling has always been a recreational activity. She started at the age of seven, playing cards for pennies with her dad, and she continued throughout her twenties. But winning £127,000 at a game of poker led her to develop a severe addiction that left her broke and homeless. She is now a community outreach worker with the UK charity Betknowmore and she leads New Beginnings, a project supporting women who struggle with gambling.Producer: Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Sandra Adell, courtesy Sandra Adell. (R) Lisa Walker, courtesy Lisa Walker)

What role are women playing in providing solar power and ensuring that vulnerable communities have access to cheaper and cleaner energy? Kim Chakanetsa talks to an electrical engineer working in the US and Nicaragua, and a Nigerian entrepreneur.Anna Bautista is vice president of construction at GRID Alternatives, a large non-profit solar company that works with low-income communities across America and in Nicaragua. Her career as an electrical engineer started in the private sector where she worked as a site supervisor, trainer, and design and installation technician on residential and commercial PV (photovoltaic) projects.Olasimbo Sojinrin is the chief operating officer of Solar Sisters, an enterprise selling solar powered lamps and electrical appliances to women living in off-grid communities across Africa. Growing up in Nigeria, her life was dictated by power outages, so she decided to empower other women by finding sustainable and affordable solutions to the energy problem.Producer: Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Anna Bautista, courtesy Anna Bautista. (R) Olasimbo Sojinrin, courtesy Olasimbo Sojinrin)

Kim Chakanetsa discusses the wonders of the sky with two world-renowned astronomers.Dr Ewine van Dishoeck is a Dutch astronomer and chemist who has been involved with the development of the James Webb Telescope, the largest optical telescope in space. A professor of molecular astrophysics at the University of Leiden, her work in researching the potential existence of water in space could help find answers to the biggest questions, including whether life is possible on other planets. Dr Catherine Cesarsky is an Argentinian and French astronomer. Her research in astrophysics has included the composition of galactic cosmic rays and how stars are formed. As president of the Square Kilometre Array telescope project she’s directing an international effort to build the world’s largest radio telescope.Produced by Emily Naylor and Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Dr Ewine van Dishoeck, credit Katinka Baehr. (R) Dr Catherine Cesarsky, credit EPFL/SKACH/Severin Bigler.)

After lockdowns, gig cancelations and a long and painful period for those in the industry, this year has seen the return of a full festival season around the world and millions of people have been making the most of it partying and dancing in vast crowds to live music and DJ-sets.Beatriz de la Pava is joined by two female DJ/producers from Denmark and Colombia to talk about creating a sound and vibe that brings thousands of people to dance as one.Rosa Pistola is hard to miss. Hailing from Colombia yet dubbed the Madonna of Mexico City, she mixes high energy reggaeton and sensual ballads to encapsulate the soundscape of her adopted city. Her mission is to celebrate the sounds of the Latin underground with the entire world, including Fabric in London on the 9th of December.Manda Moor is a Danish-Filipino DJ and producer based in Paris. Her productions and DJ sets are somewhere between techno and house and she’s spent much of her summer performing on the party-island of Ibiza.Produced by Jane Thurlow

There are many reasons people cut back on travelling once they have children - the cost for one, and the extra luggage! Beatriz de la Pava talks to women from Lithuania and the United States about bringing children along for a life of travelling adventures.Sunshine Abou Bakar describes herself as ‘an ochre obsessed mom of two’ who blogs and updates her social media followers about sustainable journeys under the name of African Boheme. Her moto is ‘Children are going to throw tantrums no matter where you are, might as well deal with the tantrum 30,000 feet in the air en route to paradise’.Jurga Rubinovaite describes herself as the chief adventure planner for her family holidays with her husband and three sons. Born and raised in Lithuania she now lives in Belgium where she blogs about her travels on her site Full Suitcase. Featured in Lonely Planet travel guides she also works with brands and holiday destinations – she says her aim is to help other families plan dream trips to create unforgettable memories.(Image: (L) Jurga Rubinovaite with her husband and children, courtesy of Jurga Rubinovaite. (R) Sunshine Abou Bakar, credit Sunshine Abou Bakar.)

