Welcome to Courage Unfolding.
I'm Vanessa May, and I help high-achieving women to lead with confidence, clarity, and authenticity.
Get to Know Courage Unfolding.
Courage Unfolding empowers high-achieving women to embrace their full potential, confidently navigating their careers and lives with clarity, ease, and authenticity.
For far too long, women have been told that success means leading like men — suppressing emotions, doubting their instincts, and proving their worth through overwork. But leadership is about embracing your unique strengths and leading from a place that feels true to who you are, in a way that’s sustainable and fulfilling.
By combining evidence-based strategies with personalised embodied leadership coaching, I guide women to release exhaustion, self-doubt, and hesitation. Together, we cultivate the confidence to trust your intuition, set powerful boundaries, and lead with clarity and ease.
Whether you’re navigating a personal transition or stepping into a new phase of your career, you don’t have to do it alone.
I’d love to help you tap into your courage, trust your voice, and redefine leadership on your own terms.
As featured in:
Get To Know Me.
I'm Vanessa May, the Founder of Courage Unfolding, and a Master Certified Coach (MCC) with the International Coach Federation. With over 20 years of coaching experience, I've guded executives, leaders, and teams to move beyond people-pleasing and embrace courageous authenticity. My training includes certifications from The Oxford School of Coaching & Mentoring, The Coactive Training Institute, ORSC, Heartmath, The Leadership Circle, and Highly Sensitive Persons.
Work with me.
As a high-achieving woman, you’ve probably worked hard to get where you are.
But behind the scenes, maybe you're exhausted, stretched too thin or second-guessing yourself.
Leadership shouldn't come at the cost of your wellbeing.
It's time to step into stronger, more sustainable way of leading - one where you own your voice, set clear boundaries, and create the impact you know you're here to make.
You don't need to push harder.
You need space to reconnect with your courage, your truth, your way of leading.
Sound familiar?
Let's chat!
Harness the leader within you.
"A must-read for any woman ready to stand in sovereignty, lead from truth and develop deeply authentic relationships..."
I wrote “Live Courageously” as a guiding light, empowering you to reconnect to your self, discover your authentic truths and consciously live and lead.
Discover insights and strategies in my book designed to help women overcome self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and burnout.
What Others Are Saying.
We all have crossroads and they can seem unfathomable. Vanessa kickstarts your thinking, challenges beautifully, gets you thinking in different ways and ultimately gives you a toolkit to help you navigate from.
Jayne, Marketing Director
Vanessa doesn't let you get away from yourself. Coaching with Vanessa means getting to know yourself more and it all starts there.
Louise, Accountant
Vanessa didn't buy into my internal story, she guided me ad showed me how to overcome what I'd been listening to for so long that was holding me back.
Karen, Entrepreneur
Vanessa has an amazing gift for helping you see your own light. And not just seeing it but locating it within yourself so that you can access it any time. Very powerful and highly recommended.
Claire, Teacher
I'm now about to start a six week fitness challenge for fitness instructors and had my first yoga anatomy published for publication.
Janet, Business Owner
Vanessa saw right into the core of me, what I can be, and called me to be that and then some. I am now connected to my life purpose, living the dream, playing large; have stepped into my power and have the courage to speak the truth.
I have blossomed as a leader.
Marion, Transformation Manager
I reached out to Vanessa when I hit a particularly sticky spot – THE STICKY SPOT – the big one, that’s been holding me back from stepping into the full expression of my work – and my life – for years.
Working with Vanessa was like having the shades pulled up on my life so the light could flood in – and it’s stayed in.
Working with her was like playing with colour and light, making new pictures out of old ones, seeing the same diamond that I see in myself – but approaching it from a completely new angle. I recommend her without reservation.
Amy, Business Owner
I can see a new found adventurism in my senior management team and we have shifted the focus of this team in a very positive way. Vanessa challenges me and my people to have difficult conversations you don't always want to have as a CEO!
Michael, CEO
Vanessa's enthusiasm for the job that she does is contagious.
Her empathy towards her client is the unique quality that makes her stand out, and this approach makes her someone trustworthy, so you can bring out your true self with her.
I say ‘trustworthy’ because you as an individual need to be listened to non-judgmentally so you feel comfortable to share your personal story, and Vanessa was able to resurface my values and principles through my story.
She has encouraged me to see the other side of the precipice which I had been avoiding during a very difficult period of my life, and this has been truly transformative.
In short, Vanessa can guide, inspire and empower her clients to achieve their full potential.
Ronak, VC
Vanessa has a natural gift for connecting with people and seeing right to the core of what they are dealing with. Working with Vanessa has had a significant and positive influence on both my professional and personal life.
Denise, Executive Coach
This experience has been transformational, even better than I'd hoped for.
Linda, GP
Vanessa helped me align with what is truly important to me, she has been a mirror and a role model. She walks the talk!
Sonia, Executive Coach