Val's Vibe Episode 3 with Paige Hernandez

 This week, Val sits down with the incredible Paige Hernandez (https://www.facebook.com/paigehernandez), founder of Notorious (https://www.facebook.com/groups/451036700971559), a game-changing group that’s all about shaking up the industry and empowering underrepresented voices. 🌟 Paige shares her journey from dreamer to founder, the challenges she’s faced, and the wins that keep her going. Expect raw conversations, inspiring insights, and all the positive vibes you love from Val’s Vibe. Don’t miss this empowering episode—it’s one for the books! 💪✨ 

Transcript

Val's Vibe Episode 3 

[00:00:00] Everybody, thank you for tuning in to the next episode of Val's Vibe. I'm here today with Paige Hernandez who also has Notorious as the hat. Thank you very much, Paige, for joining me. I'm really excited to learn more about you and Notorious and talk about how we're going to prepare for the coming year. 

Yeah. Thank you for having me. I'm super excited to be here. Yeah, you're welcome. Can you tell me a little bit more about Notorious? Yeah, so notorious was really birthed out of a little bit of a frustration back in 2023. I'm a lone originator out of California and really, felt that as an industry, we were really neglecting the female voice in our industry 80. 

No, 80 is like really gracious. Let's be [00:01:00] honest. It's usually all men every once in a while, they'll throw up the token woman. And I wasn't feeling like represented. I wasn't feeling served in my highest capacity. And, sometimes our naivete can really bring about brilliance. And so I just decided one day, I'm going to put together an all female event because there wasn't one out there yet. 

I really felt that it was a divine idea that came to me. And if I just followed the steps that something really magical would happen. And so over the course of 2024 put together an all female three day mastermind for women in mortgage was very successful. We did 48 women three days in Austin and it was a beautiful experience. 

I thought it was like fighting the patriarchy in mortgage to me when I got started. I was like, I'm going to fight the patriarchy in mortgage. But what I found is it's so much bigger than that. Women came out of that event. And shared with me just how healing it was for their heart to be in community with other women in our [00:02:00] industry. 

We're a breed of our own. And sometimes just having other people that are going through our same struggle is And supporting us and cheering us on is a really, big moment. And so it's been, just an incredible experience to build that movement. Coming into 2025, we're actually going bigger this year. 

This coming year, we have an event that we're planning in the spring. It'll be more of a trip, a vacation. Because I want to travel. We're always good. We're going to do content creation on this trip. We'll be launching YouTube channel and a YouTube show off of this trip we're going to do in the spring. 

And then we'll come around in the fall and do an even bigger event to support women in our industry. Awesome. Awesome. Yeah. I do a hundred percent agree with you. It's interesting because people have a perception that there's more men than women in the real estate industry itself. 

And in the realtor side, 87 percent of real estate agents are women. [00:03:00] And probably if we got those kind of stats on the mortgage side. It's probably pretty close to about the same if you not necessarily just licensed loan originators, but processors, underwriters, closers, it's really a female dominated industry. 

My personal feeling about that is women are excellent delegators. If you give us a task, we're going to get it done. And we're all pretty motivated and driven because that's just. what we need to do or have to do. Yeah, the stats for like women out in the field, like as originators, it's real close to a 50 50 split. 

And that was like my biggest complaint is if the field's a 50 50 split, why am I not seeing I'm not seeing that on stage. Why am I not seeing that in the higher levels of management? Like where is that disconnect? And really addressing that because [00:04:00] here's the deal. Is that opportunities get passed through networks and if women are not getting on the stage, they're not getting further opportunities. 

There is a reason why you see the same panel. After the same panel, after the same panel, it's because opportunities flow through that network. And so I wanted to provide an opportunity for people that for women that. We're not getting on the stages. Let's get them on the stages because we do provide value in this industry. 

And we have a different way of doing business. And for me, if men train a little bit differently, they deal with different insecurities than we do. I'm not sure if men, having to build online in the social space, think to themselves. Oh, who does he think he is? Or what are people going to think about me? 

But as women, that's like our main concern. It's we have to show up. And as women, we're told we're not supposed to. And so you have to like battle that internal ego and all your self limiting beliefs. The minute you decide you're going to go big in whatever you want to do, your ego is going Type up and tell you all the things and all your [00:05:00] insecurities. 

And, as women, we deal with things differently and men work from a really masculine place in their business, where it's more for them about outworking each other, but as a woman, if I do that, if I stay in that masculine energy for too long, I'm going to go into high adrenal fatigue. I will burn out real fast and it's very negative. 

And so if that's all I'm seeing on stage, that's the model of success in our industry and doesn't. Address the fact that I have kids and my responsibilities, my just, my daily challenges and my responsibilities are different than a man. . And I love my middle aged white men in this industry, , but I'm like you all do not see what is happening behind you, because you look at the man behind, or the woman behind the curtain behind you, right? And I'm like, I love you guys, but you guys inherently just have a head start. Like you don't see all the stuff. And so my ultimate vision in with notorious and just this movement of honoring the feminine perspective in this industry is right now it's [00:06:00] like the men are going through the door of success and they just let the door close behind them. 