Nearly half of the world’s population lives in an area that faces water scarcity for at least a month every year and one in three people globally do not have access to safe drinking water. Today we meet two women who are working on solutions to cope with droughts. Jimena Puyana is a sustainable development programme specialist with the UNDP Country Office in Colombia. She works on implementing nature and community-based solutions to fight climate change in La Mojana, a region with one of the most complex water deltas in the world.Smita Kurup is a scientist at Rothamsted Research, a non-profit organisation based in the UK. She leads research in seed developmental biology and has been working on developing drought-resilient and more sustainable rice crops.Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Jimena Puyana, courtesy of UNDP Colombia. (R) Smita Kurup, credit Alasdair Cross.)

Throughout history, women have been fearlessly taking up arms and waging war, but the stories of female fighters tend to be forgotten. That is changing, with more female warriors taking centre stage in films and TV series. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women committed to bringing these stories into the limelight. Cathy Schulman is an Academy award winning producer, showrunner and screenwriter. She’s one of the producers of The Woman King, starring another Oscar winner, actor Viola Davis, and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. The movie is set in West Africa in 1823 and tells the story of the Agojie, an all-female army that protected the Dahomey Kingdom. Caroline Henderson is a Danish-Swedish singer and actor. After winning eight Danish Music Awards and working in theatre productions across Europe, Caroline now stars in the Netflix series Vikings: Valhalla as Jarl Haakon, the ruler of the fictional town of Kattegat. In real life, Caroline is a Knight of Dannebrog, a title she received from Queen Margarethe II of Denmark in 2010.Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Cathy Schulman, credit Getty. (R) Caroline Henderson, credit Karina Tengberg.)

Despite being more likely to be concerned about climate change women are less likely than men to buy an electric car, or to say that they plan to. But they could be key to driving growth in the industry. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to women from US and India about driving change and innovation in electric vehicles.Linda Zhang is the chief engineer responsible for leading the team delivering an all-electric version of Ford’s F-150 pickup truck, the best-selling pick-up truck in the world. Linda was born in China, she moved to the US as a child and followed her father to work at Ford where she’s been now for 26 years. The F-Series has 16.6 million trucks on the road in the US where it’s the country’s best-selling vehicle. The all-electric version was released 26 April 2022.Sulajja Firodia Motwani is CEO of Kinetic Green, a company based in Pune in India which specialises in electric three-wheelers and scooters. She says the industry is a vibrant one that offers huge opportunities for women. Produced by Jane Thurlow (Image: (L) Linda Zhang, credit Linda Zhang. (R) Sulajja Firodia, credit Sulajja Firodia.)

Climate change is having a devastating impact on the North and the South Pole – melting glaciers and endangering the local wildlife. Kim Chakanetsa meets two women who are monitoring these changes closely. Hilde Fålun Strøm is an explorer and citizen scientist based in Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost town in the Norwegian arctic. Hilde and her expedition partner, Sunniva Sorby, run Hearts in the Ice, a project raising awareness about climate change. In 2020 they became the first women-only team to overwinter in the High Arctic, where they gathered data for climate change research. Dr Irene Schloss is an Argentinian biologist based in Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city. She is a principal investigator with the National Council of the Research of Argentina, for the Instituto Antártico Argentino and the Austral Center of Scientific Research. She holds a PhD in biological oceanography and for the past 25 years has been monitoring the impact of climate change on plankton and other marine life in Antarctica.Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Hilde Fålun Strøm, credit Catherine Lemblé. (R) Irene Schloss, credit Jeremías Di Pietro.)

