Lauren O'Connell (pictured, left), Beauty Editor at Cosmopolitan Middle East, and Alice Sara Lovell (pictured, right), Director of Partnerships at The Wall Street Journal, have announced the launch of Shades of Pink, an eight-episode podcast series for women navigating cancer.

The pair were introduced by their Dubai oncologist after both received breast cancer diagnoses at a young age. The podcast features raw conversations about resilience, survival and finding joy beyond diagnosis, aimed at those recently diagnosed, undergoing treatment or navigating life after cancer.

Lauren says: "Our mission is to bring positivity, hope, and humour to women facing a diagnosis and going through treatment, while showing the world that life continues to be filled with joy even after a cancer diagnosis."

Alice adds: "When I was first diagnosed, I was overwhelmed by so many dark and frightening stories about cancer. It was difficult to find anything that made me feel hopeful about the future. Almost a year on, having continued working throughout my treatment, I've realised just how important it is to share stories that show you can not only survive cancer, but thrive beyond it."

Episodes run 30–45 minutes and cover treatment, body image, identity, career pressures, relationships, fertility, motherhood and survivorship. The first episode introduces Lauren and Alice's personal stories. Episodes two to seven feature in-depth conversations with five women and one man. The final episode reflects on the season's key takeaways.

Season one will be distributed on Spotify and YouTube, with short-form content on Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts.