THE SERIES
Episode One: FINDING HOME
In “Finding Home” we follow Marie Rose, fisher woman and co-founder of the company Shoreline Wild Salmon, which distributes wild caught Alaskan salmon to the mid-west of the United States. Originally from Battle Creek Michigan, Marie early on knew she had a trait of making a difference in the world. But it wasn’t the spirit of adventure that drove her to leave rather an abusive relationship that left its scars. While getting a look into Marie’s work as a fisher woman and how she and her two business partners, Joe and Keith, catch and distribute their salmon within Michigan, we learn of Marie’s personal journey of finding her new home and coming to terms with past demons.
This is an episode that touches on themes of domestic violence, resilience, and adventure on a journey of sacrifice, and determination, which, by the way, compares similar to the journey of the salmon. Told she would never achieve success, Marie is a force of nature, as she grows into a successful businesswoman and a caring person interested only in the welfare of others.
Episode Two: THE CLIMB
Suzanna Randall has always dreamt of becoming an astronaut ever since being amazed by a picture of one of the mars moons called Phobos, which she saw as a young girl. However, little did she realize what a long uphill battle this would become. In “The Climb” we follow Suzanna’s attempts to pursue her dream of becoming an astronaut only to fall short time and again. Odds have always been also stacked against her. While many women from the USA, Russia or Japan have seen their share of space, it is Germany that has yet to send its first female astronaut into space. With a privately funded space program, Claudia Kessler wanted to change that statistic and make history. While Suzanna manages to get selected as astronaut trainee on her second attempt, the journey is far from over. Their biggest hurdle is to secure financing to go to space but neither the German space agency nor the German government has yet given their support. However, this hasn’t stopped Suzanna, her colleague Insa Thiele-Eich, and Claudia. Furthermore, if Suzanna has learned anything from her multiple setbacks, it’s not just the destination that counts but the journey to get there. This is a journey, which she knows will require patience and determination.
In this episode, we touch upon themes of determination, second chances, gender inequality. This episode follows the hopes and dreams of Suzanna destined to write the next chapter in space exploration.
Episode Three: COMEBACK
Vivien Keszthelyi’s race car career started at the age of 13 where she was required to get a special permit just to compete in the European Swift Cup. Furthermore, she would be the first female race car driver to join the Audi Race Academy and make her mark in the RS8 cup. Her hope was to one-day drive formula cars. In “Comeback” we follow Vivien’s attempt at one of the hardest and, perhaps most unconventional, paths — transition from touring cars to formula cars. With the opportunity to qualify for the all-female racing Series, the W-series, this 18-year-old girl was determined to prove that she can adapt to a new environment and perform well under pressure. When, however, she crashes in her first race, she will have more to prove than anticipated.
Themes of setback, finding balance in life, and maturity are on the forefront of this episode. We know Vivien has remarkable maturity, extraordinary racing intelligence, and excellent driving skills, but can she survive a horrible crash. In this episode we will find out if she can deliver.
Episode Four: LA FAMILIA
In “La Familia” we follow Diamilette Quiles Alicea the first female baseball player to play in the Double-A men’s baseball league. Diamy, as she’s known among her family and fellow players, has represented Puerto Rico in two Women’s Baseball World Cups, played for ten years in the Puerto Rico’s women’s league, won nine titles with the Arecibo Wolves, and led the league with an incredible .611 batting average. Her climb to success on the baseball diamond was nothing short of amazing. However, it wasn’t until her first game for the Montañeses de Utuado that something remarkable happened. It was not just the fact that she became the first woman to play in the men’s league, but it was a homecoming on multiple levels. Diamy’s parents separated while she was growing up and this was not easy for her. But at the debut game with the Montañeses, there was a reunion of her mother and father, who didn’t want to miss this historic event of their daughter, but also, her Grandmother, who had never stepped foot into a baseball stadium, came to see Diamy play. A day of family surprises made this day the most special one in Diamy’s career.
In this episode, we touch upon themes of family, separation, becoming a role model and giving back to others. Diamy has worked hard to accomplish what she wanted to achieve. She never allowed her gender to stop or slow her down. She is far from reaching her goals. Her successes are being translated into the lives of other women who are following her gentle but determined example. Her greatest legacy may lie in what she is teaching other young women.
Episode Five: A WOMAN’S NEW WORLD
Antonín Dvořák Symphony 9 “From The New World” is a composition known worldwide. For Tianyi Lu it holds a special place in her heart, as it became the pivotal piece in her career. Born in Shanghai, China, Tianyi Lu’s family moved to New Zealand at a time when China was going through an economic slump. The move would cause Tianyi to struggle with her identity as a Chinese immigrant and force her to find an identity in both a male dominated profession and in the global environment in which she lives.
In “A Woman’s New World” we get an intimate look at the work and life of this incredible, fascinating, and determined young woman who became an orchestra conductor and has made her mark in a male dominated field. Under immense pressure, we see the hours of work put into her performance with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Australia. Furthermore, we travel with her to Turku, Finland where she performed Dvořák’s Symphony 9 and where we learn how she comes to terms with her global identity that led to Tianyi finding her place in this new world.
Feelings of identity, fear, and strength are explored in this episode. This traveling conductor has had to overcome her own struggles and hardships to find her inner balance and yet, Tianyi, who considers herself a guardian of these famous orchestral music pieces, is just at the beginning of making her mark in the 21st century.
Episode Six: ENDLESS LEARNING
In „Endless Learning“ we travel alongside Anny Divya, the youngest certified command pilot for Air India of the Boing 777 aircraft. Anny is originally from Vijayawade, India, a city in the southeast state of Andhra Pradesh. In this episode we learn what it takes to fly the Boeing 777, which is known as the longest-range twin-engine jet in the world. Due to her work, Anny has travelled much of the world but her dream of becoming a pilot started at a young girl when looking at the skies and wanting to touch the clouds. With her parent’s support, Anny would step into a plane her very first time when learning how to fly. She now fly’s ultra-long flights from India to North America. While she reached international attention by becoming the youngest commander pilot of the 777 in the world, the most surprising fact we learn is that India has the highest representation of female pilots, far outpacing the global representation of 5%. However, even though Anny has reached great heights in her career, she’s still grounded in her life and will continue to find ways to step out of her comfort zone, never being afraid to try something new. Thus, we will learn that Anny isn’t just a pilot but an incredible and multi-talented woman.
Themes of determination, multi-talented, with a will to expand horizons and perspectives, are among the issues that are addressed in this episode. Anny is just at the beginning of a career to set new boundaries and rise to new heights while achieving what was once the unthinkable.