Books

“How did she know?” I am asking myself after finishing this book. How did she know everything I needed to hear?

In the description of Overcome Your Villains on NetGalley it says, “If you’ve ever felt alone, down, defeated, or discouraged—this book’s for you.” Heather, I do not know if you realize how true that statement is!

I am in my first year of full-time entrepreneurship and solely working for myself, and this book feels like the road map I needed. Heather covers the highs and the lows from both a corporate stand-point, to life after. Heather (I feel like I know her, and that referring to her as Monahan just feels impersonal after this read!) details the real, gritty and not always pretty path to achieving some of her most notable accomplishments. Those accomplishments include keynote speaking, having incredible podcasts guests, BEING a podcast guest on incredible shows, giving a TedX talk and basically everything else I have on my vision board right now.

I feel as though Heather was holding my hand throughout this book, personally invested in my future, like the female role model I never had. Except…now, I do. 

If you are looking to take the leap into being your own boss, read this book. If your friend is taking that leap, give them this book! If you, or a loved one just got fired from a job…you guessed it, read this book. It shows you that there is always something better awaiting, and that anyone can achieve it.

Heather, I’m grateful to Know your story. You inspired me to continue with my goals because I’m uncomfortable in a job with a salary per hour. I know that I was born with a great purpose and it’s time to start working for my goals and helping others. I feel more confident doing what my intuition is telling me. Reading my diary helped me to open my eyes to what I want to do regarding my goals and dreams.

Looking back and thinking that on the first day of Confidence Creator I felt unbalanced, afraid to start working with my goals. The most amazing thing is that I am capable of doing everything I set my mind to, just as I did in the past. I can say that it was easy to put myself first and my priorities. The most important impact I have made is to be more grateful, to count my blessings. I still have to continue to strengthen my confidence, take action and not let fear dominate me even though I know it is not real.

And yes! I imagine having new challenges, opening new doors and growing professionally. I know that I’m able to create something that inspires other women like you do.

Thank you!

Many blessings

Wow what a great read! Heather’s story and the way she tells it is so inspiring and entertaining. I really enjoyed reading it and listening to her podcast as well. I recommend this book to everyone!

Wow! Just another mind blowing example of how believing in yourself and taking charge of your own life can really change it for the best. Taking steps to move forward, launching ideas before they are perfect! Heather is an example of how a strong women can transition from one career to her life’s purpose in just a few short years when we are pushed out of careers that are not for us.

A few years ago I went through some transitions in life and stumbled over a podcast with Heather Monahan. That was a defining moment in my life. Her message about how she was treated when she lost her job helped me a lot, I had a similar experience.

With Overcome Your Villains, Monahan is brutally honest and authentic in her warm and heartfelt writing. Her stories speaks volumes and so does her conclusions and the lessons she teaches. I am so proud of her for sharing the journey with the rest of us. Anyone that has had a tough time in life and want the winning mindset back should read this book.

Thank You for writing this book, the world needs this message.

I would give it 10 stars out of 5 if i only could.

Disclaimer – I know the author personally and I am a huge fan!! That being said, this is an unbiased review….I was simply blown away by this book. From start to finish. She was so open and honest and spoke about some things that I know were extremely hard for her to share, but in doing that, made herself vulnerable and relatable on so many levels. In addition to opening up personally and sharing so many stories which really shape the book, integrating the BAK concept and giving tangible examples on how to use them make this book extremely useful for every day use. The key takeaways at the end of the chapters are super helpful so that the reader can go back again and again to remind themselves how to implement these strategies.
One thing that really stuck out for me was the concept of “neutral thinking.” So many times we hear “stay positive” over and over – I am guilty of saying this frequently. But sometimes you just have to keep it neutral and that is a wonderful thing because it makes what you are going for more realistic and attainable.
I really appreciated the honesty, humor and practicality of this book – a wonderful read!!!

This book is an amazing resource to help you tap into your personal greatness.  Heather’s actionable guidance is a game changer for anyone looking to live their best life- both personally and professionally!

I’m going to come right out and say it. I love this book by Heather Monahan. It was more than ‘a good read’, I found it inspirational, motivational and truly made me dig deep on my own self awareness of emotions and feelings.

I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced digital copy, but my analogue copy is still on order awaiting the November 9th, 2021 launch date – and I am so looking forward to sitting down with it again in paper form, and making full use of the margins and the exercises provided to make a lasting resource on my journey forward.

Like many in the world, I ‘was fired’, with the very real trauma, self doubt, financial worries, long job search, depressing days, and sleepless nights that comes along with an unexpected ‘walking out’ by Human Resources. In my case, I was also ‘downsized’ a few years later, so went through these same turbulent emotions all over again.

