Adventure racing—an off-road, navigation-based sport that fuses endurance, strategy, and teamwork—became a life-changing journey for Ryan VanGorder. What started as a casual comment while watching The Echo Challenge with friends transformed into a relentless pursuit of his physical and mental limits.

Since 1999, Ryan and his team have tackled grueling competitions that stretch from a few hours to several days, pushing themselves against nature and their own endurance. 

But Ryan’s path took a harrowing turn when a race led to a life-threatening medical emergency, landing him in a coma. Emerging from that experience, he embraced a fierce commitment to living fully, adopting a “YOLO” mindset that fuels both his life and his approach to business.

In this episode, WealthManagement.com Managing Editor Diana Britton sits down with Ryan VanGorder, CEO of Opto Investments, to share his story of survival, resilience, and how his brush with death reshaped his outlook on life and work.

Ryan discusses:

• His introduction to adventure racing and the unique allure that hooked him
• Memorable moments from races across rugged landscapes
• The life-changing near-death experience during the Primal Quest race in Moab, Utah
• How adventure racing taught him valuable lessons for managing risk in business
• How adventure racing helped him find balance and meditation

Resources:

• Listen to other episodes of The Healthy Advisor.
• Lessons from over two decades of adventure racing

Connect With Ryan VanGorder:

• Opto Investments
• LinkedIn: Ryan VanGorder
• ryan@optoinvest.com 

Connect with WealthManagement.com:

• WealthManagement.com
• LinkedIn: Diana Britton
• Email: diana.britton@informa.com
• LinkedIn: Informa
• LinkedIn: WealthManagement

About Our Guest:

Ryan VanGorder is Opto Investments’ Chief Executive Officer.

Prior to joining Opto, Ryan was a managing director at BlackRock, leading finance in the Asia Pacific region. Ryan has more than 20 years of financial services experience and began his career in 2001 at Quellos, a Seattle-based hedge fund of funds. When he’s not focused on building Opto into a world-class business, you might bump into Ryan running or biking on a trail near you.

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found.

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