The Conversation

There is no known cure for type 1 diabetes. Usually diagnosed in childhood, people’s experiences differ considerably depending on where they live and their access to adequate treatment and care. Without them, complications can arise which in the most severe cases result in death. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women from Brazil and Australia to see how their experiences with the chronic condition compare.

Produced by Emily Naylor and Jane Thurlow

(Image: (L) Beatriz Scher, courtesy of Beatriz Scher. (R) Janina Gaudin, courtesy Janina Gaudin.)

Many people are scared of insects, reptiles and rodents and certainly wouldn't choose to work with them. Not today's guests. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women working in pest control about their passion for the job and the ingenuity and adaptability of some household pests.

Patricia Page's father was reluctant to let his daughter join the family business. He didn't think rat catching was a job for women. But when the factory in Northern Ireland she worked at closed down he relented and she too became a pest controller. She loves her job because of the difference she can make to people's lives - she says sometimes it's 80% counselling, 20% pest control.

Regine Lim is an entomologist from Malaysia and the first woman to become president of her country's pest control association, the MPMA. After leaving university she worked in the pest control industry for ten years before setting up her own company. She's since sold it to the firm she now works for. Regine actively encourages women to join the profession saying you never stop learning and having to come up with new solutions as pests are always adapting.

(Image: (L) Patricia Page, courtesy of Patricia Page. (R) Regine Lim, courtesy Regine Lim)

Alcoholism is a global health issue which each year results in millions of deaths. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women to discuss the realities of addiction and compare their different paths to sobriety.

Produced by Emily Naylor and Alice Gioia.

(Image: (L), Danijela Kovac, courtesy of Danijela Kovac. (R), Desiree-Anne Martin, credit Benita Rixton.)

Many of us as children dream of finding a treasure map and digging up gold and precious jewels. For some that longing never goes away. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women from the UK and Canada who spend their free time using metal detectors to search for treasure.

In November 2021, a British nurse called Elizabeth Bailey discovered a tiny gold book while out with her metal detector. She first thought it was from a charm bracelet but, engraved with two figures thought to be the patron saints of childbirth, it's believed the charm could have been given to a wealthy pregnant woman between 1280 and 1410, when it was illegal for anyone besides the nobility to own gold.

Alison Walker uses her hobby of metal detecting to recover lost jewellery and keys for people around Ontario in Canada where she lives. Instead of taking a reward for finding precious belongings she asks that people 'pay-it-forward' to a breast cancer charity. She belongs to an international organisation called The Ring Finders and took up the pass-time 11 years ago after bidding for a metal detector in a charity auction.

Can a book change a young woman’s life? Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women in the publishing world about the importance of writing stories that inspire and empower girls.

Nnedi Okorafor is an award-winning Nigerian-American writer of fantasy and science fiction for both children and adults. Her books have strong female leads and draw inspiration from her Nigerian roots. Nnedi has also written comics for Marvel: she was the first woman to write the character of T'challa, the Black Panther, and she wrote a series about his tech loving sister, Shuri. She is a recipient of the World Fantasy, Hugo and Nebula Awards.

Mel Mazman is the chief product officer at Rebel Girls, a franchise publishing books and digital content aimed at empowering young women. The company started in 2016, with a crowdfunding campaign for Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, a book featuring the stories of 100 inspirational women. Since then, they sold 7.5 million books in over 100 countries. Mel shares her insights on how the publishing industry is changing to cater for the needs and interests of younger generations of readers.

Produced by Alice Gioia.

(Image: (L), Mel Mazman, courtesy Rebel Girls. (R), Nnedi Okorafor, courtesy of Nnedi Okorafor.)

Collectives offer opportunities for like-minded individuals to unite over a common goal, approaching issues with a shared vision and democratic mindset. They can range in size from just a handful of people to thousands, and they have the ability to disrupt the status quo and be vessels for remarkable change. But what’s it like to start one?

Camila Montecinos Díaz is a Psychologist and therapist from Chile. She moved to the Netherlands four years ago where she co-founded Neighborhood Feminists, a collective based in Amsterdam which helps combat period poverty. They provide Dignity Kits with menstrual products and basic toiletries. Currently, they help over one hundred people each month and in total have distributed over 80,000 tampons.

Produced by Emily Naylor and Alice Gioia

(Image: (L), Aya Chebbi, courtesy Aya Chebbi. (R), Camila Montecinos Diaz, courtesy Camila Montecinos Diaz.)

Kim Chakanetsa meets two genealogists passionate about uncovering the forgotten stories of their clients' female ancestors.

