Episode 1471: Interview with Luis Hernandez About Finding Success After Failure

[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: Thanks for joining us on episode 1471 of the Inspired Stewardship Podcast.

[00:00:07] Luis Hernandez: I'm Luis Hernandez. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence, and impact the world by using your time, your talent, and your treasures to live out your calling. Having the ability to find your community of success is key, and one way to be inspired to do this is to listen to this, the Inspired Stewardship Podcast, with my friend Scott Maderer.

[00:00:31] When

[00:00:37] I first started and the first time I could run a mile, I was like, Oh my God, this is crazy. I can't believe I just ran a mile. And then it's two and every time it felt like more and more. Now I'm not like as impressed by that. And I started hanging around with other runners. Want to get better. So you find the people, you start seeing people who ran more and you're like, Oh man.

[00:00:54] And then before you know it, you're hanging out with them all the time and you're running 10, 12, 20 miles. It just becomes a norm. [00:01:00]

[00:01:00] Scott Maderer: Welcome and thank you for joining us on the Inspired Stewardship Podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures for your true calling.

[00:01:15] In the Inspired Stewardship Podcast, you will learn to invest in yourself, Invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.

[00:01:33] In this podcast episode, I interview Louis Hernandez. I asked Louis about how he discovered success after failure through the power of running. I also asked Louis how he's found a way through the Wayfinder show to discovering mindsets that lead to winning. And Louie also shares with you how he's found a path to focus first on community and positivity.

[00:01:56] I've got a new book coming out called Inspired Living, [00:02:00] assembling the puzzle of your call by mastering your time, your talent and your treasures. You can find out more about it and sign up for getting more information over at inspired stewardship. com. Inspired Living. Inspired Living. That's InspiredStewardship.

[00:02:16] com, Inspired Living. Despite being born into an immigrant family with little resources in an underprivileged inner city community, Louie was the first to graduate and go to college and get out of the hood, and become a successful businessman and family man. He broke the cycle of poverty for future generations and gave back by inspiring others to pursue their dream life with his podcast, The Wayfinder Show.

[00:02:44] After building a wildly successful real estate investment empire in Baltimore, Maryland during his 20s, he turned around and lost it all during the 08 09 housing collapse. This was with kids of one and three years old at the time. They lost their [00:03:00] house, they lost everything, and they had to start all over.

[00:03:03] They did so in Colorado where Louis took a step back to learn more about businesses by pursuing an MBA and focusing first on being a good father and a good husband. Then he founded a boutique real estate firm in Denver, Colorado called the Pioneer Group Realty. Along the way he also got into long distance running which taught him so much about what it takes to be successful and helped him build an amazing community of friends and has taken him all over the world.

[00:03:30] He's recently earned his sixth start of the World Marathon Majors.

[00:03:35] Luis Hernandez: Welcome to the show, Louie! Oh, thank you for having me, Scott. It's great to be here.

[00:03:41] Scott Maderer: Absolutely. I talked a little bit in the intro about some of your journey growing up, struggling, having some challenges, and then now wanting to put this message out through the Wayfinder show about, how other folks can get past that and how you can help them.

[00:03:59] Could you [00:04:00] share a little bit more about your journey and why is this the message that you're wanting to put out into the world?

[00:04:09] Luis Hernandez: Oh, that's a great question. Really I don't think like my stories really that special has been a ton of people who started off with a rough life and have turned it around and been successful.

[00:04:18] And some which much worse circumstances. And I didn't, because that was all I knew growing up, it didn't really feel like that was, The wrong way or anything, right? It was more like it's normal, right? Totally exactly. It's more like when I got into my middle ages and you know My kids I had kids and all that and then we actually lost everything again, you know I had some great success And then, I was in real estate in 08 and we lost everything.

[00:04:45] And then I spent my next few years thinking, trying to figure out, and I will, I'll actually say I'll probably, I'm still there and I'll probably spend the rest of my life figuring out. What I want to do with my life really, and [00:05:00] that's why the term to me Wayfinder that we named our show after is such a great term.

[00:05:05] I think it became something that once you embrace that life is a journey. And you're always, it's okay to not have all the answers right now and, just put one foot in front of the other and the way we'll present itself, then life can be really fun and enjoyable, right? And so I think that's it.

[00:05:24] And then also just to highlight how to overcome I, to highlight two things. One is Everybody's had a struggle or has a struggle and everybody's overcome them and especially in our younger years We get so caught up in those struggles that we think oh, nobody that's it for me.

[00:05:41] I'm done You know, I just got locked up. My life is over. You know what I mean? Or what have you and Initially the guest profile I was going for were the people who had all that as youth Then they still succeeded. It became very successful. Our first guest was in our first few, they were in jail.

[00:05:57] One of 'em robbed a federal bank, robbed the [00:06:00] banks and went to federal prison, another one. It wasn't in federal prison for years for. Dealing drugs and went on to Yale law school and does all kinds of great things I mean like amazing people like that and then I got more Captivated by the folks who like their subject matter experts in some of these things these limiting beliefs that we have like how to Overcome them right or just how to level up In some area of life, because as we get older, it isn't just becoming successful with our careers or, our partnerships or relationships or what have you.

