Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Learning to Prioritize in Business and Life
- Leadership Lessons from the SEAL Teams
- The Role of Psychedelics in Creativity and Personal Growth
- Conclusion
Introduction
In this episode of the Mind Body Mushroom podcast, host Jordan Ryan sits down with Ryan Williams, former Navy SEAL, SEAL instructor, and now successful entrepreneur, to explore how his military background informs his approach to business and life. They dive into everything from leadership lessons to the power of psychedelics in unlocking creativity. These insights aren’t just for veterans but for anyone trying to navigate personal growth, business challenges, and creative blocks.
Learning to Prioritize in Business and Life
One of the key challenges any entrepreneur faces is figuring out what to prioritize. Ryan Williams knows this all too well, thanks to his experiences in the Navy SEAL teams, where he constantly had to assess what was most critical in high-stress, life-and-death situations. "It's like triage," Ryan says. In business, this means focusing on what’s on fire right now, and sometimes, that doesn’t leave room for anything else.
Ryan's SEAL background gave him the clarity to discern what tasks were urgent and which could wait. As he points out, sometimes the day is just about survival. "Maybe you don’t even get to two or three of the top priorities, but when things aren’t on fire, you need to have a general direction to go in.” His ability to compartmentalize, a skill honed during his military service, now helps him manage the chaos of running a business. For entrepreneurs, this lesson is invaluable: mastering the art of triage means surviving another day and making incremental progress toward long-term goals.
Leadership Lessons from the SEAL Teams
Being an entrepreneur demands leadership, and Ryan’s military background plays a massive role in how he leads his company. As a former SEAL and instructor, he had to lead in high-stress environments, often where mistakes were not an option. Yet, he admits that transitioning those skills into the civilian world wasn’t always straightforward. “The type of leadership in the SEAL teams doesn’t always translate perfectly to business,” he explains, “but the core principles remain the same.”
Ryan emphasizes empathy, a trait he found lacking in himself during his early leadership days. "I realized I was missing empathy, and that was a problem. I had to learn to lead with empathy, especially in the civilian world," he says. This realization came through trial and error as he managed a rapidly growing team in his business. Ryan found that while the direct, no-nonsense approach worked in the military, in the business world, it required more finesse. Listening to his team and understanding their needs became critical for achieving goals. The journey from military-style leadership to entrepreneurial leadership showcases how Ryan’s military experiences laid the groundwork for his success, but also how he had to adapt and grow.
The Role of Psychedelics in Creativity and Personal Growth
For many, psychedelics are a means of personal exploration and creativity. For Ryan Williams, they were a way to unlock parts of his mind that helped him process both personal and business challenges. “You can’t be creative when you’re frantically answering emails,” Ryan says, highlighting how his use of mushrooms allowed him to take a step back from the grind and think more deeply about where he was going in life and business.
What’s fascinating is how Ryan ties his military background into his psychedelic experiences. He recounts his time in the SEAL teams and how the intense focus required in that environment didn’t always leave room for introspection. But in his civilian life, particularly as an entrepreneur, he found value in psychedelics for gaining new perspectives. "It helped me become more empathetic, to step into someone else’s shoes and understand their point of view better," he says.
Psychedelics, especially mushrooms, became tools for Ryan to connect with his inner creativity and tackle problems from a new vantage point. Whether navigating a difficult business decision or reflecting on his leadership style, psychedelics opened up space for deeper thinking—something Ryan found invaluable as he moved through life after the military.
Conclusion
Ryan Williams' journey from Navy SEAL to successful entrepreneur is filled with lessons on leadership, prioritization, and personal growth. Whether it's knowing when to fight fires in business, adapting military leadership skills to civilian life, or unlocking creativity through psychedelics, his story offers insights that can help anyone navigating their own personal and professional challenges.
If you want to hear more about Ryan’s journey and dive deeper into his unique perspective, make sure to listen to the full episode of the Mind Body Mushroom podcast.
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