Blog Summary:
1. Aimee Says is a private, 24/7 AI companion for people experiencing relationship abuse, coercive control, narcissistic abuse, or post-separation abuse.
2. The platform helps survivors understand what they may be experiencing, document patterns, and connect with support.
3. Aimee Says was created to reduce the invisible burden survivors often carry while trying to navigate crisis, documentation, and high-stakes decisions.
4. The platform is not meant to replace advocates, attorneys, counsellors, or other professionals, but to help people access support sooner and feel more prepared.
5.Privacy, safety, and survivor autonomy are central to Aimee Says, including the ability for survivors to use the platform anonymously.
Reading Time: (5 Minutes)
We recently got to meet with Anne Wintemute, CEO of Aimee Says, and learn more about the work behind the platform.
Aimee Says was created to support people experiencing relationship abuse, coercive control, narcissistic abuse, or post-separation abuse. The platform gives survivors a confidential space to ask questions, better understand what they may be experiencing, document patterns, and connect with support when they need it.
What stood out to us most was the heart behind the work. Aimee Says is not just about offering information. It is about recognizing how much survivors are already carrying and finding ways to make support feel more accessible, private, and available.
Why Aimee Says Was Created
Anne shared that Aimee Says grew out of years of working alongside survivors of relationship abuse and seeing the same pattern happen again and again.
Survivors are often expected to do an extraordinary amount of invisible work while they are still living through crisis. They may be trying to recognize that what they are experiencing is abuse, find the language to describe it, remember specific incidents, document patterns, explain their experiences to different professionals, and make high-stakes decisions while feeling overwhelmed or exhausted.
On top of that, many survivors are also managing work, parenting, finances, school, housing, and everyday responsibilities.
At the same time, access to support is not always easy. Domestic violence advocates, attorneys, therapists, healthcare providers, and other professionals are not always available right when someone needs them. For some people, reaching out to a traditional support service may feel intimidating, unsafe, or simply not possible in the moment.
Aimee Says was created with this gap in mind: to offer a knowledgeable and compassionate guide that is available 24/7 and can help reduce some of the mental load survivors are carrying.
Making Expert Support More Accessible
The mission of Aimee Says is to make expert support more accessible to people experiencing relationship abuse.
Anne explained that survivors should not have to become experts in coercive control, legal systems, documentation, safety planning, or trauma while they are simply trying to survive. Aimee helps users better understand what is happening, organize their experiences, document patterns over time, and connect with resources.
The goal is to give survivors more clarity, confidence, and capacity as they make their own decisions.
Aimee Says also recognizes that technology should not replace advocates, therapists, attorneys, or other professionals. Instead, technology can help make support easier to access and help people reach those services sooner and more prepared.
Reducing the Burden Survivors Carry
One of the things that stood out in Anne’s responses was how much Aimee Says focuses on reducing the burden survivors often carry alone.
For many survivors, documentation can become overwhelming. They may be expected to remember dates, incidents, conversations, threats, patterns, or changes in behaviour. This information may later be needed when speaking with advocates, therapists, attorneys, healthcare providers, or the courts.
Aimee Says is continuing to build tools that help transform conversations, journals, and records into organized information that people can actually use. This can help survivors move from scattered memories or notes into something more structured and easier to share when needed.
This matters because documentation is not just an administrative task. For survivors, it can be emotional, exhausting, and difficult to keep up with, especially when they are already trying to stay safe and get through daily life.
Expanding Access Through Community Partnerships
Aimee Says is also focused on expanding access.
Anne shared that the organization is working with domestic violence organizations, healthcare systems, employers, colleges and universities, and other community partners to make Aimee available to more people.
This is especially important for individuals who may never reach a traditional support service. Some people may not know where to go. Some may not feel ready to speak with someone directly. Others may need support outside of regular office hours.
By making support more available, Aimee Says hopes to help people feel less alone and more prepared to take the next step, whatever that may look like for them.
Supporting Survivors and Professionals
For survivors, Aimee Says hopes to reduce isolation.
Many people spend months or years wondering, “Is this really abuse?” or “Am I overreacting?” Having immediate access to information, validation, and practical support can help someone begin to recognize patterns and better understand what they are experiencing.
For professionals, Aimee can help bridge the space between appointments. Advocates, counsellors, attorneys, and healthcare providers cannot always be available 24/7, and there are never enough of them to meet every need in real time.
Aimee can help survivors continue organizing their thoughts, documenting experiences, and preparing for services between those human interactions. This can allow professionals to spend more time doing the work only humans can do.
Built with Privacy and Safety in Mind
Privacy is a major part of Aimee Says.
Anne shared that survivors can use Aimee anonymously, and protecting user information has been a core part of the design from the beginning. This is especially important because privacy is not a small detail for someone experiencing relationship abuse. In some situations, a survivor may be worried about being monitored, controlled, or watched.
Aimee Says was designed alongside survivors and informed by experts in the field. Anne shared that every feature begins with one guiding question:
“What burden is the survivor carrying today, and how can we reduce it?”
That question reflects the heart of the platform. Aimee Says is not just trying to provide answers. It is trying to support people in a way that respects their safety, autonomy, and lived experience.
No One Should Have to Navigate Abuse Alone
The main message behind Aimee Says is simple: no one should have to navigate relationship abuse alone.
Whether someone is questioning a relationship, actively experiencing abuse, preparing to leave, dealing with post-separation abuse, or supporting someone they care about, help should be available when they need it, not only when an office is open.
We’re grateful we had the chance to connect with Anne and learn more about Aimee Says and the work they are doing to make support more accessible, private, and survivor-centred.
Aimee Says reminds us that support can take many forms. Sometimes, it starts with having a safe place to ask questions, name what is happening, and feel a little less alone.