Podcasts about datshiane navanayagam

Traumatic events can leave an enduring psychological impact. Datshiane Navanayagam talks to two psychologists about how they help women heal from trauma.Jane Abatoni Gatete heads the Rwanda Organization of Trauma Counsellors (ARCT- Ruhuka). She has over 25 years of expertise and practical experience in mental health support. As well as working as a psychiatrist in individual and group settings she has trained hundreds of others to support a nation recovering from the trauma of war and genocide.Dr Adshead is one of Britain's leading forensic psychiatrists with 30 years' experience working in some of London's first trauma clinics and Broadmoor prison. She says that traumatic events, experiences that change your identity, can happen not only acutely and suddenly but take place slowly over time. While many people will recover naturally, some have long-term impacts that require treatment. Her latest book is called Unspeakable: Stories of Survival and Transformation After Trauma.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Gwen Adshead, credit Richard Ansett BBC. (R) Jane Abatoni Gatete, courtesy Jane Abatoni Gatete.)

Have you ever finished a book or television series and wished you could stay longer in that world? Fan fiction is a thriving art form, with millions of women writing and sharing their tributes to favourite stories, by taking famous characters and placing them in new situations. Datshiane Navanayagam meets women who take part and study this world. Dawn Walls-Thumma in the USA is a middle-grade teacher by day, and by night runs the Silmarillion Writers Guild, a community for fan fiction set in Tolkien's universe. This has led her to become a published Tolkien expert. Kristine Michelle Santos in the Philippines is an associate professor of Japanese and researches Boys Love, the biggest genre of fanfiction in Japan and South-East Asia, and now a multi-billion yen industry.Producer: Hannah Sander(Image: (L) Betty Barbara Nsachilwa, courtesy Betty Barbara Nsachilwa. (R) Sofia Eriksson, credit Hannah Lovell)

Confronting the death of a loved one – or the end of our own life – can be frightening and overwhelming. And yet it is something that will happen to all of us. So how can we open up conversations about the way we want to die? Is it possible to avoid pain and suffering? And who are the people who will care for us in our final moments?Datshiane Navanayagam talks to two women who work in palliative care.Dr Tania Pastrana is from Colombia and is now based in Germany where she works for the International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care (IAHPC). And Dr Catherine Millington-Sanders is a general practitioner, and national lead in palliative care for the Royal College of GPs.Producer: Hannah Sander

Datshiane Navanayagam talks to Whitley Fund for Nature winners from India and South Africa who are protecting endangered frogs and salamanders.Dr Barkha Subba is leading the first grassroots protection for the Himalayan Salamander in Darjeeling. The scientific adviser at local NGO, Federation of Societies for Environmental Protection (FOSEP), Barkha is working to restore habitat, remove invasive species and screen for deadly diseases, as well as engage local people in awareness programmes promoting sustainable land use and eco-friendly tourism.Environmentalist Jeanne Tarrant works on protecting frogs and their habitat in South Africa. Almost two-thirds of the country's 135 frog species are found nowhere else. She uses frogs as flagships for habitat protection, contributing to the broader conservation of freshwater and grassland areas that serve as important watersheds and carbon sinks.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Jeanne Tarrant, credit SABC. (R) Barkha Subba, credit Whitley Fund for Nature.)

Online romance fraud and 'catfishing' – when someone pretends to be someone they're not - is a problem across the globe. It causes financial and emotional devastation, yet many people refuse to take it seriously. Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two women from the UK and Sweden who have spent years rebuilding their lives after being targeted by men they met on dating sites.Pernilla Sjöholm is from Sweden. She was conned by the infamous Simon Leviev, the so-called "Tinder Swindler" and allegedly scammed out of the equivalent of $65,000. Pernilla is now an international speaker on AI, cybersecurity and fraud prevention. She also co-founded IDfier, working on digital identity verification, and is the author of Swindled Never After. Anna Rowe is pushing for greater support for romance fraud victims after her own experience of being conned. In 2015 she fell in love with a man who she had met online. After 14 months she discovered that the man she was in a relationship with, ‘Antony Ray' was using a fake identity and leading a double life which left Anna feeling emotionally and sexually violated. Anna is now dedicated to helping victims of all types of romance fraud and catfishing through her platforms LoveSaid and Catch the Catfish.(Image: (L) Anna Rowe, credit Nina Rangoy. (R) Pernilla Sjöholm, credit Daniel Diamond.)Produced by Jane Thurlow and Hannah Dean

Datshiane Navanayagam meets the women behind leading nurseries and flower farms in Germany and America. From a vase of cut roses to the perennials that brighten our gardens, these women cultivate beauty from bare earth.Danielle Dall'Armi transformed a derelict lemon and avocado farm in California into a rose farm with an international reputation. A self-taught horticulturalist, she now has 25,000 rose plants and supplies high-end customers.Anja Maubach runs the nursery founded by her great-grandfather, renowned botanist Georg Abends, specialising in perennials. She is also an expert on the great female horticulturalists of the past, such as Gertrude Jekyll and Vita Sackville-West.Producer: Hannah Sander(Image: (L) Anja Maubach, credit Daniel Welschenbach. (R) Danielle Dall'Armi, credit Victoria Pearson.)

Rice nourishes 3.5 billion people worldwide with women providing the majority of agricultural labour – especially in poorer countries. Datshiane Navanayagam talks to women from India and Tanzania about their work improving the resilience of rice to climate change, and about the lives of female rice farmers.Ranjitha Puskur is a socio-economist in India leading gender and youth research at the International Rice Research Institute. She's working on innovations that would lead to more equitable outcomes for women in agriculture. She says there would be no food without women. And yet women farmers across the world still face disproportionate barriers in their work.Dr Pauline Chivenge is a Zimbabwean agronomist working in Tanzania. Her research is focused on management of natural resources for improved crop productivity in Africa and South-East Asia: issues such as soil and water management, and how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Ranjitha Puskur, credit CGIAR. (R) Pauline Chivenge, credit IRRI.)

