Story & Lesson Highlights with Brandyn Hernandez of Torrance, CA

Brandyn Hernandez shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Brandyn, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I think what I’m being called to step into now is visible leadership. For a long time, I was really comfortable creating, building community, and making impact — but doing it quietly. I was comfortable being the person behind the scenes organizing, connecting, and pushing things forward, but I wasn’t always letting myself be the face of it.

If I’m honest, some of that came from not wanting to be misunderstood or judged. And some of it was that I wanted the work to speak for itself. But what I’ve learned is that when you’re building a brand that’s rooted in culture, story, and community — people don’t just need to see the work. They need to see the person behind it.

So now I’m stepping into that role with intention. I’m sharing the process, the lessons, the growth in real time. I’m being louder about the mission, more present in the storytelling, and more confident in putting myself out front.

What I’m being called to do now is not just create the movement — but represent it. To show up fully, use my voice, and invite others to rise with me. That’s the evolution.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Brandyn Hernandez, but most folks know me as “B” or “The Hip Pop”. I’m a husband and father of four, a community builder, and the founder of Pops Purpose and The Pops Network brand. What I do really lives at the intersection of culture, fatherhood, and storytelling.

The Hip Pops started as a personal expression of being a present, loving, creative dad — and it’s grown into a platform that celebrates real fatherhood, community, and showing up for the people you love. Pops Purpose, our nonprofit, is rooted in that same spirit. We create spaces and events that bring families together, support our local community, and remind people that love and presence are powerful.

What makes this work special is that it’s real. It’s lived. It’s not a curated brand or something manufactured for social media. It’s me — pushing strollers at soccer practice, managing work and life balance, learning through mistakes, celebrating wins, and trying every day to grow.

Right now, we’re focused on expanding our impact — growing community partnerships, developing creative content around fatherhood, familial experiences and MENtal health, and building more events that bring people together in genuine ways. The mission is simple: to show that being a good dad and a good man is not only meaningful — it’s culturally powerful.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I had to be, I was a kid with a big imagination and an even bigger heart. I was expressive, curious, and unafraid to take risks and live out loud. I laughed easily, I cared deeply, and I believed in family and community as something you live, not just talk about.

As I got older, like a lot of us, I learned to toughen up, to hold things in, to perform success, and to navigate my way into the spaces I wasn’t intended to be in. And I did it well — but it also meant putting parts of myself to the side.

What I’ve been doing now is returning to that original version of me — the one who leads with heart, who builds community naturally, and who is learning how to not be afraid to be seen. The difference is that now I’m bringing wisdom, experience, and purpose with it.

So who I was back then?
I was someone introverted, closed off, yet full of possibility.
And that’s the version of myself I’ve worked on and brining to the forefront.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I’d tell my younger self that you don’t have to constantly prove your worth. Growing up, I thought being strong all the time was how you earned respect or kept things together.

But honestly, it’s okay to slow down sometimes. It’s okay to not have every answer. And it’s okay to ask for help.

You already belong, even when you don’t feel like you do.
You don’t have to earn being here.

I think learning that would’ve taken some pressure off — but it’s also shaped how I show up now, so I respect the process.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Both versions are me — but one is curated, and one is quiet.

The public version of me is the part of me that knows how to walk into a room, work to hold it together, tell the story as best as I can, and try to keep the edges smooth. That’s the presenting me — and there’s nothing fake about that. It’s a skill that’ I constantly work on getting better and better, it’s my facing my insecurities..

The real me includes that version, but also:
• the parts I only show when the room empties
• the unpolished thoughts I’m still working through
• the tired days
• the proud days I don’t talk about
• the moments where I don’t feel like I have to impress anybody

The public me is a chapter.
The private me is the whole book.

The question isn’t whether the public version is real.
The question is: does the public version have room to breathe?

If my public self is allowed to grow, be wrong sometimes, learn, shift, and show the softer pieces — then yeah, it’s the real me.

If my public self feels like it has to perform, hold it together, or not disappoint, then it’s real… but it’s only part of me.

The goal isn’t to choose one.
The goal is to get them closer.
Not identical — just closer.

So I don’t have to leave parts of myself at the door when I show up.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
I think the biggest misunderstanding will be thinking The Hip Pop was about being cool or building a brand or some kind of social image. The visuals, the sneakers, the humor — those are just the surface layer or that I “did it for the gram”, haha. What people may not catch right away is that The Hip Pop was always rooted in healing and presence.

This started from a very real place of learning how to show up for myself, my kids, my wife, my family, and my community — especially as a grown man who has been through some things. The content, the brand, the identity — that’s all just the expression of the work happening underneath.

The legacy isn’t about aesthetics.
It’s not about popularity.
It’s about breaking cycles, choosing joy on purpose, and showing men — especially fathers — that it’s possible to lead with both strength and softness. Being raised by women, that is in my DNA.

Some people will see the logo, the content, the sneakers and think that’s the story. But the real story is the work:
• Learning emotional self-awareness
• Prioritizing family
• Being intentional in love
• And being consistent when nobody’s watching

So if anything gets misunderstood, it’s that the brand was never the flex.
The healed, present, emotionally available father — that was the flex.

That’s the legacy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thepopsnetwork.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehippop
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandynhernandez/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePopsNetwork/