The Conversation
Challenging mainstream economics
An academic from India and writer from Denmark talk to Ella Al-Shamahi about how the way economies are measured influences policy and undervalues both unpaid and paid care work, and affects the lives of women on every level. Emma Holten is a Danish feminist commentator whose book, Deficit: how feminist economics can change our world, became a best seller in her home country. It highlights how economics have shaped a world in which there is no value attached to care, happiness or quality of living. Emma says that by including only things that can be measured economics ignores many of the most important things in life. Jayati Ghosh is professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, in the US. In 2021 the United Nations named her to be on the High-level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs. She presented a series of lectures on feminist economics for the International Association of Feminist Economics. She's written many books with a focus on informal workers in the Global South and has advised governments in India and other countries. Produced by Jane Thurlow (Image: (L) Emma Holten credit Claudia Vega. (R) Jayati Ghosh courtesy Jayati Ghosh/Aleph Book Company.)
7 4月 2025 - 26 分 29 秒
Women working through menopause
Datshiane Navanayagam is joined by two women from the UK and Australia whose personal experience of menopause and perimenopause has led them to advocate for better support at work. Madhu Kapoor is a writer and menopause awareness campaigner. She experienced a range of physical and psychological symptoms during perimenopause in her early 40s which led to her resigning from her senior position in a British government department. Now she uses her two decades spent in HR and recruitment to shape workplace standards through her company M for Menopause and advices women on navigating the challenges she also faced. Grace Molloy is a registered nurse and CEO of Menopause Friendly Australia – an organisation that provides support and accreditation to companies looking to create workplaces that are responsive to the needs of menopausal women. Its members include Commonwealth Bank, global professional services firm Accenture, BHP, the Parliament of WA and St John WA. Molloy has been honoured as Western Australia's Telstra Best of Business Award winner in the Accelerating Women category, helped 250,000 people make the workplace more menopause-friendly and gave evidence at last year’s landmark Australian Senate inquiry into issues relating to perimenopause and menopause. Produced by Hannah Dean and Emily Naylor (Image: (L) Madhu Kapoor courtesy Madhu Kapoor. (R) Grace Molloy credit Ross Swanborough.)
31 3月 2025 - 26 分 27 秒
Air traffic controllers
Datshiane Navanayagam talks to controllers from the UAE and Sweden about guiding aeroplane take-offs and landings and dealing with the extreme stress of the job. Helena Sjöström Falk is the first woman president of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations. She's from Sweden and recently retired from Stockholm Air Traffic Control Center. During her career she had many high pressure air traffic control positions, including aerodrome, approach, and area control. Jouhayna AlMheiri is a senior air traffic controller, examiner and instructor in the United Arab Emirates, handling the flights of millions of passengers each year. She was the youngest and the second Emirati woman to qualify at UAE Area Control Centre. She's also a public speaker and podcast host. Produced by Jane Thurlow (Image: (L) Helena Sjöström Falk courtesy Helena Sjöström Falk. (R) Jouhayna AlMheiri credit Mustafa Singer.)
24 3月 2025 - 27 分 41 秒
One-woman sound machines
From breaking bones to trudging through snow – it is a Foley artist's role to reproduce the everyday sound effects that are added to film, TV and games. By using a variety of unconventional props and their own bodies, the goal is to create an authentic soundscape that will enhance our auditory experience. If the Foley goes unnoticed then they’ve done their job well! Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two award winning Foley artists and asks what it’s like to spend so much time, quite literally stepping into someone else’s shoes. Caoimhe Doyle has over 25 years’ experience creating Foley sound effects and footsteps for film, television and video games. She’s been nominated three times for the MPSE Golden Reel Award for her work on Colm Bairéad’s An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl), The Favourite, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises. In 2011 she won a MPSE Golden Reel Award and was nominated for an Emmy for her work on Game of Thrones: Season 1 and is a current MPSE nominee for work on Rich Peppiatt's Kneecap. Caoimhe collaborates with an all-female team out of The Foley Lab in a quiet part of County Wicklow in Ireland. Marita Sbeih is a Lebanese Foley artist and one of only a handful working in the Middle East. Since 2018, she has been the dedicated Foley Artist at DB Studios in Beirut, which provides audio post-production for films, documentaries, and art productions from around the globe. Pursuing a career as a Foley artist in a country with many unique challenges has been far from easy, but Marita has built an impressive list of credits for Foley and footsteps in some of the Arab world’s more distinguished art-house and indie productions, as well as international projects. Most recently, she worked on Hot Milk, a UK film directed by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, which was selected for the official competition at the 75th Berlinale (2025). Produced by Hannah Dean (Image: (L) Caoimhe Doyle courtesy Caoimhe Doyle. (R) Marita Sbeih credit Lama Sawaya.)
17 3月 2025 - 28 分 37 秒
Giving used clothes a new life
Datshiane Navanayagam talks to two women from Brazil and the UK who have online businesses buying and selling second hand clothes. Ana Luiza McLaren is a co-founder of Enjoei, the biggest second hand selling site in Brazil. She started selling her own clothes through a blog she wrote over fifteen years ago and it wasn’t long before friends were asking her to sell their clothes too. The blog became so popular she and her partner decided to give up their jobs and set up an online business. Ana chose the name Enjoei because it means 'I got sick of it' in Brazilian. Sarah Dean founded the GoThrift website with her partner and two friends in 2019 selling second-hand and vintage clothing. The company has recently become Loopi - and now also buys from the general public. Sarah had always preferred to buy second-hand as a way to stand out from the crowd by wearing better quality clothing for less money. She's delighted that more people are happy to wear pre-loved clothes. Produced by Jane Thurlow (Image: (L) Ana McLaren credit Brenno da Matta. (R) Sarah Dean credit Mik Connor.)
10 3月 2025 - 27 分 54 秒
Fostering: Being a ‘bonus parent’
Millions of children globally are separated from their birth families. For many, foster care is the best option. Foster carers from Moldova and the US speak to Ella Al-Shamahi about the realities of caring for vulnerable children and why they’re pushing for change in the system. Alina Druță is the president of Moldova Without Orphans, the Christian Alliance for Orphans Moldova and the national coordinator for child welfare at Open Gate International Moldova. She has been instrumental in introducing trust-based relational intervention to Moldova, an evidence-based approach that helps caregivers create safe and nurturing environments for children who have experienced trauma. Alina has worked with more than 70 young people over the past 12 years and is currently caring for six girls alongside her two biological children. Whitney Jackson from the US decided to document her family's journey into fostering on YouTube with her channel Be The Village. It has grown into a community of over 100,000 subscribers. Whitney is passionate about changing the way the world sees the foster system as well as the children who are in care. Produced by Emily Naylor and Hannah Dean (Image: (L) Whitney Jackson courtesy Whitney Jackson. (R) Alina Druță courtesy Alina Druță.)
3 3月 2025 - 27 分 41 秒
Women investigating bribery and corruption
Ella Al-Shamahi talks to women from Egypt and the US about their work detecting fraud, bribery and corruption for multi-national corporations and law enforcement. Yousr Khalil is from Egypt, after 20 years working in the United States she now heads the Paris Office of Forensic Risk Alliance, a company specialising in in complex, cross-border forensic investigations, regulatory compliance matters and disputes. She was part of the team investigating the aerospace giant Airbus after it admitted paying bribes via middlemen. US lawyer Judy Krieg has worked both in government and for private businesses. She was a joint head of fraud, bribery, and corruption at the UK Serious Fraud Office. Judy has also been an enforcement lawyer at the UK Financial Services Authority (now the Financial Conduct Authority) handling criminal and regulatory matters. She’s worked at Rolls Royce and Microsoft is now at law firm, DLA Piper representing corporations and individuals in white collar matters, including government and internal investigations, financial crime, compliance, and cyber issues. Produced by Jane Thurlow (Image: (L) Yousr Khalil credit Bénédicte Verley. (R) Judy Krieg credit DLA Piper.)
24 2月 2025 - 26 分 27 秒
Teaching consent in relationships
Datshiane Navanayagam hears from two women in Nigeria and Denmark to discuss how they teach consent as part of sex education. Mette Øyås Madsen is an award-winning Danish sexual health educator and author. She has incorporated sexual education into the Danish folk high school system for the past ten years. Mette is passionate about promoting topics such as consent, sexuality and gender identity in both educational and workplace settings. She's written a book called Seksuel Dannelse (sexual education). Oladele Ogunmayi from Nigeria is an advocate for youth empowerment, gender equality, and violence prevention. She has worked with organisations such as the Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative and the Women At Risk International Foundation, where she trained youths and women on critical issues including consent, HIV/AIDS prevention and gender-based violence. Oladele is now a Lead Trainer at No Means No Worldwide, a global rape prevention organisation whose mission is to end sexual violence against women and children. This episode contains discussions of a sexual nature, including topics related to consent, sexual violence and trauma. Produced by Emily Naylor (Image: (L) Oladele Ogunmayi courtesy Oladele Ogunmayi . (R) Mette Øyås Madsen credit Mette Mørk.)
17 2月 2025 - 27 分 06 秒
Women providing prosthetics
Datshiane Navanayagam talks to two women about prostheses for amputees in Ukraine and children with limb difference in the UK. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Olga Rudnieva felt she had to do something to help those wounded in the conflict. She set up the Superhumans trauma centre in Lviv, which she runs as CEO alongside a team of specialists, providing prosthetic limbs to patients. It has also launched a rehabilitation centre. Olga is featured on the BBC 100 Women list 2024 of inspiring and influential women. When she was just a student in the UK Kate Allen inspired by the child of a family friend designed a prosthetic that can actually grow with children. She went on to found ExpHand Prosthetics providing affordable, life-changing upper limb prosthetics that give children their independence back. Produced by Jane Thurlow (Image: (L) Olga Rudnieva credit Superhumans Trauma Centre. (R) Kate Allen courtesy Kate Allen.)
10 2月 2025 - 27 分 26 秒
Lessons from female philosophers
Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two academics dedicated to uncovering the vital role of women in shaping philosophical thought, both past and present. Dr Giulia Cavaliere is an Italian philosopher who lectures at University College London. Her research focuses on infertility, assisted reproductive technologies and the desire to have genetically related children. Dr Sabrina Ebbersmeyer is a German philosopher who made history as the first woman to be appointed as a professor of Philosophy at the University of Copenhagen. She specialises in uncovering the historical contributions of female intellectuals to the discipline during the Renaissance, Early Modern period and Nordic Enlightenment. Produced by Emily Naylor (Image: (L) Giulia Cavaliere courtesy of Giulia Cavaliere. (R) Sabrina Ebbersmeyer courtesy of Sabrina Ebbersmeyer.)
3 2月 2025 - 27 分 31 秒