Former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor Shawn Ryan has found remarkable success with The Shawn Ryan Show. What began in 2019 as a platform to spotlight veterans and their businesses has grown into something far greater. Since launching the podcast, Shawn has built one of the most influential shows in the country with thought-provoking interviews discussing mental health, faith, government transparency, and much more. Along the way, his personal journey has evolved as well and he has become a believer. While his faith is now stronger than ever, the journey wasn’t always easy.
What misconceptions about Christianity did you have before becoming a believer?
Before I became a believer, I thought that you needed to go through some kind of a religious-type hierarchy to be able to speak directly to the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, God… but that’s just not true. The only thing that matters is your direct relationship that you build and continue to build with the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.
Looking back, what were some defining moments that led you to Christianity?
I think the defining moment that led me to Christianity was when I started to realize, through my podcast, just how dark the world actually is. I still continue to be surprised at how dark and how much evil is inside of the world. It got so dark and so bad that nothing really made sense to me and I came to the realization that if things can be this evil, and if evil is this real, then the other side has to be real too.
How has your faith changed the way you view your past experiences and hardships?
Well, now I realize that when you’re going through those hardships and it feels like the world is about to end—like a major door has closed, or you’ve burned a bridge, lost a friend, or lost a family member—in those dark times, when you come out of them and look back, the old saying is true: one door closes and another opens. Although we never seem to understand what God’s plan is for us in the moment, when we look back and dissect the journey, His answers were definitely a lot better than mine and He’s always working on something. It just takes a minute to understand it and to finally see it.
What areas of your life have seen the greatest transformation since becoming a Christian?
It’s very much about being a better father and a better husband. It’s made me think about the things that really matter in life. It’s not possessions, it’s not false idols, it’s not politicians… the thing that matters most is your relationship with God and Christ, your relationship as the leader of your family. It’s how you treat people. It is all of those things. All of those things are better in my life. It has strengthened and deepened my relationships and even helped me discern with who I can trust.
How do you handle doubt, fear, or uncertainty as a Christian?
Well, you’re not supposed to fear as a Christian, right? But I still do. My fear is for my wife, for my kids. That’s what I fear the most. What happens to them if I’m no longer here? That’s honestly my biggest fear in life. Who is going to protect my family if I die? If I perish? If I disappear? The only thing you can do is just have faith in God that He will take care of it. You look at your past in life and how you’ve gotten through everything and realize that God paved the way, and He’ll pave the way for your family, your wife, and your kids. He’ll protect them and everything that is supposed to happen, will happen.
What does living out your faith look like to you every day?
It means being bold about your faith. It means being loud about your faith. It means not being ashamed of your faith—that’s what it means to me, all of those things. And it means thinking about your actions before you actually act on them. ‘Is this serving God’s kingdom or is it not?’—it’s not letting things slide, it’s not being over-accepting—it is standing up for what you believe God wants for His kingdom and not wavering.
How has becoming a Christian impacted the way you approach your podcast and conversations with guests?
Ever since I’ve become a Christian, there are a lot more guests on my show that I’m trying to learn from: Lee Strobel, John Burke, Wes Huff, Father Ripperger, Father Reehil, Father Gadberry, Jeremiah Johnson, Bryce Crawford… a lot of people. Lots of people who have taught me so much from being on the show that I never would have had if I wasn’t a Christian. And even with guests who don’t share the faith, you can still learn a lot. I try to plant seeds where I can. A recent example: I had two former one-percent biker gang guys on my show. Some of the episodes haven’t come out yet. One was a former chapter leader of the Hell’s Angels and one was a former chapter leader of the Mongols. Neither one of them really believed in Christ. So, I asked them where they think they’re going when they die. They got confused and thought about it. They said they didn’t know. One of them is pushing 80 years old. I gave him a book, Jesus Calling, and told him he should read it because going to heaven matters, and none of us have unlimited time left. And that really made him think.
We also pray a lot on the podcast. I would say with a majority of my guests, we either start the podcast with a prayer or end it with a prayer. Prayers on getting the episode to who it needs to go to, especially when we are talking about protecting kids.
Has moving to Tennessee helped strengthen your faith?
Yes, absolutely Tennessee has helped strengthen my faith. I moved here from Boca Raton, Florida—where Christianity, let’s just say, does not run as deep. Moving to Middle Tennessee—the Bible Belt—I’ve just been completely surrounded with encouragement to dive into scripture and the word. I’ve been surrounded with some of the best mentors I could have ever imagined. I’m also surrounded with lots of other new believers and when I meet all these different people, it strikes up new super interesting conversations. I learn from mentors, new believers and we raise questions to one another that we haven’t thought of. And I’ve found that, with a lot of people here, you don’t have to be ashamed to ask the tough questions that nobody wants to ask. They are going to answer it and they are going to help you.
What made Tennessee the perfect place to call home?
The most genuine people, not only in the country, but the world. Faith in Christ is the center of everything and the family unit is the most important thing to everybody that lives around here. I always say this, but I don’t think there’s any better place in the world to raise your family than Middle Tennessee. It is safe, it has amazing Christian values, people stand up for what they believe, people help each other. People are humble. People are nice. It’s the best place in the world to live.
What advice do you have for anyone wanting to find their faith?
I would say — if that question is in your head — that’s already the first step… That’s Jesus tapping on the door. Dive in. Find the people that you can be around where no questions are off limits. You should be able to ask any question, at all, about scripture, the bible, God’s will, God’s kingdom, anything. And if you’re with a group of people who get offended about the questions you are asking, then you’re in the wrong group and need to find a new one. The other thing I’d say is… Christians can be demanding, they can be extremely critical of how you live your life, they can tell you how you should live your life. But at the beginning of this, I said the only thing that really matters is your relationship between you and Christ. No one else is inserted in between there. That means you don’t have to listen to anyone telling you what you have to do or need to do. It’s your relationship with Jesus, not theirs. Always remember that…
—Ashley Jenkins
