The Conversation

Pushing the limits in the name of science: Two women who have lived and worked in some of the most extreme conditions on earth talk to Kim Chakanetsa about the challenges of cold and dry conditions, the bonds they form on base, and what draws them back to these remote places.Carolyn Graves is a Canadian meteorologist currently working for the British Antarctic Survey. In 2016 she travelled to the Halley Research Station in Antarctica. She was planning to spend a whole year there, carrying out meteorological observations and monitoring all the technical equipment. But after just six months the entire team were forced to abandon base, over fears of a growing crack in the ice shelf.Violette Impellizzeri is an Italian astronomer who currently works at the ALMA observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert. She travels to base camp, which is 3,000m above sea level, about once every six weeks. The conditions are extreme - dry and remote - but the clear skies are ideal for the telescope, which provides unique research opportunities for scientists around the world.L-Image and credit: Violette Impellizeri at the ALMA observatory, Atacama Desert, Chile. Credit: Cristian Pontoni. R-Image: Carolyn Graves launching a balloon at the Halley Research Station in Antarctica. Credit: Kevin Hallam.

Top female casting directors in the UK and India chat to Kim Chakanetsa about fighting for the actors they want in a film, their proudest casting moments, and the painful job of telling someone they didn't get the part.Nina Gold is the woman behind the casting of the HBO series Game of Thrones and the new Star Wars films. She has also cast Oscar-winning movies such as The King's Speech and The Theory of Everything as well as countless TV drama series in the UK and US. She says she loves to unearth and push forward new young talent. Her work has been recognised by BAFTA with a special award in 2016. Nandini Shrikent is one of India's top casting directors. Based at the heart of Bollywood in Mumbai, she cast the lead actor for the multi-award winning film Life of Pi, as well as numerous home-grown movies including Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. She says casting the smaller parts is actually the real test of skill - finding the perfect actor for a walk-on role can be tougher than casting a big romantic lead.(L) Nina Gold (credit: Teri Pengilley) and (R) Nandini Shrikent (credit: Nandini Shrikent)

Women who ink and get inked talk to Faranak Amidi about why they were drawn to the world of tattooing, how they developed their signature styles, and why getting a tattoo of your partner's name is a big no-no!Claudia de Sabe is an Italian tattoo artist, who works at Seven Doors Tattoo in London. She got into the culture as a teenager when she was listening to punk music and hardcore bands. Her first tattoos were on her ankles and she says she still likes being able to hide them away discreetly. She's gained a big Instagram following with her detailed and eye-catching designs that combine both western and oriental styles.Wendy Pham is an Australian tattoo artist, who runs her own tattoo studio in Berlin called Taiko Gallery. She is heavily influenced by the Japanese cartoons she watched as a child - you can expect to see animals wearing kimonos and eating bowls of noodles in her colourful, fun designs. In fact, on social media she's known as 'wen ramen.' She got her first tattoo at the age of 18, but she says she hated it, and so she always makes sure her clients are certain about what they want before she puts ink to skin.Image and credit: (L) Wendy Pham Image and credit: (R) Claudia de Sabe

Leftover food, animal dung and an invasive water weed - Faranak Amidi talks to two female entrepreneurs in Nigeria and the US who have found profitable uses for stuff that no-one else wants.Pashon Murray is the founder of Detroit Dirt, a company that collects food waste from businesses and animal dung from the zoo and mixes them together into rich compost, or 'black gold'. Inspired by her grandfather's connection to the land, and determined to reduce landfill and promote sustainability, Pashon wants to re-connect communities with the soil. However she says she is not running a charity, and it is a business model that others could learn from.Returning to Nigeria after an absence, Achenyo Idachaba saw that the waterways were choked with an invasive weed called water hyacinth; and she had a hunch that maybe this problem plant could be turned into something useful. A few years on and her company MitiMeth is paying local fishermen and artisans to harvest the weed, training them to make high-end handicrafts from it and selling them. Achenyo says it is a win-win for the environment and the economy of her country.(L) Pashon Murray (credit: Anastasia McKendrick) and (R) Achenyo Idachaba (credit: Christian Morales)

