Our Story

As kids, both Donna and ML were enamored with exploring the world. They’ve both endeavored to not only live their lives to the fullest and experience as much of the world as they could but to be the best in their career field of choice. Both selected careers in traditionally male-dominated industries because… why not? They liked the work and they were good at it. And, as they excelled in in their careers, they tested gender boundaries in the workplace and broke glass ceilings, helping to reshape the work environment and empowering the women that followed.

ML and Donna both sought work-life balance, making certain to put just as much effort into their families, passion projects, and their appetite for personal travel as their careers. Moreover, they simply enjoyed being women – wearing fashionable clothes and jewelry, feeling beautiful inside and out.

As they spent more time traveling, for both business and personal trips, they noticed a problem. While men had specialty tie cases, shoe bags, and even suitcases, there was little accommodation for women in the world of travel, especially when it came to accessories. Why was it a man’s ties were always perfectly packed for the next travel business meeting, but a woman’s jewelry was only given a pouch to hold a mess of tangled necklaces? At best, it took several minutes to separate the nest of chains, and at worst, favorite jewelry pieces were damaged beyond repair.

That’s where the first of many travel solutions was born: The Weekender. Why? Because you deserve to travel without your favorite accessories becoming tangled and damaged, so you can look and feel your best, no matter where life may take you.

Donna Crowder

Having traveled frequently for business, Donna was frustrated with transporting and packing jewelry. Inspired by her engineer father, she set out to solve the problem which she realized was universal for women who traveled. Her best friend and daughter Elena, challenged her to bring her idea to life, and her experience in business and project management have made the Delena Weekender a reality.

ML Mueller

ML, a progressive Entrepreneurial Operations Executive, has enjoyed more than 25 years in business with a proven track record across 12 states. She immediately recognized the need for the Weekender product and others like it to positively change the way women travel. She joined Donna and the Delena team in June 2019 and is committed to its success.