If you've never heard about anchor it's the easiest way to make a podcast and I'll explain really quickly my favorite part. It's free. There's actually creation tools that allow you to record and edit your podcast right from your phone or computer. If you want it will actually distribute your podcast so it can be heard on Spotify apple as and many more and you can actually make money from it without any minimum numbers of listeners, and it'sThat you need to actually make a podcast in one place. So do this download the free anchor app or go to Anchor the FM to get started. In this episode. I had the pleasure of interviewing Heather Monahan. She recently did a TED Talk down in Boca Raton around the Thanksgiving holiday. She has written a book called The Confidence Creator and she also has a top 100 podcast on Apple and she did all this just two short years after being fired from her corporate role where she had an executive. Addition and so this is super interesting story super inspired by her and everything that she's accomplished and I can't wait to see where she goes from here. So I hope you all enjoy. Hey everybody. Thanks so much for tuning into the blaze your own trail podcast. I'm your host Jordan Mendoza and I have got an amazing guest today. You can see her here on the screen. Her name is Heather Monahan, and I really we want to let her give you some context into who she is, you know where she started and then we'll get into this interview. So my background in Corporate America was in sales and sales leadership and then I was fired two years ago. I wrote in self published my first book confidence Creator, which Trump trump for number one on the business biography list on Amazon. Then I became a public speaker when I was out promoting my book and then I signed a deal with podcast one and lunch my podcast creating confidence. And then I just delivered my first tedx talk which was the me to movement misstep or mistake which just launched the last couple days. Wow, you know, and and and you think about this, you know for everyone that's listening. I want you to remember what she just said. This was two years removed from being fired from a corporate job in and I know a little bit about your the background like you you were moving you right like you were moving up this ladder and you like everything was working out the way that it was supposed to work out until it didn't you know? Yeah. I was at the highest level. I was in the c-suite. I was a chief Revenue officer responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars. I just won one of the most influential women in radio. I was definitely at the top of my game in the media industry for sure. Yes, and you know, and then something happened and for those of you that haven't seen Heather's Ted Talk I We recommend that I had to actually watch it twice. I was so inspired by the first time in some of my biggest takeaways. I want to share with the audience. And for those of you that haven't seen it yet. So in your Ted Talk you gave your five-step plan for advertising and just just to give the audience what that five steps are it the first one was identify the right platform to run your campaign on. Okay, the second one was too strong and powerful messaging and do it frequently. Only do it with frequency. And you said that frequency is what sells? Yes and anything in any environment in any environment the next one was, you know, identify a music bed or a jingle to elicit emotion or memory and yours you said was Kendrick Lamar's I love myself and this is intro to your podcast. So if you're not subscribed to her podcast, I highly recommend that as well number four was you need a call to action to converts, right? And the fifth one was when you fire on all four cylinders, you need a visual component and then that campaign will explode absolutely that's how media works. That's how advertising campaigns work. You know, what is so interesting because if we just stop there I feel like that's enough value for the audience to take that five step framework and start to build on it but interestingly enough what you actually did is you took that framework and before I get into this, how did you come up with that was? This something you created or was this? Okay. So so what what sparked that five steps because it's brilliant. Well, you know, I was in media for 20 years. So I had managed so thousands if not hundreds of thousands of campaigns over my career and I saw what worked and what didn't work. I read white papers and research papers about improving advertising. I mean, this was what I was immersed in every day. It was just the idea. Of me applying it to myself instead of her clients and that's it. And she kind of led into it folks. So what she did in this again this to me was just brilliant. So the five steps is amazing, but she actually took those five steps in apply it it to her life and said, you know, I'm going to run this campaign on me. And so for the audience, can you give them a little context on exactly what you did for those that haven't seen your Ted Talk? Yeah, but definitely watch my TED talk. It's ten minutes each. Don't regret you won't regret giving up. So I basically decided I was at a low moment in business and I was being treated very poorly at work. I was being harassed I