Shawn Ryan

Shawn Ryan is a former U.S. Navy SEAL and CIA contractor who turned 14 years of combat and clandestine service into one of the most honest long-form interview shows on the internet.

He completed BUD/S and served with SEAL Teams 2 and 8, deploying across Iraq, Afghanistan, and more than 14 areas of operation. After leaving Naval Special Warfare, he continued serving as a CIA contractor in clandestine operations worldwide — over 20 combat deployments in total before hanging up his kit.

In 2017, Ryan founded Vigilance Elite and launched The Shawn Ryan Show. The premise was simple: get the real stories that the media won’t tell. What happened was something bigger — a show that became a top 10 Spotify podcast with nearly 6 million YouTube subscribers, featuring interviews with special operators, intelligence professionals, world leaders, and public figures who say things on his show they’ve never said anywhere else.

When Shawn Ryan sits across from a Navy SEAL, Green Beret, or CIA officer, he’s not translating their world for a general audience. He’s been there. That credential — earned in combat, confirmed in silence — is what makes his guests open up in ways they rarely do with anyone else.

Ryan also trained Keanu Reeves for his role in John Wick: Chapter 3, bringing real tactical methodology to one of Hollywood’s most iconic action franchises. But that’s the footnote, not the story. The story is 2,394+ episodes and counting, all dedicated to one mission: preserve the history that would otherwise disappear.