meet your host

ryan olexson

For a long time, I lived on autopilot — doing what made sense, what looked right, what I was told success was supposed to be. I built a career in branding and marketing, worked with recognizable names, and from the outside, things looked good. But I wasn’t interested in more status or momentum. I wanted depth. I wanted better questions.

When COVID hit, the noise quieted — and the questions got louder. I started examining who I was, what I believed, and whether the life I’d built actually reflected my values. The deeper I looked, the more I realized I needed to change how I was living, not just what I was doing. That curiosity took me down unexpected paths — into uncomfortable conversations, new ideas, and experiences that challenged the way I understood myself and the world. I didn’t set out to find answers. I set out to pay attention. What I found reshaped everything. Today, I’m a wife to a loving and magnetic man, a mom to three kids, a business owner, and a master’s-level counseling student. I live on a farm, surrounded by animals and reminders that growth is physical, emotional, and deeply human. I’m less interested in certainty than I am in awareness. Beyond 80 Percent grew out of that mindset. This isn’t a platform for gurus or tidy conclusions. It’s a space for thoughtful people, lived experience, and real inquiry. I don’t host conversations to convince you of anything — I host them to explore what happens when we slow down, stay curious, and think for ourselves.

No answers handed down. Just better questions — and room to evolve.