Podcast Summary: Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan

Episode: Why Q4 Is the Time to Go BIGGER with Heather!
Air Date: October 1, 2025
Host: Heather Monahan

Episode Overview

In this energetic solo episode, Heather Monahan shares actionable advice for listeners looking to level up their careers and lives as the fourth quarter (Q4) begins. Drawing from her successful corporate career, global speaking engagements, and coaching experience, Heather urges listeners to take bold action now—leveraging Q4 as the prime window to pitch, plan, and pursue big goals. She mixes personal stories, practical strategies, and inspiring takeaways, all delivered in her signature motivational style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Myths and Mechanisms of Confidence

• Confidence is Built, Not Inherited

  • Heather dismantles the myth that confidence is an innate trait, asserting it's a byproduct of action, not a starting point.

    "Confidence is not something you’re born with. It’s not an emotion. It’s a byproduct of action."
    (02:00)

  • Drawing parallels between learning to ride a bike, start a new job, or drive, she emphasizes that initial lack of assurance is normal—and that action precedes confidence, not vice versa.
  • Heather references Amy Cuddy's TEDx and Harvard research, encouraging listeners to adopt "power poses" to foster internal and external confidence.

• Perception is Reality

  • Acting confident leads people to perceive you as such, which can alter outcomes in your favor—even if you don’t feel it internally at first.
  • She shares her own journey to the corporate C-suite as an example of overcoming “imposter syndrome” via bold, outward confidence.

2. Why Q4 is the Time to Go BIGGER

• Strategic Timing for Change

  • Q4 is when budgets, plans, and key decisions for the upcoming year are made, making it the moment to pitch for raises, promotions, big clients, or business expansion.

    “More decisions, more strategies, more game plans are made in fourth quarter than all year.”
    (16:36)

  • Heather warns against passivity, sharing that hesitation cost her—and her company—growth. She urges listeners not to wait for confidence or perfect readiness.

• Actionable Q4 Advice

  • Now is the time to pitch ideas, ask for promotions, negotiate sponsorships, or launch new initiatives.
  • She provides real talk about handling typical objections (“that’s not in the budget”) and how to proactively frame such conversations during this planning window.

3. Building and Leveraging Your Personal Brand

• Consistency & Value Creation

  • Heather’s personal brand opened doors globally (keynote in the Middle East, high-profile interviews). She credits this to daily visibility and adding value authentically on platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram.
  • The first viral post that boosted her brand visibility was about getting fired—a lesson in turning setbacks into brand milestones.
  • Drawing from Gary Vaynerchuk’s blueprint: “Show up daily, be consistent, share your POV, allow others to learn from you…”

• Networking & Relationships

  • Beyond digital presence, Heather stresses the compounding effect of treating people well, overdelivering, and maintaining professional relationships. This approach continuously generates opportunities, referrals, and repeat invitations.

4. Storytime: Overcoming Fear, Reaping Rewards

• Middle East Speaking Engagements

  • She shares her anxiety and self-doubt prior to major international speaking events—and how embracing discomfort directly led to career-transforming opportunities (e.g., sharing stages with Stephen Bartlett and the Princess of Saudi Arabia).
  • Heather details her use of AI to streamline a last-minute passport renewal—a practical, modern travel tip.

• Interviewing Billionaire Peter Jones

  • Heather recounts her experience prepping for and interviewing Peter Jones at a tech conference in Dubai, noting her initial overwhelm, adapting questions based on his input, and how the best moments came from authentic, spontaneous conversation.

    “The most resonating, the most impactful questions were the ones from conversation, connection, and human—not the ones from AI.”
    (01:00; repeated at 69:30)

  • Her big personal takeaway from Peter Jones: “Just go bigger.” He encourages being “delusional” about your goals—seeing setbacks as feedback, not failure.

