Podcast Summary: Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan

Episode: Confidence Classic: Lead With Realness, Not Perfection With Andrew Metz
Date: November 25, 2025
Host: Heather Monahan
Guest: Andrew Metz

Episode Overview

This episode centers on authentic leadership, the power of vulnerability, and combating perfectionism, featuring sales leader Andrew Metz. Heather and Andrew dive into why being real outshines chasing perfection, how leaders can foster genuine confidence in themselves and their teams, and why showing your human side accelerates trust and career growth. They candidly discuss navigating imposter syndrome, scalable strategies for maintaining intimacy within large teams, lessons from personal transformation, and how leading at home compares to corporate leadership.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Realness Over Perfection

• Andrew’s Approach: Andrew shares that leaning into vulnerability on platforms like LinkedIn, discussing taboo subjects (e.g., being fired, struggles with alcohol), has drawn meaningful connections and positive feedback.

  • Notable Quote: "I've gained a lot of traction with kind of doing the opposite of what people have told me in some cases because people feel like I'm a real person." – Andrew (00:50, 15:57)

• Realness as a Differentiator:

  • Many leaders still shield themselves with a facade of perfection (00:50). Andrew describes how authenticity fosters trust and relatability, critical for both internal team dynamics and public persona.

• Heather’s Experience: Heather echoes this, noting her most viral LinkedIn post came from openly sharing her firing experience.

  • Notable Quote: "The day that I decided to take that cover off or that veil of corporate BS and lean into just being the real me, that's when my social media exploded." – Heather (18:16)

2. Imposter Syndrome: Everyone Feels It—Even Executives

• Navigating Doubt: Both Andrew and Heather recount instances of feeling unworthy, especially as their responsibilities grew.

  • Andrew details feeling imposter syndrome, even while speaking to Heather (04:45).
  • Insight: That inner critic is a signal you’re outside your comfort zone—often necessary for growth.

• A Leadership “Secret”: Heather reveals that ascending to the C-suite was easier than expected, and that much of the fear was self-generated.

  • Notable Quote: “I was overqualified for all the reasons why I thought I wasn’t... I was actually already doing the work just with a more junior level title.” – Heather (08:44)

3. Building & Maintaining Trust in Teams

• Scaling Personal Touch (15:48, 15:57):

  • Andrew advocates for scalable, but intimate, touchpoints: small group lunches, leveraging LinkedIn for visibility and accessibility, and personal acknowledgments.
  • Notable Quote: “How do you scale it? But how do you keep it real?... I focus on what's a meaningful activity I'm going to do.” – Andrew (15:57)

• Vulnerability in Leadership: Both agree that when leaders admit mistakes and show humility, trust and loyalty deepen.

4. Confidence: How to Build It in Others

• Mentorship: Andrew implements formal mentor-mentee systems to boost new employees’ confidence.

  • Notable Quote: “Teaching someone something they didn’t know builds your confidence a lot.” – Andrew (21:01)

• Recognize Success Unexpectedly: He emphasizes surprising employees with recognition for good work, not just calling out mistakes.

  • Notable Quote: “Catch them in the act of doing something good... a pat on the back when it’s unexpected goes a long way.” – Andrew (21:01)

5. Leading Teams vs. Leading at Home

• Leading by Example: At home and at work, Andrew believes in modeling the behavior he wants to see, whether it's gratitude, discipline, or kindness.
  • For his kids, he allows exploration and passion, not high pressure.
  • Notable Quote: “My actions speak louder than my words… I've had that same mentality in corporate America too.” – Andrew (25:55)
• Encouraging Passion, Not Perfection: He avoids forcing his children into activities or standards, instead aiming to help them discover what excites them.

6. Personal Transformation: The Catalyst for Change

• Trigger Moments: Andrew recounts a “rock bottom” moment—a wake-up call at a company 5K—that spurred major health, lifestyle, and career changes.

  • He quit drinking, began running (from walking a 5K to a marathon in 18 months), and left a comfortable role to challenge himself in a new organization (32:26).
  • Notable Quote: “There's a victim mentality out there... and I just think a lot of that is bullshit. I think a lot of it is based upon your own decision making and what you want to make of your life.” – Andrew (32:26)

• Abundance Mindset: Doing hard things, both personally and professionally, creates momentum and confidence to ask "What else can I do?"

  • Notable Quote: “At the end of the day, we write more of our own story than we realize. But no one's gonna do it for you. You gotta go do it for yourself.” – Andrew (36:19)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Vulnerability:
  “I found that... talking about things people maybe would go, I don’t know if you should talk about that... people feel like I’m a real person.” – Andrew (00:50)

• On Imposter Syndrome:
  “The thought of imposter syndrome is simply the feeling that you’re unworthy or you don’t exist. And everyone has that to some degree…” – Andrew (04:45)

• On Leadership and Trust:
  “If you keep team members engaged, challenge them, and invest in them... they’re going to be really loyal to you and the leadership.” – Andrew (09:14)

• On Recognizing Employees:
  “Catch them in the act of doing something good... instead of always pointing out what’s wrong.” – Andrew (21:01)

• On Life Changes:
  “You learn a lot about yourself when you go and do hard things. And really the fun is just in that journey and that next checkpoint that you receive.” – Andrew (32:26)

• Actionable Takeaway:
  “Just figure out one thing... Maybe it’s one thing that you used to have incorporated in your life that was positive... and somehow along the way, you dropped it.” – Heather (36:19)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:50] Andrew on vulnerability and authenticity on LinkedIn
• [03:35] Andrew’s background: climbing the ranks in corporate America
• [04:45] Discussion of imposter syndrome and confidence
• [06:39] Facing and learning from failure in sales and life
• [08:44] Heather’s C-suite “scam” realization
• [15:57] Strategies for maintaining personal touch at scale; LinkedIn as leadership tool
• [18:16] Viral moments and the upside of vulnerability online
• [21:01] Building confidence in teams: mentorship and unexpected recognition
• [23:35] Tips for giving strong presentations
• [25:55] Parenting vs work leadership; leading by example and encouraging passion
• [32:26] Andrew’s personal transformation journey and career pivot
• [36:19] Starting with small changes—Heather’s call to action
• [37:45] Where to find Andrew: LinkedIn

Conclusion

Andrew Metz brings a refreshing perspective to leadership—one that prioritizes realness, celebrates vulnerability, and puts human connection before polished perfection. Alongside Heather Monahan, their mutual stories illustrate that confidence is cultivated in the trenches of discomfort and shared openly, not engineered behind closed doors. Leaders looking to inspire their teams, grow their influence, and drive personal change will find both tactical advice and heartfelt motivation in this episode.

Connect with Andrew:

• Andrew Metz on LinkedIn

“At the end of the day, we write more of our own story than we realize. But no one’s gonna do it for you. You gotta go do it for yourself.” – Andrew Metz (36:19)