Podcast Summary: Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan

Episode: Confidence Classic: Choose Faith Over Fear & Success Will Follow with Heather!
Date: September 16, 2025
Host: Heather Monahan

Overview

In this Confidence Classic solo episode, Heather Monahan delivers a deeply personal and actionable masterclass on how to transform adversity into opportunity, specifically after career setbacks like getting fired. Heather reveals her own journey from being fired as a chief revenue officer to reinventing herself as a best-selling author and keynote speaker. She shares vital lessons on finding purpose, choosing faith over fear, navigating workplace villains, and trusting the signs the universe—or a higher power—sends your way. The episode is a motivational primer for anyone feeling lost, afraid of uncertainty, or struggling with difficult people at work.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reframing Being Fired: You’re in Good Company

• Heather normalizes being fired by listing famous individuals who experienced the same fate (00:00).
  • Mark Cuban, Oprah Winfrey, J.K. Rowling, Steve Jobs—all fired, all successful.
  • "Getting fired means you are in good company. Choose to see this as your jump off point." (Heather, 00:02)
• Uncertainty as a Gateway:
  • "When everything is uncertain, anything is possible." (Heather, 00:03)
  • Don’t see being fired as an end, but as a new beginning.

2. Finding—and Creating—Your Purpose

• Heather's search for fulfillment:
  • Felt empty driving shareholder value in corporate America (03:00-05:00).
  • Charity work brought meaning, but time was scarce.
• “Linear” Thinking is Self-Destructive:
  • She believed her only path forward was up the corporate ladder, missing other possible routes to fulfillment.
• The Magic Moment:
  • Recalls a pivotal night MCing at an event where she felt "magic" on stage (06:00).
  • "If you ever get that feeling doing something... Stop. That is a sign from God, from the universe...this is the path you’re destined for." (Heather, 09:00)
• Listening to Intuition and Sitting With Questions:
  • Let inspiration simmer; the answers will reveal themselves (12:00).

3. The Power of Reinvention: Heather’s Career Pivot

• The Viral Post:
  • After getting fired, she publicly asked for support, which led to new opportunities like appearing on the Elvis Duran Show.
  • Elvis Duran’s pivotal encouragement: “Heather, obviously you’re writing a book.” (Heather, recounting, 15:10)
• Challenging Old Labels:
  • Had to overcome old family labels (her sister, “the smart one”; Heather, "the social one") to claim her identity as an author.
  • "Who says I can’t be an author? Who says I can't blow up all the lanes and just live lanelessly?" (Heather, 16:20)
• Embracing Imperfection:
  • "Done will always be better than perfect." (Heather, 18:15)
• Discovering the Speaking Business:
  • Cold-called companies, pivoted to professional speaking upon realizing how lucrative it could be.

4. Faith Over Fear: Choosing Possibility

• It's a Choice:
  • "It’s your choice. It’s up to you if you choose to move forward with faith or you choose to hold yourself back with the fear." (Heather, 25:30)
  • “Fear is a green light that means go.” (Heather, 26:14)
• Manifesting Miracles:
  • Focus on what could go right as much as what could go wrong.
  • “Why isn’t it just as likely you could manifest a miracle? It is. You just have to start believing.” (Heather, 27:40)
• Signs from the Universe/Higher Power:
  • Shares an anecdote about writing a book title down and, days later, seeing it as the theme at her church—taking this as a powerful sign (29:00-31:00).
  • "Look for those signs, be open to receiving those signs out there." (Heather, 32:01)

