Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom from Pexels
The CC Collection is a Career Contessa series highlighting products from Female-Founded brands, a chance for all of us to support the products and tools enabling development while celebrating the businesses that do good in the world.
While I love my two-day shipping, it is time to put our money in the spaces that represent our values and enable leaders who will ensure equal pay and opportunity because women earning $0.82 for every dollar is simply unacceptable.
Don't call it a comeback.
As a super-fan of back-to-school shopping, I am trying to make the best of having my commute back as we prepare to return to the office.
After a very, very long year of video conferencing, I have to remember how to go through my day with everything I need packed in my work bag and not down the hall (especially the snacks I have grown accustomed to getting midday!!).
Fortunately, while I have been responding to emails from my living room, these extraordinary women-owned companies have been growing and building the products to make our return to an office an easy transition!
Lo & Sons, Rowledge Backpack
Do you have that dream bag—the one that is always on your wishlist and just waiting until you land that job that will make you feel like you made it? Well, this is mine.
And while I didn’t change roles while we were remote, I have decided that enduring a global pandemic warrants using this bag as often as possible, including for my commute.
This is the perfect woman-designed backpack to go anywhere—from the office, an airport (if you remember what that is?), or even just your friend's house on days you stay remote but need a coworker, this bag can do it all.
Classy and simple design makes it conference room friendly, but versatile enough to help you transition to happy hour, and made of the highest quality to last through your ten-year career plan.
Price: 
$465
Golden Sage Market, Rise and Shine Bundle
This women-owned company sources all products locally, and 
has everything you need to start your day right. From the coffee to help wake up, to the almond butter and preserves to flavor your toast, and the dates are a calming distraction during morning traffic.
Knowing every single item sold by Golden Sage supports a small business in California without any use of artificial ingredients just makes this bundle taste that much sweeter!
Price: $54
Oceanne, Empowered Women Mug (Clear)
If we have to give up our perfect homemade coffee mid-morning, the least we can do is drink the generic office coffee in style!
Oceanne has designed this 13 oz mug as a subtle reminder to keep shattering ceilings for those that will come after us and appreciate the journey that those before us had taken to give us opportunities.
Empowered women empower women, as the mug says, and we say morning meetings are better with a full mug to help us energize!
Price: $16
Callio Fragrance, Perfume and Travel Perfume Gift Set
The return of in-person meetings is the perfect excuse to update your signature scent, and this set has a one-ounce bottle for your morning routine, and a .33 ounce spray to take with you in your bag if you need to freshen up!
While Kiele is their best seller (jasmine+gardenia=bliss), I am also a fan of the vanilla notes in the Amelia scent and the Coconut hints in Melee.
Price: $52
Joselyn Martinez, The Modern Woman Planner
Regardless of where you are working from moving forward, our world has all shifted over the past year.
Boundaries have blurred as work invaded our homes, and while some of the changes are incredibly welcome (neighborhood walks replacing commuting time), some limits are extremely healthy to help us sign-off from work.
This planner helps outline this exact mentality, with a focus on goals and wellness over meeting notes we will never reference again.
Plus, with the quarterly time frame, this planner is one of the most sleek (aka commute-friendly) to leave plenty of space in your bag for other essentials!
Price: $25
Ooly, Color Luxe Gel Pen
One of my favorite women-owned businesses to let my inner office supply hoarder run wild! A planner in all the same ink color is not nearly as motivating—I am sure there is a scientific study on this.
Fortunately, these Color Luxe Gel Pens are the perfect fine-tip solution for charting all aspects of your life by color!
Price: $15
Make Your Own Polish, Polish Kits
I will always stand by a quick manicure as one of the easiest confidence boosters, and this kit allows you to create the exact color of your dreams.
This women-owned kit gives you all of the tools to make 3 individual bottles of nail polish with a range of hues (and a color guide for those of us that need a little extra help with arts and crafts).
A perfect Sunday night activity to avoid the scaries and bring all of the things that reflect you to the workplace!
Price: $40
Stasher, Starter Kit 7-pack Reusable Bags
These bags are the solution to nearly every problem of working in an office (and beyond!).
- Snacks for the day? Check.
- Pencil bag alternative? Check.
- Leak-proof storage for the extra hand sanitizer and fresh mask? Check.
- TSA-friendly liquids storage for the first trip in over a year? Check.
- Microwave-safe single-serve brownie/cookie/cake cooker? Check.
- Meal prep for your morning smoothie so you can just grab from the freezer, blend and go? Check.
With so many sizes and colors, this reusable bag kit will help you learn the best ways to avoid plastic while being the solution to problems you may not have even known you had.
Price: $93
Pure Balanxed, Jogger Set
Back to work does not have to mean we stop embracing loungewear that has allowed us to focus on our work without being uncomfortable all day.
Pure Balanxed is a collection of everyday basics, made from the highest quality fabrics and including an affirmation tag in every piece because sometimes you need to be reminded that you are enough.
This set is still incredibly video conference friendly for flex days remote, and also one of the things I look forward to on the days I commute.
One of the many advantages to supporting a female-founded business is that women know what women want, especially in a sleek jogger set (including pockets!).
Price: $172
The Career Contessa Podcast
A shameless plug for our weekly podcast, in which we cover various workplace topics from salary transparency and negotiation to prioritizing wellbeing and sharing career lessons.
With commutes back, this is a great way to use drive time (or train, or boat, or bike) to get into the office mindset!
Price: FREE
As always, I'd like to extend a big Thank You to the brands who provided me with samples for pictures and to further experience the products featured.
If you have any favorite Female Founded brands or products that you think Contessas would love, please share with me at kerrimayper@gmail.com or show me how you use the CC Collection products on Instagram @kerrimayper
