Meet Ryan
"One thing we say all the time in our little family is, 'keep chopping wood.' As in, no matter what happens, just keep working; keep chopping wood. Keep working. Keep trying to get better and be ready for the next opportunity."
Ryan Lavarnway's story is a masterclass in belief, ownership, and culture — the pillars of The Why Not Mindset™.
From a 5'4" high school sophomore who didn't make varsity to a World Series Champion and Olympian, Ryan's career is living proof that extraordinary results start with one question: "Why not me?"
Today, he is a world-renowned keynote speaker and leadership development coach, helping leaders strengthen their mindset and culture to perform at their best.
Through incredible stories and mind-reframing questions, Ryan trains leaders in these three areas:
The Three Pillars of The Why Not Mindset™
MINDSET:
WHY NOT ME?
Empower individuals to step up and own their potential. They give themselves permission to be the game-changer.
OWNERSHIP:
WHY NOT MORE?
Your organization and your teams have goals — but the goals can be bigger. Challenge everyone to raise their standard of what they think is possible.
CULTURE:
WHY NOT US?
Then, you unite the team around a shared belief that these big goals are possible — and that everyone plays a role in making them happen.
Behind The Story
The WHY NOT Framework™
Six pillars. One continuous loop. A proven system that transforms how individuals think, act, and lead — permanently.
SELECT A PILLAR TO EXPLORE
Why That Withstands
Anchor everything in purpose.
"The strongest people don't have a perfect plan. They have a Why That Withstands — a purpose that doesn't quit when things get messy."
Your Audience Will:
- 1Anchor their resilience in a purpose that holds steady when external pressure hits
- 2Move beyond surface-level goals to connect with what actually fuels their effort
- 3Leave with a durable Why — not a motivational quote, but an internal north star
This Is Resilience By Design.
The WHY NOT Framework™ is not a linear, one-and-done process. It is a continuous loop that high performers run every single day. Your Why fuels your Habits. Your Habits give you the strength to Reframe. Your Reframe allows you to Normalize Neutral. Neutral gives you clarity to take Ownership. Ownership builds the evidence to Trust Yourself. And self-trust deepens your Why — starting the loop over, but at a higher level.
Keynotes & Workshops
Tailored experiences that move teams from inspiration to execution.
KEYNOTES
The Why Not Mindset™: How winning teams build the mindset, ownership, and culture to do what they previously thought was impossible.
- ▸Shift their mindset from self-doubt to self-belief.
- ▸Take ownership of performance, even when results are outside their control.
- ▸Build a culture of belief where individuals step up and teams achieve what others think is impossible.
WORKSHOPS
Deep-Dive Learning for Lasting Impact
Ryan's workshops take The Why Not Mindset™ off the stage and into action. Built for leadership teams ready to move from inspiration to execution.
- ▸Mindset Mastery: Building mental resilience and confidence through real-world challenges.
- ▸Ownership in Action: Turning accountability into daily habits and measurable results.
- ▸Culture of Belief: Creating shared standards, alignment, and momentum across teams.
Interested in Ryan leading a speaking engagement?
Book RyanSee What The Audiences Are Saying
RYAN WAS FANTABULOUS! I truly had an amazing time and was extremely grateful that I was able to hear perspectives from him and my peers. Their examples really helped me reflect with the way I lead and manage. Thank you so much for this opportunity!
Angel Wang
Ryan was an incredibly empathetic coach. This was a difficult room to engage with and he mastered it beautifully.
Nicola Menard
Great class, great facilitator, was super easy to stay engaged the entire time.
Stephanie Fulkerson
Organizations Who Work With Ryan Experience:
Teams Performing At Their Greatest Potential
because every individual steps up and takes ownership.
New Solutions Emerge
As creativity, initiative, and accountability become the norm.
Teams Achieve Results They Didn't Think Were Possible
because belief fuels performance.
Opportunities Appear That Others Miss
because they're now looking at the world through a lens of possibility.
See What Leaders Are Saying:
Mark Goodman
Baseball Coach, Colorado School of Mines
Engaging, compelling, and charismatic, Ryan is infectiously energetic. He encourages full participation from his audience, understanding that active engagement over passive listening is key to an enduring and impactful message. Versatile and concise, did the research necessary to tailor his message to our unique objectives, ensuring that the takeaways were both relevant and inspiring.
John Eichmann
Managing Partner, Virtus Insurance
We recently had Ryan speak to our leadership team, sales team, and selected guests. His talk "Why Not Me? Why Not Now?" had all of us thinking "You're right! Why not ME? Why not NOW?" Ryan is a gifted storyteller who was able to relay his experiences as a MLB, World Baseball Classic, and Olympic baseball player to the challenges we face in our business.
Charlie Silverberg
Account Manager - Specialty Sales, New Balance
Engaging, compelling, and charismatic, Ryan is infectiously energetic. He encourages full participation from his audience, understanding that active engagement over passive listening is key to an enduring and impactful message. Ryan translated his expertise into practical steps of application so the members of our team can attain their objectives, individually and collectively.
Ready to Bring Ryan to Your Organization?
Contact Ryan today to discuss how The Why Not Mindset™ can transform your team.
Book Ryan