was being bullied and I just decided that you know, I'd hope that if I kept looking away and not paying attention to it. They would leave me alone in this woman would go away but it wasn't working. It was very obvious. She was getting more negative towards me things were getting worse for me and I actually started losing my hair. That's what caught my attention I threw my Check out my said okay, I can't ignore this anymore. I'm physically not. Okay, so I decided to launch an ad campaign for myself to really try to reboot me because I hadn't been feeling confident for probably a couple years at this point. I had but this gone on for a couple of years at least a solid year and I just decided. Okay. I'm going to launch an ad campaign for me in my mind to me about eliciting confidence within me. I feel like I'm giving my TED talk right now, so So funny and you know, I started with the platform the first thing I would ask a client is our let's take a look at what platforms your audience is in front of so, we might look at Facebook television radio, whatever it might be digital advertising, but I thought why not choose my mind. I'm in charge of it. It cost me nothing. No one can tell me what adds to run there, but me so why don't I just run it here. I spend more time with in my own head every day long having dialogue then I do with social media or anyone else so I picked to run. But campaign in my mind then I chose powerful messaging. Look. I'm doing this with my hands again. Like I'm giving my talk I chose powerful messaging. So, you know, a lot of what I do now is like I can I will I step into fear fear is a green light. I am confident. I am powerful whatever resonates with you around what your challenge with for some people, you know, it might be I will not let this person speak down to me. It's whatever resonates with you. Okay, so I chose my messaging. I ran it with frequency, which is seven times a day to have a successful campaign and I decided to attach music to it because when I'm with a client or with a past client and media, it was really helpful, they would have a jingle or something people could remember right? Because it elicits memory often you feel oh my gosh. I know what this is It's McDonald's or you know, it's whatever the Days Inn hotel you want people to remember. I wanted to remember my own ad campaign. So I started associating Kendrick Lamar. I love myself with my Can't be any time. I would player listen to that music I would get into this mindset of I am confident. I am powerful. I immediately felt that it triggered memory and emotion, which is really important. So I would run Kendrick Lamar when I was while I was launching my campaign, but whenever I was in my car listening it was like I was running my campaign. This is how it works like subliminal. So I picked Kendrick Lamar now the next thing I need a call to action and in the old days and media, it might be coming today to buy McDonald's burgers for 99 cents. Okay, that's a call to action a reason to do something now. Mine was every time I see fear. I see a green light and that means go not a red light. It's a green light. So in my mind, I would Envision a green light in my call to action is the minute I feel fear I step right into it. So I was training myself to take action around moving into fear not moving away from it, which is what I have been doing. So figure out what calls action you need to Behavior that's going to get you to where you want to go. And then finally what I did was I added a visual component and I have it actually right over there. It's a life-size cutout of me in a red dress with a giant smile and it screams confidence to me and it could be whatever image you want to use it screams confidence to you. It doesn't have to be of you. It could be a picture of me. It could be a picture of Wonder Woman. I don't it could be whoever you want, but it has to scream confidence and you have to see it and really feel and And that and so for me I would run my ad campaign while looking at my cutout and that's the visual component individual piece because now we have song we have memory. We have powerful words we'd call to action and we have a visual and that five step process if done consecutively and consistently over at least a 30 day period but 90 days will work better. You will achieve your goal. So for me my goal is to elicit confidence within me and I created enough confidence within me with Ad campaign my media campaign in order to stand up to my villain and ultimately fire her from my life. That's its that's such an inspiring and amazing story and and I think for everybody listening, you know, if if you're in a dark place, right because I think especially in our society right now, there's so much negativity out in the General Media and we live in a place where people are afraid to do things because of the Judgment of others and I think that those 5 Steps Steps add so much value to people that maybe don't have the self-worth that they used to have and so I really really appreciate you sharing that and and again you got it. You got to see this Ted talk because it inspired me so much that I have to keep watching it to take the notes the ask these questions because I really I really really was curious about you know, how all this came to fruition and I