Fake news can have harmful consequences for those who believe it - but why are women often the target of disinformation campaigns? Kim Chakanetsa meets two experts to discuss how disinformation affect the lives of women around the world. Paulina Ibarra is the Executive Director of Fundación Multitudes, a civil society organization based in Chile. She leads The Women’s Observatory Against Disinformation and Fake News, a project supporting women and members of underrepresented communities who decide to take leadership roles. Hannah Ajakaiye is an award-winning journalist from Nigeria. She’s currently a Knight Fellow with the International Center for Journalists, where she trains fact checkers across Africa and works with social media influencers to dispel myths and debunk fake news stories.Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Hannah Ajakaiye, credit Monsuru Tiamiyu. (R) Paulina Ibarra, credit Rosario Oddo.)

Flamenco is a complex Spanish artform that includes music, singing and dancing. People often associate it with expressive female dancers - but what role do women actually play in flamenco? Rosamaria Kostic Cisneros is a Spanish-Serbian-American dancer, sociologist and dance historian. Her family is of Roma origins and her mother taught her how to dance flamenco at a very young age. Rosa is a team member of the dance and Flamenco sections for the RomArchive, an international digital collection promoting and preserving Roma arts and culture, and a researcher at Coventry University’s Centre for Dance Research. Caroline Planté is a flamenco guitarist from Canada and one of the world’s leading female performers. She learnt to play from her father, a flamenco virtuoso, and started performing at the age of 14. After moving to Spain, where she accompanied the country’s top performers, she published 8 Reflexiones, and became the first woman to compose and record a solo flamenco album.Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Rosamaria Kostic Cisneros, credit Koko Zin Photography. (R) Caroline Planté, credit Hervé Leblay.)

It’s the third annual International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies on Wednesday 7 September. It’s aimed at raising public awareness at all levels of the urgent need to improve air quality. Air pollution is the largest contributor to the burden of disease from the environment, and is one of the main avoidable causes of death and disease globally – killing seven million people a year according to the World Health Organisation. Kim Chakanetsa talks to women from the UK and India who are calling on governments and industry to reduce air pollution.Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah's daughter Ella died, aged nine, after a violent asthma attack in 2013. Since then Rosamund has become one of the most prominent advocates for clean air worldwide. She challenged a coroner's inquest into her daughter's death and succeeded in getting the death certificate changed to show Ella had died as a result of air pollution. Rosamund is now a WHO BreatheLife ambassador and the founder, director, and trustee of the Ella Roberta Foundation.Bhavreen Kandhari lives in New Delhi - the most polluted capital city in the world. She has 18 year old twin daughters and is part of Warrior Moms – a group of women from across India connecting with other clean air campaigns globally to bring attention to the issue of air pollution.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, courtesy of Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah. (R) Bhavreen Kandhari, courtesy Bhavreen Kandhari.)

Have you ever had your heart broken? It can feel all-consuming and unbearable at points, and cause us physical pain. But why is this the case and how can we overcome it? Kim Chakanetsa finds out the answers from two women who are well versed in matters of the heart.Dr Lucy Brown is an American neuroscientist and clinical professor in Neurology at Einstein College of Medicine in New York, and she’s one of the first people ever to study the neuroscience of romantic love. Lucy is one of the co-creators of The Anatomy Of Love, a website exploring the meaning of romantic love and attachment. Julia Jacklin is an Australian singer songwriter who has written extensively about love and heartbreak. Her second studio album, Crushing, explores the intensity of love and the difficult process of having to let it go. Her latest album is Pre Pleasure.Produced by Emily Naylor and Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Lucy Brown, courtesy of Lucy Brown. (R) Julia Jacklin, credit Nick Mckk.)

