James C. Williams shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
James C., it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The irony of my first 90 minutes involves an alarm ringing at 6:00 am, but I am up at 5 am for various reasons. I get up early, so I am able to talk to my son before he heads to school. These calls are so important for our relationship because I can give him his encouragement/affirmation for the day, and it gets me started on thinking about my day. I am also looking to see what commitments I need to fulfill in the morning. The internet is usually the last place I go to, but I do take about an hour to get my water intake and medications in before checking my email. During this time, I would have communicated with my wife and spent 30 minutes in meditation and prayer every day. I am communicating with God about the day and where he wants to point me. Now, if we practice early, my day starts at 4:30 a.m., and it’s the same process. Then it’s out the door to attack the day.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am the author of The C.H.O.I.C.E.S. Framework, and a leadership and business consultant helping individuals and organizations build winning cultures. As a coach, mentor, and kidney transplant survivor, my journey is rooted in faith, perseverance, and purpose.
What makes my story unique is that it bridges the worlds of athletics, leadership, and business. Through my consulting and speaking engagements, I help teams and entrepreneurs strengthen their mindset, align their values, and make intentional choices that lead to sustained success. Whether I’m coaching on the court or guiding business leaders in the boardroom, my mission remains the same—to help people lead with integrity, resilience, and heart. I just finished my first book which is titled “C.H.O.I.C.E.S. a Christ-Centered Path to Hope and Purpose and that was an exhilarating experience because I created this project to make sure my son and daughter would always have my words. I did not want them to find out about me through someone else or the internet. This has led me to a series of books based on the C.H.O.I.C.E.S. framework and how it can be transported to every area of life.
Lastly, I am still recovering from kidney transplant surgery, and that has been an ordeal itself. A fun fact about this whole process is that it hasn’t stopped me from believing in the journey of my life.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
There are three relationships that have shaped me the most. The first is the relationship that I have with my mother. I know, I know this is the cliche answer, but listen to me: my relationship with my mother shaped the way I work and the level that I must understand sacrifice. She was the first example of what it meant to work at the expense of your own dreams and goals. My mother busted her butt every day to make sure my sisters and I were fed, clothed, and sheltered. She didn’t work more profitable shifts so she could make sure she was home for us every day after school. See how hard work and sacrifice plays in the framework.
The second most important shaping relationship is prioritized first, but it didn’t happen until I hit my 22nd birthday, and that is my relationship with my savior, Jesus Christ. He completely turned my world upside down upon entering his grace and presence. The most significant difference in my life was the shift in perspective it caused. I learned to become less focused on myself and more in tune and intent on what a Christ perspective would do in most situations.
The third relationship that shaped my life was with my best friend, Noble. Have you ever met someone who was raised with a different mindset than you, but because they believed in what they were taught, you were attracted to it? That’s Noble in a nutshell. Until I met him, I had never met anyone who knew Jesus, but he carried himself with a swagger that was cool, confident, and intelligent. He shaped how I viewed black excellence in a man who happened to be about the business of following Christ.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
There is something on the other side of this pain/suffering that is not for you but for someone else. Endure till the end to find out.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
My wife, Altimese, and my coaching mentors, Coach Huff and Mike Adamson. Those three people have taught me so much about what it means to have others speak for you in rooms you are not in, than any sentence you can say or write.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. When do you feel most at peace?
Three places, on long drives, especially listening to the Joe Budden Podcast on my way to Atlanta between Augusta and exit 92. When I read my Bible, dissect and pull apart scripture, and lastly, when I am in the presence of my wife and she is rubbing my back.
If you can get me in one of those three places, nothing else exists in the world for those moments. I give an honorable mention to coaching a basketball game for those 40 minutes with my players and coaches.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jamescwilliams.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachjayallday/
- Twitter: https://x.com/coachjallday
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JUST1MC
