Podcast Summary: Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan

Episode: Confidence Classic: Believe in Your Worth FIRST With Heather!
Host: Heather Monahan
Release Date: September 24, 2025

Episode Overview

In this solo “Confidence Classic” episode, Heather Monahan shares candid stories from her personal and professional life, imparting lessons on self-worth, confidence, surrender, resilience, and the importance of supportive relationships. Through recent experiences—from workplace challenges to major life transitions—Heather encourages listeners to believe in their worth, surrender to the universe's plan, and consistently advocate for their needs. The episode is filled with tactical advice, personal anecdotes, memorable quotes, and actionable takeaways.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. How Losing Your Cool Impacts the Team

Timestamp: 02:20–09:00

• Story: Heather recounts a recent meeting where a team member lost his composure, raising his voice and creating tension among colleagues.
• Impact: The aftermath included gossip, broken trust, and a lingering negative effect on team dynamics.
• Lesson: Emotional control in professional settings is discipline and practice.
• Advice:
  • Excuse yourself if you feel overwhelmed ("Go for a walk. Step outside. Vent to a mentor—not the group").
  • Public outbursts are hard to recover from and can damage relationships and reputation.
  • Lead with grace and be the person you aspire to be.

"Always take the high road. You can circle back on things later. If you're feeling like you're losing control, excuse yourself from the situation... That's showing up with a lot of grace and class." — Heather Monahan (07:15)

2. Surrendering Control in Uncertain Times

Timestamp: 09:01–27:30

• Story: Heather shares her recent experience selling her condo. After multiple false starts with buyers and changing real estate markets, unexpected blessings arrived through persistence and faith.
• Obstacles: Failed deals led to stress and uncertainty about housing.
• Surrender: With encouragement from her son, she let go and trusted a higher power or the universe to deliver the right outcome.
  • Her son's advice: "If God's hand is on this deal, things will move forward with ease and grace." (22:32)
• Outcome: She found a new home that exceeded her expectations, reinforcing the theme that letting go can lead to unforeseen miracles.

“Sometimes, the real answer is about letting go and getting out of the way of what could be out there for you.” — Heather Monahan (25:30)

• Visual metaphor: The “little girl with the tiny teddy bear hiding from God’s offer of an even bigger one”—trust that something greater awaits.

3. Asking for Your Needs to Be Met

Timestamp: 27:31–33:00

• Personal Growth: Heather describes the discomfort in asking for her needs in a relationship, versus remaining silent and growing distant.
• Challenge: Vulnerability is key, even if outcomes are unknown.
• Lesson: Advocating for yourself is necessary for healthy relationships, both personally and professionally.

“People don’t know what I want if I don’t extend my arm, raise my hand and say, ‘Hey, I need something.’ They’re not able to read my mind.” — Heather Monahan (30:28)

4. Self-Care, Grace, and Emotional Regulation

Timestamp: 33:01–36:30

• Anecdote: Moving, little sleep, hosting a teenage party—which led to unexpected damage in her new home.
• Perspective: Lack of self-care (like sleep) hinders performance and well-being. Give yourself grace under stress.
• Life lesson: Even small setbacks (like party messes) can become moments of reflection on who belongs in your inner circle.

5. The Magic of Solutions and Asking for Help

Timestamp: 36:31–42:45

• Problem: Heather didn’t know how to fix wall marks left from her son’s party.
• Solution: A friend suggested the “Magic Eraser”—a simple product she’d never heard of.
• Takeaway: We often aren’t even aware of solutions that are available; being open, seeking advice, and reaching out are key.

“We know so little about what is available to us. Everything is always changing... You never know how close you are to that solution that you desperately want.” — Heather Monahan (41:08)

6. Firing Your Villains and Choosing Supportive Relationships

Timestamp: 42:46–46:15

• Reflection: The party incident revealed the importance of real friends—those who stick around to help clean up, rather than cause damage.
• Professional parallel: Heather re-emphasizes the necessity of removing toxic influences from your life and surrounding yourself with supporters.

