Once a bit of a “lone wolf” who loved his privacy, Ryan Davis is finding his niche as he has connected with those he refers to as “giants in this community.” Though his “consistent life” where he gets up, gets going and plugs into each day has provided good moments, he sees the aggregation of moments he has spent with people like Don Palmer and Greg Enas shaping this season of his life.
A conversation with friend/mentor about his weekend plans to officiate his son’s wedding and go to a giving seminar led Ryan down this new road. What sounded like work to Ryan was a way of life for him. Not one to mince words, Ryan told him so. “He just looked at me and he just kind of shook his head behind shades and didn’t say much,” Ryan said.
Ryan realized then that he was missing something. “I was showing up to board meetings, doing my job and going about my business,” he said. Wanting to understand more about how his friend lived, he stepped out of his comfort zone and asked him to breakfast.
His takeaway from breakfast with his friend/mentor was to not go away from there and do nothing. “My attitude from that meeting was I would be more open to meeting with people, regardless of agendas, which led me to invite people into my life.” After five or six coffee dates, with God working on him during each one, Ryan found himself deeply touched as a friend shared about how he was developing affordable housing for less fortunate, abused women.
“I was moved to tears,” Ryan said. “I was questioning a lot at the time.” He felt God telling him to stop worrying about this or that and just help people. This friend invited him to a Lake Lemon retreat where he met Palmer and Enas, solidifying his new pathway. “It’s been transformational,” he said. And now he sees the great value in forming solid relationships and of giving back.
Growing up in Muncie with his parents and younger brother, Ryan understood community engagement as his dad coached at the Boys’ Club. “That was kind of my first interaction of being a part of a community and giving back,” he said. “That’s where I first learned what it looked like to help. And my mom is just built to help. She’s a doer.” Both of his parents are involved in their local church doing whatever is needed.
Though growing up in the church provided a solid foundation, Ryan’s faith didn’t become real until he was a sophomore in college. “I just had a moment of real gratefulness as I looked around and saw folks who were less fortunate that came from similar situations. I was playing sports in college and going to school for free, and I had this moment of ‘Lord, why me?’” Though he wasn’t a big reader at the time, a book he was reading showed him that God blesses those who are willing to bless others. “I was moved to tears,” he said. “And it was at that moment when the Lord came into my heart.”
Ryan, now managing director at Fifth Third Private Bank, is married with two children, 19 and 10. His idea of success is his ability to help others, which he believes correlates directly to significance. “You know,” he said, “I try to live in significance versus chasing success. I think for me, the challenge to live under God's will is every day, and I'm not there yet. I do think I've shifted from just focusing on success to what significance looks like. I just try to show up and do my job every day and make the main thing the main thing, which is, if you're getting paid to do something, do it at a very high level and try to be helpful to the people around you.”
Citizen 7 has opened a new world to Ryan. He believes the work of Christ followers is done elbow to elbow, people to people, regardless of color, race or creed. “I've just always tried to focus on being a good person, and that's good and bad. I think good, because that's the core of what we should do; bad, because sometimes you rely on yourself too much,” he said. “As I got introduced to Citizen 7, I've become more engaged with what Christianity really looks like and the ability to learn and, ultimately, to provide testimony and help others.” Now understanding the value of doing life with others, Ryan invites them to join on his journey.
Q & A
What are your favorite hobbies?
Anything sports; coaching
What is your guilty pleasure?
Pizza King
Where is your favorite place to vacation?
I love Tahoe. I love Costa Rica. I love Florida. I love the California/Maui vibe. Aruba was cool. China was interesting. Every place has its own story. Any place where there are friendly people and positive energy is my favorite place to vacation.
What is a dream you'd like to fulfill?
We’ve started visiting baseball stadiums and sporting venues. It’s not necessarily a dream, but it’s something fun we like to do. We hope to do the Olympics in 2028.