And it's and I like cannot wait to like the shift happening. We're like. The strong male counterparts in this industry walk through those doors of success, and then they hold that door open for us. And they, usher us into the room and they're pulling our seat out at the table and we're able to like honor each other in how we do our businesses. 

And there's this like majesty of both of those energies and that duality in mortgage. And That's my ultimate thing, really we're in an unprecedented time right now because from a regulatory perspective, the head of FHFA, the head of Fannie Mae, the head of Freddie Mac, the head of HUD, all women. 

I don't think that's ever probably happened. And unfortunately, it's not going to happen. In January, because we already know the head of HUD is changing, but I do agree. I think that women will hold, always hold [00:07:00] the door open, no matter what. We don't always have to. agree or look at everything the same, but there still is always the supportive aspect of it. 

Because I can agree to disagree, but I'm still going to, if I can help you advance, I'm going to do it. I don't have to necessarily look at everything on this on a level playing field across the board. But, I'm always willing to help somebody. Yeah. Yeah. I just did an interview with NPA and that was like one of the major I don't know if you call it tenements of what I want to do. 

It's like I was talking with for Joel Fergal, who was doing the article. And, it would have been really easy for me to be like, Oh, just interview me, but I was like, you know what, this is a great opportunity. If I have a platform, let, can you, can I invite some women that went to the event to be featured? 

So let's do some old women. Let's do not old women, but like those of us that have been in women. Yeah, those of us that have been in the industry [00:08:00] for a long time, and then some of the newer women, so we can give them a platform, this might be their first time that they're being interviewed and in a publication or, even at the event, it was like, yes, I need my tried and true, like you guys bring home the content, but also who else can we like give a step up to, because that very first initial step that can create so much for somebody. 

And so it's real easy just to. continue to go through our business and go through our life and just take care of us. But so much more can happen when we're really passing the wealth around. We can create so much more together and create so much more synergy and so much more success together than we ever can by ourselves. 

And so that was like, what's the notorious, I could have never done that by myself. There were so many other people that played a part with that. And then. Also, I really feel like it was a God thing coming, we're all just channels for that energy, whatever you want to call that. Yeah. And when you can just, get out of your own head and clear that space [00:09:00] and just tune into that energy and work together, we can create so much. 

It's really brilliant. Yeah, no, I agree with you. And I, I've even seen a shift in the last, I would say probably three years in events, because you're absolutely right. I obviously plan a lot of events. I've done a lot of events and, We would get complaints about you don't have enough that, there aren't women speakers or there aren't people of color or you're only, everything is very whitewashed and singular. 

And I, I think. Maybe 2025 will be the year of more advancement for women. Not just in the industry, but just willing to put themselves out there because that's always the hardest part is feeling comfortable enough in your own skin to put yourself out there and potentially fail, but know that if [00:10:00] you are struggling, you have. 

And I think a lifeline of a group of people to communicate with. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. I want to say for myself, I don't know if men think about this, by the way, if they're like, that whole self limiting beliefs. I always wonder do you guys think the same thing as we do? I know for myself, that was the biggest hurdle to get over was my own self limiting beliefs. 

And what are people going to think of me? And For me, success has always predated itself with a whole, it felt like a whole lot of loss. And sometimes that's hard for us to deal with, but that loss really created space in my life for the, I don't want to say right people, but the better fit people to help take me to that next level. 

So yeah it's been, a wild experience to do this. Yeah. I, I've found that it's tough to be a female in a presumably male dominant [00:11:00] industry, but not just a female that is outspoken, that's, that speaks their mind, that doesn't necessarily lead with emotion, but leads with logic. 

Because if you were a man, you'd be you'd be on some mountaintop with the light shining down, but as a woman it's perceived as a negative because you're yeah, a bitch, basically. I don't know what other word to put it, but so I do, and I don't know, maybe it's because I've gone through that. 

I've walked over those coals. I've come out on the other side. If you like me, great. If you don't, that's okay too. I don't have to be everybody's cup of tea. I am who I am, but I am a person that will always help anybody no matter what. There's a lot of freedom in getting to that place in your heart where absolutely you can trust in that. 

I just saw this graphic. It was like a meme and it was, it said something like how men versus women. [00:12:00] And it was like, men are, working so hard for their family. And it's women are sacrificing being with their family as far as choosing success and how men are praised for it. And women are looked down on it. 

And it's Oh my God. Yeah. And I. Even in sometimes in communication with male counterparts, I don't know if you did this, but I find myself having to color what I say. So things around I could be wrong, but, cause I can't just come out and say, hey listen, that's not how this works. 

