2.7 Women's Networking Isn't Optional Anymore | Lisa Hernandez on Building Your Own Table

Men have always had the golf course. Allie sits down with Lisa Hernandez, founder of El Paso Women's Network, to talk about why women need the same thing and why she got tired of waiting for someone to build it for her. The conversation moves fast from there: losing her husband suddenly, becoming an empty nester almost overnight, and the belief in her own unworthiness she had to torch to rebuild her life and income on her own terms. Grab Allie's free ebook, It's About Damn Time: https://go.allietrimblelozano.com/damned-time-or

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:03

Somewhere between the corner office, the carpool line, and the third glass of wine, a lot of women lose themselves. Ali Trimbolozano, she found her way back, and she's not keeping the roadmap to herself. This is Airing Out Your Vagina. Grace, grit, and a splash of sarcasm. Here's Allie.

SPEAKER_01 0:23

Welcome back to Airing Out Your Vagina. I am Ali Trimbolozano, and I am excited today to have a guest on that we've been working on this and trying to get calendars to align here for a little bit. But welcome, Miss Lisa. How are you? I'm wonderful. I'm so happy to be here. Oh my goodness. Well, for those of you that don't know Lisa, I will share and it's she will be tagged so that you can find her and her products easily. But I wanted to share, I love to talk about how I met people or how different people kind of came into my life. And so I met Lisa, like a few other guests that I've had on the podcast, through the El Paso Women's Network. So I think the very first time I met you, I think we'd been in similar circles. We'd seen each other in the past, but we had never really kind of had a moment to unite and catch up and kind of explore our similarities. Um, but you all, you and Zerelda, um, had asked me to come um and speak at your Galantine's event in February. And girl, the passion in that room was like inspiring. Um so we talked a little bit about it then, and here we are in July, but that's life, right? That's how it works. Right. It's true, it's true. Yeah. Yeah. So talk to us a little bit. Um, well, one, since I brought it up, El Paso Women's Network. So talk a little bit about what that is um and kind of the passion behind it and why uh you and Zerelda and team, there's a whole, there's a group of you actually. Right. So I don't want to leave anyone out, but kind of what was the premise behind that and and what's the goal of overall kind of that organization?

SPEAKER_00 2:02

Um, so um I started networking uh pretty heavily and learning the power of networking. I'm gonna say about four years ago. And when I went to these networking events, it was mostly men, very few women. And the men were in some instances a little, you know, like how men are, a little, you know, I don't want to say sneaky, but like, hey baby, here's my card, you know, and yeah, looking at it as a dating forum rather than a networking venture. I'm here to sell you, like, yeah. So um, you know, and and I just hated it. And so I uh I also ran El Paso Speed Networking. Um, and then um, and that went well, but again, it was mostly men. So I started El Paso Women's Networking. Um, Dr. Ginger Raya was my first uh person that spoke. Then I had uh Dr. Lisa Fant and I had a few other events, but again, you can't do it all by yourself.

SPEAKER_02 3:12

Oh my gosh, no, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:14

So then I met Zorelda, Mayela, and Vanessa, and I they're like, we want to do something just women only. And I'm like, oh my God, I have this platform already. So then we started doing um, you know, some really great events. We had you as a speaker, um, we had uh Patty Diaz and Amber Bonda, you know, Power 102 and Kahe. Um and then that's actually where I first met Amber.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

So same thing. We knew of each other and we'd kind of interacted here and there, but it was at that event. Um, she came over. I had a little thing with my book set up. Um, and she came over and she was like, What is this book? Oh my god. And so we just put it off. In fact, we recorded a podcast episode recently too. So your networking events um are definitely helping people network, but anyway, sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to.

SPEAKER_00 4:07

No, no, no, no, no, no. And then um, so and the next one we have coming up, this one is a speed networking, and we are including men. We had a bingo night that was fun. Um, so we're not trying to just exclude men, but we want to primarily focus and making sure that it's women-friendly um networking events because I don't think um uh women understand the power of networking.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

