Where I’m Coming From
Compiled by Forrest Preece
Ryann Reaud
Principal at Privateer Capital; formerly a prosecutor, Travis County District Attorney’s office
- What’s something about you that not many people know?
When I was 13, I was held at gunpoint in a store robbery. It taught me that life can change in an instant.
- If you could have dinner with three people – dead or alive, at any time in history—who would they be?
My grandmothers and my Uncle Bobby. I’d love for them to meet my children, and I have so many questions for them that I never knew to ask when they were still alive.
- What’s on your music playlist?
Chris Stapleton, Zach Bryan, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, and Taylor Swift when my daughters are in the car!
- Favorite book and TV show?
The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro. I’ve read the first three volumes. A fascinating read (especially for a Texan) for anyone interested in politics, history, and the exercise of power for better and worse. My favorite TV show will always be The West Wing.
- Most powerful movie you have seen.
The Shawshank Redemption
- What makes you happy?
My three children and my husband.
- Favorite place in Austin?
The Trail. The best place to get some exercise, clear your mind, or catch up with a friend on a walk.
- Favorite restaurant and watering hole
Uchi, Jeffrey’s, and Matt’s El Rancho
- Which living person do you most admire?
My mother. She is the epitome of love, and lights up any room she’s in.
- Best advice you ever received?
A Thoreau quote that has always stuck with me: “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.”