[00:06:34] It's everything, right? Where we now have kids, right? How do you, how to become a successful parent, how to now minor teenager. So it's a whole different.

[00:06:45] Scott Maderer: But actually teenagers are just, you're repeating the toddler years, only they're bigger now and you can't really stick them in the corner as easily.

[00:06:52] Luis Hernandez: Oh yeah, no, it's a it's mentally a much greater challenge. I

[00:06:57] Scott Maderer: taught, I taught six, seventh, eighth grade. I taught [00:07:00] middle school and high school for years, so I'm very familiar with teenagers and they're, yeah, I had a class full of them.

[00:07:06] Luis Hernandez: Oh, wow. Yeah, no, I wish I could go back in time and have the toddlers all over, but I'm, it, it really has become more of a show where a we get inspiration, to overcome challenges and all that and go after it and go after our dreams and, live a dream life.

[00:07:21] And also just talk to people who are gonna give us the tools essentially. That are gonna help us, live better lives. .

[00:07:27] Scott Maderer: So a couple of things came to mind as you were talking about that and I wanted to ask you to unpack 'em a little bit more. I think a lot of times.

[00:07:36] Two things. One is you described how, you were growing up, in poverty, these sorts of things, but it was just normal. That, that's just right. You that's what it is. , that's right. And you're surrounded by it. And it is that sort of and I think that happens a lot where we normalize.

[00:07:50] whatever it is, it could be an abusive situation. It could be a, an addiction situation. It could be a good situation. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad. It's just [00:08:00] because it's the way it is, it becomes normal. How do you think, how did that apply? And then what made you recognize that, yeah, this feels normal, but that doesn't necessarily mean that this is what I need to keep doing.

[00:08:13] You know what I mean? How did you break out of it? What, what caused you to trigger that?

[00:08:18] Luis Hernandez: Oh gosh. I don't know if there's one thing, right? I think that it's a series of events like, I don't know. I think the big breakthrough for me was going away to college, right? And then that really got me out of my hood, right?

[00:08:32] Like I and I had a roommate, he was his father was a professor at the school, went to Northeastern University and he was a He grew up in Natick, they like knew Doug Flutie, who was a legendary football player back, from that area back in the day and and, they had a nice big home and I was like, and then I started having other friends like that.

[00:08:52] I was really good at chess as a kid and I lived in the international dorm, so all the international students who, you know, for people who don't know, they're usually very wealthy, they [00:09:00] have to be able to pay for college, they don't get any financial aid, nothing. They would, because of that, and they would go and have lunches at fancy restaurants in Boston, and they had fancy cars and all, and they would take me with them, because I was good at chess, and they liked playing me at chess.

[00:09:15] And so then that was it, and it just exposed me to wow, you can, There are ways to get more. Now, I still didn't believe I could have more. That took many years. But at least I could see there are real people. It's not just TV, right? And I think that's it. And then other things start to become normal.

[00:09:32] That weren't before all of my friends in college were not dealing drugs. They were not violent. They were not gangsta, and they were good people and fun to hang around with. So then when I go back that started to feel abnormal, right? So and my norms start to feel like, okay, I can go to a party and actually have fun and not worry about, my life, there being a shootout or something later in life, so like you said, there are different norms that you can get into and once they become [00:10:00] normal it's really powerful, right?

[00:10:02] And, but the key is to make the things you want and that are positive to be norm, a norm. So it just is. The best example I can give you right now is I talk, I run a lot, we'll probably talk more about my running late running as a big impact on my life. Okay. But most days, I run about five to six days a week.

[00:10:23] And most days I run at a minimum five miles. Some days I run a lot more than that. When I'm training for a marathon there's very few days of the week when I run less than double digits. And at first, when I first started in the first time I could run a mile, I was like, Oh my God, this is crazy.

[00:10:40] I can't believe I just ran a mile. And then it's two and every time it felt like more and more. Now I'm not like as impressed by that. And I started hanging around with other runners. And, you want to get better, so you find the people, you start seeing people who ran more, and you're like, oh man, and then before you know it, you're hanging out with them all the time, and you're running 10, 12, 20 miles with them, right?[00:11:00]

[00:11:00] And it just becomes a norm. And so you just talk about, oh yeah, I just did 20 this morning. You know what I mean? And it's like a normal thing. And that's really weird. And I'm reminded of this because when I'm around somebody who's not my running friend and they asked me how much I, I might casually say, my run this morning and be like, Oh, how much did you run?

[00:11:19] And I'll just say for me, a casual run, five, six miles. And they're thinking like, holy cow, like that's a lot of miles. And, but to me, that's my norm now, and a lot of the people I'm around, that's a norm that's, I have a group of people I go out with at five in the morning and we usually run five or six miles every single morning or at least three days a week, I should say, and and that's just a normal thing.

[00:11:42] So I say it very casually because it is casual for me. It's not to try and impress. It's not anything like that. It just is my norm,

[00:11:50] Scott Maderer: and I think again, hearing some things in that, that, so some of what quote broke you out was literally just changing your environment, seeing a different [00:12:00] picture, seeing a different reality, being exposed to, different people.

[00:12:04] It's, it's one of the reasons, I coach and I work with people all over the world. And I've talked to, I've had clients in 16, 17 countries now, and all of a sudden that gets, and then I've traveled internationally and guess what? That gives me a framework and a view of things that not everybody has, because that's right.

[00:12:21] I talked to other people and I'm exposed to it. And again, that's not a brag thing. That's not a good or bad. It's just it's a different environment. Yes, I get a different set of inputs. So it sounds like that was a big part of it for you. And then now it sounds like you're focused on, not just In other words, you're even more deliberate about thinking about what are those inputs, who I want to get better at running.

[00:12:42] Let me go surround myself with people who are better at running than me. I want to get better at this. Let me do that. Is that right?

[00:12:49] Luis Hernandez: That's a hundred percent. It, honestly, that's a big thing that drives me with the Wayfinder show. Now I want to build my network to. Get to, to help me fulfill my vision, right?

[00:12:58] Start surrounding myself [00:13:00] with really badass people and I don't know a lot of, I do know I have a great friends and family that are badasses, but, there are some that I know I need to get into my world to help me achieve my goals and have the impact I want on society. And I don't know who those people are yet, but I feel through a medium like the wayfinder show, we're going to find them.

[00:13:20] They're going to start coming our way. We're putting ourselves in a path to find these people now. So it is much more deliberate. Whereas before it was an escape from one norm. And as I identified that and became more conscious of it, and it was more and more of a conscious escape. Now it's more a journey to find them.

[00:13:37] Yeah.

[00:13:37] Scott Maderer: It's, you've shifted the view. So it's before you were focused on what you were moving away from.

[00:13:43] Luis Hernandez: That's right.

[00:13:44] Scott Maderer: Now you're focused on what you're moving towards. Same motion, both of those have a motion and a direction, but the reason behind the direction is different.

[00:13:53] A hundred

[00:13:53] Luis Hernandez: percent.

[00:13:53] Scott Maderer: Yeah. I tell people that like about jobs all the time. It's there's a big difference between quitting a job because you want to leave your job [00:14:00] and leaving your job because you are on a path towards something better. That's right. It's one of those, probably the next job, you're going to have the exact same problem, because you haven't really dealt with the underlying issues yet.

[00:14:13] The other, that's right. Yeah. Yeah. No, you're on a path to growth and improvement and that's an awesome thing. Yeah. So would you share a little bit about I also think all of us are on unique journeys when it comes to our spiritual walk or our faith walk, whatever that looks like.

[00:14:27] And this is a judgment free zone where it's not about. what you are. It's just how has that played out for you? How has you went on this journey and are continuing on this journey? How has your view of faith and spirituality, how has that changed and fed back into your journey? And then how has your journey affected how you view that part of your life?

[00:14:50] Luis Hernandez: Thank you. This is I'm gonna preface this by saying that I hope I don't offend anybody when I say this, but I'm not very I'm not very religious, but I [00:15:00] consider myself to be very spiritual. So I grew up in a very religious household. We. Hardcore Catholic. I could get away with murder as long as I was home by 7, 7pm to pray the rosary and I went to church on Sunday, right?

[00:15:14] Went to catechism, first communion, first,

[00:15:16] Scott Maderer: Did confession and you're good. Everything's good. All that good stuff.

[00:15:19] Luis Hernandez: Yeah. Yeah. That was how I was raised. And I'm very grateful for the values that we gain because of that. Because there truly is in every religion, I believe, that there are values there.

[00:15:29] Yeah. that we learned that are really good values, right? Don't lie, cheat, steal, no adultery, those things. These are really good values that we should embrace and be guiding principles, right? For us. And I think that there's people who you know, that you get that through religion. It really, whatever that religion may be.

[00:15:48] I think as I've grown, I I went through the phase like a lot of people do when they go to college, where it just started challenging some of the principles of the church. And I probably have never recovered from that. I have gone deeper [00:16:00] into studying more religions. appreciating them.

[00:16:04] I, I went I worked for the Boy Scouts of America for, it was my first job out of college. It's most of my corporate life has been was with them in different phases. And one of the, you start off as a district executive with them, just starting Boy Scout troops in the local churches.

[00:16:20] That's what you do. And, you, they give you this book with all of the different organizations around the country. And most of them are churches that might adopt. scouting. And so you have to learn the lingo of every religion and and how to go and speak to the leader of that church and such and to try and sell them on the scouting program to, to be adopted by them.

[00:16:41] And what I found is, That almost got me to be less loyal to a certain religion. Because I found these people, men and women, who are leaders of churches and their followers, who were just amazing. Just big thinkers. really big thinkers. [00:17:00] They had a great way of, they really wanted to contribute to society and help people and all such, all values I can contribute to, but I didn't find that there was one that I connected with more than another.

