Dr M. May Seitanidi

Hello, I’m May Seitanidi. I work with senior leaders and experienced professionals who are navigating complex decisions, transitions, or sustained pressure in their roles and who need space to think clearly and move forward with confidence.

You might recognise some of the following:

• Decisions feel harder than they should, despite your experience
• You are managing competing priorities and expectations
• You feel under constant pressure with little time to think
• You find yourself second-guessing important decisions
• You are navigating a transition or significant change in your role
• You want to respond more deliberately rather than reactively
• You need space to step back and regain clarity

Leaders often reach a point where, despite experience and capability, decisions feel harder than they should. Competing priorities, pressure, and complexity can make it difficult to think clearly and move forward with confidence. Left unexamined, these pressures can lead to delayed decisions, second-guessing, or choices that do not fully reflect what matters most.

Reflection Flexing® is a nine-session, outcomes-focused coaching programme that supports leaders to emerge from challenging periods with greater clarity, confidence and direction in their leadership and decisions.

I work with senior leaders and experienced professionals across the private, nonprofit and public sectors who are working through periods of transition, complexity or meaningful change and who need a dedicated space to think things through carefully, step back from immediate pressures, and move forward with greater certainty.

Through Reflection Flexing®, leaders develop what I call the reflection muscle: the ability to pause, interrogate their own thinking, and make more deliberate choices rather than defaulting to habitual responses. This supports more considered judgement and action, and a stronger sense of steadiness in demanding environments.

The coaching process enables leaders to work through competing priorities, surface what is often left unexamined, and reorient themselves in ways that are both personally meaningful and professionally effective.

This is a structured, evidence-informed method grounded in my academic background in Management, including a PhD focused on cross-sector partnerships in the UK, over three decades of research and practice on complex social issues, and a substantial body of published work, including three books and multiple academic articles. This enables me to bring a deep understanding of the organisational, institutional and human dynamics that shape leadership in complex environments.

My approach has supported senior leaders in a range of settings, including through my work with the NHS Leadership Academy, and is particularly valuable for those facing important decisions, transitions, or inflection points in their leadership and career.

What I Offer

For those who want to work more deeply and systematically, I offer the following:

Reflection Flexing® Programme

A structured coaching programme delivered over six to seven months, designed to help you think clearly, decide with confidence, and lead effectively in complex environments.

How your thinking and leadership will evolve:

• Make faster, clearer decisions under pressure
• Lead through uncertainty with confidence and perspective
• Recognise and interrupt the patterns that hold you back
• Build a reflective practice for resilient, adaptive leadership that lasts

To assess whether this is the right fit, you are welcome to arrange a 30-minute clarity conversation. No preparation is needed  - just a focused discussion.

Testimonials

"I was drawn to May’s academic rigour and depth of thinking and this proved invaluable during a particularly challenging period in my career and personal life. I was returning from my second maternity leave while navigating significant internal conflict as my personal priorities and professional ambitions were evolving.

May created a reflective, intellectually robust space that enabled me to explore these tensions with honesty and clarity. She helped me reconnect with what mattered most to me at this stage of my life and leadership, without losing sight of where I had come from or the values that have shaped my career.

As a result of our work together, I am now in a completely different mental space - more grounded, relaxed, and confident in my current and future life and career choices. I also leave with a set of practical tools and ways of thinking that I know I will draw on throughout my life. I would highly recommend May to leaders navigating transition, complexity, or significant change."
— Senior NHS Leader

“May is an exceptional coach who creates a safe and supportive space for growth. She helped me quickly overcome confidence challenges and guided me through reflective practice that transformed how I handle difficult situations. Her empathy and professionalism made every session something to look forward to. Highly recommended!”
— NHS Leader

I work with:

• Senior leaders and executives in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors
• Professionals navigating high-pressure, complex roles
• Leaders in nonprofit and mission-driven organisations
• Individuals transitioning into more senior leadership positions

The programme is particularly suited to those who want to elevate the quality of their thinking and leadership.

Training, qualifications & experience

• Systemic Team Coaching Certificate, Academy of Executive Coaching (AoEC), ICF-accredited
• Registered with the NHS Leadership Academy
• Member of the Coaching Association UK; Co-Facilitator, Co-Coaching Forum for Health and Social Care
• 30+ years working on social issues (poverty alleviation, social inclusion, healthcare) across sectors in the UK and internationally

Other areas of coaching I deal with

I specialise in working with leaders navigating complexity—whether organisational change, high-pressure decision-making, or transition into more senior roles. My approach is particularly suited to professionals who want to make sharper decisions, lead with greater confidence under pressure, and break the patterns that keep getting in the way, through a structured, evidence-informed method they can sustain long after our work together ends.

Further information

Reflection Flexing® has been used with NHS leaders and senior professionals across sectors, including banking and higher education. The programme runs over six to seven months and combines coaching, guided reflection tools, and follow-up integration.

If you are noticing that your thinking may be getting in the way of your impact, you are welcome to arrange a 30-minute clarity conversation. This is a focused discussion to explore what is going on and whether this approach is right for you.

I also train and support other coaches to integrate Structured Reflection into their coaching practice.

I specialise in working with leaders navigating complexity whether that’s organisational change, high-pressure decision-making or the transition into more senior roles. My approach is particularly suited to professionals who want to make sharper decisions, lead with greater confidence under pressure, and break the patterns that keep getting in the way, through a structured, evidence-informed method they can sustain long after our work together ends.

Most clients work with me through a structured multi-session programme (Reflection Flexing) designed to support senior leaders achieving clarity, confidence under complexity conditions. 

Reflection Flexing has been used with NHS leaders, senior professionals across sectors. The programme runs over six to seven months and combines coaching, guided reflection tools and follow-up integration.

If you are noticing that your thinking may be getting in the way of your impact, you are welcome to book a free discovery call. This is simply a conversation to explore what is going on and whether this approach is right for you.

I also train and support other coaches to integrate Structured Reflection into their coaching practice.