Testimonial Donut

Helping you convert leads to customers with easy to collect and display video testimonials on your website so sweet you can't resist.

Co-Founder

Founderoo 

Helping share the stories and wisdom of founders from all walks of life.

Ignition

From impressive online proposals to automated engagement letters and payments, Ignition frees you up to focus on what matters most - your clients.

Principal Product Manager

Kaddim

Kaddim is a document and information collection platform designed to help businesses save time, improve customer experience and ensure the security of client data.

Invoice2go

Invocie2go (acquired by Bill.com) is the all-in-one solution for small businesses. Manage customer relationships, send professional invoices and estimates, accept payments and have an online presence.

Senior Product Manager

Sypht

Sypht helps businesses unlock the potential of data hidden in documents by using the latest in machine learning to automatically extract and interpret key data to power business processes and decisions.

Airtasker

Responsible for partnership projects, with a focus on developing and delivering solutions and products that leverage the Airtasker platform in collaboration with strategic partners.

Manager (Partnerships) - Product and Strategy

1981 Consulting - www.1981consulting.co

1981consulting seeks to provide services and support to startup founders who may be lacking expertise in areas such as technology, legal, financial, marketing, and fundraising. If there are special requirements beyond our expertise, we engage and project-manage experts from our network of industry leaders in each field, allowing you to receive preferential servicing and pricing.

Director

ResMed

Responsible for the development of new medical device products and the lifecycle management of existing products.

Product Development Manager

Working in product development as the technical lead in the Respiratory Care division on the development of new and innovative ventilation platforms for the treatment of respiratory disorders.

Systems Engineer (ventilation products)

In the absence of a project manager I served as both the project manager and systems engineer for a NPD project; the development of an IoT medical device platform which was successfully launched globally.

Acting Project Manager

Product Life Cycle Engineer

Gammasonics institute for medical research

Gammasonics is an R&D institute, focused on delivering innovative radiation detection technology. My role as project engineer included various responsibilities such as research, engineering, verification and working with suppliers. I gained experience conducting product development in a bootstrapped high achieving environment.

Project Engineer

I interview/study successful founders + share their stories. Product at Ignition. Founder at Founderoo, Testimonial Donut + Kaddim

I love building products and studying entrepreneurs.

Farzan M.

May Samali, MPP, CPCC, PCC

Human Leadership Lab

Human Leadership Lab (HLL) is a global leadership development company. HLL is on a mission to cultivate human leadership in organisations, teams and individuals. Its customised programs and learning experiences draw on the latest research and practice from numerous fields ranging from neuroscience to entrepreneurship. HLL engages with clients through a suite of services include speaking, training, facilitation and coaching.

Founder and Chief Experiment Officer

Inspirato

Inspirato (NASDAQ: ISPO) is a luxury travel company providing travelers with access to a managed and controlled portfolio of hand-selected vacation options to ensure world-class service and certainty.

Non Executive Board Member

Institute of Coaching (IOC) at McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital

The Institute of Coaching (IOC) at Harvard Medical School is dedicated to ensuring scientific integrity in the field of coaching. It brings together leaders in coaching to accelerate research progress and disseminate best practices.

Fellow

77 Partners

77 Partners is a premier venture capital firm supporting frontier tech ventures in Australia with early funding, deep mentorship, and global connections. My work entails leadership development, go-to-market advisory, sharing high-growth Silicon Valley experience, and deal sourcing in the Australian tech market.

Venture Partner

RMIT University

Adjunct Senior Industry Fellow, FORWARD

FORWARD is the Centre for Future Skills and Workforce Transformation, part of RMIT University's College of Vocational Education. The Centre is focused on building an innovative learning ecosystem at scale, creating new collaborative applied research and inventing next-generation skills solutions. As a Senior Industry Fellow, I am part of an expansive workforce ecosystem supporting FORWARD's mission to invent next-generation skills solutions. I am a currently a member of the “Not Your Parents’ Workplace” work stream, focused on redefining I leadership and inclusion in the modern workplace.

Senior Industry Fellow, FORWARD

Matched

Advisor

NextGen Venture Partners

NextGen Venture Partners is a network-driven venture capital firm that brings together part-time venture capitalists who invest in and support a portfolio of exceptional early-stage entrepreneurs. I am engaged in sourcing and investing in seed stage companies across a variety of industries.

