Sam is genuinely one of my favourite people in the world. This is the story of her journey from Hobbe to Striide Club, and why watching her trust herself again has been one of the most special things I have witnessed.
It is hard to know where to begin with Sam because she is not just a founder I admire.
She is genuinely one of my favourite people in the world.
We first met during my Incy Interiors days, when she was building Hobbe Australia and we collaborated on a beautiful custom rocking chair.
What started as a business connection became one of the most important friendships in my life.
Sam is someone I have called during my own wobbles.
She has supported me through some of my hardest days, and I have had the privilege of doing the same for her.
I was the first person she called when she made the heartbreaking decision to close Hobbe.
I knew what that business had taken from her, how much of herself she had poured into it, and how easy it was for her to believe that closing the business meant she had failed.
It didn't.
One of the things she said in this interview has stayed with me ever since:
"I spent a long time treating myself like a beginner when I was a person with rusty expertise."
That sentence perfectly captures what Striide Club represents to me.
Not just a new business.
A founder trusting herself again.
Striide was born from a problem Sam experienced herself. As a regular tennis player, she couldn't find a bag that was both practical enough for the court and beautiful enough to carry everywhere else. Everything felt like sports equipment rather than something you actually wanted to wear.
So she designed her own.
The Court Bag is made from premium neoprene with beautiful gold hardware and thoughtful details that take you effortlessly from tennis or pickleball to coffee, school pick-up or a day at work. It's practical without compromising on style, and every detail feels considered.
Which, if you know Sam, makes perfect sense.
When Sam joined the first round of Idea to Empire, now Product Path, she didn't need someone to teach her how to build a business.
She already knew how.
She simply needed somewhere to reconnect with the founder she already was.
Watching her launch Striide has been incredibly special because I know what it took to get here.
I know the self-doubt she had to overcome.
I know the courage it took to begin again.
And I know just how much heart sits behind every decision she's made.
There are founders you admire because of what they build.
Then there are people you admire because of who they are.
Sam is both.
I couldn't be prouder of her, and I have no doubt that Striide is only just getting started.
Kristy Withers
Product business strategist & sourcing specialist
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