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Ron White - The 2,500-Year-Old Memory Skill the Romans Used That We've Completely Lost | SRS #307

2026-05-26 People & Blogs
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Shawn Ryan Show
Shawn Ryan Show
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Description

Ron White is a two-time USA Memory Champion, U.S. Navy veteran, and one of the world's foremost memory training experts. Known as the "Brain Athlete," he has dedicated his career to proving that extraordinary memory is not a gift — it's a trainable skill. A Texas-based entrepreneur and speaker, White first discovered memory techniques in 1991 at age 18 and has spent over three decades mastering and teaching them. He won back-to-back USA Memory Championships in 2009 and 2010 and held the national record for the fastest to memorize a shuffled deck of cards in one minute and 27 seconds. He has appeared on the History Channel's Stan Lee's Superhumans, National Geographic's Brain Games, and Fox's Superhuman with Kal Penn and Mike Tyson, as well as Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, and CBS Evening News. After September 11th, White joined the U.S. Navy Reserve as an intelligence specialist and deployed to Afghanistan in 2007, serving until 2010. That experience inspired what he considers his most important work: memorizing the names, ranks, and order of death of more than 2,300 American service members killed in Afghanistan — over 7,000 words committed to memory over 10 months. He travels the country writing those names from memory on a 52-foot memorial wall, a tribute built on a simple message: "You are not forgotten." Today, White speaks to audiences in over 30 countries and runs Brain Athlete, where he teaches individuals and organizations to improve their memory, read faster, and learn more effectively through his flagship Black Belt Memory program. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoujZQZatbqy4KGcgjpVxQ/join Shawn Ryan Show Links SUBSCRIBE: http://www.youtube.com/@ShawnRyanShow Sign up: https://shawnryanshow.com/pages/newsletter Support the Show: https://www.patreon.com/VigilanceElite Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shawn-ryan-show/id1492492083 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5eodRZd3qR9VT1ip1wI7xQ?si=59f9d106e56a4509 Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shawnryanshow Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawnryanshow/ Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shawnryanshow/ Follow on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/@shawnryanshow Follow on X: https://twitter.com/ShawnRyanShow SRS Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4pqo9Uoh0WuUKxw0BmaK1yrg9Kd7E4lk #vigilanceelite #shawnryanshow Ron White Links: IG - https://www.instagram.com/brainathlete Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Brainathlete Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RonWhiteMemory TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@realbrainathlete Website - https://www.brainathlete.com/shawn Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at https://shopify.com/srs Ready to upgrade your eyewear? Check them out at https://roka.com and use code SRS for 20% off sitewide. Start your new morning ritual & get up to 43% off your @MUDWTR with code SRS at https://mudwtr.com/SRS ! #mudwtrpod If you’re serious about selling to the Department of War, go to https://SBIRAdvisors.com and mention Shawn Ryan for your first month free. Get 30% off your first subscription order at https://armra.com/srs or enter code SRS at checkout. Get 50% off your first order of Sundays for Dogs at https://sundaysfordogs.com/SRS50 or use code SRS50 at checkout. 00:00 Meet Ron White 16:03 Building the Course and Mind Palace 29:33 First Speaking Engagement 40:05 Why People Buy Memory Skills 52:13 Authenticity Wake Up Call 01:06:27 Afghanistan Briefings and Convoys 01:20:15 Finishing the Afghanistan Wall 01:32:01 SEAL Style Training Underwater 01:45:22 Cards and Numbers Demo 01:52:43 Records and Evolution 02:14:51 Memory Training Begins 02:26:08 Review For Long Term 02:40:09 Screens And IQ Decline 02:53:52 Gold Star Stories And Prayer

Top Comments (10)

@Ephesians-yn8ux 2026-05-26

Not the Ron White I was expecting

243 31 replies
@Brainathlete 2026-05-26

Thank you for having me on your show Shawn. It was beyond an honor and I hope those that listen to this interview gain some insight on memory and the story of how it’s all done

237 25 replies
@GOTKCub 2026-05-26

What a Goat. Man is going through the comments thanking people. What a wonderful man

57 2 replies
@BF-27 2026-05-26

I had a nearly photographic memory when I was a teenager. Then I joined the Army after 9/11 when I graduated, spent a career in high speed units, combat deployment, etc. and took many, many blows to the head. Now I have the memory of a goldfish and it’s incredibly frustrating and depressing. I’m just starting to watch this and I hope to find something that will help!

33 5 replies
@Laura-LOVEHIM 2026-05-26

I played the entire thing through it's entirety on loud speaker so everyone could hear it. Thank you brother for your beautiful tribute to the fallen. ❤🇺🇸🫂

31 3 replies
@1TulsaRed 2026-05-26

As a stroke survivor, what this man does is of immense interest to me.

29 2 replies
@LizardKing-m8z 2026-05-26

I saw the name and I thought it might be the legendary Ron “tater salad” White

28 3 replies
@ETorpedo 2026-05-26

I am one of Ron’s black belts. I have learned amazing things from this man’s insight into memorization. What you see him do here is doable by understand the applications and the principles that he used. If you ever wanna learn this, this man can teach you how to do it. We have a memory group that meets periodically and Ron leads us through various memorization disciplines. No matter what you wanna learn or memorize Ron’s got a method to help you do that. Well done brother and thank you for what you’ve done for those servicemen. It’s was an honor to watch this. Blessings

23 1 replies
@darrenlsapp 2026-05-26

I've completed Ron's memory course and use it near daily for business, Bible, speaking, and sometimes just for fun. It's so worth it.

21 1 replies
@NatureBeeLover 2026-05-26

Thank you @Brainathlete for remembering not just the men and women who were killed in action, but the Gold Star family members who live with the loss for the rest of their lives. May God Bless you and your loved ones. Gratitude to the @Shawn Ryan Show team for a very special Memorial Day show. May God bless and protect all of you.

10 1 replies

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