The Ryan Leak Podcast - The Room Where It Happens

Episode Date: June 16, 2025

You've heard the success stories, but what's the real secret to getting into the rooms you've always dreamed of? Ryan Leak spills the beans on his short-and-sweet podcast: it's rarely a solo climb. In "The Room Where It Happens," Ryan shares his personal "breadcrumb slide," highlighting the unexpected mentors who didn't just open doors, but taught him how to thrive within those spaces. This isn't just about personal achievement; it's a powerful call to action. Learn why true legacy and fulfillment come from being the person who holds the door open. Find out how your simple introduction, encouragement, or belief can be the access someone desperately needs to step into their future. To get encouraging text from Ryan, text "Podcast" to 469-809-1201.

Welcome to the Ryan League podcast where we keep things short and sweet. Today's episode is entitled The Room Where It Happens. Whenever I do a keynote, I love showing what I like to call my breadcrumb slide. It's not a fancy slide by any stretch of the imagination. It is just a list of names. People, human breadcrumbs that led me to the rooms I now get to walk into each and every week. The first name on that breadcrumb slide is Mrs. Holstead. Mrs. Holstead was a freshman English teacher at the private school that me and my brothers attended in elementary, middle school, high school.

Unfortunately, when I was in the fifth grade, my father suffered a stroke. Our household income was cut in half, and we were getting ready to enter into the public school system. But because of this freshman English teacher, she said, hey, Mrs. Leak, we see your boys' potential. And so my husband and I have decided to help out so that your boys can remain in this school. Generous act. Massive generous act. Impacted my family in a massive way. It was because Mrs. Holstead that I got introduced to my college basketball coach named Cedric. It was because of Cedric that I got to meet the VP of Admissions named Nate Roos, a guy who has impacted my life in so many ways and continues to do so today. What's up, Nate?

It was because of Nate Roof that I got introduced to my first boss named Justin Lathrop. Shout out to Justin Lathrop, who opened up so many doors for me as my first job. And it was a remarkable just a couple of years. And in just a couple of years, he opened up his entire world. To me, those rooms led me to getting introduced to a speaker's coach that led me to getting connected with a speaker's bureau. And then that bureau, every single day, pitches me to clients all around the world. And so that bureau will often introduce me to a new client. And then that client introduces me to their CEO.

And so my breadcrum slide whenever I'm speaking is you see just a list of names that starts with the freshman English teacher all the way down to the CEO. So you'll see Mrs. Holstead and then Mark or Sally or whoever the CEO is. and suddenly I'm standing in rooms that I used to only dream about. And what I wish people believed about me was that I just started from the bottom, and now I'm here, except that's just not true. I wish people believe that I just worked really hard, that I just pulled myself up by the bootstraps, that I just work harder than everybody else,

and that I just hustle and grind, and that even now that I've got opportunities because I'm a New York Times best-selling author. I wish people believe that about me. The problem is, it wouldn't be true. That would be a lie. The truth is, I've had help every step of the way. I've had mentors who didn't just help me get in the room.

I've had mentors that helped me stay in the room. They showed me what these rooms require. That these rooms require character to stay in the room. They require integrity to stay in the room. They require, I believe, a certain humility and a certain maturity to stay in the room. And these mentors in my life that helped me get in the room where it happened, well, I learned a lot from their words. Sometimes they told me what to say.

Sometimes they told me what to wear. but if I'm honest, most of them just showed me with their actions. And so there is a certain proximity that allowed me to see what it takes to be in the room where it happened. And so what's interesting for you and I is that I think we can often obsess over all the rooms we haven't been in, the boardroom we haven't been in, the stages we haven't been in, the stages we have. haven't stood on, the circles were still on the outside of, but maybe, just maybe. We could spend more time thinking about who we can help get in, the room, we're already in. And I get it. I know climbing the ladder of success is the visual we've all been sold

at some point or another. But I just have to wonder, what if we made our life about helping other people get on the ladder. I can tell you this much. I know a lot of people who've climbed high. And they've got everything everybody else wants. And somehow, some way, they can find themselves miserable. Yet, the people I know who help other people get on ladders, those are the people that I think are the most fulfilled. It's like there's something powerful about knowing that you help somebody else be more successful because you opened a door for them to be in the room. I understand that sometimes that we are mentored from people from a distant, someone that we admire that we may never meet,

we'll just never be that famous or whatnot. I've got people in my life who I would consider a mentor to me, of course, that I've never met. But in my opinion, there is no substitute for being in the room. Because here's the truth. You can only get so much from a book, from a podcast, from a well-edited Instagram video with cinematic background music that makes everything sound way more profound than it actually is. Some things. I just don't think you can get on Zoom.

You can't smell the room on Zoom. You can't feel the energy. You can't study the rhythm. You can't know when to crack a joke or when to shut up or when to shake a hand versus a fist bump. I am still trying to figure that one out, by the way. You can't always see what to wear or what not to wear or when to slowly back away from the snack table. because you've had three cookies and that's enough, okay? But there's no substitute for proximity.

Because you don't just learn with your mind. You learn with your senses, with your body, with your presence. There's a kind of wisdom, a warmth, a vibe that you can only get by being in the room where it happens. So just imagine this. What if you were the kind of person who opened the door for other people? What if you were the reason someone else got in their room? I mean, to me, I think that's legacy. I think that's leadership.

I think that's impact. I think that's friendship. I think that's how you make your mark because here's the wild part. One day, that person will tell their story and your name will be on their breadcrumbs life. Just imagine if you were just a part. part of other people's story. I just think that that's the way that we all should live. I just encourage you to be a person who decides to hold the door wide open for somebody else. To be the kind of person who's willing to send the text, make the intro, who says, you should meet

them, who says, come with me. I think you should just live your life in a way that puts other people in position to succeed. Because there's somebody in your your life right now, who's got a destination to get to. And they won't get there unless you open a door. They've got a gift. They've got the drive. But what they don't have is access. And your introduction, your encouragement, your belief in them, I think that could be the very thing that unlocks their future. So don't underestimate the power of your yes. Your yes. Your yes might be the start of their story. Because the room you're in right now, this is the room where it happened. And somebody in your life is just waiting for you to let them in.

Thank you so much for listening to the Ryan League podcast today. If today's episode had a value to your life in any way, shape, or form, I would encourage you to share it with a friend. And as always, please, if you haven't already, don't forget to rate today's episode and subscribe to the Rion Link podcast. If you wish to continue getting short sweet episodes for me each and every week. I also send out a motivational text each and every week. If you want to get those for me, you can text the word podcast to the number 469, 809, 1,2001. and all of that information will also be in today's show notes. My friends, have a phenomenal week and be one of those people that helps somebody else get in the room.