Women in Idaho are facing unique challenges as they grapple with issues of gender equality, women's rights and equal protection of the law.

This is why the Alturas Institute brings together exceptional women each year to Idaho to talk about these issues and find ways to solve them.

This year's "Conversations with Exceptional Women" will include a Pulitzer Prize winner, a Grammy-award winner and other successful women, including Dr. Fiona Hill who served as a national security advisor to three U.S. Presidents.

This year's theme is "Courage is Contagious: Standing Up for Women," and here to talk about next week's conference are Dr. David Adler, the President of the Alturas Institute, Amy Andersson, a Grammy-winning conductor and producer, Dr. Caroline Heldman, the Executive Director of the Representation Project and Chair of the Critical Theory and Social Justice Department at Occidental College in Los Angeles and Karen Crouse, former New York Times Sports writer and author.