The singer-songwriter Jessie Ware's new album, Superbloom, was released this week. As well as being known for her music, Jessie's family's passion for food led to the weekly podcast, Table Manners, that she co-hosts with her mother Lennie, featuring celebrity guests like Ed Sheeran and Kylie. Jessie joins Datshiane Navanayagam to talk about her new album, inspired by disco and funk and how she became more confident in her 40s.We hear about a new report alleging breaches of the Online Safety Act. Children as young as 13 could be recommended sexually explicit content on the social media platform X, according to the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, who say X's algorithm and what it describes as "weak safeguards" mean teenagers are also being exposed to possible direct sexual contact from adults. Imran Ahmed, CEO at the Centre for Countering Digital Hate joins Datshiane to explain.For the first time, a woman has been appointed to coach a men's team in one of Europe's top five football leagues. Marie-Louise Eta has been named interim Head Coach of Union Berlin in the German Bundesliga, the equivalent of the Premier League here. It's a sudden appointment, until the end of the season, and it follows a string of losses and the dismissal of the previous coach. We talk to Rosi Webb, previously one of the few female coaches in charge of a men's team in England for five years, alongside Laura McAllister, former international footballer and Vice President of UEFA.Figures show there are close to one million people diagnosed with dementia in the UK, of which two thirds are women. A campaign to highlight the caring duties that fall on the families of those diagnosed with young-onset dementia launches this week. We hear from Emilia, who spent her teenage years tussling with the medical community to get her mother - in her late 40s - diagnosed, and Amy Pagan from the charity Younger People With Dementia.Scottish comedian Susie McCabe is a stalwart of the BBC comedy scene - from The News Quiz and Breaking the News to Just a Minute and Have I Got News For You? It was in 2024, while touring, that she had a heart-attack. She was only in her mid-forties at the time. It made her not only take a long hard look at her life, but it also inspired her latest show, Best Behaviour. Susie joins Nuala McGovern to discuss making comedy gold out of life's trials and tribulations.Presenter: Datshiane Navanayagam Producer: Simon Richardson

Today is primary school offer day in England and Wales, when parents will be finding out where their children might be starting school in September. A new government-backed campaign has been launched to help parents and carers as figures show that over a third of children are currently starting reception without the basic skills they need for the classroom. Datshiane Navanayagam is joined by BBC Education reporter Kate McGough and Felicity Gillespie from children's charity Kindred Squared, to talk about what parents and carers need to know.The singer-songwriter Jessie Ware's new album, Superbloom, was released this week. As well as being known for her music, Jessie's family's passion for food led to the weekly podcast Table Manners, that she co-hosts with her mother Lennie, featuring celebrity guests like Ed Sheeran and Kylie. Jessie joins Datshiane to talk about her new album inspired by disco and funk and how she became more confident in her 40s.Autism Central is an online support service for the parents and carers of autistic people. Set up by NHS England in 2021, it has now been expanded to offer help for everyone in the support network of autistic people, including grandparents, partners, friends, and adult siblings. It's paid for by NHS England and run by the mental health charity Anna Freud. With growing numbers being diagnosed with autism - and waiting for a diagnosis - what can this type of online help offer? Datshiane is joined by Victoria Jackson who has been using the service, and Dr Georgia Pavlopoulou, Director of Autism Central at Anna Freud.Katriona O'Sullivan's childhood was marked by extreme poverty, neglect, addiction and abuse. She became pregnant at 15 and experienced homelessness, but went on to become an award‑winning academic and bestselling author, with her memoir Poor adapted for the stage. Katriona's new book, Hungry, explores her lifelong struggles with her body and the unrelenting drive to feel, “enough”. Katriona talks to Datshiane about how trauma, class and gender shape how women see themselves. Presenter: Datshiane Navanayagam Producer: Rebecca Myatt

As war flares across the Middle East, and conflicts rage in other parts of the world, it is often said that women and girls are the hardest hit by war. But what does that actually mean in practice? What are the key statistics that tell us how conflicts impact women? And what role are women playing in peace processes too? Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two women who look at how war shapes women's lives. Idil Absiye is a policy advisor on Women, Peace and Security at the United Nations, and is based in Kenya. Dr Laura Muñoz-Encinar is an archaeologist and forensic anthropologist at the Spanish National Research Council. Her main focus is the Spanish Civil War, a conflict from almost a century ago that offers many lessons for today. Producer: Hannah Sander(Image: (L) Laura Muñoz-Encinar, credit Laura Muñoz-Encinar. (R) Idil Absiye, credit Idil Absiye.)

From “deepfakes” to “stealth filming”, women around the world are having their image stolen and shared online. Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two women tackling this problem.Uma Subramanian works for an Indian helpline called Meri Trustline, run by RATI Foundation, which offers help for women whose image has been used. Kirana Ayuningtyas had her image digitally manipulated and shared online. She uses her social media profile, @k.for.kirana, to help other women in Indonesia.Warning: this programme contains details that some listeners may find disturbing.Producers: Rebecca Moore and Hannah Sander(Image: (L) Uma Subramanian, credit Sanghamitra SV. (R) Kirana Ayuningtyas, credit Kirana Ayuningtyas.)

It's thought that around one in ten women of childbearing age have endometriosis, yet it often takes years of excessively painful periods and struggles to conceive before a diagnosis. And while there's no cure, surgery can help relieve symptoms. Datshiane Navanayagam talks to women from Hungary and South Africa working to improve treatment and diagnosis.Adrienn Salamon lives with endometriosis. She waited many years for a diagnosis, and surgery enabled her to get IVF treatment. She started Női Egészségért Alapítvány, a women's health foundation in Hungary that supports women suffering from the disorder. She is also on the board of the World Endometriosis Society and says no woman should go through the same struggle with the condition that she experienced.Dr Lusanda Shimange-Matsose is a gynaecologist, reproductive endocrine and infertility specialist in South Africa. She is director of Medfem Fertility Clinic in Johannesburg and is also a member of the Pan African Society of Endometriosis, offering support for women across the continent.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Adrienn Salamon, credit Johanna Krivocenko. (R) Lusanda Shimange-Matsose, courtesy Lusanda Shimange-Matsose.)

Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two women who research what happens to our thoughts, feelings and behaviours when we speak many languages. To what extent do we have a “mother tongue” – and what happens if we stop using it?Dr Aneta Pavlenko is a Ukrainian-American linguist who looks at the emotional impact of moving between languages. Professor Núria Sebastián Gallés is a Spanish cognitive psychologist who studies bilingual toddlers and young babies. Produced by Rebecca Moore and Hannah Sander(Image: (L) Aneta Pavlenko, courtesy Aneta Pavlenko. (R) Núria Sebastián Gallés, courtesy Núria Sebastián Gallés.)

