Possibility
We believe in what is next for you, even when you cannot see it yet.
About Sam
We built the solution we needed, but did not have.
When life fractures through illness, loss, caregiving, or career upheaval, women should not have to assemble support alone.
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Our mission
Our mission is to support women.
It’s that simple.
Why Sam exists
Support is fragmented. Women’s lives are not.
Women piece together help through Google searches, group texts, and well-meaning but scattered referrals. It is inefficient, expensive, and exhausting—especially when the need is urgent.
A career change overlaps with eldercare. Illness affects identity and relationships. Grief reshapes work and family life. The whole picture matters.
Sam brings trusted Experts, focused private Sessions, practical resources, and personalized next steps into one connected platform.
Why the name Sam?
Always towards better.
Sam comes from semper ad meliora—Latin for always towards better. Our visual world draws on the Birth of Venus: a woman emerging, in motion, and becoming more fully herself.
What we believe
The principles behind Sam.
It is personal
No bots and no scripts. The person in front of us matters more than a generic answer.
Earned wisdom
Experience and perspective matter when life becomes complicated.
We show up
If the support you receive on Sam is not right, we will make it right.
High standards
We are rigorous about who joins Sam and would trust every Expert ourselves.
A letter from Abby
Why I built Sam.
I built Sam because I saw what happens when women are left to carry everything alone.
Throughout my career, I moved between worlds. I began in New York City, where I learned how power works, how culture is made, and how women are expected to perform in systems not designed for them. I then spent a decade building products and services in more than 35 countries. I watched women hold up local markets, families, and futures all at once.
Later, at the White House, I saw how fragile our social safety nets are in the United States—and how absent they are when it comes to supporting women.
Everywhere I went, one truth remained: women are the backbone of every community, yet we offer them little structure to lean on. We praise their resilience while starving them of support.
Sam exists to change that. We bring together Expert guidance, practical tools, and connected support so that when life becomes complex, women have somewhere to turn.
The idea of Sam challenges the expectation that women can and should do it all without help. We reject that. Women are not asking for a handout. They are asking for a foundation strong enough to stand on.
That is what we are building. And we are just getting started.
Welcome,
Abby
Founder and CEO of Sam
Our team
Building the infrastructure for women’s support.
Founder and CEO
Abby Nydam
A global strategist and systems builder creating the support infrastructure women should have always had.
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Abby Nydam is the Founder and CEO of Sam, a platform offering curated Expert guidance, practical tools, and connected support for women navigating life transitions—from caregiving and divorce to job loss, illness, and grief. Inspired by personal experience and the quiet burnout she witnessed in women around her, Abby created Sam to address the systemic gaps in support women too often face. Her career spans more than 35 countries at the intersection of social innovation, behavioral insight, public policy, and human-centered systems design. She has advised organizations including UNICEF, Meta, Unilever, Tiffany & Co., the World Bank, and Pepsi. She also served on the White House Domestic Policy Council under President Biden and Ambassador Susan Rice and led modernization work for the WIC program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Head of Strategy and Growth
Alice Yeh
An operator and builder who turns ambitious ideas into the systems, products, and teams that make them real.
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Alice Yeh is an end-to-end operator and builder with more than 19 years of experience across J.P. Morgan, Google, and high-growth startups. She works at the intersection of strategy and execution, especially in resource-constrained environments where ownership matters. Having navigated three layoffs, multiple career pivots, and life across Hong Kong, London, Singapore, and the United States, Alice brings resilience and global perspective to Sam. She earned a BSE from Princeton, an MBA from Wharton, and an MA in International Studies from the Lauder Institute. She is also a certified yoga teacher and Reiki practitioner.
Our advisors
Experience behind the mission.
Samantha Saperstein
Product development, marketing, and content
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Sam Saperstein is a builder who has spent her career expanding what is possible for women in work, business, and financial life. During 13 years at JPMorganChase, she served in senior leadership roles and founded Women on the Move, the firm’s platform dedicated to fueling women’s ambition in career, business, and financial health. She previously held senior product roles at MasterCard, worked at McKinsey & Company, and began as a business reporter at Dow Jones Newswires. She holds an MBA from Wharton and a B.A. from Brown University.
Catarina Schwab
Strategy, fundraising, and operations
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Catarina Schwab is the Founder of Cata·lyst, a consulting firm focused on catalyzing positive impact. Across almost 30 years, she has held investing, operating, and entrepreneurial roles spanning investment banking, venture capital, technology, retail, nonprofit work, and impact investing. She was previously Co-CEO and Co-Founder of NPX, which developed new ways to connect nonprofit funding with measurable impact.
Joanna Mikulski
Future of work, partnerships, and talent development
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Joanna Mikulski is a former White House advisor and executive with more than 15 years of leadership experience across government, business, and philanthropy. At the White House Domestic Policy Council, she led initiatives to expand access to good jobs and careers created by major investments in infrastructure, semiconductors, and clean energy. She has also led global campaigns to improve maternal health and nutrition, advance women’s and children’s rights, and strengthen democracy.
Ellen Friedman
Channel strategy, creative, and brand presence
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Ellen Friedman is a leader in branding, merchandising, and how women shop their values. Her work has shaped retail and brand experiences for names including Burt’s Bees, Benefit Cosmetics, Sephora, and Surratt Beauty. Her career spans beauty, fragrance, fashion, jewelry, eyewear, and spirits across mass and prestige, including major launches and programs totaling more than $250 million. She has served on the Board of Cosmetic Executive Women for more than 20 years.
You deserve to be supported
Start with the question in front of you.
Tell Sam what you are navigating and find the Expert, Session, or next step that fits your life now.
Find your Expert →