applaud you for firing your villain, you know, and and you know, I hope that You know as you continue to have these successes in accolades, I'm hoping that she's looking at you like man. I made the worst mistake. I could have made him business with letting was letting her go, you know, here's a deal with the greatest thing for you A lot of people. Ask care about her right? She didn't like me. She didn't want me there and for a long time I tried to fight that and you know show what a great worker I was but the bottom line is results speak for themselves and the stock was trading over $10 a day. She fired me, I believe now. It's a $2 and that doesn't make me happy right? I don't Revel in others loss. However, it teaches me a great lesson, which is people who are successful in business will succeed where ever they are placed and when you make good decisions work hard Step into your talents you will succeed and I really am feeling very successful as an entrepreneur. I didn't know I could do that. But I knew I could run companies and Corporate America successfully and I've done that for a long time. Now I branched out and I took my unique talents and stepped into them in a different Lane and I realized there are no Lanes you can go wherever you want to show up as a unique you put the work in do the research ask for help and you'll be wowed by what you create. That's it. Yeah, and so, you know you Took you took a leap. I remember you saying that you were petrified right? Like you had just had your had your son right? And and you did you were like you didn't know what was going to happen. And so what kind of went through your mind when you decided and for those of you that haven't seen it again watch it. But when you decided not to sign either of those letters that were really made up for you to put you in two different lights that actually You yeah, that was a really hard that moment wasn't very hard because I had been creating confidence Within Myself. I knew what I needed to do that or that moment wasn't hard but walking out of there and dealing with the reality that I had just been thrust into or that I just thrust myself into that was hard, you know saying holy cow. Where am I gonna get money? How am I going to pay my bills next month? You know, I had built a very extravagant lifestyle in my son's and private school. I live in a high-rise a luxury high-rise on the ocean. I drive a BMW great like all these first world problems, but it was it was not easy sure. Really that that first month specifically was incredibly challenging because I was in this dark space and I didn't know where I was going where I used to think Corporate America was this well-lit space, which was very clear. And now what I've learned is everyday. I'm investing in myself every day. I am constantly building on and creating momentum and trusting my boss because now I bossy Me and getting better and great things are happening. That stuff wasn't happening when I was working with someone that really hated me was trying to hold me back. So in the end things are better, however, that transition period was really scary and very challenging absolutely and so who was the first person that you called when you left and it might not have been like immediately you called them, but maybe it was a couple hours after you got yourself composing you realize what you just did. But who do you remember the first person that you called and You know that that time was that was such a hard car ride home. I was crying with like bawling, you know, not bad. So I don't even think at first I probably didn't even call anyone at first. I was crying so hard I was so scared and I was just driving on the highway crying crying crying. So I don't know that I'd called anyone right away, but there's two calls. I remember three calls. I remember I had within those first couple of hours. I was engaged at the time and I had called my fiance to tell him that I just quit my big job that I'd be Not for 14 years and that I was freaking out I had called my ex-husband to let him know because I was in panic mode. What if I can't pay for my trip, you know, I was freaking out and that was the worst. He said to me if there's one person in the world that I know can reboot from anything. It's you you'll be fine and that pissed me off and then I also called I had one Mentor in that industry. I have other mentors but in that industry that I've been in media for a really long time and I called him crying to and just saying I can't believe this just happened and can you believe this? You know, just looking for some empathy really in some support? Okay. And so I know from you know from your Ted talk there was an officer right and you had mentioned that you in your twenties. You used to go jogging on your own and you ran into an officer one day and he said hey just just so you know, like when you're jogging on your own there could be a dog that starts to chase you and the quote. It the quote that he said is you know, you can't outrun an angry dog, but you can show dominance because that has that really stuck with you. All these years. Is that something to tell me my entire Ted Talk is true. Yeah, so that actually was a boyfriend. I dated a police officer in my early 20s my very early 20s and he was the one that said to me one