YuLife co-founder Sam Fromson: a sense of spirituality can sit alongside capitalism, as well as compassion, at work

We know that purpose has a positive effect on productivity and wellbeing at work, but what potential benefits are there if you believe in something even bigger than just your personal actions being meaningful? But that your actions are part of a greater whole, and some kind of universal plan?

This is a topic we’ve been exploring recently, in this feature and this feature on spirituality, which is proven to correlate with better wellbeing. Building on this theme, we wanted to speak to someone working at the top-level in Wellbeing, who could talk about their views on how spirituality helps them, and could potentially help their employees.

As a practising Rabbi, alongside his co-founder role at YuLife, Sam Fromson is the perfect person to do this. Not least because – due to the recent success of the Netflix series ‘No One Wants This’ – “the cool, sexy Rabbi is Hollywood’s New Favourite Trope”, according to Vogue! (Although I should be clear that Fromson himself isn’t a fan of the TV programme, having to quickly switch it off for being too cringey).

However, Fromson’s story and reasons for feeling so purpose driven at YuLife are anything but cringey, showing that a sense of spirituality at work can sit alongside capitalism as well as compassion at work.

Here’s what he said.

You started your career in finance. Is that right?

I initially did a few internships, like trading base metals, to learn about different industries and understand more about the world of finance. 

Then, yes, my first ‘grown-up’ job was at Orbis Investment Advisory, a hedge fund asset management company.

I spent three years working full-time in finance and realised that I was missing something. I realised I couldn’t thrive in a place without purpose or connection. And I believe that experience shaped so much of what we’ve built at YuLife—a culture of shared values, real support, and a mission to make insurance a force for good.

What I’m trying to understand is how you went from finance, to being a Rabbi to launching your own health insurance company Yulife?

At 18, I spent two years studying in Jerusalem, diving deep into religious studies. I wanted Jewish knowledge to match my secular education, and this felt like the right way to explore my heritage and spirituality. After that, I headed to Cambridge to study Natural Science – thinking I would get a ‘day job’ and potentially teach as a Rabbi later in life.  

I knew that being a Rabbi was something that I was always passionate about. Somehow I have been lucky enough to pursue both career paths at the same time, in parallel. 

Running a startup is chaotic, but it also gives you freedom to shape your own schedule. So, alongside building YuLife, I’ve been able to carry on as a Rabbi too. It’s a balance I’m deeply grateful for.

And you also have four kids aged ten and under…

Yes, there’s certainly never a dull moment! But I should say – we have help. We’ve fully embraced the nanny experience, and it’s been a game-changer. 

You mentioned that a career in finance wasn’t fulfilling you completely. What do you think you get from spirituality?

Happiness, for me, comes from doing something meaningful. Chasing happiness for its own sake is a likely dead end.

Sure, hedonism can feel good in the short term, but it rarely delivers the deeper fulfillment we are all searching for.

Seeking out happiness is the path to futility. I was also lucky – my upbringing shaped my sense of what truly matters. My Mum had a high profile job in finance, but she always prioritised family. She’d be home by 4 or 5pm and take Fridays off to spend time with us all. The balance stuck with me. 

Don’t get me wrong- I’m driven to succeed. Of course, we plan to pursue our meaningful purpose while growing a huge business and delivering for everyone involved. That’s the goal!  But I see financial success as a means to an end, not the end itself. 

So where did the idea for YuLife come from?

I met my co-founder Sammy Rubin, CEO of YuLife, at a charity dinner one evening.  We started chatting about start-ups, finance, and wellbeing—and the conversation just flowed.

Sammy, who was previously the CEO of Vitality in the UK, had a vision to build the next generation of life and health insurance. That initial meeting sparked something that eventually led to the creation of YuLife.

We connected deeply, and I think part of that was down to our shared values. Sammy is a deeply spiritual person—he’s also a qualified Rabbi—and that added another layer to what we were building together. 

Has founding YuLife with a similarly spiritual person helped the journey?

Absolutely. That perspective has been a lifeline during the intense moments—when you’re in the trenches, running a business.

If the start-up journey has taught me one thing, it’s this: we’re not in control. You see brilliant entrepreneurs, pouring their hearts into something, and it doesn’t work out. Then there are others who seem to step into the perfect moment, raise hundreds of millions, and take off effortlessly. 

Can you give me an example of when this ‘surrendering to a Higher Power’ has helped you?

Some of our biggest successes have come from the most unexpected places. Like the time we pitched to quite a few venture capitalists—and got rejected by every single one. It was brutal, but I never lost belief in the mission or the idea.

I told myself, if it’s meant to be, it will be. My job was to keep putting in the effort, holding up my side of the deal, and trusting that the right thing would happen.

And then it did. Just after all those rejections, I got a call from someone I’d met at a conference five years earlier. That conversation led to them becoming a significant investor.

I really believe success isn’t entirely in our control. You show up, do the work, and then trust the universe—or God, or whatever you want to call it—to meet you halfway.

How else does your spirituality help you at work?

It starts with seeing every person as intrinsically worthy.

That doesn’t mean avoiding tough decisions—sometimes, you have to be ruthless in what you decide. But it’s about showing compassion in how you execute those decisions. It’s also about extending that compassion to your outlook on others—giving people the benefit of the doubt and the opportunity to grow and change.

In this feature we talked about the idea of spirituality being added to the mix as a wellbeing pillar. What do you think of that?

I don’t think a value should be something you expect everyone in the company to adopt in their business dealings.

Spirituality, at its core, requires a belief system—belief in a higher power, in the intrinsic value of human life, goodness, and potential. As a business leader, I can ask employees to align with a certain set of values, but I’m not here to dictate what others believe.

What about helping employees discover their belief sets – do you think employers have a role to play in that?

No, I don’t think that’s a corporate job. That’s getting too involved.

Is it my role to help my employees discover their passions or where they feel truly alive? Would I run a workshop at YuLife to help with that? Maybe. It could be a nice, voluntary “lunch and learn,” but I wouldn’t call that spirituality.

As a founder, my responsibility is simple: treat every person with respect and dignity, run a business that aligns with my ethics, and serve our shareholders. You’ve got to balance all of that.

I’m glad people are finding spirituality in many different things, but it’s not my job to guide my employees on what’s spiritual for them. Connecting with something bigger than yourself is deeply personal—it’s not the same as activities for mental wellbeing or holistic health.

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