The Conversation

Sandra Magnus is a US astronaut with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and is now the executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Sandra always wanted to become an astronaut and has had a lifelong passion for science and exploring how the world works. On the space station she says that every day is about trouble-shooting, and sometimes it doesn't seem very organised, there is a lost and found plastic bag, "I always thought that was rather amusing because that means there were things on the station that were missing parts".Samantha Cristoforetti made history when she became the first person to make an espresso in space. "We got to try the first freshly brewed espresso coffee in space" she says proudly. Born in Milan and raised in the province of Trentino in Itlay, Samantha speaks four languages including Russian. She has a second degree in aeronautical sciences and a masters in mechanical engineering. She is a captain in the Italian air force, a qualified jet-fighter pilot and has been an astronaut with the European Space Agency since 2009, the first Italian woman to take the role. (Photo: Sandra Magnus: NASA, Samantha Cristoforetti: ESA-S. Corvaja)

Hafsat Mohammed is a Nigerian peace activist who survived a Boko Haram attack on a bus and works to combat violent extremism in the country by engaging young people at the grassroots level. She brings Christian and Muslim communities together to find ways to stop young people joining radical groups. Hafsat says when she was growing up this was a peaceful part of the world and it makes her sad that there is so much hate and violence there now, so she's made it her mission to stop it, despite threats made against her. Gulalai Ismail remembers being young and seeing graffiti chalked on the walls of her home town Peshawar, in north-west Pakistan, calling for young men to join violent extremist groups. As a teenager Gulalai started campaigning for the rights of women and today has broadened her activism out to include anti-radicalisation programmes, and projects dealing with HIV/AIDS education and safe abortion. Gulalai, who has won many awards, has been threatened because of the work she does and had to flee her home after an attack a few years ago. (Image: Hafsat Mohammed on the Left, Gulalai Ismail on the Right)

Hasmik Asatrian runs the Basen Hotel in Sisian. The business was owned by her husband's family, but Hasmik took over the management and day-to-day running in 2010. She transformed a rundown, Soviet-style complex with communal bathrooms and a leaky roof into a modern hotel that attracts tour groups and independent travellers who come to Armenia to discover the country's ancient history and culture. Hasmik's success won her Armenia's Young Businesswoman of the Year award in 2013.Yin Myo Su runs the Inle Princess hotel, located on the shore of Inle Lake, in Myanmar. Su was raised in the hotel industry and says she was trained to work in it from an early age - her earliest memories are being taught how to cook, clean and entertain the guests. She says her strangest request was when a guest asked for his wife to be woken up by a flock of ducks quacking outside her window. Su won the Goldman Sachs & Fortune Global Women Leaders Award in 2013. Left: Hasmik Asatrian / photo credit Sirun Snetcunc Right: Yin Myo Su / photo credit Moethida Aye

Al Beli Afifa is an Additional Superintendent at Dhaka Metropolitan Police, the largest unit of the Bangladesh Police. Al Beli joined the police partly to serve the women in her community as she felt they were less able to access justice. She has specialised in combating crimes against women, in particular sexual violence. In 2013, Al Beli became the first woman in Asia to receive the International Association of Women Police Excellence in Performance Award.Rebekah Jones is an Inspector with the Royal Grenada Police Force. Since joining the force in 1997 Rebekah has been involved in a wide range of operations including a lengthy investigation that required her to go undercover to bring down a group involved in financial crime. She specialises in tackling domestic violence, a crime she says is prevalent but still too little understood in Grenada. In 2014, Rebekah received a scholarship from the International Association of Women Police.

Dr Madhurita Gupta grew up in a research institute in Rajasthan. Her father was a scientist and she was exposed to different species of wildlife from an early age. She held her first snake, a sand boa, aged 15 and describes the experience as 'divine'. She says she still gets goose bumps when she holds one of the reptiles because of excitement, not fear. Madhurita is now the chief vet at an animal clinic in Mumbai and runs a snake rescue service. She says she can get up to 10 calls a day, but only goes out to relocate a snake if it is inside someone's property.Julia Baker grew up in England and Germany before settling in Australia in her 20s. She started her career as a five-star pastry chef, but a life-changing experience led Julia to follow her passions and become a snake catcher. Julia has her own reality TV show called Snake Boss, or Snake Sheila, which follows her as she rescues snakes from people's properties and relocates them in the bush nearby. According to Julia fear is the biggest threat to snakes, as it can quickly turn to hatred and lead to people mistreating them, so she does what she can to educate people about the reptiles. (Photo: Dr Madhurita Gupta (L), Julia Baker (R) Credit: Deb Nash)