day. Hey, I'm getting worried. You're always out alone all hours of the day and night, you know, you're always running alone's I'm scared of dogs going to come. For you and I didn't bring that into the Ted talk because I am no longer dating that person. He's married to someone else. It was really irrelevant. But yeah, he had taught me that the only way to handle an angry dog coming at you is not to run away but to run at it and show dominance and that's the analogy or the correlation which is really that I have been trying to outrun that nasty woman and run away and it was a realization. It had when I was driving over there to meet with her. Why was I running away from her? You can't outrun an angry dog, but you can show your dominance over and that was that Epiphany moment for me going there that I didn't know what I was walking into. I didn't know she was going to fire me, but I knew I wasn't running away from her anymore. And that's and that's awesome. It's awesome that you were able to kind of correlate the two and then use that as your power right to make that decision. That was probably the has to be the scariest. Asian you know that you had made up into that up into that point. Well, hang on I'm divorced. I had a baby a group Port is that the scariest thing I've ever done. No, it does not because these are again first world problems in the moment. It seems like everything is ending really if I can't pay my bills. I moved to a smaller plate. I mean you don't even it's not what you want to do. But like when you're I have perspective now, I'm not in the moment. I'm two years after it so I can laugh about it. Yes, I was. Devastated here's why I thought I lost everything that day. However, what I've learned in what's important for other people to know is the only thing she could take for me was my paycheck. She could not take anything else. She couldn't take my network couldn't take my expertise couldn't take my experiences couldn't take my inner worth my value couldn't take my unique talents couldn't take my reputation. She couldn't take any of those things. So yes, I lost a paycheck that day, but I didn't lose anything else. That's awesome. And that's great perspective to have Rye looking back at it and realizing that it was just it was just money, you know and money can be replaced you like like you said if that can be replaced all those other things never left you which is which is awesome. And so, you know, what's one piece of advice that you want to give your son. His name is Dylan, right? I believe I saw that on your website. So I'm a father of four and I've got two boys two girls. Yeah. I know. Yeah, you know I've my oldest is a freshman in high school and he's at that age where I'm constantly trying to give him advice now, right? It's like, you know, I don't want you to be the 25 year old that has unlimited Uber. You know, I don't want to be giving him things. I want to give him life advice so that he rose up and he becomes a decent human being and I find it hard. But so I try to give them all this advice. So what's one piece of advice that you want to give your son you as he's as he gets a little bit older and is able to and things that's one piece of advice that you'd want to give him in Life or in business that you think will carry carry him a long way. Yeah, we're talking about this recently. He did an exercise in school and health class this past week where they asked all the children to write down. What is self-esteem and self-worth? What does that mean to you? And what how do you base that like how explain to us? You know why you have self-esteem and what's special about you and he wrote a lot about being funny being Nice and being good at basketball. And so he and then they went around to the other kids, which is this is an amazing experience and lesson for anyone they went to the other kids and said, okay. Now you write a note to this boy and say what you think is special about him and they all did that for one another which is all about, you know, gratitude and showing what's great about people and so wonderful exercise. However, he gets this whole stack of little notes and they all say here are so funny. You're so great at basketball. And so we talked a little bit yesterday about how that's true. Ooh, he's like the funniest person. I know and he is an amazing basketball player, but maybe one year. He's going to have a tough year. He's broken a leg already and he during season and so he's get he's starting to learn that even though there is a lot of value and focus put on the fact that he's you know, one of the best basketball players. He still was a good player when he broke we still good person when he broke his leg. It doesn't have to just singularly be that and there's complexities to all of us, you know, I might be a good speaker and maybe now Say oh, you're only going to get your worth from your Ted Talk and you know, it matters the views Matt you correlate that with your self-esteem. It's important that we all take a step back to say if I gave my best in went out on the circle. That's what matters to me not at the end of the day what other people think of it, but that I felt good about it. And that's the kind of thing. I talked to him a lot about and he talks to me about it, too. I was in the airport the day