Season 2 of beliEVE with its focus on how women are championing UN’s SDG goals comes to a close, with this episode, where host Elsa Marie speaking to serial entrepreneur, Rashmi Putcha. Rashmi runs Inaari, to mainstream conversations around menstruation and talk about how the menstrual cycle profoundly affects women’s health, in school and at the workplace. She advocates for better understanding of women’s health for greater gender equality and is working to reduce taboos around the subject. Tune into BeliEVE for this Women’s Day special on aawaz.

Swarnalatha J is a disability rights activist, singer, photographer, motivational speaker and a beauty pageant winner. She often writes short stories and can speak about 10 languages. She is wheelchair bound ever since she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2009, and works tirelessly to improve accessibility in public spaces for differently abled people via The Swarga Foundation. Her husband and she also set up Sowkhya Physiotherapy Centre to offer free counseling and rehabilitation to more than 7000 patients, since late 2018. Hear her speak to host Elsa Marie D’Silva on her incredible journey battling a debilitating disease, and finding the will to go on and champion her vision for a society that is truly more inclusive. She speaks candidly about being a Childhood Sexual Abuse survivor and struggles with suicide, and talks about how she found the strength to overcome these circumstances. Today she is a beacon of light for others overcoming trauma and life altering events, while remaining grounded and positive. Tune in to hear her inspiring and humbling perspective on this episode of BeliEVE.

We hear from Kanta Singh, Country Programme Manager, UN Women on this episode. Our guest talks about her extraordinary journey from a small village in Haryana where women stay behind to ‘parda’, to playing volleyball to landing a coveted job at The United Nations. This inspiring changemaker shares how feminism shaped her worldview and enabled her to fight for her own rights and advocate for the freedoms for other women. Today, Kanta Singh has spearheaded Govt. programs in collaboration with the Haryana State to train women to be financially independent and mobile, and talks about what more can be done to improve the lives of women from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In this episode, listen to Wyonna D'Souza who has dedicated her life working towards the cause of the elderly. Wyonna through her organisation, 'PANA Wellbeing Foundation' believes in giving the elderly a second chance towards life. Her organisation looks after the health and social well-being of senior citizens. Wyonna talks about how unintentionally we neglect elders, which causes them mental trauma. She also states that apart from physical and mental abuse, neglect and abandonment are the bigger issues affecting the seniors in our society. Listen to Wyonna talk about her journey of how she finds solace in giving elders a new ray of hope.

Meet Dhanwanti Rajwade. She is a successful anesthesiologist who knows the importance of every second in the OT, a classically trained pianist and a homemaker with a relentless appetite for serving others. Hear her talk about how she was inspired to choose medicine thanks to an interview that aired on Oprah. Learn how she stays calm and finds time to raise a family while saving lives and enjoying music, thanks to the unstinting support of her family and her relentless zeal to make a difference. On this edition of BeliEVE with host Elsa Marie D'Silva.

In this episode of BeliEVE, hear Sweta Mangal talk about her mission to save lives, by providing over 3500 ambulances, operational across 60+ cities in India. As the driving force at Ziqitza, a first-of-its-kind organization providing emergency medical assistance to those in need, Sweta Mangal's initiative works closely with the government to improve access to affordable healthcare, during trying times. From a very young age, her mother had big dreams for her. From being sent to a boarding school at the age of 6 to studying in the US and working with big giants like TATA and Marico, Shweta Mangal has always paved her own way to success. She quit her comfortable corporate job to build an innovative company in the field of social entrepreneurship. With roots in a small village in Rajasthan, Shweta Mangal's story is an inspirational one. Hear what drove her to follow her dreams and took her all the way to the UN General Assembly in 2012, in conversation with host Elsa Marie D'Silva.

In this episode, our guest Dr. Anita Sengupta, a rocket scientist and aerospace engineer speaks about her incredible journey and what it means to be a woman working at the forefront of space exploration. Apart from being associated with NASA for over 15 years, Dr.Anita Sengupta is also the CEO and founder of Hydroplane Ltd. which works on building hydrogen fuel cell powered aircraft. She’s done it all, from being a biker, an engineer to being certified as a instrument rated pilot and teaching college. Through her work she inspires girls and underrepresented groups to pursue careers in science and technology. Catch our host Elsa talk to her about her fascinating life journey and just what it took to become a rocket scientist!

It IS radioactive! On this episode of beliEVE, Dr. Mansie Iyer, a scientist, educator and non-proliferation specialist is in conversation with Elsa Marie, discussing her work as a Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence expert. Tune in to hear her story of how she went from getting a PhD in Physics to driving cross-continent forensic investigations in this high technology space. Having crafted an exciting career that demands scientific rigor and a rare technical expertise, Dr. Iyer and her team have recently been recognised for their outstanding contributions by US Govt. agencies like NNSA (National Nuclear Security Administration) for exemplary work in the field of national security.

Meet the saviour of storks, Dr. Purnima Devi Barman! This conservation biologist from Assam has worked tirelessly to rescue the Greater Adjutant Stork species, whose lives are threatened by locals who consider them a bad omen. Dr. Barman has broken gender stereotypes, climbed 100 ft high bamboo platforms, and gone out on a limb, quite literally to save the storks. She is recognized globally as Stork Sister and lovingly called ‘Hargila Baido’, in her local community. She shares her story about the good work being done by the Hargilla Army of local all-women volunteers, who are now 10,000+ ladies strong. A recipient of many prominent awards for her unique mission, as the brains behind NGO Aaranyak, Purnima has been tirelessly working with communities and conducting research on the storks for the last 12 years. Tune into her incredible story of adventure, courage and abiding love for nature.