We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jordan Ryan. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Jordan, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
When it comes to other entrepreneurs, I think we can’t help but compare ourselves to others. Or we create an arbitrary timeline against which we measure our own success. That’s always been one of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with (aside from all the other hard things).
I used to Google “How many years until the average business is profitable?” or study other founders’ startup journeys and then beat myself up because Windansea wasn’t where Apple was after five years. As tempting as that mindset is, and even though it comes from a drive for high achievement, it can be more detrimental to long-term success and to the founder’s mental health.
The truth is, we’re all on our own paths. There’s value in studying other founders, companies, and the realities of entrepreneurship, but you have to stay true to your own vision. Success almost always takes longer and is harder to achieve than you expect. Don’t let that discourage you.
To succeed, you need a strong “why” that serves as your North Star and guides you through the darkest nights. I’ve always found it more motivating to look back at how far you’ve come rather than how far you still have to go.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Jordan Ryan, founder of Windansea Coffee, where we specialize in the most premium adaptogen-infused coffee products on the market. I’m a retired Navy special operations medic, an investor, a veteran advocate, a surfer, and an entrepreneur.
Windansea Coffee is unique for a few reasons. While other mushroom coffee brands treat coffee as just a vehicle for functional mushrooms, at Windansea the quality and flavor of the coffee are just as important as the potency of the extracts we use. I’m a lifelong coffee enthusiast and was constantly disappointed by how painfully bad other mushroom coffees tasted.
So we created mushroom coffee for coffee lovers. The guiding belief behind what we do is that good habits don’t have to suck.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I got into holistic wellness and functional foods because of an injury I sustained in the military, and that experience really shaped how I see the world.
As a medic, I was trained in trauma medicine and had a deep respect for Western medicine. But when I realized I might not fully recover from my injury and would have to manage my symptoms indefinitely, I started looking for answers outside the conventional medical system.
There’s so much ancient wisdom that modern science is only now beginning to validate. Many conditions can be managed naturally through supplementation and holistic practices. At Windansea, our mission is to connect those dots for people, helping them perform at a high level, heal without harmful side effects, and enjoy the ritual of caring for themselves.
It’s part of a growing movement of people reclaiming control of their health from the medical industrial complex that profits off ignorance and disease, and putting it back in the hands of individuals and their communities.
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
That you can actually get better at failing. Failure can sometimes be catastrophic, but it can also be one of the best teachers if you learn how to survive it and fail strategically. Much like how professional skateboarders learn how to fall, career entrepreneurs can learn how to fail — taking the lessons from the experience without losing everything in the process.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
What I’m about to say doesn’t apply to every company, or even most, but it absolutely exists in this industry.
In the supplement, functional food, and health-food space, there are companies that grift while hiding behind a veneer of hippie ethics, Whole Foods-style greenwashing, and pseudoscience. Some brands present themselves as ethical and sustainable, claiming to put morals above profit, but eventually it comes out that they’re just rapacious capitalists cosplaying as Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard.
Their supposed commitment to quality ingredients, sustainability, and altruism is often more about marketing than morality. And while there are real and incredible benefits to treating food as medicine, some companies make outrageous or flat-out false claims that give consumers unrealistic expectations or even put their health at risk.
At Windansea, we combat that by staying transparent, taking personal pride in what we make, and committing to educating our customers on the actual science behind our products.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
’m investing in a diverse set of assets in addition to my business. When I started Windansea, I was bootstrapping growth while attending grad school full time and receiving a small stipend from the VA. Despite having a humble income, I was disciplined enough to squirrel away what little I could and invest in my business, securities, and other hard assets.
I knew that even though I lacked dollars, I had a superpower: time. Understanding compound growth and the value of time in the market gave me an advantage over waiting until I was wealthier to start investing. It hasn’t always been easy, and I’ve had to make sacrifices in the short term, but I know those sacrifices will pay off in the long run.
For me, it’s not about materialistic goals. It’s about self-reliance and ensuring I don’t become a burden on my family when I grow old.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://windanseacoffee.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/windanseacoffee/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4o_FetLmodVZcs7A4M-7rw
- Other: https://windanseacoffee.substack.com
