Category: International

"It's impossible to be Iranian and not political." Artist Shiva Ahmadi shares her personal story of growing up in Tehran during the Revolution and Iran-Iraq War. She talks openly about leaving her parents to come to the States, where she has lived and worked since 2003. This is a riveting, captivating and emotional conversation you won't want to miss.

You'll want to meet and get to know Special Education teacher Dena Grushkin, who recently retired after 35 years in the classroom. However, a 2004 trip to Nigeria turned out to be a seminal moment in her life, opening her eyes to the reality of children living and attending school under the most challenging circumstances. She managed to raise $5,000 from friends, colleagues and strangers for books and other supplies. That visit prompted Dena to create the Nigerian School Project, a nonprofit educational organization that supports teachers and students. In 2009 her organization built a junior secondary school; 5 years later a senior secondary was completed, both on the river community of Tomaro Island. This June marked the first graduation class. This is a conversation you can't afford to miss!

Yasmine Rana has a lot on her mind. A playwright, drama therapist and educator, her plays have been developed and produced in the U.S. and abroad. In 2014, Yasmine was one of 16 finalists for the Francesca Primus Prize for her play, "The War Zone is My Bed." A year later, she received a fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for "Another Spring." Her plays and monologues have been published in numerous reviews. As a drama therapist, Yasmine has worked with refugees in Bosnia, The Republic of Georgia and Switzerland. You'll enjoy meeting and getting to know yet another creative woman.

It is an honor to introduce Lek Chailert, an award-winning conservationist, who has spent the last 20+ years working tirelessly to improve the condition and promote the welfare of elephants in her native Thailand and throughout Asia. In 2005 she was named "Hero of Asia" by Time Magazine and in 2010, was honored by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as one of six Women Heroes of Global Conservation. Not only has her work been documented by National Geographic, the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, CNN and the BBC, she is also the focus of the moving documentary, "Love and Bananas: An Elephant Story." This is a fascinating conversation with an absolutely remarkable woman!.

Michelle Walshe finds herself in a unique category - one of the very few female filmmakers to direct a sports documentary. And what a documentary it is. "Chasing Great," follows 34 year old Richie McCaw, considered by many to be THE best rugby player ever, through his final season as captain of the All Blacks. "Chasing Great" happens to be the highest grossing documentary in New Zealand history and one of the top 100 highest grossing documentaries of all time. Michelle and her husband also happen to be the co-founders of the production company, Augusto. They're expanding their reach to include the U.S. - opening an office in New York City. In a word, Michelle is a dynamo!