Datshiane Navanayagam talks to two women in France and Canada about why single-sex living spaces appeal to older women.Pat Dunn is 75 and started a Facebook group for senior women wanting to share a living space, after her husband died six years ago. There she found two housemates with whom she has lived ever since. Pat now runs a non-profit called SWLT (Senior Women Living Together) that helps other women in Ontario find similar setups. Her Facebook community has over two thousand members. Hanne Nuutinen co-founded La Joie Homebase in France in 2024: co-living spaces for women who want to stay there for weeks or months at a time. Their ‘homebases' cater to globally mobile women, typically aged 50–80. Many of the women are still professionally active, while others are pursuing hobbies or independent travel. Their residents come from France, the United States, Africa and the UK.Produced by Jane Thurlow and Becca Johns(Image: (L) Pat Dunn, courtesy Pat Dunn. (R) Hanne Nuutinen, courtesy Hanne Nuutinen.)

Datshiane Navanayagam talks to two women whose life changing illnesses led them to set up new businesses after they discovered high street clothes are uncomfortable and difficult to wear when you have restricted mobility or medical needs.Victoria Jenkins is one of the UK's leading adaptive fashion experts. She worked as a freelance garment technologist for fashion labels like Victoria Beckham and Jack Wills before founding the award winning universally designed fashion brand Unhidden. Victoria nearly died from an undiagnosed ulcer in 2012 and spent long periods in hospital where she met many women struggling to find clothes would accommodate their medical conditions. When she realised how hard it was to buy attractive, comfortable and practical garments she decided to design her own.Soumita Basu has an autoimmune disease called psoriatic arthritis which over time has restricted her mobility. As the condition progressed she got used to being constantly in pain but a period when she had to stay in bed proved the catalyst to setting up her clothing brand, Zyenika. The daily routine of being dressed was agonisingly painful – no matter that her mother, who was caring for her at the time, was as gentle as possible. They decided there had to be a better way and set out to design clothes that could be put on in a way that didn't cause so much pain.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Soumita Basu, credit Diganta Gogoi. (R) Victoria Jenkins, credit Deb Burrows.)

Have you ever wondered if there were a scandal buried in your family history? Datshiane Navanayagam meets two female genealogists from the US and Ireland to discuss the desire many of us have to dig into our heritage. Michele Soulli is an American genealogist who made headlines around the world when she tracked down the real "Brenda" from rap superstar Tupac's hit song Brenda's Got A Baby, and reunited her with the child she had put up for adoption. Hilary McDonagh helps clients who want to trace their family histories or find missing heirs. In Ireland, where famine prompted girls to migrate overseas by themselves, Hilary has unearthed some incredible stories. Producer: Hannah Sander(Image credit: Hilary McDonagh (L), Michele Soulli (R))

Datshiane Navanayagam brings together two women from the US and Australia to discuss the art of writing a political biography and whether women in politics are placed under more scrutiny than men.Helene Cooper is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times correspondent who fled Liberia with her family following the military coup of 1980. Her biography Madame President documents the life and political career of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – the first democratically elected female head of state in Africa who served as president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018.Dr Lekkie Hopkins is a feminist academic who lead the women's studies programme at Edith Cowan University in Perth for 25 years. Utilising her skills as an archivist and oral historian, she pieced together the story of May Holman - a pioneering Australian politician who became the first female Labour politician to be elected to the Western Australian Parliament in 1925. Produced by Hannah Dean(Image: (L) Lekkie Hopkins, credit Robert van Koesveld. (R) Helene Cooper credit William B. Plowman/NBC via Getty Images.)

Datshiane Navanayagam talks to two women who changed paths to design and manufacture their own shoes in their own countries. A former environmental engineer in India and former interior designer from Egypt explain how they found their passion.Anita Soundar was a chemical engineer before deciding to follow her need for self-expression and footwear design. While working at her father's small factory in Chenai she studied footwear design from Italy to the Netherlands to China, learning about design to pattern making, hand crafting to mass production. In 2023 she won a global footwear award for natural material vegan footwear and an International Design Award in 2025. Her quirky designs for her company The Disobedience are made from natural materials like cotton, tomato and banana skins, have featured in high-fashion magazines like Elle India.Reem Hamed is Egyptian. She trained as an architect and set up an interior design company before turning to shoe design and manufacture. Her shoes are handcrafted and embroidered by artisanal Egyptian women. She says “comfort is not just about the way they make your feet feel… Comfort is a state of mind.” She's wants to ensure the craftswomen that make shoes for her company, Ramla, are valued, working in good conditions and passionate about what they do.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Reem Hamed, credit Malak Hammouda. (R) Anita Soundar credit Team Disobedience.)

Christmas parties, Christmas dinners, Christmas Day: this time of the year can be full of hosting duties and opportunities. But for many women, hosting can be the source of stress and worry, whether it's the house, the food or the relationships between our family and friends. To discuss what our worries reveal and what you can do to enjoy hosting more and stress a bit less, Datshiane Navanayagam is joined by psychotherapist and author Philippa Perry and content creator Matilda Bea.Thousands of pages of documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's abuse were released by the US Department of Justice last Friday and dominated headlines over the weekend. The DOJ then removed at least 13 files from the website without explanation by Saturday because of concerns raised by victims, according to the deputy attorney general. One of the images removed included a photograph of US President Donald Trump. Datshiane Navanayagam is joined by BBC Correspondent, Joe Inwood to hear more. The government has announced that next year it will cease funding its flagship international programme to prevent FGM, or Female Genital Mutilation. A recent report published by a group of MPs says access to services for survivors in the UK is a postcode lottery and they are often not provided with the appropriate counselling services. To discuss this, Datshiane Navanayagam is joined by Sema Gornall, CEO of The Vavengers, a UK-based charity committed to ending Female Genital Mutilation, and Christine Jardine, Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West and member of the Women and Equalities Committee.Christmas shopping is stressful at the best of times, but what about for those working in retail? Women account for 66% of jobs in the sector, and a recent study by the retail trust found three quarters have experienced abuse this year, with 43% wanting to quit their jobs as a result. The rate of shoplifting has also gone up by 13% from last year, the highest for 20 years. We hear from retail worker Stephanie Michelle and Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust. Presented by: Datshiane Navanayagam Produced by: Sarah Jane Griffiths

