We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Manny Hernandez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Manny thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’re complete cheeseballs and so we love asking folks to share the most heartwarming moment from their career – do you have a touching moment you can share with us?
In September, I held a big in-person Breathwork event at the iconic “Hollywood Forever Cemetery” during a Harvest Moon. It was EPIC.
One of the attendees was a friend, much like myself, a hispanic man who was always told to not show emotion his whole life. This was his first Breathwork class.
At the end of the class, while everyone was giving each other hugs and chatting about their experience, I saw my friend walk away from the space where the event took place and took a small walk around the cemetery. When he came back, I asked him how he was doing.
HIs response, with tears in his eyes, was “I didn’t know you could do that”. He had released so many built up emotions that it really changed who he was at his core. An awakening of himself, if you will. I think about this moment every single time I start to doubt whether this business will succeed or not. His experience was similar to mine, life changing. I know this is what I’m supposed to be doing.
Manny, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m Manny Hernandez. I’m a Breathwork Practitioner and a Crossfit Coach/Personal Trainer.
I’ve been a Crossfitter since 2011, and coach since 2012. I fell in love with this sport/fitness modality after my very first class and have never looked back. Crossfit has brought a lot of structure and discipline into my life. My favorite thing about it is the community and my overall love for helping people change their lives.
I most recently became a certified Breathwork Practitioner. Breathwork is something that I’ve been dabbling with over the last few years and finally pulled the trigger and got my certification. For those who don’t know what Breathwork is, it is a form of meditation that yields the quickest and most effective way to release stress and anxiety from your body. I attended my first Breathwork class in 2016, and went into it skeptical and resistant to whatever this “Breathing class” was all about. I came out on the other end, in tears, having had released a lot of built up anger, resentment, and traumas I didn’t even know I had inside. My first thought was “Why doesn’t anyone know about this?” During the pandemic, I held a few zoom group classes online as I felt this was a much needed practice for people who were lost and confused with this new “safer inside” lifestyle we were all forced into.
In 2022. I went through a pretty traumatic relationship/break up that had left my mental health at an all time low. It brought a lot to the surface in terms of how I think, act, and behave. It brought out a lot of my traumas, my insecurities, how much I wasn’t paying attention to my career goals, my work ethic. ALL OF IT. The stress and anxiety I was feeling was uncontrollable and I felt hopeless. This is when things really changed for me and Breathwork played a much bigger role in my life/career. I knew that I needed to want change more than I wanted to stay the same. Breathwork got me through it when I thought I had no other options. I knew at that moment that I not only wanted to help people physically, but also mentally. If I could just make more people aware of this tool that they can use in a pinch, it could help them overcome things in their life when they too feel like all hope is lost.
I offer in person group classes, corporate sessions, and hold an online zoom class every Sunday for those who feel more comfortable being vulnerable at home.
Traditionally, meditation and Breathwork are kept in the spiritual realm. As someone who was told to “be a man” and “not cry” or “don’t show emotions”, I was taught to keep my emotions at bay. No one taught me how to regulate my emotions or how to deal with them in a healthy way. I was also someone who would never think twice about ever attending a meditation class or working on my mental health. Growing up, these topics were so taboo. While I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the spiritual approach, I do think it limits the audience to only people who consider themselves elevated. I want this to be accessible to anyone and everyone. EVERYONE needs healing. You don’t have to have any external beliefs to heal yourself. We all have the ability to release and heal traumas with the power of your breath. I think that’s what sets me apart. I’m just an “average joe” with a scientific approach to healing and reprogramming your brain.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Yes! I listen to A LOT of Rob Dial’s “Mindset Mentor”. I’m also in the process of reading his book “Level Up”. Other books that have helped me understand how our brains work and why we behave the way we do is “How to Do the Work” by Dr. Nicole LePera, “101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think” by Brianna Wiest and anything by Dr. Joe Dispenza.
I’m also a huge believer in physical therapy and doing corrective exercises to heal ailments that you may have. Give “Rebuilding Milo: A Lifter’s Guide to Fixing Common Injuries and Building a Strong Foundation for Enhancing Performance” by DPT Aaron Horschig and Kevin Sonthana a read, you won’t regret it.
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
I would choose helping people in any form over and over again. To know that you can change someone’s life in an impactful way, whether it’s physically or mentally, is one of the most gratifying things I’ve ever experienced in my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.emanuelhernandez.com
- Instagram: mannyjhernandez
- Twitter: ItsMeEmanuelH
- Youtube: @BreatheWithM
Image Credits
Dan Masso Kris Nathan