No, you know, I say you're you're spot on. You really are spot on. And I think, you know, I talk a little bit in the book, I share a couple of things where it's like, you know, men would leave at noon on Friday when I was over hospitals in San Antonio, noon on Friday, all the men left for the country club, and it was a men's only country club. So they went and drank and played golf and networked. And so I share the one of the differences between men and women is that I think men, um, one, they've been doing it a lot longer, but I think men overall tend to at times be better about networking and about supporting other men than necessarily women are. I think, you know, women, you gotta be careful. Um, right. And you know, you've heard me say that if we learn to work together and collaborate instead of compete, we could literally change the world. And I believe. Um, but I love the aspect. And like you said, it's not about excluding men, and it's not about, I mean, you have a bow in your life, and I hope that there's one out there for me at some point. Um, I think he's stuck. I say he's like riding backwards through quicksand on the back of a sloth, and that's why he hasn't found me yet. But again, professionally and personally, it's not about excluding men, it's about lifting women, and it's about giving ourselves the same sort of environment and kind of reciprocal networking um ideology that men have had. Um there was an event last week, and I'll share this and then let you continue. But um, it was with leadership women and the new CEO Brandy um was in the market. They had a board meeting in El Paso, and so we had a kind of a fundraising meeting afterwards. And one of the things that she said, and I loved it, is and she said men had the golf course. And so decisions were made, ideas were pitched. Hey, Bob would be great in that role that you just posted. I mean, all of that was happening in a place that women weren't allowed to be at the time. Right. Now a lot of that has changed, but I think the El Paso Women's Network, Leadership Women, some of these organizations, Executive Forum and El Paso is another good one. I think it it really does kind of start to even the playing field where these organizations and these meetings and these conversations, this is our golf course.

SPEAKER_00 7:00

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yes, absolutely. Well, and I think too, women don't realize the value in having friendships outside of our circle. Like we have um, you know, we have our like for me in my 40s when I was in my corporate job, um, you know, I had my family of friends that were women, my high school friends that were women, and my job, and that was it. So those were my three opportunities. So if I didn't meet a powerful woman in my family at my job or from high school, then I wasn't going to meet that outside influence, right? So it wasn't until I started networking that I saw the power of it and I saw the opportunity to collaborate, and then I saw the need where I'm like, oh my God, if this had been something I would have ran across when I was in my 30s and 40s, struggling and not wanting more, and just you know, being so stuck in my role as a wife and mom.

SPEAKER_01 8:10

You know what I mean? Yeah, I do. And I love the way that you kind of break it down because you're so right. We have, you know, it people talk about three degrees of separation, seven degrees of separation, like whatever it is. El Paso is a tiny big town. It is, um, it is, but I think you touched on something that's really valuable, and that the idea that when we only have the circle that we have, so it's our inner circle or the people that, like you said, you've known since high school, or you've known your whole life, you know, your family, whatever that looks like for you, and then what's in your professional circle. So for me, you know, for a lot of years, if it wasn't healthcare, I didn't know. Do you know so and so? No, I have no idea who that is. And I mean, they were right big, you know, rock star people, but I was stuck in my little world. And I think, you know, as a healthcare CEO formerly, um, the opportunity to grow in ways was because of organizations that had nothing to do with healthcare. You know, there may be some other members that had healthcare background, but the reality was there were people from all walks of life, all different professions, um, all different educational levels, all different, you know, race and ethnicities and and religious beliefs, whatever. And so I think to your point, one, yes, the networking piece, but also just the idea of expanding your horizons. If everybody in your circle looks like you and talks like you and does the same job as you, then what a small exactly what a small life, what a small place. Right.

SPEAKER_00 9:36

Yes, yes, yeah, absolutely. And that's that's you know, that's why um, you know, that's why I started it, but again, it was super hard to do by myself. So it got more energy behind it once Zorelda Mayela and Vanessa came into play. And, you know, and really like, okay, what are we gonna do next? Yeah you know, what are we gonna do next? So um, so no, it's been fun and I love it, and I'm so glad that we got to we met at um an AI thing at Pioneers21, is where we first. You're right, yes, that's where we first met, and I actually got your book after that off Amazon. Um, and then um that's where I had first neatly forgotten about that.

SPEAKER_01 10:24

Oh my gosh, yeah. And you had talked about you were doing it, it was gonna be like a hike or something. Yeah, it was uh uh a women's hike, yes, and I was bummed because yeah, I was out of town and I would be disappointed that I didn't make it, but you're yeah, you're right. And that again, talk about networking and meeting people because you mentioned Dr. Ginger Raya earlier that you had had her on, you know, to speak for you or you know, on your with your platform, and it was actually Dr. Ginger Raya that invited me to go to that event at Pioneers. So there you go. Oh, how funny! Yeah, yeah. She and I did, I had her on in season one. Um, just a neat gal doing all sorts of things, um, and a real pro at connecting people. So very yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 11:08

I'm so glad you said that.

SPEAKER_01 11:09

How funny. I just yeah, I know. I completely um, and I love you're a fellow UTEP grad, so pick sup go miners. Um you talked a little bit about kind of you know, you wish that you had seen some of these networking things or been part of that, you know, earlier on, so in your 30s or 40s. Um and you mentioned, you know, when you were feeling stuck as a wife or a mom, and you know that I talk a lot about women losing ourselves to our roles and the fact that I'm not gonna say that that doesn't happen to men. It can, it just doesn't happen the way that it does to women. Um, and I'm not blaming anyone for that. We do it to ourselves, like right. Um, but we put all these on as you know, what we need to do to be the best spouse or the best daughter, the best mother, or the, you know, all of these roles that some were we chose for ourselves, others were placed upon us. But I think the reality is as we get a little bit older, as the gray hair comes in with some of the wisdom. Um, and I love the fact that you said, I wish I had known about or been part of organizations like this earlier on. So let's talk a little bit about kind of where you were when you were feeling stuck. When what were you doing? You know, what did life look like? What was your job? What, you know, when you say stuck and trying to build or figure out, you know, I want more. Is this all there is? Like what did that period of your life, what did that look like? So that we can get a foundation to see what it is that you're doing now.