In the season of giving, Datshiane Navanayagam talks to philanthropists from France and Nigeria about using their wealth to help others thrive. Historically philanthropic giving has been dominated by men, but as women's global wealth grows so does their capacity for donating money to charitable causes and enterprise. The Conversation talks to a French heiress who felt compelled to give away her money following the death of her son in a helicopter crash and a former corporate banker from Nigeria who's galvanising businesswomen from the African diaspora to invest in the futures of women on the continent.Albina du Boisrouvay was born into extreme wealth as granddaughter of a Bolivian tin magnate and daughter of a French aristocrat. She went on to pursue an alternative career as a film director and when her 24 year old son François-Xavier Bagnoud died, Albina sold three-quarters of her assets and founded FXB Foundation in his name. Its mission is to fight poverty, AIDs and support orphans and vulnerable children. Since 1989, FXB Foundation has impacted the lives of 20 million people. She's recently written about her extraordinary life in a book called Phoenix Rising.Former corporate banker, Dr Anino Emuwa is from Nigeria and managing director at Avandis Consulting in France. She co-founded Women in Philanthropy and Impact Africa, bringing together women in business from the African diaspora to use the power of philanthropy to drive sustainable development. With only 0.4% of foundation grants globally directed toward organisations addressing women's issues, WIPIA approaches philanthropy through a gendered lens and supports women to lead scalable change in Africa.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Albina du Boisrouvay credit Karine Bauzin. (R), Dr Anino Emuwa courtesy Dr Anino Emuwa.)

Having a severe allergy doesn't just affect physical health - it's often the social isolation and mental toll of dealing with a somewhat ‘invisible condition' that people with allergies also have to contend with.Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two women from the US and Spain who're advocating for more awareness and visibility around the real-life impacts.Sarah Ackerman is from the US. Her sensitivity to certain nuts and other foods puts her at risk of anaphylaxis, a rapid-onset reaction that can be fatal if not treated immediately. She now supports other young people living with food allergies and caregivers through her work as a public speaker and through with her blog, ‘Girl Behind the Hive'. She believes that it's important to show young people and their parents that it is possible to live fulfilling lives whilst also managing life-threatening food allergies and shares her experiences of everything from dating to travel. Irantzu Muerza Santos from Spain has severe, life-threatening allergic asthma which she must manage through a range of complex treatments and a strict daily routine. Having been under-diagnosed for nearly twenty years, she's now a voice for millions of sufferers as President of Asthma and Allergy Spain – an organisation that's committed to improving the quality of life for those living with asthma, allergies, and other respiratory illnesses.Produced by Hannah Dean(Image: (L) Sarah Ackerman, courtesy Sarah Ackerman. (R) Irantzu Muerza Santos credit: Armando Ruiz.)

What's it like navigating the world as a disabled parent? Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two women from the US and Italy about the reality of parenting with a disability and about why it's important to reconsider some of the common misconceptions that exist within society around the kind of life that disabled mothers can provide for their children. Jessica Slice is an American disabled author, speaker and essayist who now lives in Toronto with her husband and two children. She was diagnosed with an autonomic nervous system disorder in her twenties after a strenuous hike while on holiday in Greece. The condition changed her life forever – requiring her to use a wheelchair and sometimes experiencing chronic pain - but it also made her consider having children, seriously for the very first time. Her book, Unfit Parent: A Disabled Mother Challenges An Inaccessible World chronicles some of the obstacles that disabled parents face, and examines the societal beliefs that underpin those barriers.Laura Coccia from Italy is a former Paralympian who is now a representative at the European Disability Forum. She now lives in Brussels and says she faces stigma everyday as a mother with a form of cerebral palsy. She wrote a weekly online diary about her pregnancy as a disabled woman in 2019, giving a candid insight to some of the challenges she faced, but also how she was going through the same things as any other pregnant woman. She has also co-authored a children's book called La Sedia Magica della Mamma, created to show disability not as an obstacle but as a natural part of life.Producer: Emily Naylor and Hannah Dean(Image: Jessica Slice (L). Credit Vanessa Heins. (R) Laura Coccia courtesy Laura Coccia)

After the discovery of a new gene therapy for Huntington's, a devastating brain disease, Datshiane Navanayagam talks to one of the women in the UK who worked on it and a biologist from India who's made recent discoveries that could improve treatment for TB, which still kills over a million people globally each year.Anne Rosser is Professor of Clinical Neuroscience at Cardiff University, combining both academic and clinical work specialising in patients with Huntington's Disease. Huntington's is an inherited condition caused by a faulty gene which stops the brain working properly, affecting mobility, learning, thinking and emotions. Anne also directs the Brain Repair Group in Cardiff.Paridhi Sukheja is lead biologist for Tuberculosis drug discovery at Calibr-Skaggs Institute at Scripps Research in the US – a nonprofit research institute looking at drug discovery and treatments for diseases. TB is one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases and, while widely treatable, it still kills 1.2 million people a year. Part of this is due to increasingly drug-resistant strains of the disease. Paridhi's work has been instrumental in the discovery of a potential new treatment for TB, including drug-resistant strains.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Paridhi Sukheja credit Nick Cusato. (R), Anne Rosser courtesy Anne Rosser.)

Can women earn more than their partners and still be happy at home? How does a higher income affect family dynamics and the division of household chores? Datshiane Navanayagam talks to an author in the UK and a South African academic who've researched the issues.Dr Bianca Parry is a social psychology lecturer at University College London. While working at the Centre for Mediation in Africa (CMA) at the University of Pretoria, she carried out several research projects on female breadwinners, focusing on the experiences of marginalised and vulnerable communities.Melissa Hogenboom is an award-winning science writer and author (she also works for BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC). Her latest book is called Breadwinners: and other power dynamics that influence your life. She draws on socio-economic research and dozens of candid interviews with female breadwinners, stay-at-home dads and same-sex couples about how unequal earnings affect relationships.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Dr Bianca Parry credit Mariki Uitenweerde. (R), Melissa Hogenboom credit Fran Gomez de Villaboa.)

