"So there are definitely two main chapters to my life, and they both happened before age 22. So when I was very young, and they both involved aviation, and one was ultimately amazing, and one was obviously terrible.”

Until age 22, Ryan’s life revolved around flying and aviation. Unfortunately, after an unexpected trip, he was put in a place where flying couldn’t be his #1 priority anymore. After some unexpected journeys as he was healing, he spent a lot of time reflecting on what he would do with his life.

“I realized at that point that a lot of speakers are out there, like the prior version of Ryan. Who spoke on climbing a mountain, this incredible success that had its adversities along the way?

But there was also a whole different group that spoke on the day that changed their life forever. And that was unrequested adversity. But very few had both. And I thought to myself, wait on, that's actually an opportunity to compare the two to see where we truly learn.”

Ryan moved to the US to pursue his speaking career. In a way, the world forced him to change his plans and adapt to the industry as he settled down in the US just in time for COVID to hit. If you’re experiencing a season of turbulence in your life and are hoping to find inspiration to continue overcoming adversity, this episode is for you!

Grant and Ryan dig into:

How to handle adversity and become “turbulence tough”
Following your intuition even when it’s hard.
How to tell your stories so they resonate with your audience
Engaging the audience so they never forget your message
Developing resiliency
Learning how to handle the ebbs and flows

“There are very few ways to do new ways to do old things, right? It's, finding a way to take a cliche or something that's worn out and present it back to an audience in a fun, unique, potentially viral, unforgettable way, and, That's what we've managed to do, which is really cool. So if you're out there and you don't have that wild story, don't worry about it.”

Episode Chapters:

[00:02:50] Prioritizing joy, mental health, resilience, hobbies

[00:05:04] Aviation passion leads to incredible achievement.

[00:08:43] Young flyer's journey from fame to tragedy.

[00:11:51] From paraplegic to helicopter pilot to speaker.

[00:15:30] Passion for mental health and resilience. Pink Cadillac led to prioritizing joy.

[00:20:22] A masterclass in storytelling.

[00:23:46] Finding joy and prioritizing happiness transformed me.

[00:26:54] Communicate, learn, iterate, observe, and create memorable experiences.

[00:29:53] Building a speaking business takes patience and resilience.

[00:35:34] Be careful networking too far ahead.

[00:37:49] Incredible lifestyle, money, time, work-life balance. Create your own brand and transform.

“What if I merge these two worlds? What if every time I was struggling, I actually intentionally prioritized joy? What if I took this one thing that a lot of us consider selfish, and I made it essential? And it was an understanding of the benefits, a deep dive into that, that led to the permission to do something we often see as selfish.

The permission led to prioritization, which led to positive change. So this one idea of ‘Hey, this stuff matters’ led me down a path that not only did this become one of the greatest benefits in my life to my mental health, especially since the accident, it actually became a question, what's your pink Cadillac? What's the one thing you do that makes you smile like a kid?”

Episode Resources:

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