SPEAKER_00 12:39

Okay. So I um so I had a corporate job. I was a school vendor, right? And I was very successful in it, but I was at a plateau because if I wanted to move up with the company, I had to move to Dallas or Houston. There was not going to be a pathway to leadership in El Paso. So of course, my husband was a breadwinner. So I really just, you know, got the dollar raise, 50 cent raise. And I got the dollar raise, and they're like, oh, we moved mountains to give you a dollar. I'm like, really? I was number one out of 200. I'm like, I was number one out of 250 sales reps across the country, and I got a dollar. Thanks for my dollar. Thank you. And my commissions were like uh, you know, uh 10 grand. I don't know. You know what I mean? Nothing like a value compared to how hard I worked, right? So, so, anyways, um, you know, so I was a wife, three children, and hustling all of it, you know, and anytime the kids were sick, it was my responsibility. And I had to be the one to take off work. I had to be the one to, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. I uh so the kids were fully my responsibility, pick up, drop off. I arranged it all. I literally locked, knocked on neighbors' doors that I knew, I just knew they had a kid, my kid's age, and was like, hey girl, you want a carpool? You know, because I had to, right? Like figuring it out. It was all up to me to make that responsibility. But in the same token, um because I didn't value myself, it led it led a very easy path for my husband uh not to value me either. You know, and I mean he wasn't a bad husband, he just could have been better, but also on my end, I didn't value myself because you know, I didn't have that other woman to say, girl, you're a badass, you're doing this and that and this, or hey, you know, your skill set, you should meet so and so. Like I know you would be making more money here and have better, you know, introduce me to people and jobs that would have gotten me out of that, you know, comfort zone. And the thing is, is that I truly believe had I left one night a week, I would have been valued more because I would have been missed. You know what I mean? And I would have gotten me time and girl time and you know, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

And you you touched on several things there. I think one, um, and we always have to look at ourselves first, right? I mean, in the end, what did what did we set as the tone? What did we set as the expectation? I mean, even um one of my passions is leadership. And I used to tell people all the time if you set the bar here, they're gonna meet it. They may drop performance to meet that because they're like, hey, if that's all I have to do here, cool. You set the bar really high, the majority of people are gonna rise to meet that bar. And I think it's very similar in our friendships, in our relationships, personal and professional. I think if we set the bar that there's no, it's not about a tit for tat, hey, I did all of this for you. What did you do for me? No, that's that's bullshit and it's toxic. What I'm talking about is if I pour into you because I care for you, because I love you, because I want to pour into you, then I want to feel poured back into. Exactly. And I think as women, um, often we are taught to give and give and give, and that's how you eventually receive. Um you touched on worthiness. And I think, you know, I mean, I spent, I'm 47 years old, and I tell people I spent the first 45 years trying to prove myself worthy of family, friends, you know, ex-husband, whatever it was, to prove that I was good enough. I was enough. Right. It wasn't too much, but I was enough. All of those things. And I think really having to sit with it and go, you know what? I taught people, I taught all of these people how to treat me. And so I can't then sit back and point the finger and go, you, you, and you. It's like, well, hold on a second. What did what did Ali do that got me here? And so I think Lisa, the fact that you shared that and said, like I had to look at it and go, okay, well, my worthiness, my overperformance, my overavailability, all of those things doesn't make the other person a bad person, and it doesn't make them, you know, a savior. It it's real, but it's definitely part of the equation. And I think it's something important for women. Um, maybe if you people like you and I talk about it, maybe women listening in their 30s will go, huh? Yeah, they'll start making the change earlier. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 17:37

Right. Well, and and that's that's that was my hope with El Paso Women's Network is that they and you know, that woman that 30-year-old woman will be like, I'm taking the night off, I'm letting him watch the kids, or I'm letting my mom watch the kids, whomever, to take time out for me to see what else is out there, you know, to to get that cross-mentorship in women going, you know what I mean? Because there's so much that I can learn from a 30-year-old, and there's so much that a 30-year-old can learn from me too. 100% accurate. It's not just, you know what I mean? So um, so, anyways, yeah, so that that's you know, primarily how I felt in my career. Um, and then COVID happened, and I was one of the lucky ones that um they laid off everybody in all of Texas, and I kept my job and got promoted, but then I was no longer in the field. They got rid of all the field reps, and I was in front of a computer all day, every day, and that is not me. And I hated it.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

I was gonna say, you said that's not you, and uh just what I do know of you the personality, the the humor, the go-getter, the interaction. Like, yeah, I can't imagine you being fulfilled staring at a computer screen all day long.