    “I want people to tell me I’m delusional. That’s when I know I’m on the right track.”
    — Peter Jones (shared by Heather, 74:20)

5. Heather’s Coaching Techniques and Sales Closes

• Selling Yourself—for Career, Clients, or Sponsorships

  • Q4 is sponsorship season—Heather gives her top "closing techniques":

    • Transformation Close: Highlight the difference between stuckness and clarity/confidence after working together.
    • Identity Close: “Investing in coaching is what leaders do. Are you ready to own that identity?”
    • Social Proof: Leverage testimonials to convince potential clients or sponsors.
    • Assumptive/Commitment Close: Offer options assuming they’re ready to proceed.
    • Silent Close: Use strategic pauses after a pitch.

  • For sponsorships, she stresses:

    • Partnership (impact over just logo placement)
    • ROI (share proven results)
    • Exclusivity and alignment (scarcity and brand fit)
    • FOMO (fear of missing out due to competitors)

  • Heather also addresses overcoming pricing objections—often a matter of qualifying leads or building more value into your pitch.

6. Testimonials and Real-Life Results from Clients

• Multiple examples shared of former clients (Miranda, Dana, Kristen, Erica, Stacy) who leaped into the unknown—often in Q4—resulting in massive business growth, career pivots, or personal breakthroughs.
  • e.g., “Miranda… had her first $15k week ever in business… Dana closed more clients and billed more in September than the entire previous year.”
    (81:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Confidence:

  “Fear doesn’t disappear. You just stop listening to it. You start seeing it as a green light. That means go—and go faster.”
  (09:06)

• On Going Bigger:

  “Allow other people to think you’re delusional, because that will mean you’re actually on the right track.”
  (74:56)

• On Network and Kindness:

  “The way that we show up for other people will in turn show up back in our lives again in many different ways.”
  (41:25)

• On the Importance of Human Connection, Even in a Tech-AI World:

  “The magic is in the human touch, that human connection—no computer or robot can take that.”
  (01:00; 69:30)

• On Overcoming Setbacks:

  “There’s always a solution. That is fact.”
  (51:30)

• On Testimonials/Social Proof in Business:

  “Someone else standing next to us saying ‘She’s that good. She changed my life’—that’s always the most powerful thing.”
  (88:10)

• On Strategic Risk:

  “What’s the grief-to-gross ratio? …If there’s a potential that you have to go through some grief to get there, but the upside is going to be great, you gotta go for it.”
  (43:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:00 — The myth that confidence is innate and the “action-confidence” loop
• 09:06 — Fear as a green light; personal story of imposter syndrome
• 16:36 — Why Q4 is pivotal; tips for timing your big asks and pitches
• 27:30 — Building a personal brand and platform; turning adversity into content
• 31:12 — Networking, community, and treating people well
• 38:00 — Travel, sacrifice, and big opportunities (Middle East speaking)
• 51:30 — Overcoming travel logistics via AI; problem-solving on the run
• 60:00 — Keynote and live interview prep, leveraging both AI and authenticity
• 69:30 — Lessons from Peter Jones: Human connection > AI, and “going delusional”
• 81:20 — Client testimonials; evidence of transformation from taking bold action
• 88:10 — Sales closing techniques and strategies for sponsorships and high-ticket offers

Conclusion & Call to Action

Heather closes with two invitations:

• October Ladies Only Team: A month-long accountability and business growth group for women, meeting Fridays in October.
• Annual Mastermind: For men and women looking for one-on-one and community support to reach the next level.

Her closing challenge:

“Ask yourself: Whatever your goals are for this quarter, for this month—just go bigger. Allow other people to think you’re delusional. That will mean you’re actually on the right track.”

Summary Takeaways

• Confidence is built through action, not inherited or felt beforehand.
• Q4 is the prime time for pitching, growth, and bold moves—don’t wait for permission or perfect preparation.
• Bring your authentic perspective to your personal brand and network—opportunity flows to those who show up and add value.
• Human connection trumps AI-generated content in resonance and impact.
• Strategic, consistent risk-taking and kindness pay compounding dividends in career and business.
• Let yourself think bigger, even if others call you delusional—this is the path to breakthrough results.

For those seeking direct support or coaching from Heather, links are provided in the show's notes.