Hone

Hone is a people skills training platform for the enterprise. As a Series B company backed by 3L Capital, F-Prime Capital, Cowboy Ventures and Slack Fund, Hone works with companies including Casper, Dow Jones, GoFundMe, and Rosetta Stone. I lead and facilitate a variety of live Hone training programs across the world including Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB), Manager Training, and Wellbeing.

Facilitator and Executive Coach

High Resolves

High Resolves is a recognized leader in the design and delivery of learning experiences in citizenship education. Led, built and managed a portfolio of technology ventures in the education space. Member of Global Executive Team and Sustainable Funding Board Committee.

Chief Executive Officer, Ventures

Led team that built and launched Composer - a global digital platform for citizenship education, backed by the Omidyar Network and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Member of Global Executive Team.

Chief Operating Officer, Ventures

Urban Innovation Fund

The Urban Innovation Fund is a venture capital firm that provides seed capital and regulatory expertise to entrepreneurs shaping the future of cities. First employee and part of the founding investment team.

Senior Associate

May Samali is the Founder and CEO of Human Leadership Lab, a global leadership development company. As a speaker, facilitator, coach, researcher, investor and board director, May wears multiple hats to unlock leadership potential in organisations, teams and individuals.

Based between Australia and the US, May is a dynamic professional who has navigated career pivots across diverse industries and geographies. 

COMPANY BUILDING, OPERATING & INVESTING 

Most recently, May served as CEO of Ventures at the High Resolves Group, where she led global cross-functional teams and technology ventures in the education sector. Before that, she was the first employee at Urban Innovation Fund, a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm, and a Director at Tumml, an urban ventures accelerator in the US. May has also worked as a strategy consultant at an advisory firm and as a lawyer and judge’s associate in Sydney. Her early experiences as a people manager and startup investor sparked her fascination for developing leadership mindsets and skills in teams and individuals. 

LEADERSHIP & COACH TRAINING FROM TOP INSTITUTIONS 

May is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach and holds a Professional Certified Coach credential from the International Coaching Federation. She was recognised as one of the Top 15 Coaches in Sydney by Influence Digest in 2024. May’s work is grounded in frameworks from the Co-Active Training Institute, Conscious Leadership Group, Leadership Circle and Positive Intelligence. May has a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University where she studied as a Gleitsman Leadership Fellow and Australian John Monash Scholar. She received first class degrees in Law and Economics from the University of Sydney.

EXPERTISE IN LEADERSHIP, ENTREPRENEURSHIP & FUTURE OF WORK

May serves on the Board of Directors of Inspirato (NASDA: ISPO), a One Planet Group company. She is a Fellow at the Institute of Coaching at Harvard Medical School and an Adjunct Senior Industry Fellow at RMIT University's Centre for Future Skills and Workforce Transformation. She is also a Venture Partner at 77 Partners and NextGen Venture Partners. Additionally, May sits on John Monash Foundation’s Leadership Academy Advisory Board and Investible’s Climate Tech Fund Advisory Panel. May’s insights have been featured in reputable publications including TechCrunch, Forbes, the Australian and Stanford Social Innovation Review.

May Samali

Five years ago, I made one of the scariest and best decisions of my life. 

I traded a steady salary and job title for a blank calendar and a big question: Could I build something meaningful on my own terms?

At first, every new client felt like luck. Every lull felt like the end.

Then I stopped asking "what if this fails?" and started asking "what if this works?"

Five years later, it has. Not perfectly. Not easily. But with a lot of growth and joy.

Since then, I’ve worn every hat imaginable: Founder. Coach. Facilitator. Strategist. Recruiter. Bookkeeper. Copywriter.

Some hats have fit better than others. But each has taught me something.

Here are 5 lessons from 5 years of self-employment.

1️⃣ Freedom only works with structure

When things go wrong, there’s no one else to blame, and that’s both confronting and liberating. Working for yourself means learning to hold yourself accountable.

What keeps me grounded are small, steady rituals: Monday morning reflection sessions with my iPad and soy latte. Quiet introvert time after keynotes to reset. These moments help me show up, no matter how full the week ahead.

