Episode #44: The Antifragile: Antifragility with Entrepreneur, MBA, AI consultant and dad, Josh Hernandez

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Apr 9, 2024

Josh Hernandez, an entrepreneur, MBA, AI consultant, and father, shares his remarkable journey from a lower-middle-class upbringing in El Paso, Texas. He highlights the power of antifragility, showcasing how resilience can be built through personal challenges and community support. Josh reflects on the importance of social connections, faith, and vulnerability in cultivating happiness. He also discusses his transition from trucking to AI consulting, emphasizing the value of integrity and relationships in business.

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ANECDOTE

Teenage Parents & Trucking

Josh Hernandez's parents were teenage parents who instilled strong values.
His father, after being laid off, started a trucking company that they later sold.

ANECDOTE

Magnet School Experience

Josh attended a medical magnet school in a lower socioeconomic area, exposing him to diverse perspectives.
This experience broadened his worldview and showed him how people from different backgrounds could succeed.

ANECDOTE

Athletic Training and Setbacks

Josh's passion for sports led him to athletic training, combining his love for athletics and medicine.
Despite losing his academic scholarship, he honed his study skills and set a goal to attend medical school.

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The War of Art

Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles

Steven Pressfield

In 'The War of Art', Steven Pressfield identifies the internal force of 'Resistance' that hinders creative endeavors. The book is divided into three sections: 'Resistance: Defining the Enemy', 'Combating Resistance: Turning Pro', and a final section that discusses the role of the muses and the battle between the Self and the Ego. Pressfield provides practical advice on recognizing and overcoming resistance, emphasizing the importance of professionalism, discipline, and continuous work in achieving creative success.

The Righteous Mind

Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion

Jonathan Haidt

In this book, Jonathan Haidt draws on twenty-five years of research on moral psychology to explain why people's moral judgments are driven by intuition rather than reason. He introduces the Moral Foundations Theory, which posits that human morality is based on six foundations: care/harm, fairness/cheating, loyalty/betrayal, authority/subversion, sanctity/degradation, and liberty/oppression. Haidt argues that liberals tend to focus on the care/harm and fairness/cheating foundations, while conservatives draw on all six. The book also explores how morality binds and blinds people, leading to social cohesion but also to conflicts. Haidt aims to promote understanding and civility by highlighting the commonalities and differences in moral intuitions across political spectra.

Antifragile

Things That Gain from Disorder

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Albino Santos Mosquera

Genís Sánchez Barberán

In 'Antifragile', Nassim Nicholas Taleb delves into the concept of antifragility, arguing that some systems not only withstand stress and disorder but actually benefit from them. The book builds on ideas from his previous works, such as 'Fooled by Randomness' and 'The Black Swan', and is part of his five-volume philosophical treatise on uncertainty, 'Incerto'. Taleb provides examples from various fields, including science, economics, and history, to illustrate how antifragility can be achieved and how it contrasts with fragility and robustness. He also discusses strategies like the barbell strategy and optionality, and critiques modern society's attempts to eliminate volatility, which he believes are harmful. The book is praised for its revolutionary ideas and multidisciplinary approach, though it has also received criticism for its style and some of the author's views on mental health and other topics.

Daring Greatly

How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

Brené Brown

In 'Daring Greatly,' Brené Brown delves into the topics of vulnerability, shame, and courage. The book, inspired by a quote from Theodore Roosevelt's 'Citizenship in a Republic' speech, argues that vulnerability is essential for living a wholehearted life. Brown discusses how vulnerability is often misunderstood as weakness, but it is actually a sign of courage. She provides insights from her research on how vulnerability affects men and women differently and offers practical advice on overcoming shame and embracing vulnerability in personal and professional life. The book emphasizes the importance of connection, shame resilience, and the distinction between guilt and shame[3][4][5].

In this episode we dive into the extraordinary life journey of a Josh Hernandez. Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, to teenage parents, our guest grew up in a nurturing environment where his father was in trucking and his mother ran a home daycare. This early exposure to leadership and working with people laid the foundation for his path.

