63. Sandra Yamada on Leaving Wall Street for Wellness: The Story Behind NEAP

63. Sandra Yamada on Leaving Wall Street for Wellness: The Story Behind NEAP

From Permission To Shine by Andrew Namanny

November 4, 2025 · 50 min

About this episode

Sandra Yamada shares her journey from Wall Street investment banker to founder of NEAP, a collagen protein gel, highlighting the pivotal moments that led to her entrepreneurial success.

Sandra Yamada was the only woman in her class of 18 investment bankers. A Harvard MBA. A biology major turned venture capitalist. And now? The founder of NEAP. A first-of-its-kind collagen protein gel changing how we get our protein on the go. But the story that started it all… involves a protein shake, a work out, and an unforgettable emergency . In this episode, Sandra shares: How one humiliating moment became the spark for a multimillion-dollar idea What it takes to walk away from a cush finance career to build something real The mindset that helped her go from being “the only woman in the room” to leading an entirely new product category Brilliant. Humble. Hilarious. This might be the most human founder story you’ll hear all year. Follow NEAP Try NEAP Follow Permission To Shine Follow Andrew Namanny

People in this episode

Host: Andrew Namanny

Guest: Sandra Yamada

Topics covered

  • wellness
  • entrepreneurship
  • finance
  • personal story
  • innovation

Keywords

  • collagen
  • protein gel
  • entrepreneur
  • finance career
  • Harvard MBA
  • wellness
  • innovation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NEAP, Harvard, Wall Street

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