2️⃣ Follow your energy, not just your plan

I design my days and weeks around my energy. Some of my best work has come from following what makes me feel alive. Creating the "Designing Your Life" framework after Danielle invited me to speak online at Liminal during covid. Crafting leadership programs that blend research and experimentation and now reach hundreds of professionals each year. Energy is data. When it’s high, I know I’m on the right path.

3️⃣ Relationships are everything

Every opportunity has come through people. Elizabeth connected me to Lara, who brought me into Amgen, a partnership now entering its fourth year.

Business is built on trust. Sending a thank-you note. Recommending someone else for a project. These are small acts that compound over time. People may forget your proposal, but they’ll remember how you made them feel.

4️⃣ Rest is strategic

I almost burnt out in the first half of this year. That experience taught me some hard lessons. Now, I plan rest like any key deliverable. Whether it’s an Unyoked weekend with my partner or taking my dad to a health retreat, rest goes in the calendar first. Creativity sneaks in when you finally slow down.

5️⃣ Keep evolving

Self-employment is one long experiment. What worked in year one rarely works in year five. I’ve redefined my offerings and refined how I talk about my work. Even my daily rhythms have changed. 

The through-line is curiosity. When I stay curious, I grow. When I get rigid, things stall. It’s what I remind every leader I coach: treat your career like a series of experiments. Adjust. Learn. Repeat.

Five years in, I’m proud not because it’s perfect, but because it’s real. 

To every client, collaborator, and mentor who’s been part of the journey, thanks for trusting me to do this work alongside you.

Here’s to the next chapter of Human Leadership Lab!

Founder & CEO at Human Leadership Lab | Speaker, Facilitator, Coach, Researcher, Investor, Board Director | I help organisations, teams and individuals unleash their leadership potential

Studying at Harvard University as a John Monash Scholar was one of the most formative experiences of my life. 

I recently had the opportunity to share more about the interview process itself with The Australian Financial Review. 

What stood out to me about the scholarship application process was the way the Harvard's Center for Public Leadership showed genuine curiosity for my family, my values and what drives me. 

Thanks for the feature! 🙏🏽

Open article: How to ace the interview for an international MBA by afr.com

How to ace the interview for an international MBA

Great leadership means designing systems that make fairness the default.

Earlier this week, I had the joy of interviewing Siri Chilazi, co-author of Make Work Fair, in an intimate conversation with Chief People Officers and Heads of People, hosted in collaboration with Blackbird and Human Leadership Lab. 

A huge thank you to Kate and Carlene for co-creating a safe space to explore what fairness really looks like in Australia’s startup and scale-up ecosystem.

Siri and I first met a decade ago at the Harvard Kennedy School. Even then, she was asking sharp questions about how to build workplaces where everyone can thrive. Seeing those questions evolve into a research-driven, practical book felt full circle.

What I love most about Make Work Fair is that it’s scientific, practical and hopeful - focused on what actually works, not what sounds good.

Here are the first 3 insights from our conversation (Part 1 of 2 👇🏽).

1️⃣ The power of fairness as a common language 

Siri and her co-author, Iris Bonnet, chose the word “fair” deliberately. When you ask leaders what inclusion or equity looks like, the answers are often fuzzy. When you ask, “Does this process feel fair?”, people know instantly.

Fairness is a universal human value. It shifts the conversation from abstract ideology to concrete process design. And it gives you a test you can apply everywhere - hiring, promotions, pay, parental leave, hybrid work.

Next time you’re stuck in a DEI debate, ask: “If we were designing this from scratch, what would a fair version of this process look like?”

2️⃣ Meritocracy is the goal, not the current reality

Many leaders say, “We’re a meritocracy, so we don’t need interventions.” The data tells a different story.

In more than 300 hiring experiments, researchers sent pairs of identical CVs to real jobs. The only difference was a small detail like gender, ethnicity or parental status. If merit ruled, both would progress equally. They didn’t.

Intent isn’t enough. Our systems still reward identity as much as ability. Fairness work means building systems where actual merit shows up and gets rewarded.

3️⃣ You don’t need to change hearts and minds to change behaviour

A lot of DEI work tries to fix what people think. Behavioural science shows we can change outcomes by redesigning the system.

For example, reformat CVs to show total years of experience instead of exact dates to reduce penalties for career gaps. Delay self-ratings so managers complete reviews first and aren’t anchored by modest self-scores. You don’t have to change who people are; just the context they make decisions in.

