The Conversation

BBC World Service

4.5 (69)
PERSONAL JOURNALS
UPDATED BIWEEKLY

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

6 DAYS AGO

Women using satellites to track coastal erosion

Rising sea levels and increasingly powerful storms are threatening coastlines, low-lying island states and coastal cities around the world. Ella Al-Shamahi talks to two women from Sri Lanka and France about how they’re using satellites to track coastal erosion and develop strategies to reduce its impact on populations. Sarah Dole is a Sri Lankan physicist and entrepreneur leading a satellite image analysis project in the Maldives, the world’s lowest lying country, looking at the rate at which beaches erode. She co-founded Invena – a company carrying out research and helping develop technology that aims to preserve low-lying nations. Anne-Laure Beck is a French geomatic and remote-sensing engineer. She's the EU lead on coastal erosion for the environmental consultancy Argans. They use satellite-based earth observation and geographical information systems to map and monitor environments in order to track coastal erosion and accretion to inform coastal management and protection plans. Produced by Jane Thurlow Image: (L) Sarah Dole credit Ali Amir @aliaerials. (R) Anne-Laure Beck credit Anne-Laure Beck.)

26 min
DEC 9

Deep sea explorers

Less than 0.001% of the deep ocean has been explored. Ella Al-Shamahi speaks to two women from South Africa and the US who have dedicated their careers to finding out more about our planet's most uncharted depths. Dr Katy Croff Bell is an American ocean explorer and deep-sea technologist. She has over 15 years of experience leading ground-breaking oceanographic and archaeological projects. Katy is the founder of the Ocean Discovery League, an organisation dedicated to expanding global access to deep-sea exploration by developing affordable, durable technology for scientists and researchers. Dr Zoleka Filander is an award-winning South African marine biologist with South Africa’s Department of Fisheries, Forestry, and Environment. She leads pioneering expeditions into uncharted marine territories, gathering crucial data to inform conservation strategies. Zoleka is passionate about sharing the deep ocean’s wonders to inspire public respect and a sense of urgency for its preservation. Produced by Emily Naylor (Image: (L) Katy Croff Bell courtesy of Katy Croff Bell. (R) Zoleka Filander credit Logan Lambert.)

26 min
DEC 2

Female farming entrepreneurs

Women fusing tech and agriculture to farm food - indoors, local and soil-free

26 min
NOV 25

Women discovering the music stars of tomorrow

The music industry is notoriously competitive, making it difficult for artists to break through. Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two music scouts to find out what they look for when signing musicians to their labels and how to succeed in the business. Jane Abernethy is Managing Director at Omnian Music Group, a Brooklyn-based label group comprised of Captured Tracks, Sinderlyn and 2MR. Originally from Scotland she began her career music scouting in the UK before becoming the Director of A&R at the US label 4AD, where she signed groundbreaking artists like Grimes and contributed to the discovery of Bon Iver. Argentinian-born Laura Tesoriero has spent the last two decades working in music distribution for Latin American artists. She is the Senior Vice President for The Orchard, a music and entertainment company specialising in media distribution. Laura was the first female chair of the Latin GRAMMY board and is a Wonder Women of Latin 2020 honouree. Produced by Emily Naylor and Elena Angelides (Image: (L) Jane Abernethy credit Dan Bessini. (R) Laura Tesoriero credit Catalina Bartolome.)

26 min
NOV 18

Fabrics for the future

According to the UN, the fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of global emissions. That's more than aviation and shipping combined. We talk to two women making climate-friendly clothes and developing innovative textiles in a bid to reduce the waste produced by fast fashion. Regina Polanco is the founder and CEO of Pyratex, a textile company making fabrics from seaweed, banana and orange peel for some of the biggest brands in fashion. Born in Vienna, she has also lived in Morocco, Mauritania and Switzerland but she returned to Spain, the country where she grew up, to found her company in 2014. Sasha McKinlay grew up in Singapore and moved to the United States to study architecture. Now a design researcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she's developing so-called 'active' textiles. They're essentially textiles with embedded functionality without the need for electronic inputs. These include materials that can be either warm or cool depending on the weather, and garments that can be made in a single size and robotically tailored to fit the wearer or to be customised into new styles. Produced by Jane Thurlow (Image: (L) Sasha McKinlay credit Katie Koskey. (R) Regina Polanco credit Pyratex.)

26 min
NOV 11

How to get ahead in the workplace

Everyone wants to feel confident in the workplace. But knowing what to do to perform at your best isn’t always easy. Datshiane Navanayagam is joined by two entrepreneurs and career coaches to explore strategies to help women thrive in their jobs. Jo Wimble Groves is an award-winning British entrepreneur, writer and motivational speaker specializing in women in the workplace. She has a blog tacking work-life balance and resilience called Guilty Mother which has a global following of 55,000 readers. Jo's expertise in leadership and productivity has earned her multiple Women in Business awards. Alexandra Roxana Popa from Romania built her successful business career with the guidance of inquisitive mentors who helped her grow by asking the right questions. After training at CTI Coaching school in London she became a career coach and focusses on empowering women in their professional journeys. Produced by Emily Naylor (Image: (L) Jo Wimble Groves credit Leana Catherine Photography. (R) Alexandra Popa credit Ioana Dodan.)

26 min
NOV 6

Women with a love of language

Datshiane Navanayagam talks to translators from Turkey and Argentina about giving a writer's work a new life in another language, and whether the age of digital translation is putting the craft in jeopardy. Ekin Oklap is Turkish and grew up in Italy. She's the English language translator for Nobel prize-winning Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk and was shortlisted for the 2016 International Booker Prize. She also translates books from Italian to English for novelist Francesca Manfredi and crime writer Ilaria Tuti. Erika Cosenza is an Argentinian translator, interpreter, editor and proof-reader. She translates English, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. She now lives in Spain and helped set up a gender, diversity and inclusion network for the International Association of Professional Translators and Interpreters. Produced by Jane Thurlow This episode was edited on 6 November 2024 (Image: (L) Erika Cosenza credit Gisela Caffarena. (R) Ekin Oklap credit Alev Arasli Oklap.)

26 min
OCT 28

Femicide: 'The shadow pandemic'

Femicide is defined as the intentional killing of women and girls because of their gender. More than half of these murders are carried out in the home. According to UN figures 89,000 women and girls lost their life to femicide in 2022 alone. Datshiane Navanayagam talks to two women in Puerto Rico and Kenya about their efforts to reduce the number of deaths. Judy Gitau is a Kenyan lawyer whose work involves gaining access to justice for victims of sexual and gender based violence. She works for Equality Now, a campaigning organisation using the power of the law to protect and promote the human rights of women and girls. Debora Upegui-Hernandez is a Colombian analyst working for The Gender Equity Observatory in Puerto Rico. The Observatory was founded by a coalition of feminist and human rights organisations in Puerto Rico following increases in gender violence after hurricanes Irma and María in 2017. Produced by Jane Thurlow (Image: (L) Judy Gitau credit Equality Now. (R) Debora Upegui-Hernandez credit Prisma Fotografia.)

26 min

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4.5

out of 5

69 Ratings

Love Gymnastics

07/21/2021

djdjshdjdhjdhjdhd

Hi I love gymnastic. Lyla
You did not challenge sportswashing by WTA spokesperson

07/03/2023

southoxford

So disapppointed that interviewer let’s Saudi talking points land with the response “right”.
Appreciate this podcast so much!

06/29/2023

camping crafter

Every episode is thoughtfully presented and always fascinating!!!
Love it

05/11/2020

guil_vasq

I really do love your podcasts! Continue the great work.