This perhaps is why Heather’s book, Overcome Your Villains so resonates with me on a personal level, as in both cases, there were external villains and the ever present internal villain in my case. However, it is on the intellectual level that I am truly overwhelmed and astonished at the same time. Heather was able to pull experiences from her life, outline not only her coping mechanisms for those experiences, but with poise and finesse in her writing, has identified and reiterated those learnable and transferable skills. These same skills that she documents as using over and over, building upon, and improving with each additional challenge that was thrown at her, are captured and summarized for the reader to absorb and make personal application with.

And so, whether you are new or old, self employed, an entrepreneur, or looking to take that next step, or perhaps you identify with someone in your life that is a villain personified – this book, in my opinion, can help.

This was a great self help and advice book.

Premise

Whether you’re facing the glass ceiling, a toxic work environment, or anything in between, limit-breaking female founder Heather Monahan’s 3-Step BAK process will help you evaluate and eliminate any outside or self-defeating blockers between where you are now and where you deserve to be.

It focuses on the things that hold us back or we presume to be the villains in our lives and gives us the tools and skill set to overcome those obstacles on the path to being our best selves.

That’s right!! It’s so true! After going through my divorce, try to work on building my business and help care for my quadriplegic mother, I was so stressed out. Then it hit me! I was being surrounded by a lot of negative haters. Reading your book and your posts remind and help me to let it go and move forward with confidence!!

The book Confidence Creator by Heather Monahan has taught me how to gain confidence. Confidence in life, work and parenting. When you are truly authentic, you can finally be confident. I have learned not to care what other’s think of me or worry about being judged. I know that I am doing a really good job with my daughters and my business. And to be able to honestly say and think that- it’s huge for me. If you can be a better person and believe in yourself, then you are a better boss, parent and friend.

You will 100% love this book!!!! Let me start by saying I’m not a person who reads however after starting this book I could not stop!!!! This book is fabulous, you can tell she wrote it from her heart!!! I love the real life stories!!! I highly recommend this book to everyone!!!

Well Done @ Heather Monahan! Ms. Monahan is an inspiration to anyone looking to adapt, recover, improve and emerge stronger and healthier from setback(s). It’s a modern day heroism and resiliency story that seems to want to play “Eye of the Tiger” in the background. Her courage and determination is infectious! A great read or gift for someone you care about.

Great read! I came across this book at the perfect time— ordered just in time to get it to bring on vacation with me. Heather’s clear and direct style, honesty and a little bit of humor struck a perfect tone. It made me feel both great about where I am in life and also motivated to get home and get to work building even more. A great read for anyone who needs just a little kick in the pants to get moving on your goals.

Such a leisure yet fun read! Overall, this book is so intriguing because of how relatable it is. It also gets addicting once you begin to gain small forms of confidence through this read! I am so influenced by Heather and her power. I appreciate the real life stories and the empowerment they bring to the reader. She is a wonderful writer and you won’t be disappointed with this purchase, especially with the positive effect it will have on you! xoxo

Life-changing!!! I have never in my 40+ years written a book review until today.

I had been stuck at a crossroads personally and professionally when I learned about Heather on Thrive Global in my LinkedIn feed. As a super busy professional divorced single mom to two very busy tween boys, making the time to read anything seems like a luxury… but I knew I needed to hear what Heather had to say so I got the audiobook and listened every morning on my drive after school drop-off. I often found myself bookmarking and/or saying, “YES!!!”, “BINGO!!!” and most often, “THANK YOU!!!” out loud (probably entertaining other drivers in the process!) because so much of what she says is SO insightful and perhaps most uniquely, PRACTICAL… so you finish the book not only feeling empowered and optimistic, but ready to take action.

I credit Heather and Confidence Creator with giving me just what I needed to get unstuck and move forward with living a much more deliberate, meaningful and happy life. This can only be good for not only me and anyone else who reads her book, but our children and everyone else whose lives we touch.

So bottom line, read or listen to this book… for you AND for so many others.

Thank you, Heather!!!

Life lessons learned: When life gives you lemons, make a lemonade! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book. I was intrigued by the description of the author and wondered how such a beautiful lady that seemed to have it all could teach me anything about creating confidence. Much to my surprise, I found the book to be very inspiring without lecturing or getting too philosophical. The author shares lessons learned from significant events (like getting fired from your job) or other common events (like asking the guy you like out) and show us how each situation is a choice for us to be in “control of our own destiny and responsible for our own success”. Based on the book, I’m assessing my superpowers, using ‘excuse me’ instead of ‘sorry’, and pivoting difficult questions. Even though my background is very different from that of the author, I could relate to most of her life experiences and even had a few laughs with some of her stories. I will definite use the tips provided in the book and pay more attention to finding my voice and conquering my fears. I’m getting a few copies of this book as gifts!

