Russia is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. But as an eloquent and outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin’s regime and a prominent LGBT activist, Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen does not hide her views. The author of The Man without a face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin, a biography of President Vladimir Putin, and a book about Pussy Riot, it was only when the Russian authorities started discussing removing children from gay parents that Masha moved her family to America. In this revealing talk, the reporter discusses her courageous career, her particular combination of activism and analysis, and how she continues to chronicle the Putin regime from a distance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine having to flee your home country, leaving your mother and brother behind you. As a child, Hyeonseo Lee thought her country– North Korea- was the best on the planet. It wasn‘t until the devastating famine of the 1990s that she began to question those beliefs and look for an escape route.As a teenager, she fled to China to stay with distant relatives and spent the next ten years hiding her true identity before finally escaping to South Korea. She then made the courageous decision to return to the North Korean border in a daring mission to bring the rest of her family to safety.Now a university student and human rights advocate, the author of the memoir The Girl with Seven Names reveals the details of her extraordinary journey. She offers a unique insight into the situation of the people of North Korea and how we can help those still suffering. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the age of social media we think we know each other, but do we really?  Muriel Barbery’s second novel, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, became an international sensation through word-of-mouth recommendations. It told the story of an unlikely friendship of an unhappy teenage girl and the determinedly ordinary, middle-aged concierge in a Parisian apartment building – whose lives were richer than they first appear.  With her next novel, The Life of Elves now published nine years later, secret lives are again uncovered, this time focusing on the tale of two young girls and the secret world of elves that they discover.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alix Generous has big ideas, but she hasn’t always been able to communicate them to others. Her Asperger’s syndrome was misdiagnosed for many years and it has taken great courage and persistence to overcome her challenges. Alix thinks differently, but she has learned that this can be an important part of solving complex problems. Still a university student, she is involved in scientific research, has spoken at the UN, and her company Autism Sees has released the app Podium to help people with Autism Spectrum Disorder develop communication skills. One of Alix Generous’s big ideas is that we need all the creativity and intellect we can muster to solve our problems, so need to build a culture that accepts mental diversity so everyone can share their talents. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Go to any networking event and you’ll probably overhear someone talking about how they discovered their ‘true purpose’. But doggedly pursuing the work you love can get in the way of the rest of your life, and lead to some tough choices.For writer Margie Orford it meant spending a year away from her three children when she had the opportunity to study overseas. It was a hard decision, as the overwhelming satisfaction of knowing that she had found her vocation was balanced by the sadness of what felt like losing a year of her children’s lives.Is a strong sense of vocation a mixed blessing, and what are the tough choices you might have make to make to follow your ambition? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every week in Australia at least one woman is killed by a current or former male partner. The rate of violent crime in Australia is declining, with the exception of sexual assault. There are also rising rates of women in incarceration. What are the solutions? Are patterns of violence changing? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Indigenous women are now on the frontlines when it comes to defending their land and livelihood. Crystal Lamemen is part of a community of 900 Woodland Cree people who for thousands of years have resided in the Beaver Lake Cree Nation, a territory in Alberta, Canada. Indigenous women are now on the front lines when it comes to defending their land and livelihood in the face of mining, other extractive industries and environmental changes.Crystal is joined by Amelia Telford, a Bundjalung woman from Tweed Heads, who is campaigning for climate justice, particularly for Indigenous people.With age-old treaties and new age methods like social media, how can traditional communities protect their land? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Anne-Marie Slaughter published an article in The Atlantic, titled "Why Women Still Can't Have It All", it became one of the most-read pieces in the magazine's history. It was inspired by her decision to leave her dream job at the State Department in Washington because her family needed her closer to home. Now she has taken this discussion forward as she looks at what needs to be done to make sure that we can make real progress towards fairness and equality. And it turns out that her answers are not all about what needs to happen at work, because valuing the work of caring for others is just as important. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If the majority of people believe that it is wrong to discriminate on the basis of gender, why isn’t change happening faster? New research into how our brains work sheds light on this question– and you might not like the answer. According to new evidence, we (yes, you!) could be a little bit sexist and not even realise it. It’s called ‘unconscious bias’ and occurs when a trigger or situation causes us to make a decision so rapidly that we are not consciously aware of it. The result? We’re more susceptible to biased thinking like stereotyping or bias in favour of those who are similar to us.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Detective shows, drama series, and movie plots with murderous storylines: our fascination with crime stories knows no bounds, with women on the front lines as both stars and writers. We sit at home being terrified by the latest fictional serial killer, learning to distrust our neighbours, but is our view of the world outside being distorted? Whilst our cultural landscape is getting more criminally dangerous, in the real world the rates of most crimes in Australia, with the exception of sexual assault, are actually in decline. Whilst audiences are entranced by murder mysteries, are we becoming increasingly paranoid? Is crime culture creating a social disorder, where our perception of danger is not in sync with the reality? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.