Despite growing up in a lower-middle-class household, he found his way to a medical magnet high school situated in a lower socioeconomic area of the city. Here, he formed deep bonds with students from diverse backgrounds, enriching his worldview and empathy.

A self-described late bloomer in sports, he stood at just 4 feet 11 inches and weighed 100 pounds in his freshman year. Choosing to pivot from playing sports, he merged his love for athletics and medicine by becoming an athletic trainer, a decision that would shape his future.

His academic prowess led him to the University of New Mexico on a scholarship. He studied athletic training during this time and also received a scholarship for this. However, a lack of study skills resulted in the loss of this scholarship, bringing him back to El Paso where he attended UTEP. It was here that he honed his study techniques and refocused on a new goal: medical school.

Returning to UNM with a renewed academic scholarship, he graduated with a degree in Exercise Science. He then gained valuable experience working in a cardiac rehab clinic and as a Health Educator. But life had other plans.

In 2003, his father requested his help with a small trucking company, which they expanded from 3 to 75 trucks. Balancing the business with also completing medical school prerequisites, he also completed an MBA in 2007 and gained entry into UT Medical School at Houston in 2008. However, the Financial Crisis demanded more of his time in the family business, leading to a tough decision to step away from medical school.

His life took a profound turn in 2009 with the birth of his first child. This joy was shadowed by a traumatic event in 2013, when his son was attacked by a neighbor's dog, a harrowing experience that deeply impacted him and shaped his outlook on life.

Today, he is a dedicated husband and father of three. In May 2023, his trucking company was acquired, marking a significant transition in his life. Under his leadership, the company earned national recognition from the EPA, winning the Smartway Excellence Award thrice and the Smartway High Performer Award for seven consecutive years, accolades reserved for the top echelons of logistics companies.

Continuing on this remarkable journey, after leaving the trucking company, our guest embarked on yet another ambitious venture. Leveraging his diverse experiences in business, healthcare, and management, he founded an artificial intelligence (AI) consulting agency. This venture represents the culmination of his lifelong passion for technology and innovation. His agency specializes in helping businesses integrate AI into their operations, focusing on areas such as machine learning, data analytics, and process automation. His deep understanding of both the technical aspects of AI and the practical needs of businesses positions him uniquely to offer insightful, customized AI solutions. This new chapter in his career is not just a business endeavor but a mission to empower other organizations to harness the transformative power of AI, driving efficiency, innovation, and growth. Join us as we delve deeper into his journey and explore how his AI consulting agency is making a significant impact in the world of technology and business.

Learn More About Josh Hernandez

Learn more about antifragility at theantifragileacademy.com

Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com

YouTube @flourishfmcast

Instagram @flourishfmpodcast

LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast

Timestamps:

00:04:01 - Josh's Introduction to Antifragility and Its Application
00:06:11 - Proactive Planning and Business Resilience
00:08:39 - Honoring Others' Antifragility
00:09:25 - Josh's Upbringing and Family Background
00:12:11 - Learning from Challenges and Building Resilience
00:14:43 - Josh's Academic and Professional Journey
00:16:58 - Pivotal Life Events and Adaptability
00:19:29 - Josh's Athletic Training and Academic Struggles
00:21:36 - Transition from Medical School to Family Business
00:23:17 - Overcoming the Financial Crisis with the Family Business
00:24:10 - Personal Crisis and Seeking Counseling
00:27:22 - The Dog Attack Incident and Its Aftermath
00:28:54 - Partnership Announcement with Antifragile Academy
00:31:36 - Josh's Approach to Fear and Vulnerability
00:33:07 - The Role of Social Support in Resilience
00:34:20 - Flexibility and Emotional Response in Antifragility
00:36:09 - Social Interaction as a Key to Resilience
00:38:26 - Instilling Resilience and Antifragility in Children
00:40:22 - Parenting Strategies for Building Resilience
00:43:07 - Well-being as a Collective Endeavor
00:44:02 - Teaching Children Through Explicit and Implicit Lessons
00:46:15 - Personal Anecdotes of Guiding Children's Development