SPEAKER_00 19:03

No, no, I I hated it, and it was it was awful. Um, and then from there, um in October of 2021, my life forever changed, and my 50-year-old husband passed away from COVID. Wow, you know, and I'm like, oh wow, so now what? You know what I mean? And and I literally became an empty nester two months before that. All of my kids were gone. I had no family in El Paso, and I'm like, what the heck am I gonna do? What the hell am I gonna do now? Yeah, I'm like, oh my God, like such an eye-opener. And at that point, it really gave me an opportunity to self-reflect and see how far I've lost myself, you know, and um and then I um was introduced to the company that I promote as an entrepreneur, and um and it changed my life, you know. Like I literally um, you know, started shopping healthy products. Um, I lost 25 pounds just by not having endocrine disruptors in my life anymore. I didn't even know what um what phthalates or parabens or formaldehyde or coronary disinfectants, um, how what all that was and how it was harming me. And um, you know, so uh when I lost those 25 pounds by not doing anything other than changing my products, household and personal use products, I was like, what is this all about? So I enrolled in um my health coaching certification that I received, and that was a year-long process out of Ohio State, and I loved every minute of it. And um, you know, and you come from a healthcare background, so I feel comfortable in saying this to you, but we don't have healthcare, we have sick care, you know, and one of the big things one of the big things was, you know, if someone has diabetes, it's easier to keep them a diabetic and and cut off their leg in five years than give them health coaching nutrition, which you know only costs $75, and have them learn like, hey, if you eat salsa and chips first, you're gonna spike your blood sugar. And your little indicator saying I'm full is turned off. Start with protein, right? So, you know, those are just simple things and it's not being taught. You know what I mean? And um it's just, you know, it amazes me uh once I went through that certification, what I didn't know about myself, about my health, about everything. You know, so um so so then I became really passionate about being an entrepreneur and about helping people find this company and um and also learning that there's other ways to earn income, right? Getting a dollar raise and working my ass off for somebody else making money, not me. You know, there's other ways uh out there to earn income.

SPEAKER_01 22:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:29

And I have my time and my life, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 22:33

I love well, I mean, we're recording this and you're in mountain paradise.

SPEAKER_00 22:37

So yeah, I'm right now in Rio. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:41

Um, and I think there's a few things. So one, you know, we talk about or you've heard me talk about tower moments where it's like you're sitting there and and everything is crumbling. Um, or at least that's the initial inclination, right? It's like, what in the holy hell is happening? And so for you, you know, we've gotten through COVID-ish at the time, but you know, kids have moved out, job is not good, you're miserable, the loss of your spouse um COVID totally unexpectedly, um, and at a very young age. And then, like you said, sitting with it and going, okay, what's the lesson here? How do I move forward from here? Um, and then, and you know, I talk about the plops, and you know, I I've been struggling a little bit recently because I keep saying, like, every time I was ready for a career change, like the next job just kind of plopped. And somebody would call and say, Hey, Allie, I think this would be great for you. Um, and there I'd go, and then I'd build. And then same thing. If I'm gonna have to, I don't do things that I can't allow myself to look myself in the mirror anymore. So if that's the choice, then I'm out. But each time it would come to kind of a head where it's like, okay, this is getting sticky, the next opportunity would drop. Um, and when you're an entrepreneur, um, you know, I exited stage left, at least for the time being, from what I all call corporate American healthcare. Um, and now, you know, I'm in the process of rebuilding and kind of figuring out what's next. But you touched on it when you said, I think we get so focused that it's a job, it's full-time employment, this is how you support your family, this is how you build wealth, this is how, and there's so many other ways to do it. And so I think for you, you know, whether it was an aha or what I call an oh shit moment, whichever way it goes. Um, I think, you know, and and you started talking about that, but I love the fact that, yeah, all of this is happening and you're trying to figure out how to navigate it and stay sane as and not, you know, debilitating depression with everything that you had were navigating at the time. Absolutely. Um, and that's a real possibility for so many people. And yet you kind of took the the bull by the horns or you took the horse by the reins, whatever, and somebody introduced you. So talk to us a little bit, and you alluded to some of it, but talk to us a little bit about what this organization is, and I'll share, like I said, your handle um non-tox box. I love that. So yeah, just talk a little bit about kind of what um drew you in with that organization, um, what you do there, and kind of what that opportunity has brought to you.

