Heather Monahan wants to empower the next generation of professionals. After climbing the corporate ladder to become Chief Revenue Officer at Beasley Media Group, which owns and operates over 50 radio stations across the United States, she decided to become a career coach to motivate and inspire women with the skills she picked up along the way. Under the moniker “Boss in Heels,” she imparts tips on how to score a dream job, style advice for every budget and rules on how to ask for a raise—and she does so in addition to the demands of single parenthood.

Heather Monahan Ivanka Trump

See below for her career pointers—whether or not you opt for stilettos is up to you.

Uncover your strengths

I won an award a few years ago and they asked me to give a speech on my value proposition. I didn’t know how to answer the question so I tapped ten people close to me—friends, colleagues, people that work for me—and emailed them, “How do I impact your life in a unique way?” When you look at yourself through the lens of people that admire and love you, you see yourself in a beautiful, powerful way. It gave me this great insight into what my superpowers are.

Find a passion

Drown out the noise around you. Focus on what you gravitated toward as a child, before everyone else got in your head. Keeping a journal can help you get a clear sense of what you enjoy spending time on. Meditation is another key. There’s a number of ways people can meditate (like running or yoga), and whatever that means for you, go find that space where you can listen to yourself.

Life is like Mario Kart

If you know what your goal is, pursue it relentlessly. Let nothing get in your way. Find your path and stick to it. It’s up to you if you’re going to let obstacles overcome you or if you’re going to overcome them.

Dress the part

What works in one office, one industry or even one city is not going to be the same somewhere else. Do your due diligence ahead of time and ask questions about dress code.

Talk to everyone

I was at a charity dinner once, and a man started chatting with me. One thing led to another and he offered me a job right there at the table. I said, “You can’t afford me,” and gave him a crazy number, but he agreed to it. I started working for him a week later. That was my first job in radio as an account executive for Fox.

Build a supportive team

I’ve got a great team of people that never let me give up when the going gets tough. They remind me why I’m doing it, what I’m working towards and how I can make it happen. Everybody needs that support group.

Image courtesy of Ivanka Trump
Illustration by Jonny Ruzzo

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