Two former politicians reveal the realities of life in public office. They talk to Kim Chakanetsa about why they went into politics, what impact they had and why a thick skin is absolutely critical.Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a Nigerian economist who served two terms as finance minister of Nigeria from 2003 to 2006 and from 2011 to 2015, having previously been a managing director at the World Bank. But holding political office was never part of her plan. Instead she was appointed to the role by the then president. She became the first female finance minister in Nigeria. She says her father had always impressed upon her the importance of doing one's duty for one's country, but now she's left politics she enjoys the freedom of having more control over her life. She currently chairs the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI). Lindiwe Mazibuko is a South African politician and former parliamentary leader of the Democratic Alliance. Lindiwe was elected to parliament aged 29, and was seen as a rising star of the party, but faced misogynistic attacks as her profile grew. She resigned her position in 2014, saying she wanted to pursue postgraduate studies at Harvard University in the US. She's now writing a book about young people and public office, but hopes to return to front-line politics in a few years' time.Image: Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Credit: Shaun Curry/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Image: Lindiwe Mazibuko. Credit: Rodger Bosch/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The ancient art of falconry holds a magical appeal for our guests this week. They talk to Kim Chakanetsa about why they were drawn to this ancient tradition, the unique relationship they form with their birds, and the concerns of those who consider it cruel.Helen Macdonald from the UK is the bestselling author of H is for Hawk, a moving account of the year she spent training Mabel the goshawk after her father's death. As a child Helen was obsessed by birds of prey and was determined to become a falconer - later she used her writing to bring the powerful relationship between humans, falcons and nature to a wider public. She's not currently working with a bird, but she dreams of flying merlin falcons.Lauren McGough from Oklahoma in the US has become a world authority on the golden eagle - though growing up she didn't know falconry existed. She discovered the sport at the age of 14 and has been hooked ever since, travelling to Mongolia to learn more about eagle falconry from nomadic eagle hunters. She's currently based in South Africa, where she's working with a male crowned eagle called Dart. Image: (L) Lauren McGough (credit Jennifer Campbell Smith) and (R) Helen Macdonald (credit: Mike Birkhead)

Legendary gymnasts Simone Biles and Nadia Comaneci discuss their experiences in gymnastics, including achieving perfection, sacrificing normal teenage experiences, demanding coaching methods, intense training, mental exhaustion, designing routines, safety concerns, longevity in gymnastics, and defending Olympic titles.

Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International, and Brita Fernandez Schmidt, Executive Director of Women for Women International UK, discuss their evolving perspectives on charity, their passion for fighting for justice, attracting support and mobilizing action, and approaches to change in conflict-affected countries.

Being in charge of Huffpost and The Guardian - Kim Chakanetsa brings together two women who are re-shaping their international news publications.Lydia Polgreen is Global Editor in Chief of HuffPost. She took over from founder Ariana Huffington in 2016, after spending 15 years at the New York Times, where she had postings across Africa and Asia. The child of an Ethiopian mother and an American father, Lydia was raised in neither country, growing up mainly in Kenya and Ghana. She says moving around so much means she is now a self-made insider - precisely because she is an outsider everywhere. Katharine Viner is Editor in Chief of Guardian News and Media, and is the first woman in the paper's almost 200-year history to hold this role. Katharine had her first article published in The Guardian newspaper when she was still at school, however she says the penny didn't drop that she was meant to be a journalist until several years later. She took charge of daily news operations across print and digital media in 2015.Image (L): Katharine Viner. Credit: The Guardian Image (R): Lydia Polgreen. Credit: HuffPost

Two women who run museums that document the lives and legacies of iconic figures of twentieth century history: Anne Frank and Nelson Mandela.Garance Reus-Deelder is Managing Director of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, which welcomes 1.3 million visitors every year and faces numerous challenges due to the cramped nature of the space. Garance herself was born in the Netherlands but grew up in Zambia, where she remembers visiting memorials rather than museums. She first went into business before joining the museum in 2012. She describes the power of objects to tell stories, and how to handle the legacy of a young girl.Wayde Davy is Director of Mandela House in Soweto, and Deputy Director of the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. She herself had little exposure to museums as a child under apartheid - but she later became fascinated with how they work, and believes that museums have the power to educate people about the past and provide a forum for everyone to air their views in what is still a divided society.Image: (l) Garance Reus-Deelder and (r) Wayde Davy Credit: (l) Anne Frank House/Cris Toala Olivares and (r) n/a