Hacker Valley Studio presents: We Are Here - an audio journey and series exploring black excellence in cybersecurity. in part one of this series, Ron and Chris interview Patrice Washington, one of the world's most popular podcasters and authors. This episode in the series is a story of ascension.

As we begin the episode Patrice mentions although she has a background in education, she’s here because of the hard work she put in during uncertain times and stepping into the unknown. 

In 2009, Patrice was in her mid 20s and graduated from the University of Southern California with a business degree emphasizing entrepreneurial studies. During her senior year she started a real estate and mortgage brokerage and grew it to a seven figure business by 25. Everything changed for Patrice after becoming a mother and experiencing the housing crisis shortly after experiencing so much success. Between ages 25 to 28 years old, she went from seven figure business owner to being on the bathroom floor, bawling and snotting and crying scraping up change in couch cushions.

Patrice describes that “doing all the things”, “checking all the boxes”, or “being the one” is not the path to professional or financial success. From following her faith and reading scripture she was reminded, “What good is money in the hands of a fool if they have no desire to seek wisdom?”

Patrice had a lot of knowledge, information, education but I didn't have wisdom. Which is how to apply knowledge, when to apply education, and with whom to apply education. Since March, 2009 Patrice has been on a mission to go everywhere she can and teach others that the journey is not just about chasing money, it’s about seeking wisdom.

What helped turn around Patrice’s life was an unlikely encounter with blogging mothers at Starbucks that gave her the idea of sharing her story through blogs. She was instantly reminded of her first grade teacher. Patrice recalled Ms. Boynton saying, “Miss Cunningham, you know something, you have a responsibility. To share with your friends is not enough. You have to share what you know to everyone, so that everybody moves forward”. That’s what Patrice started to do with the blog, she began commitment to share everything that she has learned.

When Patrice began writing and speaking she began embracing her gifts. At the start of her career she was writing, speaking and educating others with real estate but later realized that her gift was in sharing information and teaching others in a broader way. Patrice began asking herself, “How can I feel the same joy I felt to help others get to the aha moment when buying a home but without the real estate transaction?”. She searched for answers and found examples but none done by a black woman. Though this was discouraging, there was enough supporting information to let her know that if she stepped into the unknown she’d define her own success.

Redefining your wealth and life is done through being intentional. It starts by doing what you adore and not being too tied with how much it pays. Setting intentions through your day, calendar, and time is a great place to start to begin understanding what you enjoy and what you can make into a career. Your career is not the only aspect of your life that generates wealth, your well-being is the vessel that guides you to wealth. Redefining your wealth and life means that you’re putting your health as a top priority.

Impactful Moments:

0:00 - Intro

0:52 - Patrice Washington on Hacker Valley Studio!

1:55 - Patrice’s background and dedication to hard work

6:04 - Going from seven figure business to zero and redefining wealth

9:47 - Identifying and applying purpose

15:08 - Dissolving the need for validation from others

20:32 - What others can do to disassociate their purpose from money

26:36 - Investing in your health NOW, not when you’re sick

31:15 - Advice for embarking on the journey of redefining wealth

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