[00:17:12] So really my spiritual journey has been to just continue to embrace all those values. And have them as part of my life, but not have it, tied to a certain religion. So I still have daily practices and routines and I consider just going to pray the rosary every night.

[00:17:29] Now I start my mornings with gratitude, my intentions for the day, I, meditation, obviously running. These are the same, if you really think about it, these are rituals that set your mind just like prayer is every day. Just like the rosary was for us every night, right? I have my long run to me especially out on a trail in nature to me is very much like church in a way.

[00:17:51] I go and I'm thinking about ways to get better. Sometimes I'll bring it's a meditative practice. Yeah. for me [00:18:00] while I'm there and sometimes I have friends with me and we'll have a topic that we'll discuss our What have you, or I'll bring a podcast with me that, will inspire me and much like a sermon at church or something

[00:18:13] Scott Maderer: that makes sense.

[00:18:14] Oh yeah, absolutely. And no, that's not offensive at all. Like I said, this is not about I'm a firm believer in, in. We're not necessarily all on the same journey, but that we're all going to the same place. If that makes sense. Yeah. I don't think as I think we talked about, when we were, we're talking about coming on the show and things is, I deliberately ask about faith and spiritual, not religion.

[00:18:36] Cause this isn't about, do you go to church or what church do you go to? It's about, what is your unique relationship with that? what's out there. And then the other part that I think is important to highlight is, just like you were talking about your life journey, that journey for you has changed over time.

[00:18:54] And likely is, you're not at the end of the journey either. You're still on a journey, so who knows six years from now, it [00:19:00] could look different than it does today. And that's okay. That it, it doesn't I, I think It always scares me when people start telling me they've figured it all out and they've got all the answers because,

[00:19:09] Luis Hernandez: I would have told you that 10 years ago, right? Only now am I recognizing I have nothing figured out, right? And I'm embracing it. Pre

[00:19:15] Scott Maderer: 2008, you had all the answers. That's right. That's

[00:19:18] Luis Hernandez: right. Yeah.

[00:19:19] Scott Maderer: Yeah. Let's talk a little bit about that. I think there were a lot of folks in real estate.

[00:19:24] I know I've got some friends and some other folks that have similar stories of, Oh, I'm worth. 30 million or 10 million or 5 million. Yeah. I've got my real estate up. Nope. Now I have nothing, it literally all went away very quickly. What did you think, and I know you're still learning this and I know you're still unpacking it, but if you had to say what was the most important lesson that you think at least so far that you've learned from going through that experience what is it?

[00:19:50] What was your most important lesson?

[00:19:52] Luis Hernandez: Oh, wow. I don't know if there's a most important I think one of the things [00:20:00] you know It actually relates to my childhood too when I describe my childhood in poverty and in the inner city rough Neighborhood with all kinds of stuff and violence and all that there I actually loved my childhood, right?

[00:20:14] It was a very, I had a great time, made great friends all that. We really had a lot of fun, right? And then, same thing after 08, I look at it now, and I think I had what I thought at the time was my dream home in Baltimore, Maryland. And I had all this property and money and all this stuff and I had a one in a three year old when we lost our home which is especially as a father and a provider for your family that's like our Probably the bottom any man could feel, right?

[00:20:41] Oh, man we just lost our castle, right? And my kids were one in three. So that was, I never really thought about that consciously. It's really like survival. And you think about just survival. And then the next year's all is one foot in front of the other. So it's not survival. Then it's death.

[00:20:58] And then once you get to that [00:21:00] level of thriving, you have some privilege where you can go back and reflect and think about that. But in that period of survival, in trying to still figure out how to be a good father, a good husband, provide a roof, provide food, despite losing so much we had an awesome time, just like when we were kids.

[00:21:19] We just I, we had, Rather than going, in, in a European vacation, we would do road trips and broken down cars, but you know what? It was fun. We had a great time. We still did things, we had We still always had as my wife likes to put it, the universe will always provide, I guess this ties into spirituality it was a higher power that still took care of us, and not only took care of us, but we felt it We had a good time.

[00:21:41] Our kids went to good schools, we lived in a great community, all this stuff. And I don't know how I have no idea how the heck we afforded any of that stuff at that time, but it still happened and it was a good time. So I think going back to the question is that no matter what, there is a higher power that [00:22:00] is going to take care of us if we just do the right thing and keep, keep at it, and keep positive and and things are going to work out for the sounds

[00:22:08] Scott Maderer: like to you learn some things about, that you're, not that being a provider and doing all of that wasn't important, but that, your value wasn't based on quote how big your real estate empire is.

[00:22:19] Your value wasn't based on your net worth. Your value was based on other things. Is that true?

[00:22:24] Luis Hernandez: Yeah, absolutely. That's a great point. I think still am not back up to the net worth I had. But I feel like a much wealthier person, much richer back then. I was a stress case. I was angry, for the first time in my life, I had money.

