Nancy Youssef

Nancy Youssef is an award-winning business mentor, international speaker, author and entrepreneur. With over two decades of experience in the finance industry, she founded and led Classic Finance for 17 years before transitioning her focus to Classic Mentoring & Coaching, her platform for empowering founders and business leaders to grow purpose-led, strategically sound enterprises.

Known for her deep empathy and no-nonsense guidance, Nancy has mentored over 300 startups and established businesses, helping them overcome fear, clarify their vision and achieve meaningful growth. Her philosophy is grounded in the belief that business can be a force for good, and she brings this to every stage, session and strategic conversation.

Nancy is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), a global designation for professional speakers, and has delivered keynote presentations for organisations including ANZ Bank, Pepper Money, Connective, Prospa and Showpo.

Her signature keynote, The Pathway to Purpose: Commit. Choose. Let Go of Control, introduces her powerful three-step model that helps entrepreneurs move from fear and stagnation into clarity and aligned action.

Other sought-after talks include:

• Success Beyond Fear – The new currency of leadership growth
• From Busy to Brave – Redefining what success really looks like
• Purpose and Profit – How values-aligned businesses scale sustainably
• Fear Money Purpose – Breaking free from fear-based decision-making

Nancy’s upcoming book, Success Beyond Fear, builds on the impact of Fear Money Purpose, offering a fresh lens on leadership, mindset and the bold choices that shape a more fulfilling life and business.

Her influence extends beyond the stage. Nancy has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for underprivileged communities in Africa and the Middle East through initiatives such as The Hunger Project Australia. She supports organisations aligned with sustainable development, education and female empowerment, always with a long-term view of impact.

A lifelong learner, Nancy is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and has completed advanced leadership programs at Bond University, UCLA Anderson School of Management, the Disney Institute, and Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island. She holds certifications in NLP, Hypnotherapy and Life Success Coaching, which she integrates into her mentoring and retreat work to support personal and professional transformation. Nancy also serves on a number of boards, where she contributes her expertise in governance, business growth and strategic leadership.

Featured in publications like the Australian Financial Review and The Weekend Australian, and on podcasts including Alan Kohler’s Qantas Business and Lawyers Weekly, Nancy is a recognised voice on entrepreneurship, leadership and mindset mastery.

When she is not working with purpose-driven founders, you will find her adventuring somewhere new, sharing stories over good food and wine or deep in a book.