The Verywell Mind Podcast How to Survive a Toxic Workplace With Bestselling Author Heather Monahan By Amy Morin, LCSW, Editor-in-Chief Published on November 29, 2021 Print Verywell / Julie Bang Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Meet Heather Monahan Why Heather Monahan Is Mentally Strong What You’ll Hear on the Show What You’ll Learn About Mental Health and Mental Strength Quotes From Heather More About the Podcast Every Monday on The Verywell Mind Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Amy Morin, LCSW, interviews experts, authors, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and other inspirational people about the strategies that help them think, feel, and do their best in life. Subscribe Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Meet Heather Monahan Heather Monahan is a business expert and the founder of Boss in Heels. She spends much of her time teaching people how to get the confidence they need to crush their goals. Her first book, "Confidence Creator," was a bestseller. She’s also the host of the popular podcast, "Creating Confidence." Her newest book, "Overcome Your Villains," outlines strategies for overcoming adversity. In it, she reveals how getting fired from her job in corporate America led her to become a successful entrepreneur. Why Heather Monahan Is Mentally Strong Heather had a successful career in corporate America. She was blindsided when she got fired. But, she was able to turn what seemed like a disaster into something even better. She wrote a book, launched a podcast, and became a popular keynote speaker. She shares what she’s learned along the way with her audience. She talks about how she gained the confidence she needed to succeed, how she overcame self-limiting beliefs, and how she turned adversity into an opportunity. What You’ll Hear on the Show The signs that told Heather she was in a toxic workplace (and why she initially dismissed them) Why dealing with passive aggressive people can be even worse than dealing with a direct bully How Heather deals with self-doubt How journaling can help you connect the dots in your life Heather’s three-step process for overcoming adversity How to deal with your villains How Heather chooses to deal with negative people How to become 90% more likely to reach your goals How to put good energy out into the world Ask a Therapist: How Do I Deal With Negative People in My Life? What You’ll Learn About Mental Health and Mental Strength Sometimes people believe they should be mentally strong enough to endure anything, including a toxic workplace. But your environment plays a huge role in your mental health. Everything from the people around you to the objects in a room affect how you think, feel, and behave. When you’re in an unhealthy situation, you’ll waste a lot of your mental energy on trying to stay healthy. Whether you’re dealing with a bully or you’re trying to stay organized in a chaotic space, you’ll have less energy to devote to your goals when you’re in taxing circumstances. Obviously, you can’t always be in a healthy environment. But it’s important to recognize the toll that an unhealthy environment takes on you so you can make the best decisions for yourself moving forward. Quotes From Heather Heather Monahan If you write it down, you won't forget. You'll remember. It will be top of mind. You will search out ways to make it happen. — Heather Monahan "People will write down grocery lists every, you know, week, because nobody wants to forget their kids’ Baked Lays. But no one writes down what's so important to them and their life. And the reason why people write things down is you're 90% more likely to achieve it." "When you put a carrot in boiling hot water, it goes soft. When you put an egg in boiling hot water, it becomes really hard. When you put a coffee bean in boiling, hot water, the coffee bean transforms the water into coffee. So each three has a different approach. Meaning basically you can get beaten down by hardships, like the carrot and just become soft and turn into a puddle. You can become hard and angry and negative, like the hard-boiled egg, or you can be like the coffee bean and say, ‘I don't like this negative situation.’" "You never know what someone else is going through. So I try to imagine what if that person just lost someone in their life? I don't know their financial hardship. I don't know their health situation. Why don't I put good energy out there and see what comes back to me?" "I'm either leaving people feeling better about myself—invigorated and full of energy—or I'm leaving feeling drained." What Is Resilience? More About the Podcast The Verywell Mind Podcast is available across all streaming platforms. If you like the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Reviews and ratings are a great way to encourage other people to listen and help them prioritize their mental health too. Download the Transcript Links and Resources Visit Heather’s website Buy "Overcome Your Villains" Follow Heather on Instagram: @HeatherMonahan 5 Ways to Heal From Workplace Bullying If You Liked This Episode, You Might Also Like These Episodes Secrets to Being Confident with Bestselling Author Heather Monahan Friday Fix: How to Break Free From Unhealthy Patterns Friday Fix: How to Find Inner Strength When You Need it the Most How a Toxic Work Environment Affects Your Mental Health By Amy Morin, LCSW, Editor-in-Chief Amy Morin, LCSW, is the Editor-in-Chief of Verywell Mind. She's also a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk, "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit Speak to a Therapist Online Advertiser Disclosure × The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Verywell Mind receives compensation.