Speaker Spotlight
He Was Cut and Sent Back to the Minors 26 Times — Then Won a World Series
Ryan Lavarnway — World Series Champion · Olympian · Record Holder for Most MLB Roster Transactions in History
Ryan Lavarnway has been added to and removed from Major League Baseball rosters more than anyone else in history. As one client put it after hearing him speak: imagine being fired from your dream job 26 times.
Overcoming every obstacle, he built an impressive 10-year MLB career as a catcher, became a World Series Champion, and competed as an Olympian. His journey started at Yale University, where he was an NCAA Batting Champion and All-American, before the Boston Red Sox drafted him in 2008.
On the international stage, he represented Israel in the World Baseball Classic and the 2021 Olympics. As the first captain of Team Israel’s National Team, he earned MVP honors.
The Why Not Mindset
Ryan’s keynote is about how winning teams build the mindset, ownership, and culture to do what they previously thought was impossible. He draws on his current work developing leaders for the Chicago Cubs, and moves audiences from self-doubt to self-belief, into ownership, and toward a culture of belief.
The story does the persuading. A career defined by being cut and recalled more than any player in history is an unusually literal case study in adapting, persevering, and performing under pressure — which is why it plays as well in a sales meeting as it does in a locker room.
What Planners Say
Ryan has spoken for Hubbell Incorporated, the International Pizza Hut Franchisee Holder Association, Vistage groups, the Venetian Women’s Leadership Circle, New Balance, and the Colorado School of Mines. His topics span leadership, team culture, peak performance, resilience and mental toughness, ownership and accountability, adaptability, and change and transformation.
The recurring theme in his reviews is preparation and accessibility — arriving early, joining the reception the night before, and tailoring the message to the company in the room.
Book Ryan Lavarnway
Available for keynotes on resilience, team culture, ownership and accountability, adaptability, and performing under pressure.