5. Navigating Workplace Villains: Assertiveness & Boundaries

• Listener Q&A:
  • A listener faces a bullying coworker and requests advice: "Someone who’s supposed to be my equal has been condescending and bullying to me." (Heather, reading listener message, 22:57)
• Heather’s Approach:
  • Respond, don’t react: "The most powerful people are typically the ones that sit in silence, own their thoughts, and then respond when they’re ready." (Heather, 24:30)
  • Practice conversations beforehand. Open the discussion with curiosity—“I’m confused,” or “I feel there’s tension between us…”
  • If met with denial or hostility, escalate to HR with a factual, calm approach (38:00).
• Her Firing Story (Detailed Breakdown):
  • Heather describes in vivid detail the moment she was fired: her boss’s power play, the pressure to sign a gag order for a payout, and her exact response:
  • "I didn’t write either one of these memos, so I won’t be signing either one of them. And if you have nothing else to say, I’m out of here." (Heather, 38:40)
  • Kept her composure, then cried in her car for three hours—normalizing the emotional fallout but celebrating the power move and self-respect.

6. The Importance of Community & Support Systems

• Curate your circle:
  • Heather advises surrounding yourself with supportive people and positive content during challenging times (41:50).
  • “Be that protective of you that you're not letting anyone into your circle, into your head, unless it's someone who is cheering you on, supporting and encouraging you.” (Heather, 42:10)

7. Overcoming Adversity – Three Step Process

• Heather’s Three Pillars (from her book "Overcome Your Villains"):
  • Belief
  • Action
  • Knowledge

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "When everything is uncertain, anything is possible." — Heather (00:03)
• "If you ever get that feeling doing something and you're like, oh my gosh, this is magic... Stop. That is a sign from God, from the universe, however you choose to see it, that this is the path that you're destined for." — Heather (09:00)
• "Who says I can’t be an author? Who says I can't blow up all the lanes and just live lanelessly?" — Heather (16:20)
• "Done will always be better than perfect." — Heather (18:15)
• "It’s your choice. It’s up to you if you choose to move forward with the faith or you choose to hold yourself back with the fear." — Heather (25:30)
• "Fear is a green light that means go." — Heather (26:14)
• "Why isn’t it just as likely you could manifest a miracle? It is. You just have to start believing." — Heather (27:40)
• "Don’t react. Respond. When you react, you’re allowing someone else to puppeteer you. When you respond in a very calm manner, you take all the power out of the room." — Heather (38:55)
• "Stop shrinking to fit in the places you’ve already outgrown. The only reason you’re freaking out is because you don’t know what’s on that other side. But I’m here to tell you, for me, there was my first book…my speaking career…so many blessings." — Heather (44:02)
• "The old must fall away in order for the new to arise. Don’t see it as an end. This is just the beginning." — Heather (45:28)

Timestamps For Key Segments

• 00:00 – 04:00 — Opening: The power in being fired and embracing uncertainty.
• 04:00 – 12:00 — Finding purpose; from empty corporate achievement to exploring new passions.
• 12:00 – 20:00 — The journey from corporate to entrepreneur, getting fired, and realizing the magic of speaking.
• 22:57 – 24:30 — Listener Q&A: Facing workplace bullying and assertion.
• 24:30 – 38:55 — Heather’s story of responding (not reacting) during her firing.
• 38:00 – 45:00 — Actionable steps on confronting workplace villains, listener support, and reinventing yourself after adversity.
• 45:00 – End — Encouragement: Stop shrinking, embrace new chapters, community support.

Tone

The episode is high-energy, conversational, inspiring, and direct—peppered with humor and personal vulnerability. Heather candidly shares her missteps, emotional struggles, and triumphs, speaking as both a seasoned business leader and your biggest cheerleader.

Conclusion

This episode is a practical, encouraging roadmap for anyone navigating career transitions, toxic work environments, or personal doubts. Heather Monahan’s storytelling and actionable insights illustrate that the path to success rarely goes as planned. Choosing faith over fear, staying attuned to your intuition, and courageously confronting adversity—these are the keys to both confidence and possibility. As Heather puts it: “The old must fall away in order for the new to arise. Don’t see it as an end. This is just the beginning.”

For more Confidence Classics and to connect with Heather, check out her books ("Confidence Creator," "Overcome Your Villains") and follow her ongoing journey on the podcast.