We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jehdiah Graham. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jehdiah below.

Jehdiah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

To be successful, I believe it requires a certain level of what I call “intentional stupidity.” Here’s what I mean by that: When I first started boxing, it became my passion. Over the years, I was coached by two men I still consider father figures today. Through teaching me the sport, they also came to understand my mindset—how I approach decisions, both in life and in the ring. They gave me a piece of advice that, though it was about boxing, has become a core principle in how I live: “Be more stupid when you fight.”

At first, it sounded counterintuitive, but it made sense once I understood what they were seeing. My hesitation came from overthinking—I was trying to calculate every move, waiting too long between spotting an opening and throwing a punch. In those moments, I didn’t fully trust my years of training, didn’t have complete faith in my defense, and I was afraid to take a hit. Their advice wasn’t about being reckless—it was about quieting the noise in my head and trusting my instincts. In boxing, as in life, overthinking can be the greatest obstacle to success. You need to act, even when you’re uncertain.

As a filmmaker, I see a parallel to this mindset in the movie Forrest Gump. Forrest didn’t overanalyze or second-guess the consequences of his actions—he simply did what felt right. He didn’t stop to feel fear or doubt; he just ran, pursued what he enjoyed, and by doing so, he achieved extraordinary things. In that same way, success often comes when we stop trying to predict or control every outcome and just move forward with conviction.

Jehdiah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am Jehdiah, I have a deep connection with film as a form of communication because it was the first medium that taught me how to identify my own emotions and discover parts of myself i never knew existed.

my aspiration as a filmmaker is for my work to give the same feeling of being seen, heard, and understood through someone’s vulnerable, raw, and honest expression that I got watching films as a youth.

communication seems like my most powerfu tool when it comes to understanding the suffering you and I experience and naturally i’d like to feel and see less of it. So every step of my process can be broken down to one word

Listening.

I feel most proud when after a shoot people tell me how comfortable they felt or that they’ve never been able to open up this way before. that’s how I know the project was a success.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn was realizing I am not my story. One day, I was sharing my story with someone, recounting the highs and lows, my moments of joy, and my deepest pain. I could see how my words affected him; it was almost as if he could see the invisible cage I’d built around myself, the iron bars made of the very narrative I’d bound myself to. That’s when I recognized that as much as my experiences have shaped me, I don’t have to be imprisoned by them. My story is a part of me, but it doesn’t define or limit me.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being an artist has been the introspection—the constant call to confront the scariest parts of myself in order to make progress, or, in a sense, to survive. Each challenge, whether piecing together an idea or facing a situation that could have a real, negative impact on my life, has demanded that I dig deep. Art gives me an outlet that keeps my eyes, ears, heart, and mind open, allowing me to come out stronger and more aware each time. But above all, the most rewarding aspect has been how close this journey has brought me to God

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jehdiah.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thankjeb/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jehdiah-graham-54b449147/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thankjeb