Controversial fitness figure and best selling author James Smith returns to Australia in 2021 with his Not A Life Coach Speaking Tour. James is not your usual fitness guru. Loud, crass and completely unapologetic he takes aim at toxic myths within our current ways of thinking and isn’t afraid to challenge what we’ve been led to believe about the secrets to fulfilment and happiness. 

We caught up with James hoping for a healthy dose of inspiration as we stumble through lockdown and he didn’t disappoint! 

How have you been coping with life in lockdown? 

I’ve weirdly enjoyed it a bit, it’s certainly been frustrating at times but all it takes is a change of perspective to see a situation differently. Yeah, Coachella got cancelled and I lost thousands of pounds but I also saved money and energy not having to travel. Also, buying a playstation really made the difference for me. Being forced to stay at home with a PS4, Call of Duty and good internet isn’t the worst thing that could happen. 

What’s been the biggest impact you’ve felt personally? 

Probably to do with social media. People don’t want to see you being positive, having a good time and it’s almost like we’re living in a world where people are waiting for you to trip up, to say or do something wrong rather than absorb valuable content. Everything has slowed down and there have been some days where I just don’t want to interact with social media.   

Is there a silver lining in what we’re all going through? 

There is a silver lining to everything, even world wars saw tremendous technological advancements. The silver lining is in the eye of the person experiencing it, some people look hard to see them and others don’t. I think the positives that the world needs to embrace are that we’re all a lot more connected than we thought and we can share a common enemy that doesn’t care about borders, race or gender. 

Is this a critical moment in time when all of society is re-evaluating its collecting and personal values, and measures of success? 

If they’re not, they should. You could do everything “right” in life and have it all taken away. I think this playing it safe by the rulebook mentality needs to go. I feel for the students who did the right thing racking up a load of student debt to be stuck at their parents studying behind a screen staring at bleak opportunities for employment. Success is in the eye of the beholder too, I think it’s important people sit back and realise that the world isn’t going to end but it’s not going to be the same either. To safeguard yourself my advice is to START doing what you want to, not what you should do.   

How should we be making the most of this time to find happiness? 

People need to evaluate what THEY want from life, not what others want them to have from life. We as humans often don’t back up what we say with what we do. If there’s something you enjoy, you should be doing it, if you’re not you need to ask why not.  

Do you think we’ll come out of this healthier, or worse off? Having started numerous new diets, life re-inventions, and goals, only for them to fail? 

It’s hard to say, I personally would hope people have been doing less rather than more of anything including diets, inventions. I would like to see lockdown like a dormant car that hasn’t been used for a while, it’s fine but the battery just needs a kickstart. From there it’s about keeping the car charged rather than reinventing the wheels on it.   

What can we expect from your live show? 

A laugh, a drink, some banter and to be challenged from a mental perspective. I’m here to prod your fire, of course, to make it burn bigger than before, but fire isn’t always happy to be prodded. I hope some selfies too.   

What are you most looking forward to about coming to Australia? 

Good coffee, good people, good weather and it’s fast becoming what I call home. There is a phenomenon in Australia I call ‘The Australian Dream’ and it makes me happy to see. People more concerned about their quality of life than their income 

What do you hope your audiences get out of your show? 

A spark to take away into other areas of their relationship, work-life and daily lifestyle.  

Tickets are on sale on and selling fast for James Smith’s tour in February 2021. Book now at Ticketek.  


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