Discover your true identity beyond job titles and roles. Learn how self-reflection, meaningful experiences, and book-led exploration can unlock clarity and guide you toward an authentically aligned life and career.
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Influential Woman · Personal Transformation Coaching
LaShawn Lewis-May, MBA, SHRM-CP
MBA, SHRM-CP
Book-Led Identity Coach for Quiet Achievers, Writing Your Chapter LLC
Louisville, KY 40165
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In Conversation
Lashawn Lewis May for Bold. Brilliant. Unstoppable.
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LaShawn Lewis-May, MBA, SHRM-CP: Speaker: Lashawn Lewis May, Book-Led Identity Coach for Quiet AchieversWhat does being an Influential Woman mean to you?Lashawn Lewis May: So what does it mean to be an influential woman? To me, it's showing up as my full self, authentically and unapologetically. No regrets. If someone tells me no, I'm not going to shrink to fit into their box or their expectations that were never meant for me. That's me showing up goofy, imperfect, um, showing up with all the messiness that comes with being human. I'm OK with that. I'm OK, and that's what I feel makes me an influential woman because I dance to the beat of my own drum, and if other people aren't in tune. With that, Then it's OK.What's one piece of advice would you give to younger women chasing their dreams?Lashawn Lewis May: And if I could tell a younger woman one thing is that you already belong. You have the expertise, you have the knowledge, you have the people skills, you have whatever it is you're fighting yourself and telling yourself that you don't have. OK, we're going back to dancing to the beat of our own drums, charting our own path, and not shrinking to fit into rooms that are not meant for us. We're going to show up and claim space. We're going to set boundaries and we're going to speak up. That is what being an influential woman is, and you have what it takes to do that. Today, not tomorrow, not last year, today, you have it all.
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Her Story
About Lashawn
LaShawn Lewis-May, MBA, SHRM-CP, is a Book-Led Identity Coach and the Founder of Writing Your Chapter™, where she empowers quiet achievers—women who excel professionally yet struggle silently—to claim space, set boundaries, and speak up with confidence. An introvert with an eye for depth and meaning, LaShawn brings a calm, reflective presence to her work. Whether she’s exploring the aisles of Barnes & Noble or guiding clients through identity shifts, she is grounded in curiosity, intentionality, and a love of storytelling as a tool for transformation. With more than a decade of experience in Talent Acquisition and HR, LaShawn has supported professionals through career transitions, leadership growth, confidence gaps, and moments of reinvention. Her Define → Write → Share coaching framework blends narrative work, reflective exercises, and practical strategy to help women articulate what they want next—professionally and personally—while releasing habits of shrinking, over-functioning, or staying silent to keep the peace. Her coaching is rooted in emotional clarity, self-advocacy, and aligning one’s inner truth with outer action. Beyond her coaching practice, LaShawn serves in mission-driven roles and community initiatives, bringing her commitment to empowerment into every space she enters. Her career journey, shaped by scholarship, service, and continuous personal growth, reflects her belief that every woman deserves to author a life that feels like her own. Thoughtful, grounded, and deeply invested in helping others rise, she is dedicated to walking alongside women as they write the next chapter—one marked by confidence, clarity, and authentic voice.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lashawn
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to one core principle: showing up consistently. My own healing journey revealed my deeper purpose—to help women discover who they are beyond their titles—and I lead by example so I can guide others with authenticity, intention, and unwavering commitment.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I’ve ever received was this: when you step into a new organization as a leader of change, learn the people first, then the processes, and then become an agent of change.
My addition to that is simple — don’t stop learning the people. Stay connected. Don’t hide in a bubble. When you understand the humans behind the work, you can lead with clarity, empathy, and impact
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I encourage young women entering this field to begin with deep self-discovery—because true empowerment starts with knowing yourself fully before you can authentically support, understand, and guide others.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Many of the women I work with fall victim to imposter syndrome. It’s common, and I experience flashes of it myself, but the deeper truth is that imposter syndrome is usually a symptom of something underneath — a lack of identity clarity, unclear boundaries, or not having the language to articulate who they are and what they bring to the table.
The biggest challenge in my field right now is that women are being pushed to ‘fix their mindset’ instead of being supported in understanding themselves. That creates a huge opportunity: identity-led coaching. When women finally name their values, strengths, and desires, imposter syndrome loses its power. They show up differently at work, advocate for themselves with confidence, and make career decisions from alignment instead of fear.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that guide me—authenticity, consistency, and a deep commitment to personal growth—shape both my work and my life, where I make space for what brings me joy, including reading (especially Kennedy Ryan), traveling, and spending time with my family.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Lashawn
Define Who You Are!
Discover who you are beyond your job title—the first step to living an aligned life.
There’s a coach for everything—sports, writing, parenting, public speaking… you name it.
And now, I’ve stepped fully into my own lane within this billion-dollar industry, one that feels deeply aligned with who I am at my core:
I’m a Book-Led Identity & Clarity Coach for Quiet Achievers.
But I didn’t start here.
I began in the world of Business & Career Coaching, until I realized something undeniable:
A woman is more than what she does for income.
We are more than titles, roles, and relational labels.
To succeed in any arena—career, leadership, motherhood, entrepreneurship—you must first know who you are, not simply what you do.
And that’s the work I guide women through.
Identity work is not glamorous. It’s internal. It’s uncomfortable. It’s transformative.
It requires stillness.
It requires honesty.
It requires returning to yourself—the version you abandoned, buried, or forgot while surviving life.
But here’s the miracle:
Your self-actualized self will thank you.
Your true nature will never lead you anywhere you aren’t meant to be.
So… how do you actually figure out who you are?
Not with a journal.
Not with meditation.
Not with yoga or a personality test.
Stand up, walk to the mirror… and TADA.
You’ve met the starting point.
You begin with you.
With reflection.
With honesty.
Look back over your life and ask:
When have I felt aligned?
If a moment comes up, start there:
- What filled my cup?
- Why did it fill my cup?
- Do I still allow myself to experience that version of myself today?
- If not, when did I stop—and why?
- How can I bring pieces of that alignment back now?
- What’s the next aligned step I can take?
If your answer is, “I don’t know,” that simply means you’ve arrived at the beginning of your rediscovery.
Where to Start Rediscovering YOU
1. One book that helps you explore yourself
Books are mirrors.
Books are maps.
Books reveal the questions you’ve been avoiding and the truths you’ve been carrying.
Show me your bookshelf, and I’ll show you what your soul has been trying to understand.
2. One place you’ve always wanted to travel
It can be across the world or across the state.
Plan the trip—
solo if you can,
with someone supportive if needed.
Travel exposes versions of you that home never will.
3. One new thing you want to try
Something that awakens a part of you that has been asleep.
Something that reminds you:
You are still becoming.
Then, document the experience—
Who you met.
What you felt.
What surprised you.
What you learned about yourself.
Ask:
- What filled my cup?
- How can I weave this into my life, my work, and the chapter I’m stepping into?
- What’s my next aligned step?
And then…
Rinse and repeat.
Switch the destination.
Switch the book.
Switch the new experience.
Keep meeting yourself again and again.
That is how clarity begins.
That is how identity forms.
That is how alignment becomes your lifestyle.
If you’re ready to stop shrinking, start reflecting, and step into a chapter that finally feels like you, visit writingyourchapter.com and subscribe to my newsletter for book-led guidance, weekly reflections, and identity-driven coaching insights—
one page at a time.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.