7. Championing Women and Creating Opportunities

Timestamp: 46:16–55:25

• Event Story: Heather facilitated a regional women’s event for Northwestern Mutual, organized by a woman who advocated for herself and her ideas until she saw them realized.
• Principle: “A closed mouth never gets fed”—you must act on your ideas and advocate for your worth.
• Community Impact: Being in a room where women are invested in and supported has a powerful effect on collective confidence and momentum.
• Surrendering and Adapting: Inspired by Oprah Winfrey’s philosophy, Heather decides to surrender control and let her next speech unfold naturally—“Let go, let God.”

“If you want to be the best, start listening to the best to gain their insights and apply where it makes sense.” — Heather Monahan (51:08)

“[Oprah] completely attributed her success to surrendering to God’s plan, not her own... it opened my mind to the possibility that it didn’t just have to be this one way.” — Heather Monahan (53:20)

8. Tactical Confidence-Building: Five Phrases to Fire

Timestamp: 55:26–1:03:30

• From Heather’s book “Confidence Creator,” Chapter 30:
  1. Yes (stop automatically agreeing to more work or responsibility out of fear)
  2. “This isn’t fair” (set boundaries instead of complaining)
  3. “I don’t agree, but I’ll make it work” (voice your perspective respectfully)
  4. “I feel...” (use strong, factual statements in professional settings)
  5. “Like” (avoid using filler words that diminish authority)
• Approach: Implementing these changes empowers you and commands respect.

“Done will always be better than perfect.” — Heather Monahan (55:56)

9. The Importance of Belief Before Receiving

Timestamp: 27:00, 54:45, 1:01:30

• Theme: You must believe in what’s possible for you—before you ‘receive’ the outcome, solution, or opportunity.
• Continuous Cycle: Life will keep presenting lessons until you receive and apply them.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On surrendering and adversity:

  “When God has his hand on a deal, something’s meant for you, right? If it’s part of his plan for you, it’s not going to be so hard.” — Heather’s son (22:32)

• On the power of perspective:

  “It is easy to forget... That’s where I’m glad I have my son to remind me.” — Heather Monahan (27:10)

• On letting go:

  “Let go, let God. Like Oprah said, his plan is greater than ours. Allow it to unfold, receive it, be willing to receive it, and move forward in faith.” — Heather Monahan (53:50)

• On the importance of action:

  “A closed mouth never gets fed. You’re going to have ideas, but you’ve got to act on them.” — Heather Monahan (49:14)

• On perfection:

  “Done will always be better than perfect.” — Heather Monahan (55:56)

Important Timestamps

• 02:20 — Story of losing composure in a meeting and its ripple effects
• 09:01 — Condo-selling journey: stress, uncertainty, and surrender
• 17:45 — Manifesting and losing “the penthouse”; learning to surrender
• 22:32 — Son’s advice on divine timing and ease
• 25:30 — Realization that letting go leads to miracles
• 30:28 — Advocating for your needs in relationships
• 36:31 — Magic Eraser story: the value of asking for help
• 46:16 — Northwestern Mutual women's event and the power of taking initiative
• 51:08 — Learning from Oprah and the art of surrender
• 55:26 — “Five Phrases I Fired”: practical confidence tips

Tone & Language

Heather’s tone throughout is candid, supportive, and upbeat, mixing humor (“Epic mom fail”), tangible advice, and spiritual encouragement. She maintains her signature motivational voice, balancing vulnerability with actionable strategies.

Final Takeaways

• Believe in your worth first—before circumstances confirm it.
• Let go of control and allow life’s possibilities to unfold, trusting that better things may be in store.
• Advocate for your needs in all relationships—personal or professional.
• Surround yourself with supporters, and don’t be afraid to “fire your villains.”
• Keep learning—solutions and opportunities are everywhere if you stay open.
• Practical confidence-building requires both mindset and language shifts.
• The best is yet to come—move forward with faith and excitement.

For weekly doses of inspiration and tactical confidence-building tips, Heather Monahan’s podcasts continue offering both heartfelt stories and practical tools to support listeners in pursuing their greatest potential.