Hi! My name is James from sunny London, England. I am a Wing Chun Kung Fu instructor as well as a proud member of the fantastic team here at MBT.

Many years ago, at age 18, I decided to embark on what I thought would be a healthy, wealthy life by training to be a jazz saxophonist. Surprisingly, this bulletproof plan backfired, and instead I ended up practicing my instrument all day and eating nothing but pizza and pasta at night!

At age 21, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease and from there began a bumpy and windy road to regain my health. I had my first major operation in 2007, and subsequently struggled to understand what to eat and do for exercise that would keep me healthy.

I first started to take care of my body by training in the Alexander Technique at music college, a method of teaching to move with more conscious awareness. Having not been at all sporty at school and not done any exercise for years, I discovered Wing Chun Kung Fu, a martial art that was famously practiced by Bruce Lee. This journey led me to live in Hong Kong for a year, where I trained with a famous master whose style I continue to teach.

However, it wasn't all plain sailing by any means. I was so determined to fix my Crohn's away from medical intervention that the first half of my year in Hong Kong saw me get sicker and sicker, until I eventually became severely underweight. It was at that time I started seriously addressing my eating habits. I still needed to get medical attention for my Crohn's, however this change in eating habits set me on course to really understand how to properly take care of my body.

Why did I join My Body Tutor?

A while ago I heard about MBT on Cal Newport's 'Deep Questions' podcast. Being obsessed with Cal's work, as well as with health and fitness, I instantly rushed to the computer to find out if I could help in any way. I quickly saw that I had 'found my tribe' so to speak, as the people at MBT were clearly at the absolute top of their game at understanding habit forming and accountability. I feel lucky every day to learn from people such as Adam and Haley, and I hope that you will join us for what I know will be a life-changing experience.