I met Heather Monahan a few years ago when I was pregnant. We were ALWAYS in the same fitness classes. I consider myself to be pretty intuitive and very sensitive to energies so I knew that there was something very awesome about this woman. First of all, she’s stunning. In a place filled with models and fitness junkies, this woman’s presence and aura was what lit the room. She was always smiling and so friendly, a beautiful woman and soul- very rare in a boutique studio in Miami Beach. She seemed to exude confidence in such a humble way and that really stuck with me years later when I decided to create The Mother Manifestor. I started this blog six months ago by taking pen to paper. I made a list of empowering and inspirational women who were living proof that there’s nothing you cannot be, do, or have. Heather left such a positive impression on me with her good vibes and badass business sense, that 5 years later I was writing her name down (manifesting) to interview her for a blog I hadn’t even created yet! A few lessons here before we get to the interview:
1.) Energy is everything. What you put out into the world (good and bad alike) leaves a lasting impression. People appreciate good vibes and they remember the kind of energy you give off.
2.) You want to do something? Put it to paper. Set goals for yourself and check them off as you go. You’d be surprised how quickly the Universe will move with you once you’ve decided what it is you really want! MAKE HEATHER MONAHAN MY MEGA-MANIFESTOR. C H E C K!
3.) You never know who you inspire but trust me, there are people who find you truly inspirational! You wins, your lessons, your life...there’s a reason for all of it! One of the reasons I fell in love with “Confidence Creator,” is because Heather shares her personal life experiences and uses them to encourage readers to keep reaching for their goals, to find their voice, to use our experiences to help build self confidence, and the hope that we CAN have whatever it is we want in this life! Many of the things I write about on the blog are things that Heather goes into detail in her book. I highly recommend picking up a copy or downloading the audible version- I often find myself listening in the car on the way to work to chapters that have helped me build my own self-confidence!
Heather started from humble beginnings in Worcester, Massachusetts and fast tracked her career from sales person to equity partner to VP of Sales, EVP and ultimately CRO before her unexpected termination in 2017. Heather is an entrepreneur and the founder of Boss In Heels as well as the author of the best-selling book Confidence Creator which she self-published. Heather is a glass ceiling award winner, keynote speaker and brand ambassador for Perry Ellis International’s female clothing line, Rafaella. In 2018, she was named a limit breaking female founder by Thrive Global. She is also a member of the Florida International University (FIU) Advisory Council to further serve as a mentor and leader in the South Florida community.
Heather and her son Dylan reside in Miami beach.
We describe manifesting as creating something from nothing. What is your earliest memory of creating something in your mind and turning it into your reality?
I don’t have early memories of manifesting anything unfortunately. However my most recent manifestation is mind blowing! Having spent a lot of time researching how to promote books effectively, I found that Reese Witherspoon has one of the largest book clubs in the country and happens to own a company that creates films based off of books written exclusively by female authors. When I read this, I became clear that I needed to meet Reese and I could see the meeting occurring in my mind. Two weeks ago when I was in LA, Maria Menounos had me as a guest on her podcast. At the end of our show she told me she loved the book and asked if there was any way she could help me with it. I asked Maria if she could introduce me to Reese and she let me know that she didn’t know her but asked for my number in case she came up with any other ideas. Twenty four hours later Maria called me to let me know that Reese Witherspoon had just phoned her and asked her to be on her new podcast a week later. Maria asked me to send her a book for Reese and Friday Maria met with Reese, gave her the book, told her about me and asked her to read Confidence Creator. This is really such an amazing example of focusing on something, putting it out into the universe and sharing it with others to ultimately manifest what it is you truly want.
What are some of your daily rituals that help you to keep accomplishing your goals? I am insanely driven, focused and believe in taking action daily. I challenge myself every day to create new opportunities. Seeing exactly how this pays off motivates me the next day to get up and do it again. I keep an ongoing to do list where I cross off my accomplishments and allow myself to feel good about all that I get done. I take time to visualize how far I have come and where I am going to keep me moving forward daily. Taking care of myself is an important part of this equation and making time to work out daily is key in keeping my energy level high.
What/who gave you the confidence to pursue your dreams?