[00:22:38] I was able to give, I was able to buy, I bought a home that I was hoping my mother would move into, but she didn't want to move to Rhode Island, but I mean to Baltimore, but the I had everything I could ever have dreamed of as a kid at that point, but I wasn't happy. I was angry I don't know.

[00:22:54] Yeah, I'm still not totally sure what it was, but now I don't have That kind of net [00:23:00] worth or that many assets and I'm a pretty happy go lucky guy, I feel blessed I have great community around me. My family loves me. I love them. They're great to be around good health the whole nine It's hard for me to get angry.

[00:23:14] I feel just very content All the time do I want more? Yes, but not so much in those material things that I thought I wanted back then, you know Do I want a bigger bank account? Yes, but I don't You I'm not going to go after it, in a way that's going to make me miserable, right? Like I was back then, right?

[00:23:32] Do I want certain other goodies? Maybe. I don't know. There's not many goodies anymore that really I feel like I, I really, I don't want a big yacht. I don't want to, I don't even really want Really big house anymore. Like I couldn't imagine living in a house that I lived in back then in a way.

[00:23:47] Cause I, I don't want that anymore. It's just the simple things I want to be able to get up and do whatever I want and have that freedom to do what I want with the people I love. And that's it. Yeah,

[00:23:59] Scott Maderer: a lot [00:24:00] of I, I think a lot of folks, it confused as an example, and you use the word content, that they confuse contentment with complacency, which, and those are completely different emotions.

[00:24:14] Complacency is, I'm here and I'm stuck here. And the, it's a negative feeling where contentment is. If I have a lot, I'll be happy with it. If I have a little. I'll be happy with that too, because it's not about the stuff anymore. It's about finding joy and happiness and like you said, relationships and other things.

[00:24:33] It's not the, what I have is what determines what I'm worth. It's my worth is deeper than that. So

[00:24:39] Luis Hernandez: that's it. That's it. That's really well put. Never thought about it like that.

[00:24:44] Scott Maderer: Yeah. I also think we can, we think if you're content, you can't be driven. And it's Oh no. Those are not mutually exclusive things.

[00:24:51] I could, like you said, I can want more, but also be happy with what I've got. It's like people think those, you [00:25:00] can't, you have to be unhappy to want more. It's No, that's a choice. That's not a requirement. Yeah.

[00:25:05] Luis Hernandez: Yeah. I really think about the times when I've been most unhappy in my life was that era when I was having extreme success in my business, probably 05 to 08, 09, that, that's it. Other than that, I've always, Pretty much been a happy go lucky guy in, in a pre what I've had to take a job that I really didn't wanna do, that I've also not been happy about. Sure. I, yeah once you realize you ju something just eating at you that, that's another time when I'm not happy.

[00:25:34] But overall where I'm at and I'm excited about what's to come as well.

[00:25:39] Scott Maderer: . . Yeah. And hopeful for the future. Yeah,

[00:25:40] Luis Hernandez: absolutely.

[00:25:42] Scott Maderer: So going back to the long distance running cause I think that's. I've done some, I've done some running over the years, but I don't consider myself a regular runner anymore.

[00:25:51] And that kind of thing. But I think running is one of those experiences, like you mentioned that they're, people that do running regularly [00:26:00] often describe it as spiritual and, feeling alive and all sorts of words like that. What do you think? your practice of getting into running and continuing that for years.

[00:26:13] What has that kind of taught you about the world and how we operate and that kind of thing? What lessons have you learned from running?

[00:26:20] Luis Hernandez: Oh man, so much. I I'm working on a project. Maybe it'll become a book. I'm calling it running away to find my way for now. That could change, but it is, it's about exactly that.

[00:26:33] And I can tell you, I might take, I could take up hours speaking about this, but I'm going to, as a backdrop I got into running. I wasn't a runner growing up. I didn't play in a cross country, run on a cross country team or track or anything like that. I started in 2010. I was going, I lived in Baltimore and we were going back towards Rhode Island to visit family and in between is New York City and I had an old friend from college I hadn't seen in five years.

[00:26:57] And he's that friend, we all have him, [00:27:00] maybe we are that person, who's not very athletic. Clumsy, would never, maybe not very health conscious, all this stuff, but he's a great friend. And I'd seen him for the first time. He's a very good friend of mine from college. And I, it was like, Hey, what are you up to?

[00:27:15] He's Oh, I'm running a marathon. And I was like, Oh, you Ah, man, come on, a rat? You? Of all people? And and he's no, I am, and he finally convinced me he was, and I got intrigued, I'm like, what is that about? And mind you, this is on the heels of, us losing our business and our home and all this stuff and he's yeah, I started writing, and I'm like, so I ask him all these questions, and he hands me this book, it's called The Non Runner's Marathon Training.

[00:27:38] And it's a class held at, I think it's University of Idaho or something. I can't remember. I know it started with an I and I think it's either Idaho or Iowa and these two professors that they teach this class and it's to run a marathon and the final exam is you got to run a marathon. No time, anything like that.

