The Brilliant Shower Thoughts That Inspired These 3 Female-Founded Businesses

You roll out of bed, make your way to the bathroom, and turn on the shower. As the water heats, you start to wake up. By the time you step under the rushing water, your mind is firing up — and as you lather, your senses ignite.

That’s when you get your best ideas.

Caress knows the power of that moment and believes no great idea should go down the drain. They also know that women, especially women of color, are more likely to pursue passion projects but often lack funding opportunities to bring their ideas to life. Enter Caress Dreams Fund, Caress’ $2.5 million investment in entrepreneurs, helping them turn their dreams into reality through grants, coaching, and community support.

To understand the fund’s impact, we spoke to three Caress Dreams Funds alumni about the shower thoughts that sparked their journeys. Meet Chrishon Lampley, founder of wine and lifestyle brand Love Cork Screw; Naibe Reynoso, founder of children’s publishing company Con Todo Press; and Arion Long, founder of menstrual health company femly.

For Naibe Reynoso, her aha moment struck when she walked into a major bookstore with her kids and couldn’t find any books that reflected their culture. “Despite Latinos making up 20% of the US population, only 5% of children’s books featured Latino characters,” she said. “Books are among the first pieces of media that children are exposed to, and they should mirror the diverse world children live in. Visibility helps children develop a positive self-image and reinforces their sense of identity and belonging.”

For Chrishon Lampley, a disaster was the catalyst for her new venture. After a flood destroyed the art and wine bar she owned in Chicago, she was forced to start over. “This was devastating … but looking back, it was the moment that redirected me onto the path I’m on now,” she said. “I literally woke up one morning and said, you know what? I don’t have a dime to do this, but I’m going to make it happen.”

Arion Long founded femly after she was diagnosed with a tumor and learned it was linked to harmful ingredients in her period products. “I was shocked to find out that the ingredients used in my period care products weren't cotton. The shock turned to anger when I discovered that most options included cancer-causing ingredients and were often made of synthetic materials like nylon,” she said. She went on to create femly, focused on accessible, organic menstrual products.

After the initial spark, and with the help of the Caress Dreams Fund Grant, each business has flourished. At Love Cork Screw, Lampley has used in-store tastings to create a personal, engaging environment that resonates with customers and fosters a lasting relationship with the brand. Con Todo Press used their grant to make key hires and found support and resources within communities accessible through Caress partnerships. And at femly, the grant supported design efforts on the award-winning EcoFlow Dispenser — a first-of-its-kind free dispenser that uses inclusive sensors and operates with the wave of a hand (and *ahem* went viral on TikTok).

They all have big plans for the future, too. “The next phase of our journey is to become a nationally recognized brand synonymous with diversity, innovation, and inclusivity within the wine industry,” said Lampley. Con Todo Press has its sights set on widespread distribution, plus licensing agreements for their intellectual property that will allow them to reach even broader audiences. femly aims to continue expanding, adding new products and increasing high quality period care access in restrooms nationwide.

When we asked Reynoso to share a particularly meaningful moment in Con Todo Press’ journey, she recalled an author reading she did in Texas for her first book, “Be Bold, Be Brave: 11 Latinas who made US History.” After the reading, a little girl approached her. “She pointed at a page in the book and said ‘She looks like me!’ She was smiling from ear to ear and looked so confident and proud to be Latina,” said Reynoso. “That was so special for me. It reflected in real time the impact that books have on children and their sense of belonging.”

Don’t dismiss your shower thoughts — as these inspiring women have shown, they can be powerful and lead to meaningful change in the real world. When you step in, spark your senses with Caress body wash, and clear your mind, you never know what you’ll dream up.

Here’s to these incredible female-founded businesses, and to all the brilliant ideas from women that will come next. Rinse and repeat, indeed.