Payson’s Ryan Stream shares story of resilience, courage and vulnerability

If you ask Ryan Stream what the key to success is, his answer is simple: vulnerability and courage. For the past several years, Stream has been traveling the country speaking and singing in stadiums and in front of various audiences, embodying the very thing he preaches.

“The fastest way to connect with people is through vulnerability,” Stream said. “If I’m vulnerable with people and open up, I might get made fun of, but I’m going to help the world.”

Stream has built his platform on telling his story that is nothing short of tragically remarkable. 

“My mom took her own life when I was in the ninth grade. My brothers and I slept in a homeless shelter and even spent time in the foster care system,” Stream recalled. “I was adopted when I was in the second grade and I was heartbroken. I was a different color than the family that adopted me, and it bothered me. But there was a motivational speaker who came to my school and he stood on the stage and said that no matter what happens in your life, you could be a hero.”

For years Stream held on to what that speaker said, even as he endured even more trials from drug addiction and jail sentences, to living in homeless shelters. He failed college four times. He worked in the mines and lost the tip of his finger in an accident and had three wrist surgeries. This accident resulted in a devastating job loss. He is also a two-time war veteran, having been deployed two times to Afghanistan where he tragically lost comrades. 

Now at the age of 35, Stream has been on close to 500 stages in 32 states with one event in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He is a husband, father, entrepreneur, best-selling author, public speaker and entertainer who wants to change the world one vulnerable and courageous exchange at a time.

“It takes a lot of courage to be a dad, a worker, a provider, and a protector,” he said. “We’re all needing to be courageous. I help my audience identify the one thing they’re afraid of, just like David running toward Goliath. I ask my listeners, ‘What is your giant?’ My giant was school. I failed four times. I have a learning disability, but I said, ‘OK, if I’m going to go to universities and talk about conquering your giants, it’s time I put my words into action.”

Not only did Stream graduate from college, but he was presented with the National Society of Leadership and Success award. This came on the heels of Stream receiving a degree in psychology and minor in family science at Utah Valley University. He’s not stopping there, and is working toward a master’s degree Leadership and Management Starting in June will Goal to enter a doctorate in program in education.

“I’m a first generation graduate out of my biological family,” he said. “My  Biological mom didn’t have a degree, and neither did my dad. People say that your dream life is on the other side of what you don’t want to do, and that’s what I help my audiences understand. Happiness is accomplished goals. Depression is the opposite of progression, and happiness is progression. I tell my audience to identify your ‘giant’ (or goal) and conquer it. That will give you happiness.”

Stream is not done conquering giants, and is a living, breathing example of constant forward motion despite life setbacks, as On Dec. 10, 2024, he was in an commercial vehicle accident and sustained several injuries. 

“It doesn’t matter how much money you have, the titles you carry, or how ‘cool’ the world thinks you are—when life hits, it hits hard,” Stream wrote in a social media post. “Life didn’t care (that) I was a speaker, best-selling author, award-winning musician, or a war veteran. It doesn’t discriminate. Nobody has ever won in the battle against Father Time.

“I was crushed inside a semi… broken, bruised, and questioning everything—my future, my body, my purpose. My wife was scared. My daughter was crying. I wasn’t asking if I’d survive; I was asking if I could be the same. … That wreck reminded me how fragile life is.  … It’s not over until I win.”

The accident included two semi trucks; one of which Stream was driving as part of his trucking business. Stream was going 60 MPH at the time, and the crash resulted in him sustaining several injuries including fractured ribs, bruised lungs, a crushed pelvis and traumatic brain injury. Despite his new setbacks, Stream is once again practicing what he preaches by moving forward courageously with the same vulnerable spirit.  

“Being crushed, I have some things that I have to overcome and that’s OK,” he said. “I was just finishing my last semester of school when that wreck happened. I finished writing both of my books and they’re just being edited, so I’ll have four books out. I haven’t skipped a beat with public speaking or anything, so I’ve been hobbling around the stage or doing what I need to get the job done.” 

Stream said he wants to embody resilience, while also taking the punches in stride. 

“My overall goal in one phrase would be to build an army of resilient leaders,” he said. “Consistency is the keyword and like a child, we fall down an average of 17 times an hour when we’re learning how to walk. So I just figured, OK, if God taught us that when we were young, why don’t we just adopt the principles that we were taught in our earliest stages of life? So then I just realized, ‘Oh my gosh! I’m just going to fail until I get it.’”

Ryan Stream may have fallen, but he is still standing tall. He has two books coming out soon, one titled Lead Like a Legend, and a children’s book called Heroes on the Playground that he wrote with his wife Elizabeth Stream. He has also reached millions through his unique blend of country rap and piano music. 

“Through music, I have been able to reach children and adults in ways words alone never could,” he said. “When words fail, music transcends barriers.”

For more information on Stream, including books, speaking engagements and ways to book him, go to ryanstreamlive.com.