[00:27:53] And the book reads like a journal where they tell you what you got to do every week. And in between every week is a [00:28:00] journal from from the runner, the students of the class. talk about it. And I started to do it. I'm like, Oh wow, this is great. So my running journey started with just wanting to run a marathon.

[00:28:10] I'm like, all right, I'm going to go run a marathon. I didn't want to start with a 5k or one jumped into that, but it does tell you that before you can start this, you have to be able to run for a half hour straight without, without stopping. So I went to test myself and I couldn't even run five minutes, Scott.

[00:28:26] And I got into it and, worked my way up to, I could eventually do half hour. And then I ran to Philadelphia marathon that year in, in a four hours and 52 minutes or something like that. Oh, 56 minutes. Can't remember, which is an okay time, I said, all right, I'll never do it again.

[00:28:42] Like everybody does after their first ones. And now I joke that, the first one you do it because you're ignorant or crazy. The second one, and every one after that, you just do it because you're stupid. Because it's not a fun, it can be fun, but it's a painful experience.

[00:28:56] Anyway, so I put it away. I wasn't thinking I was going to do another one. [00:29:00] But then we moved to Colorado, got, we both got jobs out here, and Colorado is a very outdoorsy, endurance, athletic culture. And at the time I used to brew beer and drink a lot of beer and all that, and it's about 40 pounds heavier.

[00:29:15] And so I was like, all right, I justified my beer drinking by running. So I would go to, but here everybody has every brew pub, every, brewery, all that. They all have running clubs. So I started going to one, meeting people. And the first day I'm thinking, all right, I just run a marathon. No big deal.

[00:29:31] And I go And and they were like, little old ladies that were like 40 years older than me that were burning me, just going, I'm like, how is this possible? And I couldn't, and so I just started hanging out with them and asking them questions. And then I, and I started getting faster and slimmer and over time, you hear people talk about things like the Boston marathon and I'm like, oh yeah, I remember that's when we, you could drink on the streets in Boston.

[00:29:52] I remember that undergrad. And you start having all these goals, people start telling you about how they go all over the world to travel and all this stuff and. [00:30:00] It just gave me this big exposure. And and I just kept getting intrigued. It kept setting another goal, a bigger goal and a bigger goal and a bigger goal.

[00:30:08] And, before you know it, I've now run 13 marathons. I've got my marathon time down to three hours and three minutes. I I've run all six world majors now. I've traveled the world for marathon. I brought my family with me. Mind you, before this, I'd never traveled anywhere outside the United States.

[00:30:23] And it's I know people from all over the world from it. I just it's just been incredible. And I've been, as a poor kid growing up, like you still have, even when you get out and you go to college, you still have this limiting belief that you can't, you don't belong, you can't hang.

[00:30:37] But with my running friends, we were all equalized, right? We're all runners. And so I'd get invited to people to hang out with people, again, much like when I used to play chess and in college that these kids would take me out. And I, and running gave me that and those connections and then you start seeing how these people live and how they think and how they act and all that and it messes with all [00:31:00] of your beliefs that you have internally, right?

[00:31:03] And and you start to think okay maybe you don't, maybe having money isn't a bad thing. Maybe you can help people. You do want to, you can, you, you can help people if you have money and you want to help people and you are a good person, and that's it.

[00:31:16] That's a limited belief I had growing up. as a Catholic boy rich people are evil, things like that. Running is what exposed me to all that. And then the other thing is I saw my improvement and I look back and I start, every day along the way, you start to see all these different things you start to do.

[00:31:32] You want to go hang out with your friends to run. So that means, you're not going out late at night partying. Okay you don't want to get injured. So you run, you start doing all the little things when nobody's looking like stretching and a little bit of strength training and, eating good foods and all these things, yeah, it wasn't for me to be healthy.

[00:31:50] It was to be able to run more and it to be honest. And now it's even as I'm getting older, it's still my driving force for eating well and staying fit. It's so I [00:32:00] can go run, yeah. So running is a big part of my life and what helped me turn around and develop those soft skills those, executive functioning skills, you can say that a lot of successful people have stick out, the, they get, they taught me the secrets to success, right?

[00:32:16] Like the one big secret, right? Do the same thing over and over every day consistently and get a little bit better every day at it, right? That's the one big thing do the little things when nobody's watching surround yourself with great people You know who are better than you so that you can keep getting better, things those little success Tricks are what running gave me that I didn't i've never consciously had From anybody else, right?

[00:32:40] Yeah,

[00:32:42] Scott Maderer: when you look at that to, like you said that the consistency habit the changing it for you, at least it was a keystone habit, it's one of those habits that allowed you to change a whole bunch of other habits,

[00:32:54] Luis Hernandez: right?

[00:32:56] Scott Maderer: Hey, let you and therefore it snowballs or trickles down, or [00:33:00] affects others.

