For the Little Girls with Crazy Hair: We're Women of the Year Finalists
These two little girls had no idea what was coming.
When we were growing up in Mackay, we were absolutely convinced we were going to become hairdressers. We both had short, unruly, frizzy bobs that we hated with a passion, and all we wanted was long, beautiful hair. Going to the hairdresser with Mum felt glamorous.
The women there seemed so confident and fabulous, and we wanted to be just like them.
Life, obviously, had other plans.
We didn't have it all mapped out
As we got older, things became a little less clear. We loved science, but we weren't those girls with their whole future planned out. If we're honest, a lot of that came down to confidence — that little voice asking, "What if I'm not smart enough? What if I say I want to do this and I can't?"
Our mum was a pharmacist. Growing up, we watched her work incredibly hard while caring deeply about the people she helped. She was intelligent, compassionate and strong, and she became one of the biggest reasons we found our way into pharmacy too.
But having each other has always been our real superpower. When one of us has doubted herself, the other has usually found enough belief for both of us. There are so many things we probably wouldn't have been brave enough to do alone.
From hospital wards to your feed
Somehow, those two little girls from Mackay became clinical cancer pharmacists. Courtney went on to author the Pharmacy Anti-Cancer Drug Course for the Cancer Institute NSW (eviQ Education), now used by pharmacists internationally. Miranda specialised in haematology, sub-specialised in acute leukaemia at Toronto's Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, then came home to the Gold Coast as Assistant Director of Pharmacy at Gold Coast University Hospital.
Then we became mums. And through years of working with patients, talking to women and navigating our own health, we kept seeing the same problem: women were overwhelmed. So much information. So much conflicting advice. So many loud voices online — and not enough places to find credible, easy-to-understand health information from people qualified to give it.
It started over a glass of champagne
Pretty Proven really did start over a glass of champagne, swapping the most outrageous health posts we'd seen on our feeds that week. Some were wrong. Some were misleading. Some were genuinely harmful — and women were being targeted by them more than anyone.
Instead of continuing to say "someone should really create this", we realised we had to be the ones to do it. What started as an Instagram account has grown into a website, blog, podcast, book club and a community of women who are invested in their health and tired of being sold to.
Our favourite moment so far? Having coffee with a friend who quoted a fact from "this post she'd seen last week" — not realising it was ours. That's when we knew it was working.
In a recent Pretty Proven community survey:
89% said their confidence navigating health information had increased
86% felt more empowered making decisions about their health
97% would recommend Pretty Proven as a women's health resource
Finalists. (Pinch us.)
So seeing our names and faces among the finalists in the Wellness Warriors category of the 2026 Gold Coast Bulletin Women of the Year Awards, presented by Harvey Norman, feels incredibly surreal.
We keep thinking about those little girls in Mackay. They didn't know they'd become pharmacists. They didn't know they'd become mothers. They didn't know they'd one day build something together to help women feel more informed, less overwhelmed and more confident about their health. And they definitely didn't imagine seeing their names here.
We think they'd be really proud. Not because of an award or a title, but because somewhere along the way we learned to back ourselves.
To every woman who put her hand up
To every woman who applied, was nominated, became a finalist or simply had the courage to put herself forward: we see you. There is something incredibly powerful about a woman owning her story — what she has built, what she has overcome, and the impact she is trying to make. Trophy or not, that is already worth celebrating.
Thank you to the Gold Coast Bulletin, Harvey Norman, The Star Gold Coast and every partner behind these awards for shining a light on women doing meaningful work in our community.
Do it for the little gals with crazy hair 🤍
People's Choice voting is open now and takes less than a minute. If Pretty Proven has ever helped you feel a little more sure of yourself, we'd be so grateful for your vote.
Vote here: Gold Coast Bulletin – 2026 Women of the Year finalists
Category: Wellness Warriors – Courtney Oar & Miranda Chan, Pretty Proven
Closing date: Voting closes at 11:59pm on Sunday 1 November 2026
Gala event: Winners will be announced at The Star Gold Coast on Saturday 14 November 2026
We have a feeling young Courtney and Miranda would be pretty excited about it too.
Courtney & Miranda
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