Datshiane Navanayagam talks to an ice hockey referee from Austria and a football referee from Denmark about their experiences as female officials in men's leagues.Austrian Julia Kainberger played ice hockey professionally for the Salzburg Eagles while also pursuing a career in officiating. She was one of the 12 European officials for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and, in 2024, became the first female referee in a men's Champions League game. Julia looks forward to a day where no female referee has to be 'the first one' anymore and it becomes the norm.Frida Klarlund is a Danish football referee who has officiated international matches since 2015.  In 2021 she became the first woman to referee in the men's second division. Frida has refereed at major tournaments such as the Women's Champions League, World Cup qualifiers and the Women's Euros. She currently works in Denmark's top women's league.Produced by Emily Naylor(Image: (L) Julia Kainberger courtesy Julia Kainberger. (R) Frida Klarlund credit UEFA.)

What can the sounds of the natural world tell us about the health of our ecosystems? Datshiane Navanayagam talks two sound ecologists in Scotland and Australia about using soundscape monitoring as a tool to help in conservation work.Dr Elizabeth Znidersic is an Australian environmental scientist with a particular interest in sound ecology. She has worked extensively in the US and in Tasmania with the Parks and Wildlife Service. Her current project, 'Eavesdropping on wetland birds' uses sound recorders to detect secretive marsh birds and she is about embark on a world-first trial, looking into the effectiveness of using call-playback systems to help restore terrestrial ecosystems.Dr Denise Risch is a marine mammal ecologist and senior lecturer at the Scottish Association for Marine Science. For twenty years, she's been involved in the study of aquatic soundscapes and investigates how marine species are impacted by man-made noise pollution. She's been involved in a project which uses underwater microphones to measure turbine noise in Pentland Firth strait and another, to establish the effects of acoustic signals on harbour porpoises in Scottish waters.Produced by Hannah Dean(Image: (L) Dr Elizabeth Znidersic courtesy Dr Elizabeth Znidersic. (R) Dr Denise Risch credit Jonny Reid.)

For many families, income plunges and poverty spikes right before a child is born and remains high throughout the first year. Datshiane Navanayagam talks to doctors in Kenya and the US about the positive impact of giving cash to pregnant women and new mothers.Dr Mona Hanna is a paediatrician, professor, public health advocate and director of the Michigan State University-Hurley Children's Hospital Paediatric Public Health Initiative. Mona also runs Rx Kids in Flint, Michigan and across the state, it is the first community-wide programme in the US designed to address poverty as a root cause of health disparities through the provision of unconditional cash allowances to pregnant and new mothers.Dr Miriam Laker-Oketta is the Senior Research Advisor at GiveDirectly, a non-profit that lets donors send money directly to the world's poorest people, no strings attached. Born and raised in Uganda, she initially trained and worked as an infectious diseases doctor. However, after becoming increasingly frustrated by her patients' late-stage disease presentations and their inability to afford basic medication and meet essential needs due to poverty, Miriam transitioned from medicine to direct cash aid.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Dr Mona Hanna credit Rx Kids. (R), Dr Miriam Laker-Oketta credit GiveDirectly.)

From mushrooms to sea kelp: Two female foragers in South Africa and Japan tell Datshiane Navanayagam about how picking wild food has helped them to feel more connected to their natural surroundings.Emily Smith is from the UK and lives in rural Japan. She moved there to explore her Japanese heritage and says she felt a deep and calming connection to her natural surroundings. She spends her days learning all she can about edible plants and mushrooms from books, the internet and, most importantly, her elderly neighbours. She is currently working on a project about Japan's seventy-two micro seasons.Roushanna Gray is a wild food forager, based in Cape Point, South Africa. She's passionate about teaching people how to source food for free. She takes groups into forests to forage mushrooms, berries, greens and edible weeds, and to tidal pools for seaweed and kelp. Roushanna teaches her international guests about how they can use their senses, as well as the seasons, to find the most nutritious food.Produced by Mora Morrison(Image: (L) Emily Smith, credit Joshua Atkins. (R) Roushanna Gray credit Alex Oelofse.)

We look at The Conversation, the weekly show that brings together two women from different cultures and talks about their paths to success. We hear listeners' comments and feedback on recent episodes and we're joined in the studio by one of the presenters Datshiane Navanayagam and its producer Jane Thurlow.Plus BBC Verify Live has launched a real-time live news feed. We want to invite your thoughts on this new service.Presenter: Rajan Datar Producer: Howard Shannon A Whistledown production for BBC World Service

We look at the Conversation, the weekly show that brings together two women from different cultures and talks about their paths to success. We hear listeners' comments and feedback on recent episodes and we're joined in the studio by one of the presenters Datshiane Navanayagam and its producer Jane Thurlow. Plus BBC Verify Live has launched a real-time live news feed. We want to invite your thoughts on this new service.Presenter: Rajan Datar Producer: Howard Shannon A Whistledown production for BBC World Service

Datshiane Navanayagam speaks two women from the Czech Republic and the UK about the ways in which they use horses to promote human physical and mental health.Vera Lantelme-Faisan's professional background is in Equine Assisted Physiotherapy in the Czech Republic. Between 2004 and 2009, she played a key role in establishing a EAT centre for children at a rehabilitation hospital in Saudi Arabia and last year she assumed the role of president of The Federation of Horses in Education and Therapy International (HETI) - a leading international resource for all those involved in Equine Assisted Services. Claudia Nicholson's personal experience of horses providing the support and sanctuary she needed throughout the angst of her teenage years is one of the reasons why she wanted to help people experience the therapeutic benefits of horses and other equines in their own lives. She now runs her own centre for Equine Assisted Learning at Downmere Farm, in the South Downs National Park where she prioritises working with vulnerable children and young adults - building up confidence and self esteem through non-ridden ground work exercises with the horses as active participants. Produced by Hannah Dean (Image: (L) Vera Lantelme-Faisan, credit Karolina Kutanorova. (R), Claudia Nicholson courtesy Claudia Nicholson.)

Jess Folley has been a popstar for almost a decade and she's still only 22. At 14 she won The Voice Kids and later triumphed on X Factor: The Band, with pop group RLY. Since then she's been carving out a career as a songwriter and releasing music under her own name. Jess tells Datshiane Navanayagam about stepping into the corset and heels made famous by Christina Aguilera to play the lead role of Ali Rose in Burlesque the Musical in the West End. Women whose data was leaked after they signed up to a dating safety app have become the target of harassment online. Tea Dating Advice, or Tea as it's known, was set up in the US with a view to allowing women-only-users to do background checks and share their experiences of men they had been dating. But a data breach has seen images, posts and comments from more than 70,000 women who signed up leaked. Datshiane speaks to BBC World Service reporter Jacqui Wakefield and sociologist Dr Jenny van Hooff about the risks of online dating.Research has been published which could pave the way for reducing the incidence of Alzheimer's in women. It shows women with the disease have lower levels of omega fatty acids than men. There's been debate about whether we should be taking fish oil supplements for some time, so will this answer the question? Datshiane is joined by Dr Cristina Legido Quigley, the lead researcher for this study from Kings College London and Dr Susan Kohlhaas from Alzheimer's Research UK which helped fund the work. Former journalist-turned-bestselling-author Elodie Harper has gained a reputation for re-drafting ancient history to centre the women hidden in the margins. Her trilogy The Wolf Den breathed life into the prostituted, enslaved women whose names can still be seen graffitied on the walls of the brothel at Pompeii. Elodie talks to Datshiane about her latest book, Boudicca's Daughter, in which she's turned her imagination to ancient Britain and the women who rose up against Roman rule in the First Century AD, led by the warrior queen Boudicca.Presenter: Datshiane Navanayagam Producer: Andrea Kidd

While confidence is widely understood as important, actually building and maintaining it can feel like an impossible task. A comedian from New Zealand and a body positive writer, speaker and influencer from the UK tell Datshiane Navanayagam about how they grew their self-confidence and give advice for others on how to get it.Megan Jayne Crabbe is a British bestselling author, presenter and body confidence advocate known for helping people improve their relationship with their bodies. She produces empowering content around body positivity, mental health and feminism which is shared with her more than 1.3 million social media followers. Her latest book is called We Don't Make Ourselves Smaller Here, which explores what we can do to live life as our fullest, boldest and most confident selves.Alice Snedden from New Zealand is a comedian and television actor, director and writer renowned for her confidence. Alice studied law at university but never practiced it. The night before she was admitted to the bar, Alice performed her first stand-up comedy set and never looked back. Television shows she has been involved with include Alice Snedden's Bad News, Starstruck and Break Clause. Produced by Emily Naylor(Image: (L) Alice Snedden courtesy Avalon. (R) Megan Jayne Crabbe credit Kiran Gidda.)

The global housing crisis continues to grow, with the UN's urban development agency estimating 40% of people worldwide lack access to adequate housing. Datshiane Navanayagam talks to female architects in Tanzania and Spain designing cheaper, more sustainable homes.Victoria Heilman founded the Tanzania Women Architects for Humanity (TAWAH), a group of architects, engineers, quantity surveyors and scientists. TAWAH tackles housing poverty and gender inequality by teaching women construction skills. The training enables them to build affordable, environmentally friendly homes for elderly residents who would otherwise be living in unsafe and uncomfortable housing, at a time in their lives when they are most vulnerable. Cristina Gamboa is a Spanish architect and co-founder of Lacol, a cooperative of 14 architects established in 2014 in Barcelona. The group design homes, offices, community buildings and art spaces that are environmentally sustainable, affordable and bring people together.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Victoria Heilman courtesy Tanzania Women Architects for Humanity. (R) Cristina Gamboa credit Lacol.)

Two women from Greece and Sweden tell Datshiane Navanayagam about the dog training process and the prejudices service dogs still face when it comes to broader societal acceptance.Lia Stoll is a Greek-Canadian guide dog trainer and co-founder of Lara Guide Dogs school in Greece. She was inspired by her father, who was also a guide dog mobility instructor, as Lia grew up with guide dogs and working with people who are blind and partially sighted.Anki Celander is a dog behaviourist and trainer who co-founded an assistance dog school in Sweden and now helps people with disabilities to train their own dogs to become certified assistance animals. She has over two decades of experience.Produced by Emily Naylor(Image: (L) Lia Stoll courtesy Lia Stoll. (R) Anki Celander courtesy Anki Celander.)

Two women from Italy and the US tell Datshiane Navanayagam about following the movements of growing wolf packs in Yellowstone National Park and the Italian Alps.Elisa Ramassa started work as a park ranger in Italy's Gran Bosco di Salbertrand, near Turin, in 1997. That same year the park recorded the first sightings of a wolf pack. They'd been extinct in the Italian Alps since the 1920s. She's spent the whole of her career tracking the local wolves, observing pack behaviour and family structures, while watching the population re-establish itself. Erin Stahler is a biological science technician and the programme manager for the Yellowstone Wolf Project. Wolves were reintroduced to the park in 1995 and there's now 10 packs making up a steady population of around 100 wolves. She says the wide open spaces of Yellowstone National Park make it a perfect place for studying the fascinating behaviour of wolves.Produced by Jane Thurlow (Image: (L) Elisa Ramassa courtesy Elisa Ramassa. (R) Erin Stahler credit NPS.)

Award-winning actor Fiona Shaw is best known for her roles in Killing Eve, Bad Sisters, Fleabag, True Detective: Night Country and even as Aunt Petunia in Harry Potter, among many other things. She's now starring in a new film adaptation of Deborah Levy's novel, Hot Milk, playing Rose, who goes to Almería in Spain with her daughter, Sofia, played by Emma Mackey, to try to find a cure for Rose's mysterious paralysis at an experimental clinic. Fiona joined Nuala McGovern to discuss it.Jenny Evans was a young actress riding high on the success of her first feature film when she was sexually assaulted by someone who was in the public eye. When she later found the courage to report this crime to the police, details of what she had experienced were printed in a tabloid newspaper. Jenny decided to retrain as a journalist to try and figure out how this could have happened. She went on to help expose the abuses of power in the press and police that have become known as the 'phone-hacking scandal'. Nuala spoke to Jenny about her memoir Don't Let it Break You, Honey.The film director Gurinder Chadha has released a trailer to celebrate this summer's cricket fixtures between England and India's women's teams. She joined Datshiane Navanayagam to discuss why she's chosen to put women's cricket under the spotlight and the legacy of her last hit film about women's sport, Bend It Like Beckham.Amy Powney is the fashion designer best known for being the Creative Director at Mother of Pearl for 10 years until she left to set up her own label, Akyn, earlier this year. Amy's mission to create a sustainable clothing line was explored in the documentary Fashion Reimagined which saw her trace clothes from field to runway and cemented her as an authority on this within the wider industry. Amy joined Kylie Pentelow in the Woman's Hour studio.The Women's Euros started this week, with teams from both England and Wales taking part. The Lionesses won the Euros in 2022 and much was made of the number of openly lesbian players both in the England squad and across the other teams. In a new graphic novel called Florrie a football love story, Anna Trench tells the story of the ground breaking women footballers from the end of the First World War and highlights the pioneering lesbians players of the past. Anna joins Nuala in discussion along with Rachael Bullingham, Senior Lecturer of Sport and Exercise at the University of Gloucestershire.Presenter: Datshiane Navanayagam Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Rebecca Myatt

