Curly hair isn’t “just hair," it’s identity, confidence, and a lifelong relationship that so many people have had to navigate without the right products or education. In this episode of Beauty The Burj, we sit down with Hanna Bouchouicha, founder of Zaphira Nature, to talk about the curly hair struggles so many women in the region silently face such as dryness and frizz to damage, build-up and product confusion.Hanna shares the emotional side of curly hair care, the moment she realised the UAE needed better options, and how Zaphira Nature was built to fill the gap with clean ingredients, science-backed formulas, and products designed for curls that live in GCC weather.She hopes to create more than a product line, she’s building a movement that empowers women to understand their curls, embrace them confidently, and finally feel seen.

Jessica Jazaela is a digital content creator and multi-entrepreneur from Switzerland who now calls Dubai home. She’s passionate about helping aspiring and novice entrepreneurs take their first steps, learn from real-world experience, and build businesses that last. Follow her for actionable advice, motivational tips, and behind-the-scenes insights into entrepreneurship and digital content creation. 

Doing everything right and still stuck? This is why fitness fails busy women. Leila Layana breaks down how busy, high achieving women can build real fitness without extreme diets, endless cardio, or burning themselves out. In this episode, she explains why doing more is not the answer, how stress and structure impact results after 30, and what actually works when work, travel, and life never slow down. Leila shares her journey from corporate burnout to coaching women who want strength, confidence, and consistency without obsession. We talk strength training for women in their 30s and 40s, food myths that sabotage progress, the truth about carbs and supplements, and why systems matter more than motivation. This conversation is about sustainable habits, smarter training, and fitness that fits real life.

In this episode of Beauty & The Burj, Jamila Al-Harthi joins the sleepover with host Shereen Ahmed to explore what it truly means to grow up Emirati–Filipina.They talk about the layered reality of navigating two cultures, two identities, and finding belonging in both. Jamila opens up about her interracial marriage and the beauty, honesty, and cultural conversations that come with it.She shares her journey to becoming an air traffic controller, stepping into one of aviation’s most intense fields with purpose and pride. Together, they reflect on what it means to pave the way for young Emirati women and show them that no dream is too high.

In this episode, we sit down with Miss Universe Pakistan Roma Riaz to discuss her life before pageantry, the challenges she faced, and the hate she encountered along the way. We dive into the highs and lows of pageants, what she’s learned, and how she hopes to inspire young Pakistani girls to believe in themselves and see their place in mainstream media. A story of resilience, empowerment, and hope.

Abbie Kadom has spent years quietly building Hope-Amel, a community-powered initiative that supports single mothers and families across the UAE. In this episode, she shares the moments that shaped her: growing up in Toronto, finding belonging in Dubai, navigating loss and motherhood, and discovering the purpose that would change everything. This is an honest and deeply human conversation about integrity, empathy and the power of one woman deciding that no mother should ever feel alone.

Gee’s story doesn’t start on a runway or in front of a camera. It begins in a tiny martial-arts academy above her home, where discipline was her daily oxygen and confidence wasn’t something she was born with, it was built.From a life that moved slowly to a city that never stops moving, Gee reveals the mindset shifts, the emotional rewiring, and the inner work that shaped her rise. It’s the kind of conversation that pulls back the curtain on what becoming yourself really looks like.

Your gut might be the reason you feel tired, moody or bloated. Nutritionist Maria Escobar joins Beauty & The Burj to explain what your digestion, hormones and cravings are trying to tell you and how simple changes in your daily meals can completely shift your energy.She breaks down how to eat in sync with your cycle, what foods actually balance your hormones, why fiber is non-negotiable and how better gut health can mean clearer skin, better sleep and a happier mind.

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In this cosy Beauty The Burj sleepover episode, Shereen chats with her pageant sister, Logina Salah about life after the Miss Universe spotlight, from Milan Fashion Week runways to rewriting beauty standards and launching her new children’s book The Shining Star.

In this episode of Beauty & The Burj, we sit down with Hanné Ripsaluoma, the Finnish founder and creative director of Dunesi, the Dubai-born fashion brand making conscious clothing cool again.From leaving a successful corporate career in telecoms to building a circular fashion label loved across the region, Hanné opens up about her design philosophy, the challenges of conscious production, and how Dunesi’s “Dubai dream” blends ethics with elegance.

When a Sudanese girl with a finance degree started posting cooking videos for fun, she had no idea it would make her one of Dubai’s most-watched creators. In this raw, unfiltered sleepover chat, Ola Elsharef opens up about building confidence in the age of hate, how trauma became her teacher, and what it really takes to survive the influencer industry in Dubai. It’s deep, funny, and painfully real, the kind of conversation that leaves mascara streaks on your pillow.