before Thanksgiving with him and I saw that my TED Talk dropped and the them is you don't ever want a tedtalk dropping near a holiday because nobody's watching and you know, there's a number of other things. It was just horrible timing and I started crying and my son said what is wrong with you and I saw honey. This is like the worst luck ever. I have no controlled No One's Gonna see it. I don't know how we're gonna get I worked so hard and here it is. Everything went wrong. And he said, all right. Mom. Stop number one will come up with a solution like take a deep breath. Let's take a step back. Can we create a solution here if the let's not worry about this today? Because we can't fix it today and not on Thanksgiving. I'll come Friday morning. Let's Implement that plan and strategy that you had and we'll pick right back up again. We still can have success with this and it took him he had that great perspective that I lost in the moment because sometimes we lose it when we're the one that's knee-deep in it and he was right, you know, I really rebooted my original strategy on Monday morning after the holiday instead of implementing. It when you know I had wanted to which was right when it came out. Yeah, and what brilliant advice so how old is he now? He's 1212. I mean so I mean if you're listening what brilliant advice from a twelve-year-old right to have for one the forethought to actually say that to his mom right that he I'm sure he loves you and looks up to you and to be able to say that and then to be able to get you to say, you know, you're right, you know, I can't control the uncontrollable. I can't. So when these when these things happen and that's it's so interesting because that happens a lot in life. And I think that a lot of us can get stuck in our own head when it comes to things like that. So that's amazing that that he was able to at 12 years old be able to give you that context and how help you reframe your mindset in the moment. Yeah. It was super appreciative about that. Awesome job Dylan if you ever see this or listen to this, so is he a big Miami? A Heat fan on you guys were down in Miami. Did you get to go to games? And who's his favorite player in the NBA Zia Bronson right now? That's awesome. So how has your life changed from after conquering your villain? Oh, wow, you know I literally and I say this in a TED talk when you fire your villain you literally take off and I again, I didn't know it at the time it wasn't I mean Next day, I posted online that post went viral suddenly people started showing up everywhere asking if they could help suddenly froggy from the Elvis 3M showed tweeted at me. I want to help you and I tweeted back get me on Elvis Duran and he did, you know, all these amazing things started happening out of nowhere that I couldn't believe because amazing things like that didn't happen to me back when I was surrounded with a villain sure. Okay. So what is the biggest lesson? Okay, as we're approaching we've only got you were less than a month left in 2019. So what's the biggest lesson that you've learned in 2019? I mean, it's spheres a green light. That means go always step into your fears your answer. I was so scared going out the scariest thing. I did this year was my TED Talk. I was so scared. There are so many restrictions on a TED Talk. You can't leave the circle. You're supposed to tell a personal story, but don't make it about you. You have to wrap an idea around it. The title is ever there's so much pressure and restriction. It's not like a normal talk and I ended up getting so stressed out about it and so afraid and I close my eyes right before I was about to go out and I just said Heather. If you don't walk out there right now, you will never forgive yourself if you walk out there and bomb I'm going to be so proud of you and I just took all the pressure off myself and I just walked out there and I and after when it was all done, I was just so grateful that I just stepped into it and trusted me instead of you know, putting all this pressure and fear in my head. I walked right into it. That's awesome. Very very cool. So I'm a huge fan of quotes on LinkedIn. I post a lot of quotes and I like to ask contextual questions that elicit a response to get my audience engaged and I also come up with original quotes and post them in hopes that other people get inspired. So do you have a favorite quote? Oh my gosh, there's so many when you are a threat. You will always be a Target that's mine from from my talk. No, I you know turning a blind eye to bad behavior is never the answer. That's another one from my talk that I really I've been seeing people post it like crazy on LinkedIn, but for quotes that I like from others, I would say that I really like the Steve Jobs quote around connecting the dots and how it's impossible to connect the dots on the Looking forward but when you are years ahead you can look back and suddenly see how they all made sense and that's really come full circle with me, you know in regards to getting fired and to firing my villains and you know, all of that because during the time it didn't feel good. But now that I look back I turn that, you know full circle and I actually make that my platform that is really the center of my messaging so it all worked out in the end. So even though