Laura McAllister is the Vice-President of UEFA. During her own football career Laura was the captain of Wales' women's team, gaining 24 caps for her country. Wales have qualified for this year's Euros for the first time and will play their debut match tomorrow, as will England who are defending their title after winning at Wembley in 2022. Laura joins Datshiane Navanayagam ahead of those first games. Award-winning playwright Beth Steel tells Datshiane how her working-class, northern roots inspire her hit play Till The Stars Come Down. Set at the wedding of Sylvia and Marek - the vodka flows and dances are shared, passions boil over and the limits of love are tested. She becomes the fifth female playwright to transfer from the National Theatre to the West End.The film director Gurinder Chadha has released a trailer to celebrate this summer's cricket fixtures between England and India's women's teams. She joins Datshiane to discuss why she's chosen to put women's cricket under the spotlight and the legacy of her last hit film about women's sport, Bend It Like Beckham. The musical icon Angélique Kidjo has become the first black African performer to be selected for a star on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame. Kidjo, who comes from the West African country of Benin, and has won five Grammy awards, was among the 35 names announced as part of the Walk of Fame's class of 2026 list. Music journalist Kate Hutchinson tells us more. Presenter: Datshiane Navanayagam Producer: Corinna Jones

An Indian chef who opened a patisserie in Jaipur and a Syrian chef with two pastry shops in the heart of Paris tell Datshiane Navanayagam about adding new layers to French classics.After training at le Cordon Bleu school in Paris Tejasvi Chandela returned to her hometown of Jaipur to open Dzurt, the first pastry shop in the city. She also teaches masterclasses at cookery schools around the world to show to what extent the techniques and flavours of Indian mithai are compatible with modern European-style pastry.Myriam Sabet has two pastry shops in Paris. Originally from Syria Myriam's first career was in finance but she changed direction to baking after the birth of her daughter. She founded Maison Aleph with her husband where she focuses on crunchy pastry which reminds her of the sweets of her youth. Myriam brings together classic French pastries with a twist, like crispy phyllo nests featuring pistachio and ice cream enriched with za'atar, honey, and apricot.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Myriam Sabet credit Jacques Gavard. (R) Tejasvi Chandela credit Bhuvan Gaur.)

Two women from Hungary and the UK talk to Datshiane Navanayagam about the intensity, skill and resilience required for modern glassmaking. Mira Davida is a Hungarian glass artist based in Stockholm, Sweden. She specialises in flameworking, a technique that uses a high-temperature hand torch to shape borosilicate glass. Her sculptural works often draw inspiration from botanical forms and the natural landscapes of Sweden.Phoebe Stubbs is a British glassblower with nearly two decades of experience. She is the founder of Gather, one of the last remaining hot glass studios in London. Phoebe combines traditional furnace glassblowing with contemporary design to create tableware, lighting and sculptural pieces.Produced by Emily Naylor(Image: (L) Phoebe Stubbs courtesy Phoebe Stubbs. (R) Mira Davida credit Oscar Nord.)

Whitley Fund for Nature 2025 winners from Brazil and Nepal tell Datshiane Navanayagam about their efforts to save the plants and animals they love from extinction.Reshu Bashyal is working to stop illegal poaching of wild orchids and Maire's Yew trees in Nepal. Both plants are prized for their medicinal properties. Reshu is the research lead at Kathmandu-based Greenhood Nepal and has interviewed hundreds of yew harvesters to understand their motivations and harvest techniques. She is now restoring 1,000 hectares of habitat for orchids and Maire's Yews, creating a community forest to promote best practices and developing an app for law enforcers to identify 100 plants that are trafficked.Dr Yara Barros has revived jaguars from the brink of extinction in Iguacu National Park in Brazil where numbers plunged to just 11 individuals. Her solutions include setting up a 24/7 rapid response unit where local people can report sightings or attacks by jaguars. Yara started her career working with the last Spix's Macaw in the wild before going to work in a zoo. A face-to-face encounter with a male jaguar called 'Croissant' convinced her to devote the rest of her career to protecting the apex predators.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Reshu Bashyal credit Whitley Fund for Nature. (R) Yara Barros credit Whitley Awards.)

Datshiane Navanayagam talks to women from Nigeria and the UK who are trying to ensure what we throw away doesn't go to waste.Esther Fagbo is a partner at Wecyclers in Nigeria – a for-profit social enterprise that pays waste pickers and households for their recyclable rubbish in densely populated Lagos. Alongside her work at Wecyclers she has carried out projects with Fair Plastic Alliance, an NGO that supports the health and livelihood of waste workers, including a 2024 documentary Heroes of Recycling.Maxine Mayhew is chief operating officer, collections and specialist services at Biffa, one of the UK's largest waste-management companies. They work out what can be recycled and deliver to recycling centres. Maxine oversees collections and sorting of household waste for local authorities, as well as all industrial and commercial collection and waste from construction and demolitions. She also heads up the company shop group which stops goods that could be in the food chain going to landfill, so that they can instead go to those facing food poverty.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Maxine Mayhew credit Biffa. (R) Esther Fagbo credit Fotovillager/Asere Oluwatunmise Samuel.)

How does it feel to meet someone who connects you to a darker chapter of your family history? Datshiane Navanayagam is joined by two women whose experience of this has led them to delve deeper into their own family's ties to both slavery and enslavement.Diana McCaulay is a Jamaican novelist. She discovered that she's related to both enslaved people and enslavers when an ancestry-tracking TV programme contacted her out of the blue. Diana's latest book, A House for Miss Pauline takes inspiration from what she discovered and the questions that are left unanswered.In 2007 Betty Kilby Baldwin was contacted by a white woman in Virginia who suspected that she's the descendant of the family once enslaved Betty's. After meeting in person, the two women began a shared process of truth and reconciliation; co-writing a memoir and working with organisation called Coming to the Table which brings together people wanting to learn the history of their connection to slavery and its legacies.Produced by Hannah Dean and Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Diana McCaulay credit Jeremy Francis. (R) Betty Kilby Baldwin courtesy Betty Kilby Baldwin.)