SPEAKER_00 25:26

Okay. So um, so what it is, it's it's just a different place to shop, right? They make over 450 products and they're all made 28 days ago. And two uh on July 1st, they just announced um that out of millions of companies, it was narrowed down by to 3,000. It's and this is a Forbes research thing that is done. Uh, they just received number two most trusted brands in America. Wow. Wow, and so it is incredible. And the thing is, is that especially right now, nobody trusts anything. Everybody's looking under the cover and figuring out where the line is. Number one was Costco, right? Above them was Costco, right? And I love Costco, but I don't buy my toothpaste, my mouthwash, my face moisturizer, my hairspray. I don't buy any of that from Costco, but I do buy my food and you know, and I'm very label conscious because Costco is not the holy grail, and they do have bad stuff there. You know what I mean? Yeah, it's everywhere, yeah. From one end you can find it, yeah. Right, and I'm also not perfect, but I am gonna control what I can, and I can control the products that I buy. So, anyway, so this company makes 450 items from protein powder supplements, um, collagen, makeup, hairspray, shampoo, nail polish, you know, you name it anything that is a personal or household use, laundry soap, um, window cleaner, um, hub and tile, like so there's 450 items, and you just shop here monthly and change where you shop. And I actually save money because I don't go to Target and Walmart like I used to. Um, you know, I can't, I can't even like me going to Walmart is like for hangers or a new iron. You know what I mean? I'm not going for everyday things, day-to-day household stuff. Yeah, I'm not going for mascara or any of that stuff. So what it did for me is shopping here, number one, opened my eyes. Uh like my I wasn't putting lotion on twice a day anymore and always having dry legs. Like the lotion I used was cheaper and it worked. And now I lotion and El Paso is dry, so you know that lotion is a big deal in El Paso. So I started using this lotion. I'm like, oh my god. Then I started using the lipstick and it had a magnetic cap on it. And I'm like, you mean my MAC lipstick that paid $30 and the lid popped off in the bottom of my purse, like and it's all over my bottom. Yeah, you know, I'm like, oh my God, it has a magnet, you know, and I'm like, and it was only you know 14 bucks and it's the most amazing. And so, anyways, I started using these products and became aware and more self-aware of things and how um how I would go to somebody's house and smell the fabuloso, or I would go to somebody's house and taste Dawn dish soap on my mouth. Like, you know, just those things started to change me. And that's when I became um excited to get my health coaching certification and learn more. So basically, all I do is just help people shop different. Um, but what I primarily do is I I try and go to um businesses like chiropractors, beauty salons, med spas, um, gym owners, and have them help their clients um shop better. Yes, because it's a pharmaceutical company. And, you know, it's it's just for me, it is um, I I love it, you know, and and I I'm a non-stop commercial because I'm like, why are you why is your grandma drinking insure? Insure's the worst, it's got high fruit filled garn syrup in it, it's got, you know, it's got this, and it doesn't, it has no fiber, it doesn't help her digest. Like I'm just like, you know, a non-stop commercial because I see it now.

SPEAKER_01 29:42

Well, and it's it's helped you and it's changed different things.

SPEAKER_00 29:46

I think I've actually lost 70 pounds. I still have more to go, but you know, for me to have lost 70 pounds, um, you know, of course I changed, I was a sugar addict. You know, it helped me break the cycle of sugar and see the cycle of sugar and see how eating properly, you know, not starting with, you know, trying to keep my blood sugar level and not spiking my blood sugar, you know. And I'm not saying I'm perfect and I don't have a piece of cake, but I guarantee you I won't have cake on an empty stomach. I'll make sure there's protein in my stomach first. And instead of having a piece like this, you know, I'll have a piece like this and eat it slow and be completely satisfied. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:30

So you touched on a couple of different things. Um, and you know, some of them are just kind of innovative, is like you touched on the magnetic, you know, top to the lipstick, things like that that are a convenience and that are um, you know, prevent the catastrophe of the nasty lipstick purse. But talk a little bit about, you know, when you say non-tox box, so talk a little bit about what the the the difference is in the products, um, as far as you know, from a health perspective, um, and kind of you know, the difference that some of those have made for you.

SPEAKER_00 31:05

Right. So um, so one of the things for me is um so there's there's so many products, so I have to take it back. So I'll kind of start like with the aisles. So for me, um Tilex, for example, right? You clean your shower with Tylex, and it literally, I would literally smell it in my home for three days. Yeah, you know, and I'm like coffee. Well, I'm inhaling that, and you know, your body can only take so much, like your liver, liver and kidneys are constantly detoxing, every, you know, filtering everything. And when I just started using a um something to clean my tile in my shower that wasn't toxic, like that was something that my kit my kidney and liver didn't have to do anymore. So I was always super constipated, bloated, uh tired. Um, so once I got on a good probiotic, a good uh antioxidant, a good multivitamin, that changed my energy level and it started to change my gut microbiome, which I didn't even know what my gut microbiome was, right? Or how important it was to know about it. Um so that changed my energy level, which started to change my outlook, which started to change my confidence, right? And it started to change the way I interact with the world because I didn't feel sick. Then I started doing um, like I was a coffee girl, but I was creamer, like, and I started my day with high fruit toast corn syrup in my coffee, right? I was and I would joke, I'm a creamer, then coffee because I liked my coffee sweet, right?