Adversity? Self Doubt? Kill It With “Confidence Creator”!. I’ll tell ya, it should’ve been titled “Confidence Creator for AJ” because it has really made a great impression on me personally. Ms. Monahan breaks down the best advice and serves it into bite-sized stories so the reader can quickly understand the point she is trying to get across.

We’ve all had adversity in our lives and felt sorry for ourselves. The hardest thing to do is to pick yourself back up. A lot of “self help” books and videos make it so difficult and clinical to find a simple answer where Ms. Monahan just GIVES it to you in the simplest way without all the fancy psychological and complicated tricks…because she lived it.

I would strongly suggest this book to anyone facing adversity, especially to my women friends because this book speaks to them directly. Of course, this doesn’t mean the men couldn’t benefit either, on the contrary!

Powerful advice, not just for women. Great advice for bouncing back and embracing failure. Heather does a wonderful job of weaving stories of wins, losses, and anxiety with the underlying message and practical advice. I am recommending this book especially for those entering the workforce. I appreciate that she doesn’t sugarcoat the life of a media executive.

I found the list of words to eliminate from your vocabulary very helpful and some of the simple techniques of building confidence.

This is the next book you should read. This book is as real as Heather, but I expected nothing less. I looked forward to its arrival since ordering it, and when it came in I immediately began to read it. And I couldn’t put it down. Three amazing takeaways: 1) Not everything is as it appears. Heather comes across as one of the most “together” people you’ll ever meet. Yet, she deals with the same doubts, fears and problems that you and I do. The difference is, she’s learned to attack them head on. 2) Keep Moving Forward. Her story is one of someone who will not be defeated. Someone who fights through the disappointments, the setbacks and the hard times to reach her goals in life. And she shares those inspiring stories with us. 3) Live a Full Life. There’s room in our lives for EVERYTHING that we deem to be important. Kids, career, friends, associates, dreams, experiences…you can have it all if you decide you want it. Let “Confidence Creator” be your road map and let Heather be your guide. Caution…you’ll want to order multiple copies to share with the people you love.

Worth the read! Having had had the opportunity to meet Heather in passing I felt her kind and humble spirit, it was then I decided I would look into what her book was about. I had just quit my job because I wasn’t being treated as an equal and not even close to respected. I was in a journey of travelling to recenter myself. It was at that time I downloaded a copy and began to read a remarkable story. I was able to relate and gain advice and knowledge that I immediately was able to apply in my own life. I would recommend this book to any women, you absolutely will walk away with clarity and confidence!

Powerful Lessons. What I liked about this book is the snap shots of events from Heather’s life and what she had learned. She taught me several things about how she handled them to improve confidence. There are some references that were funny as well to some characters we all grew up with. Just like Dorothy, we all have witches in our lives. We have have to find that bucket of water to stop them and Heather, shows you how with examples. She also shares some very important things to protect women in the work place from harassment and how to stand up for yourself. How to stand up to bullies. Plus many more powerful examples that will protect women and our family members. Knowing the signs and what to look for in how people treat us.

Motivation on heels! 👠👠

For those that women that are thinking about whether not to get this book don’t think anymore just get it. For me this book was completely relatable pretty much in every single chapter. Every chapter was straight to the point. Also loved how she shared wisdom and some of her stragegies to help her cope with certain situations, which are common in today’s scene.
For me it reminded me of the power I have within me and all women for that matter. Motivating another human being is a beautiful gift!! Kudos on the cover pic…LOVE!

Thanks Heather! 👠👠💋

A MUST READ for anyone who struggles with confidence and wants to learn how to build more
As someone who has struggled with confidence issues, I couldn’t be more grateful for Confidence Creator by Heather Monahan. Not only does Heather provide real life examples on how she overcame issues dealing with confidence in the past, she provides actionable steps that will help others build their confidence. Each chapter gives detailed steps how we too can believe in ourselves more, and the positive impact that will bring to our lives.

Whenever I need a confidence boost or walking into a situation where I don’t know what to do, I pick up this book or recall certain lessons Heather talks about so I can believe in myself again. Would recommend to anyone!

