James Fell is a Canadian writer. He initially wrote about health and fitness in an effort to debunk fitness myths. Since 2020, his books have focused on historical events.
Fell disliked school; enrolled at the University of Calgary where he struggled academically.[3][4] Things improved after he encountered a quote by Joan Baez, "Action is the antidote to despair,"[3] and after he met his future wife, Heidi, a medical school student. He focused on his education to impress her, and he discovered a love of history from an inspiring professor. He received a master's degree in history, then an MBA.[4]
Fell has written several books, including his first book, Lose It Right: A Brutally Honest 3-Stage Program to Help You Get Fit and Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind,[3] for which he received a rejection letter from a publisher because it was too "sensible",[5] advocating for a slow approach that includes a practical diet and exercise.[5] He had a website called Body for Wife, a play on the best-selling book Body for Life, which some of his friends followed diligently without the same results that Fell was getting. When asked about his secret, he said he was on the "Body for Wife program".[3]
In his writing, Fell sought to debunk fitness myths, warned against fad diets, advised not comparing your body to others, recommended participating in both aerobic and weightlifting activities, and suggested finding a physical activity that a person will not hate, eventually becoming proficient at it. Fell declared that if a diet book is a best seller it probably is not a good idea to follow its guidelines.[3] He also wrote about how marijuana has been shown to interfere with attempts to lose weight because it stimulates appetite.[7]
In 2019, Fell's book The Holy Sh!t Moment was published by St. Martin's Press, which discussed the psychology and steps needed for long term transformations.[8]
In one of Fell's first articles for the Los Angeles Times, he wrote about Jillian Michaels, the fitness trainer from the television series The Biggest Loser. He referred to Michaels as "an actress playing the role of fitness trainer".[9][7] He declared that her workout routines and technique were not safe, quoting others who agreed with this assessment.[10][7][11] He also criticized her Kettlebell DVDs which promised losing five pounds a week, calling this unrealistic.[9] Michaels was unhappy with his criticism and threatened to sue Fell for defamation.[7][11][10] The prospect of legal action prompted the Los Angeles Times to modify certain details within the article.[11][9]
Fell wrote two stories for the book series called Chicken Soup for the Soul. One was about running, and the other was about the Cheslatta River Race in British Columbia, where Fell and his father competed when Fell was fifteen years old. The river race story was included in a Father's Day publication in 2010.[1]
Writing about history
[edit]James Fell signing his book On This Day In History SH!T Went Down at the Owl's Nest books store in Calgary, CanadaJames Fell speaking at the Western Canadian Reason Conference Calgary, Canada
Fell decided to change occupations and become a public speaker, but the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted this idea. In 2020, he began writing about history, posting daily on his social media.[4][12][13] The daily posts explained unusual and often unknown events that occurred on that calendar date in history.[12][13]
In 2021, Fell independently published a collection of his daily posts called On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down. By 2022, he had sold 30,000 copies, and his social media following had grown from 80,000 to 250,000 people. He then published a second edition. The books included revisions based on feedback from readers.[12][13][4] Fell added to his web page a "Historyscope", inspired by daily horoscopes, so readers could find out what happened in history on their birthday.[14]
In 2023, Bantam Books released On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down,[15] and it was ranked fourth on the Canadian non-Fiction Best sellers list for the week of October 9 to 15, 2023.[16] It also appeared first in Alberta for non-fiction sales.[17]
Fell, talking about a range of topics including fitness, motivation, and history, has appeared on podcasts, Canadian television, and radio shows. These include The Social,[18]Citytv,[19]Shaw TV Calgary,[20]CBC Radio One[21], CKUA Radio Network,[22] and The Thinking Atheist Podcast with Seth Andrews.[23] He spoke about fitness and weight loss on JohnLivesay.com [24], about running on RunningforReal.com [25], and about brave women standing up for their rights on WhatsSheSaidTalk.com [26]
On November 26, 2022, Fell spoke at a TEDxTirguMures event in Romania.[27] He spoke at the Western Canadian Reason Conference in Calgary, Alberta on May 4, 2024.[28]
In 2019 Fell opposed a planned a "Straight Pride Parade".[32] He and actor Chris Evans shared a post written by Fell, seeking to explain why a "straight pride" parade made no sense. The posts were covered by media outlets including Elle, People, India Today, and E! News.[33][32][34][35][36][37]
Fell was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 53 years old, during the COVID-19 pandemic,[4] and now takes medication which he says was life-changing. He credits his ADHD with creativity and his ability to write in an uninhibited style.[38] He writes in the morning, taking Ritalin in the afternoon when he needs to complete household chores, marketing and administrative work.[4]
Fell is an atheist, receiving no religious education from his parents.[28]