Kenyatta D Berry is a lawyer and genealogist from the USA. She is the author of The Family Tree Toolkit and the co-host of The Genealogy Roadshow on PBS. She caught the genealogy bug by chance, when she started looking into her ex-boyfriend’s family history. She is an expert on African American ancestry and on the specific challenges people who descend from enslaved individuals face when looking into their families’ past.

At the age of 15, Belgian Marie Cappart started looking into her country’s national archives to find out more about her great-aunt, Maggie Nicholls. During WWII, Maggie helped three Canadian pilots survive in Nazi-occupied Belgium. She was later arrested and killed because of that. Marie went on to graduate in history and wrote several books, including Guide to Genealogy in Belgium. She is also the country manager for the online genealogy platform MyHeritage and she helps other people track down their ancestors.

Produced by Alice Gioia

(Image: (L), Marie Cappart, courtesy Marie Cappart. (R), Kenyatta D Berry, courtesy Kenyatta D Berry.)

From the first moving drawings that appeared on screens back in the 1930s to the highly imaginative, emotionally resonant filmmaking of today – animation has come a long way. It is no longer considered a pleasant cinematic distraction for kids. In fact, some of the boldest, most creative and slyly subversive filmmaking can be found in animation. Kim Chakanetsa speaks to two women responsible for bringing animated characters to life.

María Cecilia Botero is an actor from Colombia whose career spans five decades. She has experience in everything from performing musical theater, to being a news anchor, to starring in popular telenovelas, to dubbing commercials and most recently voicing the character of the Abuela in the Oscar-Winning Disney film Encanto.

Signe Baumane is a Latvian animator based in Brooklyn. Her first of many short stories was published in a local newspaper when she was 14. She went on to illustrate children’s books and create sets for puppet theaters. Since she moved to the United States to further pursue animation, Signe has written, directed and animated 15 shorts and two animated films. Her work has been showcased at over 300 film festivals. She uses animation to confront difficult, adult topics, like “Rocks In my Pockets”, which she also voiced, which covers the 100 year history of her family in Latvia.

Produced by Emily Naylor.

(Image: (L), María Cecilia Botero , courtesy of María Cecilia Botero. (R), Signe Baumane, courtesy of Signe Baumane.)

What's it like being adopted into a country far away from your birth and into a family that looks very different to you? International and transracial adoptions both come with challenges for children and parents. Beatriz de la Pava talks to two women born in Colombia and South Korea about trying to fit in and discovering more about their roots.

Janine Vance was adopted from Seoul by an American couple along with her twin sister when they were six months old. A trip to South Korea in 2004 to an event marking 50 years of intercountry adoption caused her to think more deeply about her heritage. She found out that while most adoptees had been told they were orphans, this wasn't the case and parents were looking for them. She's written several books about adoption and wants to make the process of international adoption more transparent.

Yennifer Dallmann Villa was adopted from Colombia by a German couple when she was two years old. She always had a passion to know more about where she'd come from and as an adult discovered a huge online community of adoptees searching for birth families and origin stories. In her 20s she went to Colombia to photograph and write about First Mothers looking for children who'd been taken and adopted. She featured on a TV programme there which helped her find her birth family and is currently living in Colombia.

Produced by Jane Thurlow

(Image: (Top Left), Janine Vance, courtesy Janine Vance. (Top Right), Yennifer Dallmann Villa, credit Ina Busch. (Bottom Right), Yennifer Dallmann Villa with her birth grandmother and family in Colombia, courtesy Yennifer Dallmann Villa.)

It’s scientifically impossible to read minds, so how do some magicians seem to do it? Beatriz de la Pava delves into the world of mentalism with two renowned women mentalists who regularly amaze and mystify audiences around the world.

Ava Do is a magician, mentalist and deceptionist from Vietnam who moved to the United States at thirteen years old. Growing up navigating two different cultural identities, she became fascinated with the subjects of perception and social psychology. After studying Psychobiology at UCLA and working as a crisis counsellor, Ava has spent the last decade turning her academic background and real-world experience with human behavior into a unique style of entertainment.

Kruti Parekh from India began her professional career as a magician at an early age. As a child, Kruti performed on national television, and at the age of eleven she received the FIE Foundation National Award. She has been hailed the “youngest female mentalist in Asia”. Currently, she works as a motivational speaker for corporate events and impresses audiences with her skills as a mentalist.

Produced by Emily Naylor.

(Image: (L), Kruti Parekh, courtesy Kruti Parekh. (R), Ava Do, courtesy Ava Do.)