you can't see what's Happening and what lies ahead for you right now? It's kind of trusting in yourself and the universe to keep moving forward and believe in yourself because one day you will look back and you'll say okay now I get it. I see how it all worked out. Absolutely. Okay. So what's one hidden talent that you have that most people don't know you actually have and so this can go back to kindergarten or Elementary or middle school. Is there is there something that most people wouldn't know about Heather. Oh my gosh, there's so many Thanks, so I'm secretly a rapper. Like I always wanted to be a white rapper. It's ridiculous. And I tried to get Jesse and sort of wrap with me when we were speaking together at a conference in Boston this summer. He wouldn't do it which was super upsetting a really good hip-hop dancer Thug Life till the end. I am very very funny and a lot of people don't know that I've been realizing lately because I speak a lot about business and you know I speak in In very serious ways often times, but actually anyone who really knows me knows I'm a total knucklehead and I'm always doing pranks and having fun and actually joking around a lot. It's good. Yeah, it's important I posted about the on LinkedIn recently. It was like he, you know, don't take yourself. So seriously all the time like it's super important that that you have fun and that you can make fun of yourself and and that you can just be a kid and you know as a father of four, it's I have to be that like I have to keep myself. You know and I'm 38 and and I gotta almost 15 year-old. So but they keep me they keep me young right they keep you fresh. So Instagram, I think I read an article. I think it was I can't remember if it was maybe sprinkle sprinkler or sprinkle somebody interviewed you and they ask you what your what your favorite social media Outlet was and and this I think it was maybe a year ago or so. And you said Instagram, is that still? Your favorite Oka. Okay. So that's that's shifting is LinkedIn is definitely my favorite now for sure. Okay, awesome awesome. And so for I actually just started creating content on LinkedIn back in April of this year. And Linkedin is my absolute favorite platform as well because like before I logged in an April, I always looked at LinkedIn as the place where you upload your like you update your resume and yeah graduating people on their new promotion, and I looked at it just Like this business platform and it's just amazing what it is really morphed into I logged in an April when I started seeing people posting videos and I started seeing articles and slideshares and all these amazing things happening and I looked at myself and I said like why am I not doing this? Why am I not creating content? I have expertise in this area. So why don't I start sharing about this? So what would your advice to be for people? You know that were like me that looked at it and we're kind of scared. Where'd you know? I actually I'm a public speaker and a trainer for a living and I was so afraid to hold that camera and hit record and post my first video because of what people would think or people say man. What is this guy? And you know, I was really afraid of that judgment. So what would you say to the audience is listening that you know as LinkedIn continues to be this Powerhouse of over 670 million users and there's a there you really can't over saturate. It is one. I've noticed like I'm posting two or three pieces of content a day. What would your advice be for someone that's you know, maybe a little afraid to take that first take that first video and post it. So you need an accountability partner anyone that I know my life that so I'm nervous. I can't do this. I say to them you have a deadline I'm giving you a deadline you have one week. I'm getting you to put that up there and you find someone in your life that will hold you accountable. If you don't have someone you can go to my website Heather Monahan.com and click on the free accountability partner tab. You'll get an email from me every morning saying you need to execute on this. Here's the thing fear is a green light. That means go. What is the worst that can happen? You will not die. If you post a piece of content to LinkedIn and you don't get any likes, right you're doing it for you anyway, and the whole way I started posting video was a friend of mine wanted to film an interview as me and I said, okay and he posted he uploaded it. And he said are you going to upload it to I said, no. I don't really do much with video. I just hadn't done any and he said why not I said, I don't know. I don't really have you know a Timur he's like who cares? Why wouldn't you just use your phone? I said, I don't know because I'm not a video and I just hadn't thought of him. Like I don't know. I'm just not a video guy but whatever excuse I had and he challenged me said well, who do you think will get more views me are you and then I I'm a competitive person so suddenly I was like, ah, you're holding me accountable. All right, I'm gonna go home. I'm gonna get more views and you to figure out what drives you make sure you surround yourself with people that support you and hold you accountable and make a commitment and if you can't do it Put on social media on a pose I even put my first video