James Fell (author)

James Fell
OccupationAuthor
NationalityCanadian
Alma materUniversity of Calgary
Genre
Signature
Website
jamesfell.com

James Fell (born 1968) 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.

Early life and education

James Fell resided in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and then Burns Lake, British Columbia, until he was seven years old. His parents then divorced, and Fell and his mother moved to Prince George, then subsequently to Calgary, Alberta.[1][2]

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]

Writing

Diet, fitness and motivation

Fell became a certified strength and conditioning specialist[5] and wrote a column called "In-Your-Face Fitness" for the Chicago Tribune; he also wrote about fitness for the Los Angeles Times, AskMen, Men's Health, Time, The Guardian, NPR, and Chatelaine magazine.[6][4][3]

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]

Jillian Michaels

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]

Chicken Soup for the Soul

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

James Fell signing his book On This Day In History SH!T Went Down at the Owl's Nest books store in Calgary, Canada
James 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]

Personal life

As a result of the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing, Fell set a goal to run in the 2014 Boston Marathon. Fell qualified for the race at the 2013 Victoria Marathon, despite collapsing and crawling to the finish line.[29][30][31] The Boston Marathon was his third marathon.[29][30]

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]

Bibliography

  • Fell, James (2023), On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down, Bantam Books, p. 416, ISBN 978-0593724088
  • Fell, James (2022), On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down: Number 2, BFW Publishing, p. 408, ISBN 978-1989351833
  • Fell, James (2019), The Holy Sh!t Moment: How Lasting Change Can Happen in an Instant, St. Martin's Press, p. 288, ISBN 978-1250186300
  • Fell, James (2014), Lose it Right: A Brutally Honest 3-Stage Program to Help You Get Fit and Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind, Random House Canada, p. 320, ISBN 978-0345812469

References

  1. ^ a b Billard, Rebecca (April 14, 2010). "Chicken soup for the Southside". Lakes District News. p. 18.
  2. ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "James Fell". fitinsure.ca. October 24, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Durrie, Karen Rudolph (May 8, 2023). "Author calls ADHD his 'superpower with kryptonite'". Calgary Herald. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Magnan, Michelle (April 3, 2014). "'No gimmick' to lose weight". Calgary Herald. pp. C1.
  6. ^ "Posts by James S. Fell". Chatelaine. March 23, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d Massarella, Linda (October 25, 2010). "Will fitness guru tip scales of justice?". The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 19.
  8. ^ Fulmer, Melinda (January 31, 2019). "In a new book, James Fell says 'ah-HA!' moments are what can really change your life". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Freeman, David (October 15, 2010). "Jillian Michaels a Fraud? Critic Calls Her an Actress Not a Trainer". CBS News. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Staff, Us Weekly (October 14, 2010). "Jillian Michaels: "Shame on the LA Times for Saying I'm a Fraud" | UsWeekly". Us Weekly. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Djordjevic, Marta (June 23, 2021). "The Shady Truth About Jillian Michaels". Nicki Swift. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Short, Dylan (September 16, 2022). "Calgary author launches second volume of historical short stories". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on September 17, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c White, Adalyn (September 16, 2022). "James Fell publishes second volume of historical short stories". Canada Today. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  14. ^ On This Day in History, Sh!t Went Down: with "Sweary Historian" James Fell, November 28, 2023, retrieved December 27, 2023
  15. ^ "On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down by James Fell". Penguin Random House Canada. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  16. ^ "Booknet Canada" (PDF). RCC Retail Council of Canada. October 9–15, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  17. ^ "Alberta's Bestselling Books" (PDF). Booknet Canada. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  18. ^ James Fell and "The Holy Sh!t Moment" on The Social on CTV, March 8, 2019, retrieved February 18, 2024
  19. ^ James Fell - April 1st, April 2014, retrieved February 18, 2024
  20. ^ James Fell, April 11, 2014, retrieved February 18, 2024
  21. ^ McElligott, Donna (July 15, 2025). "A@N Podcast". CBC Radio One. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  22. ^ "James Fell swears his way through history - Listen". CKUA. November 1, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  23. ^ "PODCAST". The Thinking Atheist. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  24. ^ "body-for-wife-with-james-fell". October 16, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  25. ^ "running-for-real-with-james-fell". December 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  26. ^ "history-with-a-twist-james-fell-the-sweary-historian-unpacks-the-past". January 9, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  27. ^ "TEDxTirguMures | TED". www.ted.com. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  28. ^ a b Breakenridge, Bob (April 24, 2024). Afternoons with Rob Breakenridge (Radio broadcast). James Fell. Apple Podcast. Event occurs at 26:00.
  29. ^ a b Fell, James (April 30, 2014). "Runner with a mission". Chicago Tribune. p. 2.
  30. ^ a b "2014 Boston Marathon results". 2014 Boston Marathon Results. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  31. ^ Pontarelli, Sally (December 1, 2023). "James Fell: The Sweary Historian - R4R 379". Running For Real with Tina Muir. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  32. ^ a b Donovan, Louise (June 6, 2019). "Chris Evans Calls Out 'Homophobic' Men Planning To Organise 'Straight Pride' Parade". ELLE. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  33. ^ Hirst, Jordan (June 6, 2019). "Chris Evans slams the 'homophobic' men planning a 'straight pride parade'". QN Celebrating Australia's LGBTIQ Culture. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  34. ^ Russian, Ale (June 5, 2019). "Chris Evans Blasts Three 'Homophobic' Men in Boston Who Want to Throw a 'Straight Pride' Parade". People. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  35. ^ Weinberg, Abigail (June 5, 2023). "Everyone Thinks A Straight Pride Parade in Boston Is a Hilariously Dumb Idea". MotherJones. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  36. ^ "Avengers star Chris Evans blasts men for planning Straight Pride Parade, calls them homophobic". India Today. June 6, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  37. ^ Dupre, Elyse (June 5, 2019). "Chris Evans Slams "Homophobic" Men Planning Straight Pride Parade". ENews. Archived from the original on June 5, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  38. ^ Robbins, Jody (October 22, 2022). "More adults being diagnosed with ADHD". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2023.

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