Find a speaker / Ryan Lavarnway

Leadership and Culture

Ryan Lavarnway Listed

World Series Champion helping leaders and teams build belief, ownership, and a winning culture.

Keynote speaker, workshop leader, and coach · Author of The Why Not Journal

Leadership and CultureResilience and Mental WellbeingPeak Performance and Mindset

+2 more

Forum Skills and DevelopmentTransitions and Difficult Conversations

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Speaking fees

$15,000

1 session below

Formats

Keynote

In person or virtual

Based in

Denver, CO

Based in Denver; travel and lodging are agreed upon in advance and quoted separately from the speaking fee.

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Sessions and fees

Every fee below is published by Ryan.

The Why Not Mindset: Build Belief, Take Ownership, Create Momentum

$15,000

KeynoteUnder 1 hourIn person or virtual

For entrepreneurs and business owners, CEOs and senior executives, executive peer groups, next-generation leaders, general corporate audiences, and boards and nonprofit leaders.

Drawing on a 10-year Major League Baseball career that included a World Series championship and being sent down, traded, or released 26 times, Ryan connects candid stories and humor with practical tools for leading through uncertainty. Through guided reflection and an audience action exercise, participants explore four questions: 'Why Not You, More, Us, and Now?' and leave with a specific commitment to strengthen their own performance and their team's.

A reframing tool to challenge limiting beliefs and act before confidence feels complete.
A practical approach to create and sustain momentum through setbacks, uncertainty, and change.
A “Why Not Now?” action plan connecting personal ownership to stronger team performance.

Session details and terms

Promotion: None proposed. Required purchases: None. Attendee follow-up: Not yet provided.

About Ryan

I'm a World Series Champion, Olympian, and former Major League Baseball catcher. But the most useful lessons I share come from being sent down, traded, or released 26 times. And learning how to keep believing, adapting, and contributing.

Today, I help leaders and teams apply The Why Not Mindset to their own challenges: building belief, taking ownership, strengthening trust, and turning intention into action. My work includes keynotes for organizations such as Pizza Hut, Hubbell, and Empower, executive coaching, and leadership development with the Chicago Cubs.

I bring candid stories, humor, and practical exercises that help people connect what happens on a baseball field to what happens in their workplace. At home in Denver, I'm a husband, a girl dad, and an Ironman finisher who keeps asking, “Why not more?”

Media and books

Speaking video

The Why Not Mindset™ | Iowa Credit Union League Opening Keynote | September 2026

youtu.be (opens in a new tab)

The Why Not Journal

Published 2025. Author. Hardcover and paperback. Copies $15 per person.

Where to buy The Why Not Journal (opens in a new tab)

Related books, services, and programs

BooksCoachingCourses or training

The Why Not Journal helps readers turn reflection into action. Executive coaching: Individual coaching helps leaders build confidence, take ownership, and navigate difficult decisions. Leadership training: Customized workshops help teams strengthen trust, communication, accountability, and performance.

Organizer feedback

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