As Seen on Good Morning America: She Means Business - International Women's Day 2025

Happy International Women’s Day!  From revolutionizing beauty routines to fashion staples, visionary female founders are transforming the industry while inspiring the next generation. This past weekend on GMA, we celebrated those women by highlighting their companies and all they’ve accomplished.

1) The Elephant Project:

SaveUs Plushies, $39, theelephantproject.com

-After traveling through Thailand and witnessing the mistreatment of elephants, Kristina McKean started The Elephant Project, which significantly contributes to saving them. 

-Created adorable plushies that children love

-100% of the net proceeds from animal plushie sales go to organizations that help fight the poaching crisis and care for injured, abandoned, orphaned, and abused elephants. 

-3 options are available on the site - Kiki, Tembo and Oba

-TEP has even expanded its platform to include lions and rescue dogs as well.

2) Vera Bradley:

Vera Bradley Heritage Collection, $70-$130, verabradley.com

 -The renowned colorful bag brand has recently become the latest TikTok sensation!

-While traveling on vacation in March of 1982, neighbors and friends Patricia R. Miller and Barbara Bradley Baekgaard were awaiting a flight in Atlanta when they noticed a lack of colorful, distinctive luggage.

-These dynamic women turned $500 into a company named after Barbara’s mother to design, manufacture, and market colorful, high-quality handbags, luggage and accessories for women.

-Since then, bag lines have expanded to include multiple collections and signature patterns 

-Vera Bradley continues to give back to their foundation, the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer, which has raised over 40M to fund life-saving research

3) Indie Lee:

Indie Lee Clean Skincare Products, Starting at $50, indielee.com
-Founder of the popular clean skincare line, Indie Lee - Indie Lee is a two-time brain tumor survivor and passionate advocate for health-conscious living.

-After being diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor believed to be environmentally derived, Indie transformed her personal health crisis into a mission-driven brand, Indie Lee Skincare. 

-Set out to revolutionize the beauty industry with clean, effective, and science-backed formulations. 

-Brand sources the finest ingredients from the earth, ensuring every product meets the highest standards of clean beauty, cruelty-free ethics, and sustainability. 

-With COSMOS and Leaping Bunny certifications, Indie Lee Skincare is committed to transparency, avoiding harmful chemicals, and delivering skincare that nurtures both people and the planet. 
4) Gooseberry Designs:

Gooseberry Designs, $25 - $70, gooseberrydesigns.com 

-Gooseberry Designs is a woman-owned and family-operated studio that creates hand-drawn, stylish, fun illustrated designs of state maps and locations 

-Ranging from kitchen towels to laser-etched bamboo boards, each piece is crafted to celebrate your favorite places with nostalgia and eco-conscious craftsmanship.
5) Make it Cute Playhouses:

Make it Cute Playhouses, $150 for playhouse with CODE GMA30 *EXCLUSIVE makeitcutekids.com

 -Driven by their passion for responsible materials and philanthropy, Make It Cute set out to reinvent a timeless classic - the children’s playhouse. 

-Amanda Seyfried and her two best friends' goal was to create an adorable line of Play Decor™ that was safe and planet-friendly. 

-By fusing their love for creativity and charity, they created a brand that promotes responsible play while giving back to the community.

-For every playhouse purchased, Make It Cute will plant one tree in an area of the world most in need of reforestation through a partnership with The Canopy Project. They are also partners with 501(c)(3) organizations, including the American Childhood Cancer Organization, to distribute donated playhouses to be used as safe, comforting spaces, to facilitate play therapy, and to offer endless play possibilities in times of need.