Most of us rely on farmers to produce our food and rising costs for farmers are leading to spiralling food prices. It's in part down to huge increases in the cost of fuel and fertiliser, shortages of labour and the pressures of a changing climate. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women farmers from Australia and the UK about their love for the land, the responsibility of running a family farm and how they deal with the pressure.Katrina Sasse is an Australian cereal farmer and 2017 Nuffield Australia Scholar. She works on her large family farm and has a smaller bit of land herself. She questioned why, when addressing the shortage of farmers, nothing was focused on the capacity of farm daughters to become farmers. As part of her Nuffield research she travelled the world to interview farmers about the structural and cultural issues within agriculture that need to change for the gender gap to close.Sarah Bell manages her family’s mixed arable farm in the English Midlands along with her husband and parents. Unusually she’s the one who’s running the family farm despite having a brother – but he didn’t want to go into farming. She also runs a consultancy business to agricultural food industry businesses and other farmers two days a week to supplement the farm income. She jokes there are more men called Mark on boards in the grain trade than there are women. Her key principle is ‘farm profitably and tread lightly’.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Katrina Sasse, credit: Kim Storey. (R) Sarah Bell, credit: Sonara Studios Oakham Rutland.)

Women play a crucial role in peace building processes around the world, but their role is rarely recognised. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women who build bridges between communities at war with each other. Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer led the peace talks between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. In 2014 she made history by becoming the first woman chief negotiator to sign a major peace accord with an armed group. She taught political science at the University of the Philippines and works on mediation initiatives with different international organisations. Ameya Kilara is a lawyer and mediator from India whose work focuses on facilitating dialogue across the Line of Control in Kashmir. She’s currently working with the NGO Inter Mediate and is the Founder and Director of the South Asian Leadership Initiative, a programme dedicated to building peace in the region. She’s also a member of Women Mediators across the Commonwealth, a network supporting women-led peace building initiatives.Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Ameya Kilara, courtesy of Ameya Kilara. (R) Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, courtesy of Miriam Coronel-Ferrer)

According to the United Nations, at the end of 2021, 89.4 million people around the world had been forced to flee their homes as a result of persecution, conflict, human rights violations or other events. Among them are nearly 27.1 million refugees. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women from Afghanistan and Zimbabwe about having to leave their country.Hajira Zaman is 29 years old and left Afghanistan in November 2021. She’d been working in a dentist’s clinic when the Taliban entered the clinic and told her she couldn’t work with a male doctor – unless she took her husband, brother or father with her. After threats from the Taliban she, her husband and young son fled the country. Hajira was nine months pregnant and had her baby shortly after arriving in Pakistan.Nyasha Masi is a refugee from Zimbabwe living in Cape Town. She was abused by her family for being gay and forced into marriage. She made the devastating decision to leave without her three year old daughter and escaped to South Africa. She now works with the charity Safe Place International and has set up her own group for LGBTI+ refugees called Pachedu. Her daughter (now a teenager) has joined her.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Nyasha Masi, courtesy Nyasha Masi. (R) Hajira Zaman, courtesy Hajira Zaman.)

When doubt creeps in about the faith you’ve grown up in and nobody will tolerate your questions, when you look at your life ahead mapped out by others and wonder where your ambitions fit - how do you step away? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women from Tanzania and Scotland about leaving their religion.Zara Kay grew up in Tanzania in a strict Muslim family. She faced disapproval when she chose not to wear a hijab, for moving abroad to study, and for her career as an IT engineer. But the abuse she received after expressing support for gay marriage exposed such hate in her community that she left the religion. On a recent trip to visit family in Tanzania she was arrested. She now lives in Sweden and works with an online organisation, Faithless Hijabi, supporting other former-Muslims.Ali Millar was raised in a community of Jehovah’s Witness in Scotland - spending Saturdays knocking on doors trying to convert people. As a teenager she struggled with trying to fit in at school and make friends while at the same time obeying the rules of her religion. Married young she wasn't allowed to follow the career she dreamed of. Realising her daughter would face the same restricted life, she walked out on the religion and hasn't seen her mother or sister since. Ali’s book about her experience is called The Last Days.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Zara Kay, credit Andrew Bott Phototherapy. (R) Ali Millar, courtesy Ebury Press.)