SPEAKER_02 32:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:59

But then once I started putting protein powder in my coffee, that by the way, doesn't have any caking agents or any shelf stabilizers because it's made 28 days ago. Um, I no longer have that craving of sugar. Like I didn't start my day on that sugar high and then go to the next sugar thing and then go to the carbs so that I'd constantly be feeding that that sugar addiction, right? I started my day with protein in my stomach and with not having sugar. You know, I still got my caffeine.

SPEAKER_01 33:36

Yeah, I love that you mentioned that. And I think, you know, protein powder in my coffee um has been a means day for me for I don't know, probably six or seven years now. Um and you have to find, to your point, you gotta find a good one and you gotta find one that doesn't get all nasty in your coffee because some of them will. Um, but starting the day with that as opposed to um, you know, grabbing the the high sugar coffee and a Danish to go with it on your way to work. So yeah, it's it's not always the huge stuff that make the big shift. Sometimes it's the smaller things that set up a better foundation. But yeah, I love that trick. I'm glad that you mentioned it.

SPEAKER_00 34:16

Yeah, and it was it was something so simple, but so incredible for me, you know. And then um, and then I started in my Stanley drinking collagen and electrolytes, you know, and uh the collagen has 10 grams of protein in it, and it's a healthy source, and you know, my hair and skin started to look better. So again, it gave me more confidence and just learning about it. And you know, one of the customers that I helped, for example, um she uh was pre-diabetic and she started using the products, and she also so far, I think she's lost 80 pounds so far. You know, she's been a customer of mine for two years, and she will never not take these supplements, she will never not put the protein powder in her coffee, and you know, and she's just like me. First of the month, I'm like, okay, what do I need? You know, I've got a long list, like, okay, I need dust cleaner, I need window cleaner, I need uh foundation, you know, she's just like me getting ready to shop and getting excited for you know the healthy products that come to your home.

SPEAKER_01 35:33

That's fantastic. And it sounds like I mean, you've shared, and we'll um, like I said, when we when I post this, I'll tag you um so that people can find you and connect and ask questions. Um but if if looking back, right, like it's the cost of doing something, taking action, making change versus the cost of not. And so if if you looked back and thought, you know, how do you think your life would look different right now? How different would it look, or how would it look differently? Had this kind of not come into your life, where do you think you would be now?

SPEAKER_00 36:12

Well, I would definitely not be, I'd still be fighting that um that cycle, right? And I'm still fighting it, but not to the same level I was. That Monday I start my diet, and then I don't it doesn't happen, and then that self-loathing, right? That constant cycle of I'm not good enough, I can't lose this weight. Uh uh. But then what it was doing to me health-wise, right? Like I had a super slow metabolism, I was always constipated. So I can't say, like right now, all my numbers are good, right? My cholesterol, my A1C, everything is good. And back then, I mean, I would probably be on the verge of either cancer, heart attack, something. You know what I mean? Because I don't know if I would have lost 70 pounds and made healthier decisions and learned about sugars and learned about the products that I'm breathing. So, you know, especially after the stress of having someone pass away in their life and having to make all these changes, I don't think I would be as happy. And it sounds so ridiculous that, you know, it's just the the distribution cycle, like the tide that our grandmas used is not the tide of today. That tide is made in China by corporate people that have cut it and cut it and made it cheaper and cheaper, you know, and made in cheap plastics. Um, and then it ships through, you know, comes overseas and it goes through this long distribution cycle. And by the time we get that tide on our clothes and wash it, you know, that tide can be, you know, one, two, three years old, who knows?

SPEAKER_02 38:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:05

Right. But that product has had to stay shelf stable for those three years. And that shelf stabilizer, our bodies don't recognize it. So anything that has a long life distribute distribution cycle like that, it, you know, when our products were made in America, we didn't need to have so many shelf stabilizers. I mean, I don't know if you remember as a kid, like flour would get bugs in it if you didn't use it after a while. Chips, uh, crackers, cereal, you pour your cereal and then you'd have these little black bugs floating around. Yep, that cereal can be sitting on your shelf for five five years past the expiration date, and it will never get bugs. But the thing is, is it's it's inside your body now, and it's got all this crap that your body doesn't recognize. Right. And that I didn't know. Like I thought about hey, this flower is uh a year expired. I looked in it, it doesn't have bugs, it's still good. Well, no, it's horrible flower because it is full of crap, anti-caking agent, self-stabilizers, bleach to hell, you know, so that it doesn't, so it lasts longer. And that's um, and that's why I I'm so passionate because everything that um where I shop, um, the wellness company, everything is made 28 days ago, everything is fresh, everything's made in America. They even make their own plastic, you know, so there's no uh like cheap plastic seep into our product, right? You know, and all these microplastics are in our body. And and I'm not perfect, but for me, making these changes has made such, and it's just it's the same money you're already buying. I was already buying mascara, I was already buying uh laundry detergent, I was already buying mouthwash. Like I'm not buying anything that I wouldn't have already bought. I just shop somewhere new. That's it.