This conversation was the first of 22 events on Siri’s Aussie tour, and what a way to start!

Next week I’ll share 3 more experiments to help embed fairness into everyday work.

💬 What’s your favourite insight from the list above? Mine is #3. Siri blew my mind when I first heard her frame it in this way.

No alternative text description for this image

If you want a fairer workplace, start by fixing the moments people barely notice.

That was one of the clearest takeaways from my conversation last week with Siri Chilazi, co-author of “Make Work Fair”.

For those who missed Part 1, Siri and her co-author Iris Bohnet have spent years studying how organisations can turn fairness into a competitive advantage. Their research shows that leaders don’t need more programs. They need better design inside the everyday processes they already run.

Here are the next 3 insights from our discussion (Part 2👇🏽).

1️⃣ Fairness is built through everyday processes, not one-off programs

Siri’s research shows that the biggest fairness gains come from the small decisions inside routine processes: hiring, one on ones, meetings, performance reviews and feedback loops.

These are the moments where bias creeps in silently. They are also the easiest places to redesign.

Simple shifts like agreeing on criteria before seeing candidates, asking consistent interview questions, defining what “good” looks like before evaluating performance or structuring meetings so everyone has equal access to contribute all create fairness with no extra budget or headcount.

Leaders often wait for big initiatives. The evidence says the opposite. Fairness shows up fastest when you redesign the everyday mechanics of work.

2️⃣ Flexibility is part of fairness, not a perk

The return to office conversation came up quickly. Many leaders feel torn between fairness, culture and productivity.

Siri reminded us that fairness does not mean treating everyone the same. It means designing work that is fit for purpose. Different roles require different arrangements. Different people perform best in different environments.

The data is clear. When organisations impose blanket rules, attrition rises - especially among senior talent and women. When flexibility is treated as a design question, performance improves and leaders keep the people they most need to retain.

The leadership question becomes: what is the fairest and most effective way for this specific role to operate?

3️⃣ You can create meaningful change without waiting for senior buy-in

Many leaders listed “executive sponsorship” as their biggest barrier. Siri offered a story that proved otherwise.

A BBC journalist quietly started tracking the gender balance of the guests on his nightly program. No mandate. No title. No budget. Just a spreadsheet and a goal. Within months his team reached parity. Within years the method spread across 750 BBC teams and then globally.

The lesson is powerful. You can make your corner of the system more fair long before you get a green light from above. Start with one process you already run. Measure it. Adjust it. Repeat. Visible results create their own momentum.

That wraps Part 2 and the first of 22 events on Siri’s Aussie tour. What a start.

💬 Which one of these three insights are you taking back to your team this week?

Want to end the year on a bang? I’m opening three "pick my brain" power hours through Matched.

I rarely offer one-off coaching. Most of my work is deep, longer term partnerships with leaders. But sometimes you just need one focused hour to reset, get clarity or break through something that has been holding you back.

These sessions are perfect if you want support with:
🧳 Career growth or a pivot
🎯 Leading your team with confidence
🙅🏽‍♀️ A difficult conversation you’re avoiding
💪🏽 Building motivation, focus or momentum

I keep these spots limited because I pour a lot into them. Three places only.

If you want to finish the year strong, grab one here:
👉 https://lnkd.in/g8rDYc26

* * * 

👋🏽 I’m May, Founder & CEO at Human Leadership Lab.

 I partner with the world’s most promising organisations, teams, and individuals to unlock leadership potential, purpose, and peak performance.

As we enter the second half of November, it is the perfect moment to pause and take stock.

How will you measure your success this year?

The quote below from Bronte Campbell OAM, OLY, Olympic Gold Medalist and startup founder, hits the mark for me. True performance is not about medals or profit. It is about how we adapt, sustain and grow with purpose.

So before the year races to the finish line, try zooming out. Forget the polished metrics and ask yourself:

⭐ Where did you adapt when life or work moved faster than expected?

⭐ How did you grow or stretch in ways no dashboard could capture?

⭐ And with one month left, what do you want to complete or finally let go of?

These three questions are the perfect primer for the updated Annual Life Review I will share next month. It remains one of Human Leadership Lab’s signature tools for closing out the year with clarity and setting a focused direction for 2026.

Take a moment this week. Finish with intention, not pressure.

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May Samali

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