What would you do if a loved one went missing? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women whose lives have been touched by a missing person’s case, and now help other families find answers. Dr Chung Pham is an anti-trafficking specialist from Vietnam. When she was a teenager, she stopped the initial abduction of a schoolmate, who was later trafficked into China. After relocating to the UK, Chung became an advocate for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, often victims of trafficking or modern slavery. This inspired her to join Locate International, a charity helping relatives of missing people find their loved ones.Dr Michelle Jeanis is an assistant professor in the Criminal Justice department at University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Her research focuses on the best practices to help locate people who disappear and on the media coverage of missing people’s cases. She decided to study this topic after her friend’s sister, Mickey Shunik, disappeared in 2012.Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Michelle Jeanis, credit Scarlett Davis. (R) Chung Pham, credit Hong Van.)

Kim Chakanetsa meets two women who bring electricity to communities in the US and New Zealand.Maureen Miller is a listener from Wisconsin in the US who got in touch to tell us why she is so passionate about being a journeyman lineman. She talks about bringing power to communities devastated by hurricanes and floods and she tells us about the skills required to do this extremely dangerous work. Laisa Pickering-Bryant is the first female distribution line mechanic at her company to work on live high voltage lines. She was born and raised on the Fiji Islands and she currently lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Laisa is also part of Connexis, a project training and mentoring women working in infrastructure.Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Maureen Miller, credit courtesy of Maureen Miller. (R) Laisa Pickering-Bryant, credit courtesy of Laisa Pickering-Bryant.)

Why are friends who are always there for you so important? Kim Chakanetsa meets two women who’ve put friendships at the heart of their work to make hugely successful TV series. Marta Kauffman is a TV executive producer and co-creator of Friends and Grace and Frankie. Her ground-breaking shows, which have friendships at their core, have revolutionised the world of TV series and have broken taboos. Nicole Amarteifio is a Ghanaian film director and screenwriter. She’s best known for her show An African City, which chronicles the adventures of five female friends who return to live in Ghana after spending time abroad. The story is autobiographical and one of the main actors is Nicole's childhood friend.Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Marta Kauffman, credit Okay Goodnight. (R) Nicole Amarteifio, credit Emmanuel Bobbie.)

Two women confronting the dangers of plastic pollution talk to Kim Chakanetsa. They’re sounding the alarm and working on innovative solutions: from an island clear-up that collected 750,000 empty plastic bottles to reducing microplastics in the air and waterways.Estrela Matilde lives on the island of Príncipe off the coast of West Africa – where her work to reduce plastic pollution has helped increase the number of turtle nests by more than 40 percent to 2,500 over six years. Estrela is a Whitley Fund for Nature winner 2022.Siobhan Anderson is a co-founder of a start-up called The Tyre Collective. They're working to find a solution to the plastic pollution caused by tyre wear. The waste from tyres as they degrade is the second largest microplastic pollutant in the environment – making up to 28% of primary microplastics in our oceans, as well as contributing to airborne pollution. Siobhan is from California in the United States and is now based in London.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Estrela Matilde, credit Fundação Príncipe & Yves Rocher Award. (R) Siobhan Anderson, courtesy Siobhan Anderson.)

There is no known cure for type 1 diabetes. Usually diagnosed in childhood, people’s experiences differ considerably depending on where they live and their access to adequate treatment and care. Without them, complications can arise which in the most severe cases result in death. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women from Brazil and Australia to see how their experiences with the chronic condition compare. Janina Gaudin, from New Zealand, is an illustrator of comics about life with Type 1 Diabetes. She uses humour to document the realities of diabetes and discuss the stigma surrounding it as well as the insulin crisis. Beatriz Scher is an entrepreneur and digital influencer from Brazil. She has had type 1 diabetes for 21 years and believes that education is vital so that people can live fulfilled, healthy and happy lives. Beatriz uses her social media channels to raise awareness about the condition.Produced by Emily Naylor and Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Beatriz Scher, courtesy of Beatriz Scher. (R) Janina Gaudin, courtesy Janina Gaudin.)