SPEAKER_01 40:14

I think that's a really great point. I think a lot of us, you know, people are financially strapped, things are more expensive than ever. Um, there's a lot going on with the economy, and so I think it's a great point to make that we're not you're not talking about people making an entirely new investment. You're talking about people shopping somewhere where products are made more healthfully and with fewer chemicals, etc. Um, in order to, and you touched on microplastics. Um, I mean, the stuff that's coming out about, you know, all of the things, K cups, um, and and how unhealthy the I mean, all there's just so much. But I think, you know, you touched on and you've said a couple of times um on the podcast, I'm not perfect. And I love that because nobody's perfect, none of us are perfect, right? And we're gonna have good days and we're gonna have bad days. But if we can make more positive, healthy decisions for ourselves, mind, body, spirit, soul, right, than unhealthy decisions, then we're already on the right path. And so both of those things. So you gave us one tip, um, which I jumped on because I love that, and I do the protein and the coffee. Um, from your coaching background or whatever, what give us one other um of kind of your favorite little nuggets? Give us something else.

SPEAKER_00 41:29

Well, I think know your numbers. Like get your blood work and know your numbers. You can go to private labs and have your blood work tested. Um, and it will cost you like a hundred bucks. You don't have to do it within the healthcare system if you don't want to, but you really need to know your numbers and know what they mean. Um, and I recommend everybody get blood work done, you know, three, six, twelve months. Um, you know, and that's the really cool thing about the supplements that I take. They have a 90-day empty bottle money back guarantee. Like if you don't see your blood markers change, you get your money back. You know, so to me, that's an incredible investment that they're putting out there to show you like, hey, these supplements will change things. Um so I so that's my biggest one. Know your numbers. Um, and number two, watch what you spray around your kids and your babies. And I mean, you know, wiping a toy down with Lysol and then giving it to your toddler, that's the worst thing. You know, um allergies now and eczema and kids um on the spectrum are higher now than ever. Ever. And nobody relates that to the products that are in and around in our home. You know, um, laundry soap, like so many kids have eczema now and severe eczema, and nobody relates it to your laundry soap, to your lotion, to your body wash, to shampoo, conditioner, all the stuff that's touching your skin. Even me putting my arms right here. I was a liquid gold girl because that's what my grandma used. You know, I love liquid gold and it was so shiny and I like the smell, but then I put my arm down and get all that crap on my skin. But liquid gold that my grandma used in 1950 is not the liquid gold of today. Yeah, you know, very true. And that's that that's the you know, and and we all say, hey, it's not, it's not um nobody thinks about these things until there's a crisis, until you have eczema or cancer or heart issues or diabetes.

SPEAKER_01 43:49

It's so often the case, yeah. We wait until the shit the proverbial shit hits the van, um, or the diagnosis comes, or the extreme loss comes, and you're sitting there. Wondering how did this happen? Um, and then you start looking at it. But I think, you know, taking a more proactive, you know, you talked about the healthcare system and that it's not healthcare, it's sick care. And so the alternative to that is making some of these changes, is being more cognizant of what we put in and on and around, to your point, are our bodies and our children's bodies, and in your case, your grandchildren's bodies. Um, yeah, but I think it's it's huge. And I we don't necessarily talk about those things enough. We talk about weight loss um and you know the need to have a healthy lifestyle, but we don't talk about all the things that feed into that. And so your point earlier about weight loss is not easy, um, and nobody's perfect. Um, but when you have a stronger foundation of knowledge from which to kind of approach that as you know, an ideal healthy, um an ideal healthy weight or getting to a place where you can just enjoy life again. You're not short of breath trying to talk to somebody on the phone. I mean, those things. But if you can set that and start that with a more healthy foundation with the products in your life, I think that is, you know, your big focus and what you help an awful lot of people do, which I think is fantastic.

