Meet James Cooper
James Cooper is a health and wellness performance coach and meditation teacher. An endurance fundraising athlete and mental health first aider and advocate, James is the mind, body and spirit of all things Smilinggg.
Formerly a sales and marketing executive, James walked away from his office-based career in 2010, at the age of 23 due to dissatisfaction with his life and a yearning to live a life of deeper meaning. He obtained a Diploma in Personal Training and spent the next two years helping people all over the world improve their health and fitness as owner and head coach of JC Fitness Experience. An innocuous tackle whilst playing football in 2012 saw James break both his tibia and fibula in his left leg.
James since refers to this injury as his ‘lucky break’. It was the beginning of a five-year journey of self-discovery in South East Asia, culminating with the birth of Smilinggg and its simple daily practice.
Between January 2013 and June 2017, James spent eighteen months as a primary school teacher in Phuket, Thailand before basing himself in Hoi An, Vietnam as a health and wellness coach.
Since Smilinggg’s initial formation on Sunday 17th May 2015, James has worked tirelessly to raise awareness and promote The Smilinggg Daily Practice and its benefits whilst looking at ways to serve the Smilinggg mission statement.
To build healthier and happier lives, one step and one smile at a time.
An enthusiastic and passionate voice advocating greater understanding and openness of mental health, James has channelled this through public speaking and in addition becoming an endurance fundraising athlete for Mind: The Mental Health Charity.
His return to England in June 2017 is with the intention to continue to build on from the work he began in Asia. James has a dream that Smilinggg will continue to grow and develop, benefiting schools, workplaces, households, communities and charities across the UK and beyond, supporting millions of people to live healthier, happier and more fulfilled lives. That’s The Smilinggg Way.