Leap Academy with Ilana Golan
Crippling Anxiety: How I Beat Panic Attacks to Become a 3x USA Memory Champion | John Graham
Thu, 30 Jan 2025
John Graham went from being a shy, anxious kid to becoming a three-time USA Memory Champion and performing before 400 million viewers in China. Despite these achievements, John faced severe anxiety and daily panic attacks, which led him to confront and release suppressed emotions. Today, he has transformed his struggles into strength, helping others unlock their true potential. In this episode, John joins Ilana to share how he overcame severe anxiety through unconventional methods, the importance of facing your triggers, and the powerful connection between emotional healing and peak performance. John Graham is a three-time USA Memory Champion, memory improvement expert, and a featured competitor on FOX’s Superhuman. He holds achievements like memorizing 229 names and faces in 15 minutes. As a speaker and coach, John helps others overcome anxiety, build confidence, and reach their potential. In this episode, Ilana and John will discuss: (00:00) Introduction (01:42) Discovering the Power of Memory (05:03) Mastering Memory Techniques as a Shy, Anxious Kid (08:46) Finding Fulfillment Beyond Accomplishments (11:53) Beating Crippling Anxiety in Memory Competitions (14:30) Building Mental Toughness Under Pressure (19:11) Competing Before 400 Million Viewers in China (22:51) The Hidden Cost of Suppressing Emotions (27:47) Getting to the Root Cause of Anxiety (37:53) The Secret to Remembering Names and Faces (39:54) How to Memorize Faster (41:44) Using Visual Stories to Ace Tests (43:00) Releasing Anxiety by Leaning Into the Pain John Graham is a three-time USA Memory Champion, memory improvement expert, and a featured competitor on FOX’s Superhuman. Known for his ability to memorize extraordinary amounts of information, John has captivated audiences worldwide. He holds achievements like memorizing 229 names and faces in 15 minutes. As a speaker and coach, John helps others overcome anxiety, build confidence, and reach their potential. Connect with John: John’s Website: memoryjohn.com/about/ John’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/memoryjohn Resources Mentioned: Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer: https://www.amazon.com/Moonwalking-Einstein-Science-Remembering-Everything/dp/0143120530 Leap Academy: Ready to make the LEAP in your career? There is a NEW way for professionals to Advance Their Careers & Make 5-6 figures of EXTRA INCOME in Record Time. Check out our free training today at leapacademy.com/training
Full Episode
Kids are really, really good at memory. Why? Because they use their imagination. I'm 38 years old, and my imagination is as good as any seven-year-old.
John Graham, three-time USA memory champion.
I wasn't born with a gifted memory, photographic memory, anything like that. It was all learned. As a child, I was very, very shy, reserved, cautious. So I thought, I'm going to win Grandmaster of Memory. So I trained for like four months, signed up for my first competition. My heart is pounding out of my chest and I bombed. I completely bombed in that competition.
Every moment of your life that you've ever pushed away, that you couldn't handle, it's still inside of you. It's suppressed. I was having panic attacks every single day, multiple times a day. That's when I learned it was an emotional root issue.
A lot of the people that will listen to this podcast, they're going to sit in this board meeting and they have this great idea, but they can't speak. What would you say to them?
So how can I go in front of 400 million people and memorize 700 different things without collapsing to the ground? It's because...
John Graham, three-time USA memory champion. How cool is that? When somebody gives me their name, I don't even remember it for one second. And here he is memorizing like trizillion numbers in minutes. But John, you somehow taught yourself how to memorize. Tell me more about that.
Yeah, I was working a boring cubicle job in Denver for a bankruptcy office. I mean, how much more boring can you get, right? And I read an article about this book called Moonwalking with Einstein. And the subtitle is what grabbed me. It's called The Art and Science of Remembering Everything. So it was a book. It was a moment that grabbed my soul. Like it was a divine moment.
I went to Barnes & Noble. I bought the book. I read the book. So I was 27 years old at the time. I wasn't born with a gifted memory, photographic memory, anything like that. It was all learned. I took this book, I learned some techniques that involve visualization, imagination, connections, linking, making stories. And I just went all out and I started learning like this was real.
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