Strong memory skills are like a superpower in a world where information overload has become the norm. Yet, some people aren’t interested in strengthening their memory. They want to make it extraordinary.
Today, I’m going to introduce you to some remarkable women from various backgrounds who have done just that.
From authors who have unlocked ancient memory secrets to memory champions who have completely redefined what it means to remember, these personal transformation stories are about a lot more than memory.
They share life-changing revelations about what the mind is, what it can do and how the battle against forgetfulness can turn even your simplest memories into powerful assets.
You won’t take your memory for granted again after meeting these incredible people.
One: The Woman Weaving New Tapestries of Human Ingenuity
Lynne Kelly is an Australian researcher, educator and author. Her fascination with ancient cultures and how early civilizations shared knowledge before they had writing led her to mnemonics.
One particularly fascinating part of Kelly’s work is how it corrects a common misconception about memory techniques. Many people think they are about making visual associations. We know this cannot be true due to her research, but also for another fascinating reason.
As Kelly told me when I interviewed her about her book Memory Craft, she has aphantasia. This condition, often described as the lack of a mind’s eye, means that in order to use memory techniques at all, she needed to approach them without any visual association.
Some of the ancient techniques lend themselves readily to non-visual practices. Kelly’s book Songlines discusses how Aboriginal cultures connected information with physical journeys they traveled. She adapted this technique to her neighborhood to help her learn Mandarin and a long list of facts.
There’s also the Lukasa, which is sometimes called a “memory board.” By associating information with beads, shells and other items fixed to the board, you can more easily recall all kinds of facts.
As Kelly readily admits, her own memory used to be poor. And retaining information remains challenging without using the ancient memory techniques she discovered throughout her research.
Kelly’s impact has been substantial. Her books sparked interest globally in traditional memory methods, renewing interest in oral traditions and leading to various classroom applications to help students.
In all her books and presentations, Kelly succeeds in emphasizing that these techniques are useful for much more than academics. They enrich your entire life.
Two: The Mental and Digital Programmer Who Translates on the Side
Katie Kermode first learned about techniques for strengthening memory at a young age living in the UK.
Before long, she found herself participating in memory competitions around the globe. She even appeared on a Chinese television program called “The Brain.”
She’s revered in the memory community, but not just because her competitive talents are so impressive.
Katie also co-created an innovative software for use in the competitions. The best part? You don’t have to have a competitive bone in your body for this free software to help you practice your memory.
Whether you take up some of Lynne Kelly’s favored ancient techniques, or the modern Memory Palace Kermode uses, just fire up the software and choose a category you need to improve on.
Whether it’s vocabulary, numbers, names or even images, you’ll have a blast using the browser-based program.
All while taking inspiration from how Kermode has blended her memory skills with technological innovation.
As she told me during an interview that admittedly gets pretty deep into the weeds of the mnemonics she uses, she’s also a translator.
The relationship between memory training, programming and language learning might not immediately leap out at you. But in a way, they are all about finding ways for information to not only stick in memory for access in the future.
It’s also about being able to modify the information on the fly. Like many others, I’m incredibly impressed by Kermode’s focus on approaching cognitive development holistically. It highlights the power of combining intellectual interests with passion, discipline and memory techniques.
Three: The Engineer of Memory and Learning How to Learn
Barbara Oakley is a much-admired professor, prolific author and pioneer of online education courses. At the time of this writing, her Learning How to Learn course has almost four million registrants!
But learning didn’t always come easily to Oakley. Following a military career in which she rose to the rank of captain, she got interested in engineering after working with communications technology in Germany.
However, she quickly realized her math skills were not up to par. In fact, she struggled more than ever before with the extremely intimidating material involved in mathematics.
Rather than give up, Oakley decided to become a student of “learning how to learn.” In other words, she literally applied her interest in engineering to work out exactly how the brain works. And in many cases, she’s been able to determine what causes the brain to shut down in the face of overwhelm – a topic discussed marvellously in her book Mindshift.
She’s perhaps more well-known for the personal story and tips she shares in A Mind for Numbers, however.
No matter where you start with Oakley’s work, the specific memory techniques she uses are fantastic. She’s an advocate for the application of proper active recall techniques.
Simply described, these approaches require you to challenge your brain a little. Rather than spending hours highlighting points in textbooks you barely understand, you commit them to memory. Then, you challenge yourself to bring them back to mind and write them down.
By following this admittedly demanding process, memories form faster. This process also winds up helping you get more out of your down-time. It sounds counterintuitive, but as she discusses, “diffuse” modes of thinking take place while you’re relaxing. But they’re most valuable when you’ve earned your leisure periods by taking on real challenges.
The proof is in the pudding. Oakley has solid foreign language skills and is an excellent public speaker. As I discovered while interviewing her, she’s also an excellent philosopher. Her counterintuitive take on altruism will change everything you think you know about acts of kindness for others.
Oakley has also won awards and accolades, giving her a chance to showcase her humility. If you ask me, she doesn’t brag enough!
Jokes aside, none of her accomplishments or contributions would have happened if Oakley hadn’t turned to look her challenges in the eye and use the science of learning to succeed.
Four: The Dancing Memory Maverick
Anastasia Woolmer is a two-time Australian memory champion whose journey from average memory to extraordinary recall abilities tells a story of total dedication.
For one thing, before getting into memory, she was a professional ballet dancer.
It’s obvious that dancers need to remember lots of moves. Not to mention where to move on the stage and various aspects of the accompanying music.
Less obvious is how to combine movement and memory techniques for learning.
Woolmer not only solved that problem. She also demonstrated it in an incredible (memorized) TEDx Talk titled Memory Fit.
Woolmer’s contributions to memory education are key because few people teaching in the space take time to acknowledge the benefits of keeping physically fit.
All the memory techniques in the world won’t repair a damaged brain. We need good food, fitness and plenty of physical exercise.
To that end, you can find endless inspiration on Woolmer’s Instagram. She shares everything from how she stretches, dances and even practices martial arts. You can also find older episodes of her appearance on Australia’s Survivor for more demonstrations of her mental and physical prowess in action.
There’s no doubt about the lesson to be drawn from Woolmer’s legacy so far. The martial art of the mind can be good without paying the body much mind. But it’s so much better when you take care of your physical state as well.
Which circles us back to Lynne Kelly and her use of the Songline technique. She walks regularly to use this technique and uses her hands on memory devices like the Lukasa.
You could extend this lesson to what I’m sure were the physical demands Barbara Oakley met during her military career.
Whether you’re looking for personal transformation, professional success or just want to learn faster, you now have these inspiring journeys to model.
Start small with simple memory techniques, taking care to use the ones that resonate with you. But don’t run away from challenges. We know that leaning into mental routines we resist is the key to forming the skills and establishing the stronger retention skills we seek.
Embrace curiosity, practice consistently and apply the memory skills you pick up broadly. You’ll enhance your overall cognitive agility by spreading them far and wide.
There’s a hidden lesson in each of these stories as well: teaching others what you’ve learned. You don’t have to write a book or offer a course. Simply discussing what you’ve learned and how you’ve committed information to memory will help you create a cycle of growth and inspiration in your local community.
Memory is not something to be taken for granted. And each person you’ve met today shows how easily it can be used to unlock new dimensions of learning. It is not a static “thing,” but a behavior you can shape into a skill that provides countless possibilities for transformation and fulfillment.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
How do you take care of your memory? Are you a good learner? What strategies have helped you commit information to memory? Do you use mnemonics or something else?