It's cause that's I can't say that. And then I don't think I'm to color what they say. But yeah, for you to hear me sometimes I have to come in a little bit soft and then say it a certain way. And then yeah. You have to speak the, their perceived expectation. 

Then once you can get past that, then we can have a real conversation. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So not so anyway, not that we're bashing men today. Everybody has a place. Everybody has [00:13:00] a place. So what are you doing to prepare for 2025 just in your own origination world? Yeah, so we're actually doing an event. 

So in Notorious Women in Mortgage, we have a Facebook group where we are going to start monthly summits. We're closing out the year with something that we have created. Not only it's my practice but now we're going to bring it to the women of Notorious. It's a three day. One. So that first day, which I'm a huge fan at it fan of is really taking an account for the past year. 

A lot of times what I find is we get to the end of the year and we forget all the amazing things that we did. What hits our mind usually is like maybe one or two amazing things. And then it's all the other things that we didn't do. I just met with a financial advisor today. And it's, when you look at it, How much did I bring in? 

And what's left in that feeling of I didn't save nearly as much. Where'd all that money go? And then it's Oh gosh, now I'm triggered into like lack mental and that lack mentality [00:14:00] and like money stuff. And I'm like, okay, we need to go back and look at all the other really great. Things, so we'll take account for the previous year, just like month by month, what are all those things, the new friendships you made, new connections, what were your advancements in business? 

What are the lessons that you learned? So you can really take a full account of the past year. And then we're going to create a vision for 2025 in in all aspects of life, not just in business, but who do you want to be in the new year? What are those new levels of accomplishment? 

And like, how do you, for me, a lot of times it's how do I want to feel right? How do I want to feel? I look at my business really based upon a lot of spiritual beliefs and it's never really about the things that we want to accomplish. It's really the feeling underneath that. We want to really get. 

And so how do you want to feel in that new year? And then really itemizing all that stuff. I know for me, mine revolve around simplicity, systems, strategy, and [00:15:00] success real big on making more money with less. Less effort. I know some people as a business perspective, they'd be counting units. And I'm like, I am not falling for that. 

I'll want to do more units. I want to do more volume because that's what I get paid off of. And I am okay with that. So really I want to simplify and really strategize. How do I keep more of the money that I'm making? I'm working with a tax strategist this coming year. I have a whole brand new team I'm bringing in. 

People that are real forward thinking instead of, I don't know about you, but I just get to every time I come around and do taxes. And when I get the bill, I'm like, what happened? And they're like you made more money. And I'm like no kidding. And that Hey, throw me a bone here. 

How do I keep more of it? Because Yeah, by nature, I'm a runner. And so like for me, it's just run, do more, make more money, close more sales. I love that part of myself. But maybe it's not so much about increasing the volume. [00:16:00] Maybe if I just kept more and I was more strategic with what I was making, maybe I didn't have to work so hard. 

And maybe there's a change that could happen there. That's what I'm looking to do. And then in our, our live stream, our summit the sec, that's going to be done. The first day is by my friend Amor Lumet. Day two is going to be Rebecca Richardson. If you don't know her, she's brilliant. 

Her mind is like this She comes out with the most crazy things. She got her own like library of like custom GPT. She's been using with AI and stuff. And yeah, she's like the systems of all systems person. And I'm always like, I don't even know how you do this. And so she's going to come in. 

She's going to talk about, once you now have, where you've been, where you want to go, how do you lay a foundation and a platform? And what's that like groundwork and that container that you need to make it actually happen? Because none of that matters. It doesn't matter what your goal is if you don't have a plan to make that happen. 

And so she's going to really break that down [00:17:00] and show the women of the group, how do you then accomplish your goals? With the roadmap. And then for myself on day three, I'm going to talk, this is going to be fun for me. I'm going to talk about manifestation. Blah, blah, blah. We're going to really talk about how do you align your mind with what you want to accomplish? 

Because that what I have found for myself has been the like magic key for myself was mastering my mindset. And so we're going to go over really manifestation and how do How do you master your mindset? And then we'll have a fourth day, which will be a celebration. So that's how we'd be closing out that 2024 really going into 2025. 

So I'm excited about that. We're going to host it next week. Yeah. So how do people's so do they need to be part of your Facebook group or how do they do that? Yeah, so we put most of the stuff through the Facebook group. If you're not on Facebook and I can always send them the link. 

If, you guys can always find me on social and across all platforms at page Taylor Hernandez. And we can get you involved in one way or the next. Okay, [00:18:00] great. We'll wrap it up with that. And thank you so much, Paige. This was an amazing discussion. I am excited to hear, or hope that Notorious is bigger, better things in 25 and beyond. 

And I'll post a link to her Facebook page in case anybody's interested in her summit for next week. So thanks again for attending this edition of Val's Vibe, and we'll see you next time.