Chinese PHD student Zhenhao Zou was recently convicted for drugging and raping 10 different women in both London and China. Police only managed to identify two of those 10 women, but have just announced that a further 23 women have now come forward with allegations. No victims have given media interviews before but Wanqing Zhang, senior reporter from the BBC's Global China Unit, has managed to make contact with two of the women.Sally Phillips is the actor, writer, comedian, presenter and disability rights campaigner. Her career includes successful television British comedies such as Smack the Pony, I'm Alan Partridge, and Miranda. And she has recently reprised her role as Shazzer, in the latest Bridget Jones film - Mad About the Boy. She joins Datshiane Navanayagam to talk about her new BBC comedy series, Austin, playing an illustrator married to a much-loved children's author performed by Ben Miller.Social media influencer Danielle Mansutti says she is suing a Harley Street plastic surgeon after she says she was left with what she describes as overly large breasts and what she says is 'a poor cosmetic appearance'. If you are someone who has an elective cosmetic procedure - how much control can you expect to have over the end result? Marc Pacifico, an aesthetic cosmetic surgeon and President of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, and Ashton Collins, Director of Save Face - a UK-based register of safe, ethical, and qualified medical aesthetic practitioners, discuss.The Neonatal Care Act starts next week. It allows employed parents to take up to 12 weeks of additional leave on top of their maternity or paternity leave if their newborn baby stays in hospital for more than seven days. We hear from Catriona Ogilvy, founder of premature baby charity The Smallest Things, who has been fighting for this law change for 10 years.How much do you worry about the amount of time your child or children spend on their phone or computer? Have you tried to do something to limit access? We were contacted by a concerned listener who has two children aged 12 and 15. She would like tech companies to help support putting restrictions in place. To discuss the dilemma for parents and what parents can do we hear from BBC's technology editor Zoe Kleinman.Presenter: Datshiane Navanayagam Producer: Kirsty Starkey

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 the 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.)

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.)

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.)

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.)

Felicity Jones has been nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA for her role in The Brutalist, in which she plays Erzsébet, a Hungarian journalist who emigrates to the US in the late 1950s to join her architect husband. She joined Anita Rani to discuss her portrayal of this complex character and the other memorable roles she's taken on, from Ruth Bader Ginsberg to Jane Wilde Hawking.Zla Mavka is a non-violent all-female Ukrainian resistance group, fighting against Russian occupation. It spreads newsletters and shares experiences aiming to support others. Anita was joined by the Guardian's chief culture writer, Charlotte Higgins, who has spoken to some of the members and Tetyana Filevska, the curator at the Ukrainian Institute, to find out more.Kate Fagan has been a US basketball player, an ESPN journalist and has written three non-fiction books. She joined Datshiane Navanayagam to discuss her first novel, The Three Lives of Cate Kay.More people in their late 20s are still living with their parents – it's up by more than a third in nearly two decades according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Men are also more likely than women to stay in the family home, with 23% of 25-34 year old men living with their parents compared to 15% of women the same age. Anita spoke to writer and counsellor Lucy Cavendish who has two adult sons living at home, and Associate Professor and family therapist Dr Hannah Sherbersky.It has been reported that USA women's footballer Naomi Girma has agreed terms to join Chelsea FC for a world record transfer fee of £900,000 or $1.1 million. Anita was joined by Tom Garry, Women's Football writer at The Guardian.Elise Downing is known for running 5,000 miles self-supported around the British coast over the course of 10 months. She was not only the youngest person, but also the only female to have completed the challenge. Along the way she saw Britain at its wild and wonderful best. She has now written Walk Britain, packed with inspiring car-free ideas on how to get out and explore stunning locations – from the Cornish coast to the Yorkshire Dales and the Isle of Arran. She joined Datshiane to talk about some of the 90 different routes that can be completed on foot, all accessible by public transport.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Sarah Jane Griffiths

After 15 months of devastating conflict, a ceasefire agreement has been reached between Israel and Hamas, and three female hostages – Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher - have been released and are now back in Israel. This release is the first of several expected over the next six weeks, with a total of 33 hostages to be returned. Ninety Palestinian prisoners were released overnight in exchange for the hostages, the Israeli prison service has said - most of them women and teenage boys. The UN estimates that 1.9 million people in Gaza have been internally displaced since the start of the most recent conflict, some 90% of the population. The humanitarian situation remains critical, with widespread destruction and significant damage to infrastructure including hosptials and severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine, and shelter. Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to BBC Chief Correspondent Lyce Doucet. We also hear from Ghada Al-Kourd in Deir al-Balah in the centre of the Gaza strip, and Sharone Lifschitz, whose parents were taken hostage by Hamas in October 2023.Geneticists from Trinity College Dublin and archaeologists from Bournemouth University have found evidence of female political and social empowerment during Britain's Iron Age. DNA sampled from a burial site in Dorset shows that two-thirds of the women were closely related, suggesting that women lived in the same communities and passed on their land and wealth to their daughters, while unrelated men tended to join the community from elsewhere. This type of social structure, known as “matrilocality” is the first documented instance in European pre-history and challenges the assumption that most societies were patrilocal. Dr Lara Cassidy, an Assistant Professor of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin who led the research, discusses the findings. President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated today in Washington D.C. It is of course his second term, having previously served as the 45th US president, he will now also become the 47th. So what will a second Trump presidency mean for women, both in the US and around the world? Datshiane is joined by Jennifer Ewing from Republicans Overseas and the BBC's Holly Honderich to discuss.Elise Downing is known for running 5,000 miles self-supported around the British coast over the course of 10 months. She was not only the youngest person, but also the only female to have completed the challenge. Along the way she saw Britain at its wild and wonderful best. She has now written Walk Britain, packed with inspiring car-free ideas on how to get out and explore stunning locations – from the Cornish coast to the Yorkshire Dales and the Isle of Arran.  She joins Datshiane to talk about some of the 90 different routes across that can be completed on foot, all accessible by public transport.Presented by Datshiane Navanayagam Producer: Louise Corley