I created the confidence that ultimately allowed me to take the biggest leap of faith in my life and pursue my dreams. The moment I got fired from corporate America I had the opportunity to go back to my comfort zone and do what I had always done or leap and attempt to create my own path. I was petrified but as I began to separate from my emotion and lay out a plan each step became more clear. Mapping things out over 30 days really helped me to take the next step instead of trying to look ahead a year or more in the future which felt paralyzing. All of those small steps that I took in the beginning moved me to a new more powerful space for myself. As I realized I was growing stronger and more confident the farther away I got from the toxic environment I was in, I truly began to take off. Keeping that momentum up and gaining speed allowed me to write and self-publish my first book which was the scariest, most confident building moment in my career.
The path to greatness isn’t always simple and easy. What were the affirmations you used and books you read to help motivate you to write your own book?
It’s all in the book! Ha! I really include all of this in Confidence Creator. I didn’t rely on another book nor did I read other books during the time I wrote. Writing was very time consuming and the last thing I wanted to do after a full day of writing was to stay isolated and read. I focused on the image I had created of having a finished book to keep me going when fear would creep into my mind.
What do you do to avoid negative thoughts and fears when it comes to manifesting?
I believe in flipping the script on fears. If the thought comes into your mind that you may fail, then I flip that thought to “I may succeed”. The reality is there is probably just as much chance that either could happen so why not focus on the outcome I want and put more energy and power there increasing the odds of it happening. Once I do that, I envision myself experiencing the desired outcome, when you can see it happening in your mind there is a much better chance that it will come to be. I also remind myself that fear is a liar and I have a few examples in my own life where I saw that to be true. I lean on those past experiences to gain confidence when I feel fear. I have also learned to see fear as a sign I need to move faster and plow through it to get what I want on the other side. Now, fear can be something that drives me towards my goals instead of holds me back.
Tell us about Confidence Creator.
Confidence Creator is a compilation of my lowest moments and how I learned to build confidence in each one and how the reader can too. Confidence Creator pulls back the curtain to show others what it takes to get ahead in life and in business through my personal examples. I felt it was really important to use my low moments instead of my highlight reel when writing this book. What I have learned from my reviews is the book connects and speaks to people and I believe that is because we all struggle with our confidence and it is refreshing to know we are not alone.
What is your biggest accomplishment that you credit to the power of manifestation?
With the Reese Witherspoon manifestation still in motion, I would have to say my biggest accomplishment I credit to the power of my manifestation would be manifesting my new life and company. I did not know what to do when I began down this new path but envisioning myself happy and free started a process that eventually led me to write my book and now has opened up so many opportunities for my business it is overwhelming at times. A video platform approached me early on and taught me the e-learning business which led me to create a video course on how to build confidence. A consumer package goods company reached out to me months ago and we have been working on a variety of products to elevate women. National Geographic health and wellness division reached out to me to discuss putting on an event on a 3 day cruise. The Harry Walker Speaker’s agency picked me up as a professional speaker which was so exciting! There have been so many opportunities and connections that have come to fruition that I would have never known about 6 months ago, but the vision for a positive future and putting out into the universe what I was creating allowed these magical moments to manifest before my very eyes. When things are so difficult it is painful, you may want to ask yourself if you are on the right path. Since I left corporate America, things haven’t been easy but there are constantly bright spots and moments where I see wonderful things coming into my life and that was not my experience when I was in my prior career. It was almost as if I was blocking these amazing things to come into my life before I went out on my own.
Being a mom and owning your own company must be quite a challenge! What are your best tips for maintaining balance between work, family life and time for yourself? Balance is bullshit! By lowering the expectations on ourselves we can begin to end the guilt game and accept ourselves for the best we can do. At any time things can shift and we can re-evaluate. Launching my new company required a tremendous amount of time and commitment and I communicated that with my son. Keeping communication open and honest has helped and allowed he and I to work as a team together to achieve our goals. He lets me know when he thinks I am working too much and I shift my focus to give him the attention and support that he needs. It is far from perfect but I know that putting myself first allows me to be a happier, healthier person that is more available to help the people in my life that I love.