Bethany Hamilton was 13 years old when she lost her arm to a shark while surfing. She went on to surf some of the biggest waves in the world. "I've always been drawn to pushing myself into bigger waves ..." she says. "You're just kind of hanging on for dear life — but also tackling it with all you've got."

"I think what "Brainchild" does really well is explore topics that may not be discussed in school traditionally," Srinivasan said. "Brainchild" also offers something new: it's hosted by a woman of color.

"We re-examine history as a way of understanding what's happening in our present time, and where we're heading in the future ..." explains actress Margot Robbie, who will play Queen Elizabeth I. "That's the reason we've told stories since the beginning of time. ... Now, more than ever, the examination of what it's like to be a woman in charge and a woman in power is a very important thing to examine in our society."

"We all know how bad it's been," says Amaria, who has spent nearly two decades in the photojournalism industry. "I've been paid less by men, overlooked on assignments that have been given to men. I've been groped and intimidated in the field and in the workplace by men. But I have been lucky for the most part." More important, Amaria says, the report "detailed an industry that is rampant with physical, emotional, mental discrimination."

"I think one of the things that makes us unique is that we are embedded with a centuries-old Western European tradition that was led by men, and it formed our industry — the classical music industry and opera in particular — maybe a bit more aggressively than others. So I think this conversation is very much needed."

The recent cultural reckoning over sexual assault and harassment has highlighted the dangers women face in workplaces throughout Hollywood, media organizations and in public office. The growing number of accusations has put a spotlight on high-profile men's abuse of power, many times with white men being accused by white women. But what about stories from women of color?