Maysoon Zayid is an Arab-American actor and writer with cerebral palsy. Brought up by parents who believed that nothing was impossible, she learnt how to walk by placing her heels on her father's feet. Combating unequal treatment in her profession, Maysoon went on to become a popular stand-up comedian, co-founded the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival and has performed in clubs in the US and the Middle East. Gloria Williston was born with micromelia – one leg shorter than the other - and uses a prosthesis to keep balance when she walks. Growing up in Ghana she faced prejudice and stigmatisation but always kept a positive attitude. She completed her degree and now works at the Orthopaedic Training Centre in Nsawam. Gloria believes that the key factor in her success was her family's 'love all the way'.Photo: Maysoon Zayid (L) Gloria Williston (R).

Farzana Wahidy grew up under the repressive Taliban regime in Afghanistan and as a young girl was banned from studying. Encouraged by her father she attended an underground school, and even set up her own at the age of 14. She later became the first Afghan female photographer to work for international press agencies AFP and AP. Farzana's photos range from street violence to leisurely meals and festivities, from scenes of war brutality to veiled moments of happiness. One of her unique techniques is shooting photos from behind a burkha. Xyza Bacani's black and white photographs uncover the hidden world of domestic workers and victims of human trafficking. She can relate to their plight very well. Originally from the Philippines, she later moved to Hong Kong where together with her mother she looked after six children. Through her poignant images she wants to bring the lives of domestic workers to light. Xyza's work has been published in Vogue Italia and she's now showcasing her first solo exhibition in Manila.(L) Farzana Wahidy. Credit: Meg Prudhomme. (R) Xyza Bacani. Credit: Jan Gonzales.

Karen Lord's writing feeds off the real world but knits in magic, folktales and adventure to create a unique and original universe. She is the author of three books, and her latest is called The Galaxy Game. Karen has won numerous awards including the Frank Collymore Literary award, which recognises literary talent in Barbados. She says that she loves the place where she writes from, because the melting-pot nature of the Caribbean is a constant source of stories and inspiration.Maria Turtschaninoff started writing fairy tales aged five, and now weaves historically inspired worlds of magical realism with elements of mythology. The prizes she's won for her work include the Finlandia Junior Prize, for Maresi, her first novel published in English. Maria says her 'cricket-mind' means she's easily distracted from writing, but her best ideas often come to her when she's bored. Surprisingly, she writes in Swedish, as she comes from the tiny Swedish-speaking minority in Finland.[Picture: Fanstasy writers Karen Lord (Right) and Maria Turtschaninoff (Left)]

Jill Heinerth is the world's top underwater cave explorer. More people have walked on the moon than have ventured to some of the places she has dived. Originally from Canada, and now living in Florida in the US, Jill has broken records mapping whole water courses underground, and once had a narrow escape from cave-diving in an Antarctic iceberg. She takes photographs and video whilst underground, and says that she would never attempt a dangerous dive just for the thrill of it - there has to be a new discovery to pursue.Elen Feuerriegel is a PhD student from Australia who was catapulted into one of the most exciting scientific discoveries of our time, when her caving experience and slim build led to her joining the Rising Star Expedition. This all-women team excavated over a thousand fossils from a deep cave system in South Africa, which at its narrowest point measures just 18 cm. It was announced in September 2015 that these bones were from a previously unknown species of human ancestor, Homo Naledi. (Photo: (L) Jill Heinerth in diving gear, Credit: Wes Skiles. (R) Elen Feuerriegel holding MH1)

Dr Lina Triana is one of Colombia's top plastic surgeons and was the first woman to become president of the country's Plastic Surgery Association. Lina's father is a plastic surgeon and at first he tried to dissuade his daughter from following in his footsteps, saying this wasn't the right job for a woman to do as it doesn't allow for being a good wife and mother. But Lina proved him wrong and now works alongside her father's clinic doing aesthetic procedures including body contouring, breast augmentations and facelifts.Dr Prisca Hwang works for the Korea University Ansan Hospital in Seoul. Like Lina she does aesthetic surgery, which is big business in her city, but also performs reconstructive surgery. This might include working on cancer patients, car crash victims and congenital deformities. Prisca says she makes it clear to patients who want cosmetic surgery that a nose job won't change their lives, and that it's important that she spots any underlying psychological issues.Photos: (L) Dr Prisca Hwang and (R) Dr Lina Triana