[00:33:00] And that can be different for different people, I think, but, for you that was running, like I said, I've never been a real big runner. I did actually run a marathon whenever I was in, in college. And I jokingly, like a lot of people who've done a marathon, I jokingly say I've run three marathons.

[00:33:15] It was my, my, my first one. My only one and my last one, cuz yeah, cuz like you said you do want in your life. Yeah, this hurts Why does anyone ever do this? Yeah

[00:33:26] Luis Hernandez: I can think of two that I've done that I'm like, you know when it's over. I'm like I didn't feel that way but almost always I feel like why the heck did I do this?

[00:33:36] Scott Maderer: Why did you do that? Yeah. And yet, and yet there is value from it. Don't get me wrong. I've run some, I've run some half marathons too. And that's, and again, I don't think you necessarily have to be a quote, marathon runner to get the value that you're talking about out of running, for you, the marathons are important and you do them and you get value from them, but I bet you, you have running buddies that don't necessarily run.

[00:33:58] Marathons all the time, but they're running [00:34:00] with, and doing the exercise and the work and the. Consistency. Absolutely.

[00:34:03] Luis Hernandez: Absolutely. A hundred percent. Yeah. I, for me, my, I say my vice is become running, people it's golf it's the bar, it's party, like for me it's running.

[00:34:13] And I think that's a good one, really. I think you're right. It doesn't have to be running. It could be anything. And like, when I'm hiring somebody, that's me. I look for them to get, I want to know that they have gotten so deep into something so entrenched that they are taking it. It's made them better people in some way, right?

[00:34:31] Like they, so that could be podcasting, right? That could be sewing, knitting, it doesn't matter, but I want to know that there's something that they are so passionate about that they've taken so deep beyond, the elementary because that tells me quite a bit, right? That they have ambition, they want to grow, they have the ability to keep learning and growing, they know how to, they know how to solve problems, how to figure out.

[00:34:57] how, get through [00:35:00] injury in the case of running, but it could be, get through not having a supply if it's sewing, the,

[00:35:04] Scott Maderer: Things like that. I was going to laugh. My wife is really big into crafts and she's a big crafter. I don't, not my thing. I don't get it, but.

[00:35:12] I love my wife. She has a craft room and she does crafting. And one of the things she does is needlework and she does these really large intricate, like she made a, a giant needlework thing that took her months and months and months. And she has what's called a needle minder, which is really just a little magnet that she can park her needle on.

[00:35:28] But the needle minder says, remember me doing needlework is proof that I have the patience to stab something 64, 000 times. I love that. I like it a little scary, but

[00:35:46] Luis Hernandez: you're not going to mess with her,

[00:35:47] Scott Maderer: but it is that, but it is that idea of just being sitting down and having that consistency and that patience and that ability to stick to something, even something that you quote, find fun. Or energizing or good. [00:36:00] Not everybody does that. Even with stuff that's good for them, that they enjoy.

[00:36:04] Luis Hernandez: Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. That's right. Yeah. We have fortunately, I think both my kids have that with something, one of them is really big into vocals. She got herself into a local performing arts school and sings and she's so deep into it. She does the warmup exercises every morning and keep studying and looks at how singers sing and what their paths are and.

[00:36:24] It's not just singing for singing sake to her, and now that she's a teenager, she's getting jobs at the local singing camps and all that to teach and all that. Cause she even said I can learn more by teaching. I'm like, that's awesome. And yeah. And my other one is a comic book nerd and she's a real, she's so deep into it.

[00:36:42] She knows every, issue of, certain comics and all that. So it doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's something that they learn to go deep with,

[00:36:50] Scott Maderer: it's, yeah, it's being able to be a quote geek about something, you geek out on that one thing or that two things and really get deep [00:37:00] into it.

[00:37:01] So I've got a few questions that I like to ask all of my guests, but before I ask you those, is there anything else about. you're running or about, your journey that you'd like or the show, the Wayfinder show that you'd like to share with the listener.

[00:37:15] Luis Hernandez: I guess the only thing is, as I'm saying this in a loud about going deep into something of passion, I see podcasting becoming that new thing for me now, right?

[00:37:25] I see every day I'm more passionate. about it than it was the day before. And the people I'm meeting along the way, I'm really excited about building long term relationships with to, so we can all be more successful. And that includes you, Scott. Talking to you the other day, I'm like, Oh wow. I came out of that conversation thinking that I'm going to, I'm going to learn a lot from him.

[00:37:45] He's a great guy. And you gave so much selflessly that I'm grateful. And it makes me think about, this is probably my new deep passion. I can see there's a lot of great things in life.

[00:37:57] Scott Maderer: Yeah, absolutely. You will meet and a lot of giving [00:38:00] people too. I've had, the reason why I like try to help people out is because there was somebody when I got started, there were people that helped me out, just paying forward, pay it forward.

[00:38:10] So my brand is inspired stewardship, and I run things through that lens of stewardship. And it stewardship is one of those words that means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. And so I like to just ask people when you hear that word stewardship, what does that word mean to you?

