From A Struggling Nobody to a Best-Selling Author

FAITH FOUNDATION

Jim grew up in a Christian home where his parents watched The 700 Club frequently. Their faith became his faith, but it wasn’t until he faced his own challenges in life that he developed a personal relationship with Jesus. 

When Jim was writing the book Inner Excellence, he asked his friend to make sure it lined up with the Bible. She told him about the word Zoe, which is in the Bible a lot. It means absolute fullness of life. Jim focused his book on living the Zoe life and letting everything be added to you. 

THE DAY THINGS TURNED AROUND

On January 12, 2025, Jim was walking in Dallas, Texas. It was a somber time in his life: his mother was dying, business was slow, and he couldn't pay the balance on his credit cards. While looking up at a skyscraper, he felt a question come to mind: Jim, would you rather own that building outright or have the book you’ve just written? Jim immediately chose the book. A few hours later, his life changed forever. 

Wide receiver AJ Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles was televised reading Inner Excellence on the sidelines during the NFL Wildcard playoff game. The Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl and AJ Brown read the book on the sidelines every game. 

A few days after the Wildcard game, Jim was in Philadelphia and was asked by someone on the street for money. So, Jim went to the ATM to withdraw some cash. First, he tried to get out $300 but got the message “insufficient funds.” Then, he tried $200, but that didn’t work either. Finally, he was able to withdraw $100.  He gave him the money and a few days later his mortgage payment bounced and his checking account was overdrawn--the same week that Inner Excellence became a #1 bestseller. 

After Tom Brady talked about Inner Excellence during the Wildcard game, Jim’s phone started going crazy. Message after message telling him about what was going on. Since Jim missed the Eagles’ and Packers’ Wild Card game, he decided to watch it later. When he saw Eagles’ AJ Brown sitting on the sidelines between plays, reading his book, Inner Excellence, he was amazed at how much press it got. By the next morning, his book shot to #1 on Amazon which greatly relieved his dire financial difficulties. Within three months, Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group (one of the largest US publishers) negotiated a deal to publish Inner Excellence and an upcoming second book.

PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING

As a former professional outfielder for the Chicago Cub organizations, he was living his dream. Yet, after injuries forced him to retire, he felt lost. Jim went from professional baseball to driving for FedEx. Eventually, doors began to open for him to train and coach others.

Jim’s struggles with performance anxiety and self-worth led him to research how elite athletes perform with peace and confidence under immense pressure. This journey culminated in the creation of the Inner Excellence system and the publication of the book by the same name.

If you ask Jim what the core message of the book really boils down to, he says, “The thesis of the book is this: Self-centeredness leads to fear. Selflessness is fearless.”

The Inner Excellence system found in his book is contrary to what the world teaches us. For example, instead of leading with strength, Jim says we should lead with humility. 

He says that fear of failure paralyzes us and usually stems from self-centeredness. People who are afraid to fail will never try. If you don’t try, you don’t grow. 
Jim compels us to examine our lives by asking these questions: Which path are you on? If you find your identity through what you do or what you have, does that give you real peace and fulfillment? If those things or achievements were taken from you, who would you be?

Some other lessons from Inner Excellence include:

Core Principles:

• The heart, which is central to peak performance--training the heart is foundational for inner strength, love, joy, and peace.

• Performance and the pursuit of a fulfilling life are inseparable; both require mastering the mind and heart.
Key Practices:

• Developing self-mastery and letting go of what you can’t control.

• Overcoming anxiety and building positive mental habits.

• Removing mental blocks and limiting beliefs.

• Training the subconscious mind for resilience and confidence.

• Living fully engaged in the present moment, unattached to outcomes.

Jim’s methods blend sports psychology tools with deeper heart-focused training, aiming to reprogram the subconscious and eliminate fears and trauma.

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CREDITS

NY Times best-selling author, Inner Excellence (Grand Central Publishing, 2025);
Performance Coach to some of the biggest athletes and leaders of the world; President of Inner Excellence Freedom Projects