James Smith: World's fastest-growing online personal trainer, author of three books (including Not a Diet Book), outspoken fitness and life-design figure known for polarizing social media content.
What this episode covers
James Smith joins Steven Bartlett to discuss his journey from being written off in school as lazy with learning difficulties to becoming a hugely successful online PT and author. He argues happiness does not scale with wealth, that all wins feel the same, and that people imprison themselves in jobs and relationships they hate. He explains his deliberately polarizing content strategy, his philosophy of being 'uncancelable' through radical honesty, and how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu keeps him grounded. The conversation turns personal as he opens up about being adopted, imposter syndrome, anxiety, psychedelics, and his growing desire to have kids and build a family.
The guest's own work
Not a Diet Book
James Smith
“The main thing I learned, I wrote the first book, Not a Diet Book, and then I realized it was a precursor.”— guest
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
MaxiMuscle protein
MaxiMuscle
“If you look at the MaxiMuscle tubs of protein, he was the six-pack on the front.”— guest
Tools of Titans
Tim Ferriss
“I remember reading uh Tim Ferriss's Tools of the Titans on the ferry back to where I lived.”— guest
Attached
Amir Levine and Rachel Heller
“I read Attached and came to terms with my avoidant relationship style. There's something I really want to work on.”— guest
Big reveals from this episode
- James wrote email marketing emails for 10 months and posted on social media for 3 years before making any money, persevering through zero returns.
- He deliberately makes aggressive, polarizing content because being selectively hated grows his audience and only needs ~10 people to like him to make a living.
- Confirms his beef with Joe Wicks, criticizing one-size-fits-all plans and over-supplementation that he says leave people blaming themselves.
- Admits he still needs external validation and uses content blowing up to reassure himself he knows what he's talking about.
- Openly states he is pro drug legalization and has used cocaine and MDMA, using transparency as an anti-cancellation strategy.
- Reveals he hasn't had a relationship lasting over a year in 10 years and breaks up by text because he can't sleep until it's dealt with.
- A psychedelic experience in the last year helped him decide he wants to have kids.
Worth remembering
- James references the ~75k income satiety threshold where happiness starts to plateau.
- He argues 'all wins feel the same' - you don't get a dopamine surcharge for being wealthy.
- His fat-loss philosophy: a calorie deficit is the principle; keto, 5:2, and intermittent fasting are just methods that package it.
- He believes a PT, like a driving instructor, should not exist in a client's life after 6 months.
- Four years before his planned Sydney Opera House event, he was so broke he applied for a bar job at Opera Bar and was rejected for lacking an alcohol-serving qualification.
- He turned a 56-minute podcast on caffeine into a 2.5-minute academy module, spotting a market gap for clear communication.
- During a magic mushroom trip he was posed the question: do people like you for who you are or what you do?
- A park outing watching a dad feed ducks with his son crystallized his thinking about life and wanting children.
- He polled his Instagram followers on regretting having kids and the result was roughly 49-51 in favor of regret.