Wish I had a book like this to read back in my 20’s; it has so many valuable life lessons that are not taught at home, any young women (and not so young wink wink) getting into the workforce and even personal life can benefit from this book. Life is a journey and having strong women share their life struggles, overcoming obstacles and reaching success only inspire others to knock out invalid fears and believe in one self, thanks for sharing your story and empowering others to live a fuller life.

Fantastic read! I listened to the audio version on a cross country flight, and I was really impressed with Heather’s honesty about both her failures and successes. I feel inspired and hopeful— I even used one of her tips from her chapter regarding over apologizing and it has made a real difference. Hope there will be another book coming out !

5 stars One word: Real… If you’re struggling with confidence or just need a reminder, this is the book you need. This book is amazing! Confidence is something we all struggle with at some point or another whether we realize it or not. Life throws you zingers when you least expect that can shake you. Heather’s book is unique, which is what makes it incredible to read. It’s relatable and real. Her stories provide insight and actionable change that can be used every day to keep yourself in check, set your mindset and help you attain whatever it is you want. It’s easy to connect to Heather and feel as if she’s in the room talking to you as you read this. The best part of this book is that it isn’t a one-time read. The stories are diverse and arranged well so that you can go back at any time and re-read when you need to. I would highly recommend anyone read this book first if you’re looking to build your confidence, it’s real life and easily the best self-improvement books I’ve read yet.

I absolutely loved this book- I finished it in one sitting! It’s broken down in such a way that you can use it as your Confidence Bible and go back to chapters when you’re in need of a reminder that YOU are a badass. Heather is a born motivational speaker. Her words are captivating and written from the heart. Can’t say enough great things about this book and the woman behind it.

I just finished reading Heather Monahan’s new book Confidence Creator. I must say it is a hit! This book is not just for women. It is for anyone who wants to improve, advance, set measurable goals, and simply move forward. I highly recommend this book. Great job Heather Monahan.

I love Confidence Creator, excellent read! I read this book in one sitting. It felt as though I was having coffee with a friend. The author unapologetically shares her life experiences and wisdom. A fun read filled with relevant, practical advice that leaves the reader feeling capable and confident. A must read for ALL!

Well, my wife gave me her copy to read while she slept on the plane. My only worry now is how much more control she’ll have over me! Good read. Sound advice. No mental gymnastics!

This book was destined to arrive in my hamds. It was just what i needed, perfect timing in my life. The author is very easy to relate to and had me hooked since i started the first page.

For those of you who know me, I’m pretty confident. That is, until you compare me to my big sister, Heather Monahan. She just came out with a book about how she became this confident, driven woman finding success in a male dominated industry. She touches on parts throughout her whole life. We had it tough when we were kids. No matter how hard you try, a single Mom with four kids, things are going to be tight. That really drove her to want to be more. She gives insight into her life’s ups and downs, all of it. Some parts of this book will ruffle some feathers, but they’re more relevant now than ever with the #metoo movement. Give this book a read. You won’t regret it, especially if you’re in a rut. This might be the kick in the ass you need. Its $6.99 on #amazon and it’s worth every penny.
#newbook #nytimes #bigsister #newauthor #girlpower

Heather Monahan’s Confidence Creator is so much more than your average “self-help” guide. She gives honest, real-life scenarios that she has experienced and provides techniques and solutions to actually make the necessary changes to move forward and live your best life. I was so impressed by her willingness to share intimate parts of her life, which she did with humor and transparency.

Thank you Heather for sharing and inspiring so many out there (including myself) to have confidence and that we all have the ability with the right frame of mind and tools to be the BEST version of ourselves!

I enjoyed the book.. I liked how you were honest about some of your own fears and insecurities (saw the part about about you and diego for example and your trepidation over texting him,… I think a lot of people will relate to that..)

Saw something that this writing coach said the other day.. she talked about “self-revelation, rather than self-absorption” and I think that’s one of the keys to relating to your audience!

I like how you break it into actionable steps, how you share your own insecurities and how you offer concrete suggestions on how people can improve!
I can certainly relate.

Talk soon and congratulations!

Heather has a way of connecting with your soul as she shares her life experiences in a very vulnerable way. At the same time, she takes those stories and describes the best way for you to deal with whatever situation comes your way and how to handle it. Whether you want to make improvements in your life or simply change your approach in some aspects of your life, Confidence Creator has the tools and personal stories that will get you there.

Heather’s use of personal stories to convey lessons really makes you feel like you’re getting the best advice from a good friend. The Confidence Creator is an uplifting book that motivates you to face your fears head on! I truly feel inspired and unstoppable!  

“Instantly engaging and relatable. Reading this book…really taking a journey with Heather…helped awaken a self confidence and belief in myself I didn’t even realize was previously missing.”