Inspired by Maya Angelou's celebrated poem ‘Phenomenal Woman’ Join us for an intimate and inspiring evening hosted at the Gaisborough Hotel

About the Series

Inspired by Maya Angelou's celebrated poem Phenomenal Woman, Theresa McDermott founded the series in 2018 to celebrate women who have made an outstanding contribution in their chosen fields. Each event offers an intimate opportunity to hear first-hand from exceptional women, exploring not only their achievements but also the experiences, resilience and determination behind their success.

Join us for the final evening of our 2026 series at The Gainsborough Bath Spa with Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza, Ph.D. chemical biologist, conservation leader and National Geographic Explorer leading the global movement protecting pollinators and the Amazon.

Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza is a Ph.D. chemical biologist, conservation leader and National Geographic Explorer leading the global movement protecting pollinators and the Amazon. Raised between the Peruvian Andes and the rainforest, she bridges cutting-edge science with ancestral knowledge to drive real-world environmental change.

Her work has achieved the world's first legal recognition of an insect's rights, inspired national and local conservation laws, increased the value of native honey by over 500%, and helped launch new models for positive nature-based economies across Indigenous territories. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Amazon Research Internacional, working across the Amazon basin to protect biodiversity, empower communities and build climate resilience.

Her leadership has been recognised by the Rolex Perpetual Planet Award (2026), BBC's 100 Most Influential Women (2024), the UNESCO-Al Fozan Prize for Young Scientists, Peru's Order of Merit, the nation's highest civilian honour, and the New Explorer Award from The Explorers Club (2025). Her work has been featured by The New York Times, Forbes, The Guardian, Vogue, BBC, CNN and National Geographic, and she has appeared in documentary projects with the BBC, Rolex, Discovery Channel and Disney.

Rosa's passion for exploration and conservation is reflected in her book, The Spirit of the Rainforest, which takes readers on an immersive journey through the Amazon, weaving together adventure, science, and the deep-rooted wisdom of indigenous cultures. Closing out the 2026 series, she will share the stories behind a career spent bridging science and ancestral knowledge, and what it takes to protect what truly matters.

Past Speakers Have Included:

Thangam Debbonaire, Member of the House of Lords

Lorraine Whitmarsh MBE, Environmental Psychologist

Anita Bhagwandas, Award-Winning Journalist & Broadcaster

Margaret Heffernan, Internationally Renowned Business Thinker

Lady Carnarvon, Fiona, 8th Countess of Carnarvon.

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England

Join us for another inspiring evening at The Gainsborough Bath Spa.

· Date: Thursday 2nd December 2026

· Time: 5:30pm-7:30pm

· Location: The Gainsborough Bath Spa etc

· Tickets: £15 (includes prosecco and canapés)

Book your place today – we'd love to welcome you.

Description supplied by the event organiser.