SPEAKER_00 45:13

Thank you. Yeah, and it's not um, you know, and the thing is is that I didn't even start shopping here to do a business. Like, um, I just shop here and boom, I have the access to a business approach. Like, I don't need, I don't, it's not, you know, an MLM where you've got to buy stuff and you know, you have to pay $300. Everyone's like, oh my God, it's a pyramid scheme. Like, no, it's just a way to shop, right? I'm like, no, it's just a way to shop. That's it. You just shop somewhere different, it's just a website where you shop and the things are made 28 days ago. Like, why wouldn't you want to try it? You know what I mean? Yeah, uh, yeah, fresh. Like, I taste protein powders and I taste that aftertaste, and I'm like, oh, you know, and nobody wants to eat have that, you know, like I'm all about taste. Like, if it don't taste good, I don't want it. I don't want it, you know, I don't want it. So I've gone through so many protein powders, you know, because that was going to be the ticket. I was gonna lose weight this time, right? And they all had that aftertaste and they all made me feel yucky, and because they have the caking agents, you know. So, but like I said, um, and the other thing too is that you know, there's good brands out there, but then they get bought out. Yeah, you know, like it happens a lot, like native was a great brand, and then it became popular, and Procter and Gamble brought it out, and now you think paying $15 for an underarm deodorant is going to make a difference. Well, Procter Gamble now owns it. So it's like, you know, the ingredients change once it goes into mass production, and it's just a sad, unfortunate thing in our in our society today. And um, so what I um what I would say too is uh, you know, even the EWG, um, you know, some of these yucca, some of these, they're pay-to-play, and they're not not always trusted. So, you know, look at European and Japanese and Korean standards, um, because those standards are a lot better than American standards. So, you know, very good point. Yeah. And even like Shishito, that's a Korean brand, um they'll make their products different in the United States because they can get away with more things.

SPEAKER_01 47:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 47:47

So if you're buying like Shoshido, it needs to be Shoshido that was made for the Korean market.

SPEAKER_01 47:53

Gotcha. Gotcha. I think and all of those things, I mean, you've shared things today that I would never have known. So I'm sure other guests listening, um or other listeners rather, are thinking the same thing. So thank you for sharing the knowledge that you have um and for you know bringing some of this to light for those of us that were unaware and for those of us that had some knowledge, uh, really helping us kind of grow in that knowledge. Um let me ask you one of the final things I like to ask all my guests is, and we kind of addressed that, so maybe it was a spoiler the way I asked something differently earlier, but I like to ask my guests if you know, what's one belief um that you've held that you've had to either totally abandon and let go of or really, really shapeshift on to get to where you are today?

SPEAKER_00 48:42

Um, I think the the fear of not being worthy, you know, that not listening to that self-talk. Because when you're um, I think for me, when how I saw the world is I'm overweight, people think I'm lazy, people think this, people think that, and I wore that hat too. I felt I'm not worthy. So I had to get over that and just be like, you know what? I'm gonna give them this opportunity, show them what I have, and if they don't like it, I talk to them, you know. Like for me, I do approach people that have just recently been diagnosed with cancer, you know, because it I'm helping them. And if they can't see it, hey, I I I showed you a better path, and that's up to you. Like I gave you the information. If you don't want it, that's up to you, right? So um, so for me, that belief of I would have never approached them. Oh, I don't want them to feel I'm selling them, or oh, I don't want this, or oh, I don't want that, or oh, because I'm overweight, they're not gonna listen. So just overcoming that negative self-talk, you know, because and we all have this, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:58

I talk a lot about the asshole in my brain, is what I refer to them as. But I think everybody has that negative self-talk, and if we allow that to kind of rule our decisions and our choices, um right, yeah, not good, yeah, not good at all.

SPEAKER_00 50:14

Yeah, and everything has a balance, you know what I mean? Like everything has a balance, and you know, um I lost my husband and it was a horrible thing, but my relationship to God became better. I became a better person for my daughters, you know, and I mean it was the most horrible thing I ever went through in my whole life. I don't even know how. And my my grandma was in the hospital at the same time. I lost her two weeks before my husband, and I'm like, really, God, I can handle all this, you know what I mean? And but there's so much that I learned about myself. So even in the worst times, you are learning, you know, and you're growing, and that's that balance, you know, trying to find balance, you know. Yes, I have to shop different, and it's a little different, it's a little extra to shop different, but like I have better products, you know what I mean? So that's like there's always balance, right? If you want something healthy, you have to make it. Well, that's the balance, it takes time to make it, but quick and easy is not always the solution.

SPEAKER_01 51:27

Yeah, yeah, very true, very true. And I'm a Libra, so I'm all about the balance. I hear you on that. Very good. Yeah, absolutely. Miss Lisa Hernandez, I can't thank you enough for coming on. Um, and I'm glad that we were finally able to make it work. Um I'm going to let you get back to your time in Riadoso. Um, I'm gonna thank our listeners um for tuning into this episode. And as you all know, airing out your vagina is where truth comes first, comfort comes last, and growth is non negotiable. So I will see you next week.