Navy Seal To CIA Contractor - Shawn Ryan - #530

**Chris Williamson** (0:00)
Hello friends, welcome back to the show. My guest today is Shawn Ryan. He's a former US Navy SEAL, former contractor for the CIA and a podcaster. The world's special operations are done in the darkness. If Navy SEALs are a specter, then CIA contractors are their shadows. Shawn spent decades working behind enemy lines all over the world and has some crazy insights into that life, plus how it feels to reintegrate back into normal society. Expect to learn what it's like to train Keanu Reeves for John Wick, why physical abuse from your fellow SEALs might be just what you need, the crazy breadth of tasks CIA contractors are asked to complete, why the establishment elite are losing touch with everyday people, Shawn's reflections on sobriety after drinking to deal with his anger, and much more. Don't forget that if you are listening, you should have also got a copy of the Modern Wisdom reading list. It's 100 books that you should read before you die. They're fiction and non-fiction and they're organized with summaries about why I like them and links to go and get them. And it's free. You can go and get it right now at chriswillx.com. That's chriswillx.com.
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Shawn Ryan, welcome to the show.

**Shawn Ryan** (3:47)
Thanks for having me. You got a hell of a show here.

**Chris Williamson** (3:50)
Thank you, man, I appreciate that. Thank you. Nady Seal, CIA contractor, personal security expert, guy that helped train Keanu Reeves to be John Wick. That, the headlines, those are the big ones?

**Shawn Ryan** (4:05)
That's the big ones.

**Chris Williamson** (4:06)
Yeah?

**Shawn Ryan** (4:06)
Yup.

**Chris Williamson** (4:07)
Good. What's Keanu Reeves like in real life?

**Shawn Ryan** (4:10)
He is very soft spoken. He is a very good listener, very good student. We didn't really trade too many stories or anything. He just came out to train, and I kept it extremely professional, but he is a very intelligent guy. He picks things up really quick. He is serious about what he is doing, and honestly, he is one of the best students or people that I have ever trained. He just really picks up on things.

**Chris Williamson** (4:39)
What makes it for a good student of somebody that wants to learn about protection, weapons, aggression, precision?