In this episode we look at Gender Economics and women's contribution to society: the key role of international policy-making organisations like the UN in making change happen for women: plus the need for more women policy makers. In our Country Report, we meet Madelein Mkunu in South Africa where we hear that women's contribution to the continent is so much more about buildings than it is about bangles and beads. Her organisation, Leading Women of Africa has developed an empowering platform that showcases and promotes women-owned businesses that are pitching to be part of creating new infrastructure. She is opening doors for women to play a bigger game and make their visions become reality, through her investment fund, and other initiatives. Finally our One Woman feature is on grandmother and retired guesthouse owner, Valerie Humphreys. She returned from an adventure holiday with an unexpected project - sponsoring a penniless porter in Uganda in his quest to be a medical doctor.

This episode covers the topic of Feminine Wisdom. We're going to look at the difference that women can bring when they participate in the workplace and anywhere that we can be fully represented. We also look at other environments where we can bring our wisdom and contribute what is different about the way we see the world. My first guest is Karen Wilhelm Buckley, who has been a champion for decades in the conversation of bringing feminine wisdom to corporate life. Next I talk to Betty Ann Heggie, a member of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame - she’ll present our Country Report. My third guest is leadership coach Nyali Muir. She’ll talk about her coaching in feminine wisdom and how her own experience, of walking her talk and living her life in trust brought her the opportunity to coach the Kenyan Olympic team.

In the early teen years, girls are at their most impressionable age with their self identity least formed. They are very affected by messages coming from mainstream media including magazines and movies, and particularly social media via the Internet. Today our focus is this period of time when girls are most influenced by others. The Rise of the Feminine is interested in the journey that we each make as individual girls and women to the point where we wake up and we realise we have power, we have a voice and we can determine our own life path. There comes a point in a girl’s or woman's life when she understands the power she has to influence the world. In this episode of I will be discussing teenage girls and the influences that affect their self-esteem. My guests are Jane Kenyon the founder of Girls Out Loud, Sheila Single Editor in Chief of Honore Magazine, Paris and Kate Byrne, co-founder of Global Girl Media.

Business is changing and if it isn’t, it seems to be in trouble. New priorities and new values are being embraced and with love, care, compassion, collaboration and valuing relationships all being embraced more widely. It really looks like the feminisation of business is starting to take place to the benefit of both men and women. Many speakers talked about a shift happening articulating how the system both needs and is ready for embracing a new version of capitalism in the 21st century, and with these new feminine values, women will be bringing more answers and providing much more important leadership. This episode of The Rise of the Feminine is a continuation of my report from the WIN Conference and we are looking at “The Feminisation of Capitalism”. With guests Kristin Engvig, Geraldine Bown,Avivah Wittenberg Cox and Raj Sisodia, I discuss workplace of the future and how feminisation will be able to fulfil the needs of these spaces.

In the final episode of this first series of The Rise of the Feminine we reflect on the topics discussed with guests, revisit highlights of the show, where more than 40 different experts provided wisdom and important insights informing our present and future. The main topic for the episode is the role of elders, primarily women elders. We will look at the significance of the older, wise women and the archetype of the grandmother and the contribution they have been making to the rise of the feminine. As we move away from patriarchy, the dominant culture of the last few thousand years, this show is interested in how we view women leaders who are older, and explore why we have such a problem with older women in society. With contributions from Gary Malkin, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Philippa Blackham and Janice Dolley.

The ancient city of Rome, now led by its first female mayor, just played host to the WIN conference, Women's International Networking, where nearly 800 women gathered from all corners of the globe. Founder Kristin Envig chose this year's theme as “Leading the Way with Beauty, Connection and Confidence”, providing 30 plus workshops and plenaries that were both inspiring and nourishing for the women executives attending. This is part one of a 2-show special report where I speak with some of the world's leading experts in future forecasting as we look ahead to how work is being transformed and the role women need to play. Speakers Keith Coats from TomorrowToday and Nigel Nicholson, London Business School, discuss how women are better equipped to lead in this new era. Susan Schachterie and Dr Kaouthor Darmoni encourage women to use all their feminine insights and wisdom, and tap into their physical feminine intelligence to bring the woman's touch to their leadership.

The ancient city of Rome, now led by its first female mayor, just played host to the WIN conference, Women's International Networking, where nearly 800 women gathered from all corners of the globe. Founder Kristin Envig chose this year's theme as “Leading the Way with Beauty, Connection and Confidence”, providing 30 plus workshops and plenaries that were both inspiring and nourishing for the women executives attending. This is part one of a 2-show special report where I speak with some of the world's leading experts in future forecasting as we look ahead to how work is being transformed and the role women need to play. Speakers Keith Coats from TomorrowToday and Nigel Nicholson, London Business School, discuss how women are better equipped to lead in this new era. Susan Schachterie and Dr Kaouthor Darmoni encourage women to use all their feminine insights and wisdom, and tap into their physical feminine intelligence to bring the woman's touch to their leadership.

In this episode Gina Lazenby engages with three experts in Feminine leadership. First, Gina talks to Sydney based Dr David Paul, discussing a wave of feminine leadership sweeping the world, echoed by the recent appointment of Theresa May to the Prime Minister post in the UK. In the second part of the episode, the Country Report, Gina talks to Rúna Magnusdottir who has had special insight into Iceland’s contribution to the feminine leadership conversation. In the final part, Gina talks with local chapter leader of The Women’s Equality Party in Harrogate, Yorkshire.

The world moves forward, society advances but are we getting any better at relationships, one of our most basic needs? This week we talked to one of the UK's top relationship and intimacy coaches, Susie Heath, looking at how vulnerable long-term relationships can become when big shifts happen in family life. When the last child moves out, a couple can be left behind to find a way forward in an empty nest. Our next guest, Renee Piane, reports from America sharing her quarter century experience as one of the countries leading dating coaches about the trend for women to spend two decades trying to be Wonderwoman then realising that they are 40, successful and still single. Finally, media ecologist Jack Myers takes our one-woman slot this week. Looking at the under 30 age group and the unique challenges, and opportunities, for this for the younger, millennial generation. His quest to find out what’s happening for boys resulted in his recently published book called The Future of Men.

Just as women are finding empowerment and thriving in an era of increasing leadership by women, men are using the rise of the feminine to explore their own masculinity which for many has become out-dated and restrictive. Whether it's via coaching or men's groups, men are finding ways to understand and express themselves. Is this easier for younger generations or different cultures? This week's guests are Man Whisperer Kenny Mammarella D'Cruz reporting that men are no less frustrated at being able to find the right partner than women are. American in Paris, David Brower, reflects on how French culture brings a different masculinity to French men: and Nick Haines, founder of the Vitality Test, deconstructs his role as a father to three sons, preparing them for a new world of more open self-expression.