out on another platform. I love you to support me. I'd love it. If you'd share it would mean the world to me and I'm happy to help you to any way. I can you know, just put yourself out there. Let it be known. What's the worst that can happen? That's also that's such awesome advice and and and I kind of found and unintentional accountability partner on LinkedIn. There's a guy named Brian Scholl many, he's an entrepreneur in San Diego. He owns a company called voice your Vibe which is super positive and he does a segment called. It's good Wednesday, and it's literally all about seeing what's good in your life. And then on Saturday, he does shout out Saturday and it's shout out people that you've talked to and had meaningful conversations with and watching him. It inspired me to want to create that first video, but I was like a lot of people where I remember I posted it and I would go back like every five minutes to see how many views it had and I think all three views were me you know, and I kept and so I finally was like Jordan, what are you doing? Like Who cares about the views it's really about creating a piece of content that hopefully it can Inspire one person. And when I started looking at that from that framework, I noticed that people started engaging and people started following and so that's really really great advice to have that accountability partner. So I'm in kind of a unique position. I have a 9:00 to 5:00. I'm in Corporate America like you were not not anywhere as high as you are. So I applaud you for what you were able to accomplish that. I also have a Consulting business. I started three years ago. And originally I started it. It was predicated off the Myers-Briggs type indicator assessment. I'm a certified practitioner and I said what a beautiful business to start to help people take an introspective. Look at themselves understand how they're wired and use that information to to become better versions of themselves and then it kind of died down, you know, I was like, oh I'm gonna have this awesome business and then it just it kind of went down a little bit and so When I got active on LinkedIn, I started getting all these messages from people that said hey do you offer this service you offer this? Can you help me with this? And I kept saying no. No no until one day I said, why don't I start saying? Yes, and so my goal is to I want to I want to is soon as I feel that I'm ready launch and do that full time. But so what's your advice for someone like me and four other listeners that are out there that you know, you have this business that's You know, it could because I look at him like man. I think I could be doing a lot better than I am. But I'm still I'm still a little afraid to kind of like, you know Go full Full Tilt. So what advice would you have for someone like me and anyone else in the audience that you know, maybe is like hesitant to make that jump away from Corporate America? Yeah. So we'll number one. As long as you're in Corporate America. You are not safe. Any company can be sold your manager can leave and someone else can come in and you Be fired because you are not that new persons guy. So even though it seems well-lit and safe. It is a scam. It is not as I want everyone to know that when you're investing in yourself. That's when you're you know, that's where you should be. So any time outside of work you're doing what you have to do until you can do what you want to do. Keep investing in yourself outside of our keep investing in educating yourself at the company will pay for that great lean into that capitalize on those opportunities build your own personal brand build your business outside of their on the weekends at night. Whenever you have time and give yourself and you want to hold yourself accountable to some goals. Where are you going to be by the end of q1 in 2020? Where do you want to be by the end of Q2? You know, how are you going to get there build out a plan and strategy and if you don't make yourself a priority no one else is going to your employer is not going to say. Oh, how is that side business going? They don't care. So you need to make it your number one priority and where you put your focus is where your attention goes your energy goes and where your results will be. So instead of giving Up more for your nine to five give up more for you because that's the long-term investment. And that's the investment that's really going to pay because when you invest in you you brought in your brand you brought in your network. You can bring that to your own business to another company to a charity wherever you want to go. Make sure you're investing in you not in the company that you work for 9 to 5, and that's such amazing advice and I'm glad that you said that because that's actually what I've been doing. I've been putting in 15 to 20 hours like if early in the mornings I I get up and then when my family falls asleep, I'm like plugging away at night and I'm working on you know building that that brand and so I you know hearing it from you who you know, you've done it like you you fired your boss and then now you're two years removed in your thriving so it's so like amazing to hear that from somebody that has actually done it, you know, because I have friends and they're like, wow, you're you're not