[00:38:27] Luis Hernandez: Yeah, I was nervous. I was most nervous about this question because I wasn't too sure, I think about it as just like having a responsibility and, taking the utmost care making sure you fulfill that responsibility. So being a father, being a husband, being a servant what have you to me, the different roles, those all create responsibilities.

[00:38:49] I want to make sure I take great care of and am proud as to how I take that responsibility.

[00:38:59] Scott Maderer: [00:39:00] So this is my favorite question that I like to ask everybody. Imagine for a minute that I invented this magic machine and with this machine, I could pluck you from where you are today and transport you into the future.

[00:39:11] Maybe 150, maybe 250 years. But through the power of this machine, you were able to look back and you were able to see your entire life, see all of the connections, all of the ripples, all of the impacts you've left behind. What impact do you hope you've left in the world?

[00:39:26] Luis Hernandez: Wow. I saw that question and I kept avoiding it.

[00:39:30] Cause I think the stewardship one had me stuck, but I think the impact, I'd like to, I'd like to I guess there's two big driving forces. One is, I'd like to inspire people to follow their dreams and leave the place. This is something I really got from the Boy Scouts. Leave the campfire better than they found it.

[00:39:50] Leave the world just a little bit better than they found it somewhere, somehow. Okay? And that could be really small or really big. But I would love [00:40:00] to be able to inspire people to, to do that. And I think if we do things to get people out of survival mode and into thrive mode, then they will be able to, right?

[00:40:09] Because then they'll be able to start thinking about that. How can I leave the world better? And then the other one I think is just to help build community. I think it's especially in this world that we're in now, we're going into political season, which is just the worst time of the year or four year cycles, it's just that there's a lot of, things happen because they the powers, the people who are trying to get certain power, whatever they prey on our fear.

[00:40:35] And divide us and and then, when we get what we realize is when you get close to somebody you actually have a conversation with them, you go on a run with them, you realize like the, it's not that bad. This person's not that bad because, he has an easy at the last end of his name or, he's a certain color or he has a certain political [00:41:00] belief or anything like that.

[00:41:01] You know what I mean? So I think community does that. Just build communities. And those communities don't have to be your neighborhood or your, I grew up Again, in inner city neighborhood in my community was that in our church and our ethnic enclaves, you know They should be maybe they can revolve around Passions like running other things like that bring different people together So yeah, that's something I'm very passionate about and I'm hoping to create with the way finder show as well

[00:41:35] Scott Maderer: So what's on the roadmap?

[00:41:36] What's coming up as you continue on through the rest of the year?

[00:41:41] Luis Hernandez: Yeah. So I think most of my life I've been in real estate is we talked about I'm still a real estate broker here in Denver, Colorado, but I do a lot of consulting all over the country now for different family offices and institutions as well as well as still sell homes, to first time when we have a team and such, I would like [00:42:00] to.

[00:42:00] Okay. phase out of that piece. Eventually probably within the next three to five years. And focus more, probably always have some investments going on, but and I'd like to focus on growing the podcast more. I see this being my next season. in life as my wife and I become empty nesters. We want to probably become more nomadic.

[00:42:24] Maybe we're talking about a year in Japan and then who knows, maybe getting a van and just traveling all of the Americas on a van. And then maybe Europe too, just doing that for a few years kind of thing. And and I think the podcast is going to allow me to do that as well as build community while I'm doing that.

[00:42:41] Which is important and connect communities so I think that's it. Awesome.

[00:42:49] Scott Maderer: So you can find out more about Louie Hernandez over at the wayfindershow. com. Of course, that's also where you can find his great podcast, The Wayfinder Show. [00:43:00] I'll have a link to that over in the show notes as well.

[00:43:03] Louie, anything else you'd like to share with the listener?

[00:43:06] Luis Hernandez: Yeah, just one thing. Just, it's just wayfindershow. com. The, we didn't buy the probably should say just wayfindershow. com. Yeah, if you need any, real estate advice, help whether it's representation is a agent or coming up with an investment plan, raise capital, what have you.

[00:43:24] I'm happy to help you with that. You can sign up at PioneerGroupRealty. com for a free 15 minute consultation and we'll figure out what to do from there if I can help. And if not, I'll just point you in the right direction. And other than that I'm really just grateful to you, Scott, for having me here.

[00:43:41] And if there's anything I can do for your community please say the word. I would love to give back.

[00:43:46] Scott Maderer: Absolutely. Thanks so much for being on. I appreciate having you here.

[00:43:50] Luis Hernandez: Yeah, thank you.

[00:43:56] Scott Maderer: Thanks so much for listening to the Inspired Stewardship [00:44:00] Podcast. As a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling. If you enjoyed this episode please do us a favor. Go over to inspiredstewardship.

[00:44:20] com iTunes rate, all one word, iTunes rate. It'll take you through how to leave a rating and review, and how to make sure you're subscribed to the podcast, so that you can get every episode as it comes out in your feed. Until next time, invest your time and money. Your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact the world.