Ryan Jenks grew up in Lodi, California, graduated high school in 2002 and worked in the local family painting business. After a visit to Yosemite in 2005, he discovered climbing and slacklining.  11 years later, after 17 big walls and rigging hundreds of highlines, he started teaching rigging on his youtube channel "How NOT to Highline".  Two years later, after discovering how little the end user understood about the limits of their gear, began to break test anything people depend their lives on.  As of 2022, at 38 years old, he has achieved enough financial freedom to risk making youtube a full time gig as a way to give back to the community.  He now travels full time attempting many different extreme sports and testing the gear in each one.  As a side hobby, he started a 2nd channel called "How NOT to Invest" to inspire people to spend less than they make, invest the difference and live a purpose filled life.