
The Conversation
Two women from different parts of the world, united by a common passion, experience or expertise, share the stories of their lives.
Latest episodes

Feb 12, 2024 • 27min
Saw, chisel and hammer: Women in carpentry
When Angela Cacace moved into her new house, she decided to teach herself how to renovate it. Angela is now running her own company, A.Marie Design Build, and has launched Move Over Bob, an online resource for women in the skilled trades. Clémentine Mollier is a French marine carpenter who specialises in restoring and building classic wooden boats. She has just joined the restoration team working on the HMS Victory, the oldest commissioned warship in the world. Beatriz De La Pava Hucke meets both women who have carved their own career in a male dominated industry. Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Clémentine Mollier, courtesy of Clémentine Mollier. (R) Angela Cacace. Credit Vincent Cacace)

Feb 5, 2024 • 27min
Cookbook queens
Beatriz De La Pava Hucke meets Dina Macki and Keshia Sakarah, two chefs who explore their culture and identity through food. They discuss memories with food and cultural identity, the fusion of cultures in Caribbean and Omani cuisine, signature dishes like Goat Water and Almani Kabuly, and preserving cultural cuisine through oral tradition.

Jan 29, 2024 • 28min
Women in wildlife filmmaking
Angela Prochilo, a Brazilian nature documentary maker, and Andrea Florence, an Emmy-award winning nature documentary maker, discuss their experiences in wildlife film-making. Topics include showcasing women in wildlife conservation, living on a boat in the Amazon rainforest, challenges of studying birds, staging in wildlife filmmaking, and inspiring conservation efforts.

Jan 22, 2024 • 27min
Women on the frontline in the fight against malaria
Dr Ify Aniebo and Dr Mehreen Datoo share personal experiences with malaria, discuss challenges for women in science in Africa, and highlight the progress and challenges in the fight against malaria with a multidisciplinary approach.

Jan 15, 2024 • 27min
Losing a loved one to suicide
Raashi Thakran, mental health advocate who lost her 18-year-old brother to suicide, and Charlotte Maya, a lawyer and writer who lost her husband to suicide, share their personal stories and coping mechanisms. They discuss the importance of support, self-care, and reaching out for professional help. The speakers also touch on the gendered component of suicide and the need for open conversations about vulnerability.

Jan 8, 2024 • 27min
How to raise a teenage boy
Parenting experts Rosalind Wiseman and Phinnah Chichi Ikeji discuss the challenges of raising teenage boys. They emphasize the importance of understanding their development, supporting their emotional well-being, and teaching healthy masculinity. Advice for parents includes focusing on positive qualities and having compassion.

Jan 1, 2024 • 27min
Women fighting for justice on death row
Nelufar Hedayat meets two criminal defence lawyers who fight for people's lives on death row. Sarah Belal is a barrister and the founder of Justice Project Pakistan. She represents the most vulnerable people on death row in Pakistan and abroad. Andrea Lyon is a lawyer, professor and former law school dean. She was the first woman to serve as lead attorney in a death penalty case, and she holds 19 wins in 19 capital cases. Her book is called Angel of Death Row. Produced by Alice Gioia.(Image: (L) Andrea Lyon. (R) Sarah Belal, credit Getty Images.)

Dec 25, 2023 • 27min
Women in love with cheese
Kim Chakanetsa meets two women who are revolutionising the dairy industry.Mausam Narang is the founder and Head Cheesemaker at Eleftheria cheese. She has made history by becoming the first Indian person to win big at the World Cheese Awards in 2021. Before working in the dairy industry, Mausam studied language in Germany and worked in the corporate world for 8 years. It’s during her travels in Europe that Mausam caught the cheese-making bug, and in 2014 she decided to start her own artisan cheese company. Emma Young a.k.a. The Cheese Explorer is a specialist and consultant and the author of The Cheese Wheel. She has worked in the Cheese industry since 2009 in retail, wholesale, cheesemaking, judging and now as a teacher and consultant to the cheese industry. She is also an International cheese judge and a teacher for the Academy of Cheese and the Guild of Fine Food.Produced by Alice Gioia(Image: (L) Mausam Narang. (R) Emma Young, credit Richard Heald Photography.)

Dec 18, 2023 • 27min
Women in cybersecurity
Kim Chakanetsa meets two cybersecurity experts who help women stay safe online. Vandana Verma Sehgal is a Security Solutions leader at Snyk and the Chair of the Board of Directors for OWASP, the Open Web Application Security Project Foundation. She is also the founder of InfosecKids and InfosecGirls.Sophina Kio-Lawson is an information security engineer from Nigeria and the co-founder for SheSecures, an initiative that promotes cyber literacy and inspires and empowers young African women who aspire to work in the tech industry. Produced by Alice Gioia. (Image: (L) Sophina Kio-Lawson. (R) Vandana Verma Sehgal.)

Dec 11, 2023 • 27min
How going to school can change a girl’s life
Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women from Kenya and India who have established their own schools about the life-changing impact an education can have for their communities.
For Dr Kakenya Ntaiya, the dream of an education turned into a lifelong mission to empower girls in rural Kenya. She founded the Kakenya Center for Excellence, a primary boarding school for girls in southwest Kenya. The school has grown into a successful nonprofit organization called Kakenya’s Dream with a focus on education, health and leadership. You can find out more by searching @KakenyasDream on major social media platforms.After spending decades at the top of the corporate ladder, Shukla Bose decided to shift direction, fuelled by a desire to alleviate social injustice. She founded Parikrma Humanity Foundation, a nonprofit organization that runs English-medium schools for under-privileged children in Bangalore. For more information, please search @parikrma_foundation on Instagram.Produced by Emily Naylor(Image: (L) Kakenya Ntaiya, credit Lee-Ann Olwage. (R) Shukla Bose, courtesy of Shukla Bose.)