Shawn Ryan Show

• #220 Simone Ledeen - Fmr. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy

  Simone Ledeen is a national security expert and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Middle East Policy, where she oversaw U.S. defense strategies for countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and others.  With an MBA and finance background, she served as an advisor to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq and later as Executive Director at Standard Chartered Bank, leading the launch of its multi-national financial crime compliance program. Ledeen has held roles at the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis and is a Senior Fellow at the Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas at Austin.  Her expertise spans technology, special operations, intelligence, and geopolitical issues, as seen in her 2025 discussions on Israel-Iran conflicts. The daughter of historian Michael Ledeen, she advocates for innovative defense solutions and public-private partnerships to address global threats. Based in Austin, Texas, Ledeen consults through Maven Defense Solutions and Vantage ROI, focusing on strategic advisory in defense and finance. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: https://americanfinancing.net/srs NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org https://tryarmra.com/srs https://meetfabric.com/shawn https://shawnlikesgold.com https://ketone.com/srs Visit https://ketone.com/srs for 30% OFF your subscription order https://lumen.me/srs https://patriotmobile.com/srs https://rocketmoney.com/srs https://ROKA.com – USE CODE SRS https://USCCA.com/srs https://ziprecruiter.com/srs https://betterhelp.com/srs This episode is sponsored. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/srs and get on your way to being your best self. https://drinkhoist.com – USE CODE SRS Simone Ledeen Links:X - ⁠https://x.com/SimoneLedeen⁠  LI - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-ledeen⁠   Website - ⁠www.simoneledeen.com⁠  Maven Defense - ⁠www.mavendefense.com⁠  Strauss Center Profile - ⁠https://www.strausscenter.org/person/simone-ledeen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #219 Isaiah Taylor - CEO of Valar Atomics

  Isaiah Taylor is the audacious visionary behind Valar Atomics, an El Segundo based startup on a mission to reinvent atomic energy and fuel the future of mankind. Isaiah Taylor dropped out of high school at 16 to start a business and write software for the world's largest hedge fund, but his real obsession, inherited from his physicist great-grandfather, is nuclear energy.  After ten years of obsessive research, Isaiah founded Valar Atomics with a radical plan to reboot the atomic age with mass-manufactured nuclear reactors which can make energy for AI and reverse combustion itself, turning atmospheric CO2 and water into carbon-neutral jet fuel and gasoline cheaper than drilling for oil. In one year, Valar Atomics has already built a 100,000-pound prototype reactor, the first step on their journey to making civilization beautiful again with abundant energy. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: https://americanfinancing.net/srs NMLS 182334, www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org https://aura.com/srs https://bubsnaturals.com – USE CODE SHAWN https://shawnlikesgold.com https://helixsleep.com/srs https://hexclad.com/srs https://ketone.com/srs Visit https://ketone.com/srs for 30% OFF your subscription order https://moinkbox.com/srs https://preparewithshawn.com https://patriotmobile.com/srs https://ROKA.com – USE CODE SRS https://shopify.com/srs https://betterhelp.com/srs This episode is sponsored. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/srs and get on your way to being your best self. Isaiah Taylor Links: Valar Atomics - ⁠https://www.valaratomics.com⁠ X - ⁠https://x.com/isaiah_p_taylor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #218 Gavin Newsom - Governor of California

  Gavin Newsom, born in San Francisco, California, is the 40th Governor of California, serving since 2019. A Democrat, he was Lieutenant Governor (2011–2019) and San Francisco’s youngest mayor in a century (2004–2011), gaining national attention for issuing same-sex marriage licenses in 2004. Diagnosed with dyslexia at age five, Newsom graduated from Santa Clara University in 1989 with a BS in Political Science.  He founded PlumpJack Group in 1992, growing it into a multimillion-dollar enterprise with wineries, restaurants, and hotels. Newsom survived a 2021 recall election and was reelected in 2022 with 59% of the vote.He authored Citizenville (2013), advocating digital governance, and has hosted the podcast This is Gavin Newsom since 2025. Newsom champions progressive policies. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: https://aura.com/srs https://americanfinancing.net/srs⁠ NMLS 182334, ⁠www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org⁠ https://bubsnaturals.com – USE CODE SHAWN https://shawnlikesgold.com https://helixsleep.com/srs https://hexclad.com/srs https://ketone.com/srs Visit https://ketone.com/srs for 30% OFF your subscription order https://moinkbox.com/srs https://mypatriotsupply.com/srs https://patriotmobile.com/srs https://ROKA.com – USE CODE SRS https://shopify.com/srs https://betterhelp.com/srs This episode is sponsored. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/srs and get on your way to being your best self. Gavin Newsom Links: Website - https://www.gov.ca.gov  X - https://x.com/GavinNewsom  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GavinNewsom  YT - https://www.youtube.com/@ThisisGavinNewsom PlumpJack Group - https://www.plumpjack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #217 Augustus Doricko - Did Cloud Seeding Cause the Texas Floods?

  Shawn Ryan Show has donated to the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund. Donate & Get Involved - https://cftexashillcountry.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4201 Augustus Doricko is the founder and CEO of Rainmaker Technology Corp., a company focused on cloud seeding and weather modification. A Thiel Fellow and rising figure in climate tech, Doricko has recently faced public scrutiny following the major floods in Texas. His team conducted a brief cloud seeding operation on July 2 in a limited area of the state, then suspended operations out of caution. While some have raised questions about a possible connection between his work and the recent flooding, Doricko joins us to explain what cloud seeding actually involves—and to weigh in on the growing speculation surrounding it. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: https://USCCA.com/srs https://masachips.com/srs https://ROKA.com https://tryarmra.com/srs Augustus Doricko Links: Rainmaker - https://www.rainmaker.com X - https://x.com/ADoricko  LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/augustus-doricko-660b20145 Substack - https://substack.com/@doricko Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #216 Katherine Boyle - America's Defense Tech Renaissance

  Katherine Boyle is a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz and cofounder of its American Dynamism practice, investing in sectors such as defense, aerospace, manufacturing, and infrastructure. She serves on the boards of Apex Space and Hadrian Automation, and is a board observer for Saronic Technologies and Castelion. Previously, she was a partner at General Catalyst, where she co-led the seed practice and backed companies like Anduril Industries and Vannevar Labs. She was also a reporter at The Washington Post. Katherine holds a BA from Georgetown, an MBA from Stanford, and a Master's from the National University of Ireland, Galway. She sits on the boards of The Free Press and the Mercatus Center. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: https://americanfinancing.net/srs NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org https://tryarmra.com/srs https://betterhelp.com/srs This episode is sponsored. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/srs and get on your way to being your best self. https://meetfabric.com/shawn https://shawnlikesgold.com https://hillsdale.edu/srs https://masachips.com/srs – USE CODE SRS https://paladinpower.com/srs – USE CODE SRS https://patriotmobile.com/srs https://rocketmoney.com/srs https://ROKA.com – USE CODE SRS https://trueclassic.com/srs https://USCCA.com/srs https://blackbuffalo.com Katherine Boyle Links: Website - https://a16z.com/author/katherine-boyle X - https://x.com/KTmBoyle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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