The Decision That Changed Everything

Ryan White was a freshman in college when the September 11th attacks happened. He had made the decision to withdraw from college and enlist in the United States Marine Corps. After boot camp at Parris Island and infantry school, he was stationed with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines — Lima Company — and completed multiple tours in Afghanistan.

The Marine Corps didn't just shape his body. It shaped who he is. Discipline, hard work, camaraderie, dedication — these weren't buzzwords to Ryan. They were the standard. And they've carried into everything he's built since.

Finding His Calling

After returning home, Ryan found functional fitness — and it changed his life. What started as a way to stay fit became a calling. He fell in love with functional movement, with the community that forms around shared hard work, and with the way fitness can fundamentally transform a person's life.

He didn't just train. He competed. As a sponsored athlete in 2011, Ryan traveled the country competing at a high level, testing himself against some of the best in the sport. That experience gave him a deep understanding of elite programming — and how to scale it for every person, at every level.

Building a Community

Ryan found functional fitness in 2009 and was hooked immediately. Within a year he was co-owning a gym — learning the business of coaching from the inside. After several years he was ready to build something of his own, on his own terms. In 2013 he opened CrossFit 727 in St. Petersburg, Florida.

What started with 10 members grew to close to 200. He wasn't just running a gym — he was building a community. He later expanded and served as Executive Director of a second location, growing the organization's reach across the Tampa Bay area. He coached there until the gym was sold in 2024.

Over that decade-plus of ownership, he coached beginners finding their footing for the first time and athletes chasing competitive goals. He learned that the best coaching isn't one-size-fits-all — it's showing up for each person exactly where they are.

Why Honesdale

After over two decades in St. Petersburg, the city had grown up around them — and Ryan and his family were ready for something different. Four boys, a farm, and a life where the seasons actually change. They found it in Honesdale.

Now they raise sheep, tend a garden, and wake up to mornings that feel earned. The work outside — the lambing, the planting, the physical life of a farm — feeds the same part of Ryan that the gym always has. Forged at Iron and Earth is how that discipline and love of hard work shows up here in Wayne County.