Navy Seal To CIA Contractor - Shawn Ryan
Shawn Ryan (guest), Chris Williamson (host)
In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Shawn Ryan and Chris Williamson, Navy Seal To CIA Contractor - Shawn Ryan explores from Navy SEAL To CIA: War, Wokeness, Security, Psychedelics, Fatherhood Chris Williamson interviews former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor Shawn Ryan about his journey from special operations to intelligence work, personal security, and now podcasting and fatherhood.
From Navy SEAL To CIA: War, Wokeness, Security, Psychedelics, Fatherhood
Chris Williamson interviews former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor Shawn Ryan about his journey from special operations to intelligence work, personal security, and now podcasting and fatherhood.
They discuss the growing disconnect between cultural elites and ordinary audiences, the politicization and agenda-driven nature of Hollywood, and how platforms like YouTube and podcasting fill the trust gap.
Shawn explains the realities of military and CIA culture, the mental and physical toll of combat, and how psychedelic therapy with ibogaine and 5-MeO helped him resolve PTSD symptoms, anger, anxiety, and alcohol use.
The conversation ends with practical thoughts on personal security, the changing nature of warfare and geopolitics, the dangers of nihilism, and how grief, sobriety, and becoming a father have reshaped Shawn’s priorities.
Key Takeaways
The best learners in high-stakes skills prioritize humility and listening over ego.
Shawn highlights Keanu Reeves as an exemplary student because he listened carefully, absorbed instruction like a sponge, and set aside his own preconceived habits—traits more important than athleticism or prior experience.
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There is a widening gap between what elites praise and what audiences actually enjoy.
Using examples like Uncharted, Top Gun: Maverick, awards shows, and Marvel films, they argue that critics and institutions increasingly reward ideological or agenda-driven content while viewers gravitate toward straightforward, well-told stories.
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Podcasting and long-form content are thriving because they feel more real and less scripted.
Compared with late-night TV and heavily managed media appearances, podcasts offer unfiltered, extended conversations that let audiences better detect authenticity and build trust with hosts and guests.
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Advanced tactical knowledge without discernment can be dangerous, so training should be ethically constrained.
Shawn stopped teaching very advanced combat tactics to civilians because he recognized that giving “building-clearing” level skills to the wrong person could be catastrophic; he now focuses on fundamentals and basic protection.
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Many people over-prepare for unlikely ‘zombie apocalypse’ scenarios while ignoring real, proximal risks.
He notes that some prep obsessively about rooftop gunfights while being 150 pounds overweight, not knowing how to use an AED, and ignoring health—when heart disease is far more likely to kill them than an invasion.
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Psychedelic therapy can rapidly reframe trauma, reduce substance use, and soften destructive anger.
Ibogaine and 5-MeO left Shawn without cravings for alcohol or coffee, dramatically reduced his anxiety and rage, and helped him see that not everything is as important as he once believed—enabling him to be more present with his son.
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Modern warfare and foreign influence are shifting toward drugs, information, and infrastructure control.
Shawn warns that China’s role in the fentanyl crisis, its dominance in green-energy supply chains, social-media manipulation, and political influence campaigns exemplify a ‘new warfare’ that relies less on ground troops and more on systemic leverage.
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Notable Quotes
“You gotta be careful with people that don’t have anything to lose when you have something to lose.”
— Shawn Ryan
“Why in the fuck do you need to know how to take an entire building down? You don’t need to fucking know that.”
— Shawn Ryan
“Everything passes. It’s gonna hurt. There’s no way to get around it… but you have to be okay that it has passed.”
— Shawn Ryan
“Alcohol is the only drug where if you don’t do it, people assume you have a problem.”
— Chris Williamson
“I’m developing into the person that I’m supposed to be a lot faster, because that shit gets in the way.”
— Shawn Ryan (on quitting alcohol after psychedelics)
Questions Answered in This Episode
How do you decide what level of tactical or security training should be accessible to civilians without increasing societal risk?
Chris Williamson interviews former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor Shawn Ryan about his journey from special operations to intelligence work, personal security, and now podcasting and fatherhood.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
Do you think psychedelics like ibogaine should become mainstream treatments for PTSD and addiction, and how would you regulate their use?
They discuss the growing disconnect between cultural elites and ordinary audiences, the politicization and agenda-driven nature of Hollywood, and how platforms like YouTube and podcasting fill the trust gap.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
What practical steps can ordinary people take to protect themselves from the new forms of ‘soft warfare’ you describe, such as fentanyl, propaganda, and tech dependence?
Shawn explains the realities of military and CIA culture, the mental and physical toll of combat, and how psychedelic therapy with ibogaine and 5-MeO helped him resolve PTSD symptoms, anger, anxiety, and alcohol use.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
How can veterans who feel resentment toward civilian ‘entitlement’ and political polarization process that anger in a healthy way without becoming nihilistic?
The conversation ends with practical thoughts on personal security, the changing nature of warfare and geopolitics, the dangers of nihilism, and how grief, sobriety, and becoming a father have reshaped Shawn’s priorities.
Get the full analysis with uListen AI
Given the growing disconnect between cultural elites and audiences, what does an honest, non-ideological movie or TV landscape realistically look like in the next decade?
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Transcript Preview
It's great that you're getting ready for all these things that might happen, maybe, one day, but you're 150 pounds overweight and you don't even know how to use a defibrillator. They don't like it when you tell them that, but that's the real threat. "I'm just gonna jump on my rooftop with all my guns." And it's like, "How the hell are you even gonna get up there?"
(laughs)
You know? (laughs) I, I mean, I'd like to see you try.
Sean Ryan, welcome to the show.
Thanks for having me. You got a helluva show here.
Thank you, man-
It's awesome.
... I appreciate that. Thank you. Navy SEAL, CIA contractor, personal security expert, guy that helped train Keanu Reeves to be John Wick. That... The headlines, those are the big ones?
That's, that's the big ones.
Yeah?
Yep.
Good. What's Keanu Reeves like in real life?
He is very soft-spoken. Uh, he's a very good listener, very good student. We didn't really trade too many stories or anything. He just came out to train and, and I kept it extremely professional. And, um... But he was r- He's a very intelligent guy. He picks things up really quick.
Mm-hmm.
He's serious about what he's doing. And, uh, he's... Honestly, he's one of the best students or people that I've ever trained. He just really picks up on things.
What makes for a good student of somebody that wants to learn about protection, weapons, aggression, precision?
It doesn't take much. It takes a good listener. You c- In that industry, you get a lot of people that come out who have been... They like to say they've been shooting since they were five, or they've been hunting since they were, you know, were walking. And they always have these stories, and it's, "This is how I do it. This is how I've always done it." But when you get a guy like Keanu, or a lot of women are like this too, they just... They're like a sponge. They just retain. They listen, they retain the information, and all they're worried about is what you're saying-
Doing it right.
... and what you're doing. And that's what makes a good student. It's not with shooting. It's not... You know, you don't need to be an athlete. You don't need to be super intelligent or anything like that. You just need to be able to listen, and, and be able to retain information and set your ego aside.
I did a firearms and fitness course at Atomic Legion out here in Austin. So they do, uh, weapons training. They've got a grandmaster shooter on the books, a guy called Alex Acosta. He's a fucking animal. And, uh, we did this firearms and fitness thing, so picking up a sandbag, do two laps, dump the sandbag, take three shots. If you hit the three shots, you get more shots and scores and blo- within this time window. And you can extend the time window if you're more accurate and all this sort of stuff. And, uh, I had my arse handed to me by, like, mothers of three.
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