gonna not gonna do anything with it, you know, and so you All these naysayers and even family members that are like well, yeah, but what if you like but you have benefits and you have all these things and so that's so good for me to here's so that I can just say, you know what I'm doing my own thing and I think being quiet is probably better and just doing right like doing in underneath everything and then just when I launched then people will actually know what I do. So, is that something that you would recommend as well? Yes, sir. Blakeley says that you know the founder of Spanx she said I was so quiet. I told no one I didn't want to hear people's negative ideas. I didn't want to hear that I couldn't do it. I decided I will work on this in silence and keep my idea. So close and safe to me until it's big enough that I can explode it to the world and she said she's so grateful. She did it that way. Yeah, and then look at her now, right? I mean she I follow her only billion dollars. It's insane, you know, and and she's just such an amazing inspiration to A lot of people and so really I want to end our conversation with you know, what is what is a piece of advice that you would give someone that I mean like today, you know, they're thinking about leaving but they just they don't know the right steps to take. I mean, like maybe it's they've listened to your podcast or they see your Ted Talk and they get inspired and they realize that they're in that situation. They have that micro manager of a supervisor. What what advice would you give as kind of Step 1. I mean invest in yourself invest in your brand put it out there on social media. I'm so grateful. I did those things before I got fired. So I had built up a following and a network because those are the people that are going to help you to take off. You need to let your inner circle know what you're working on. You need to follow people and connect with people that are where you want to be not people who are going to want to keep you safe in our I prayed for you. You need to have conversations with people that are light years ahead of you. And if you don't know them follow them on social media. You can consume their YouTube channel their podcast read their books immerse yourself in that way of thinking and you will learn their steps. You will learn what worked for them. And then you can piece the best out of each person's plan and make it work for you. You can decide to create your own plan through all that information that's available out there and there's so much information out there. It's about taking action and taking steps now and I really I love that because you know when I when I decided to launch a podcast I told myself I said I want to I want to write down, you know, the top 10 people that I would love to interview and you were one of those people thank you and I remembered like saying to myself like one part something on this shoulder was like she's not even get a respond to you. You know, she's not going to message you back and then the other one was like what do you have to lose? You know, no means like next opportunity, right? So if I did get a no I wasn't going to be Disappointed and then I just said you know what? Let me let me just ask like what is it? What is it hurt to ask like she's a human. She like she went through some some crazy things and look at her now. So and I'm so glad that you did say yes. I mean you've interviewed people that I aspire to be like Gary vaynerchuk and David Meltzer and and all these people and you know, the fact that you know, you took the time today to, you know engage with me and and provide this amazing. Valued my audience. I just wanted to say thank you so much. It's been an honor to get to have this time with you happy to do it and best of luck with your show. Thank you so much. Hey everyone. Thanks so much for listening that episode with Heather Monahan. Wow, is she inspirational? Her story is just so impactful and it has me fired up to hit some goals that I want to hit. So hopefully it inspired you as well. If it added value to you, please please share the podcast and go ahead and write it if you have some time. Thanks again, and I can't wait for the next episode.
In this episode I had the pleasure of interviewing Heather Monahan. Heather Monahan is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, entrepreneur and founder of Boss In Heels. Having successfully climbed the corporate ladder for nearly 20 years, Heather Monahan is one of the few women to break the glass ceiling and claim her spot in the C-suite. As a Chief Revenue Officer in Media, Heather Monahan is a Glass Ceiling Award winner, named one of the most Influential Women in Radio in 2017 and Thrive Global named her a Limit Breaking Female Founder in 2018. Heather’s new book Confidence Creator shot to #1 on Amazon’s Business Biographies and Business Motivation lists the first week it debuted on Amazon. Heather is a confidence expert and is currently working with Fortune 500 companies and professional sports to develop confidence in the workplace and on the court. She’s also a member of Florida International University’s Advisory Council to further serve as a mentor and leader in the South Florida Community. Heather and her son Dylan reside in Miami. Connect with Heather! 