James is the Co-Founder and CEO of LMNT, the wellness company enhancing health through hydration with their top-notch, zero-sugar electrolyte drink mixes.

On his morning & nighttime routines.

When I was younger, inconsistent sleep schedules didn't hinder my routine. These days, sleep is a significant challenge for me. So, I'm trying to adjust.

My morning routine depends on when I fell asleep the night before, which is honestly 2 AM on a good day. I try not to start meetings until 11 AM to give myself more time to snooze.

I strive for spaciousness in the morning. I might take a walk or read a mindful book.

I also limit my phone use by doing a “bomb check.” I see if any emergencies have happened; if not, I put it away. That helps remove nagging thoughts about needing to look at my phone.

On the value of returning to nature.

My wife and I just kept falling in love with Montana after moving here during the start of COVID.

We have 65 acres, a stream, and 200 elk that come by in the evenings — all for a lower price than what we had hoped to find in an apartment in SoHo.

Montana embodies that spaciousness I mentioned, so that’s key to my mental state. It really helps to get out into the mountains. I travel at least once a month and still have these intense, elevated experiences on the job or in life.

I see myself as a part of a global community — with people I’ve found through art festivals, music groups, fitness — so leaving NYC didn't equate to leaving all my friends behind.

When I’m in Montana, it’s work and nature. When I travel, it’s for a peak experience.

On picking your social circles.

With friendships, I like to see how we handle friction early on, because I want to surround myself with people who aren’t afraid to speak their minds and call me out when I’m wrong.

I think we embody that sort of realness at LMNT. We call out BS and often disagree with each other. But it’s because we have a culture of integrity and standing up for what's right.

For instance, when I met Campbell (who’s now my wife), she wouldn’t stick around if I kept up with the pace of work and declining mental health I had become accustomed to as an entrepreneur. She had her personal opinions about my outlook on life, and she told me about them immediately.

She really taught me how to own my artistry, and how artistry entails being vulnerable and rebellious. That transformation sways me to deepen our friendships with similar aspirations.

I prefer selfish friends who can take care of themselves and be whole people by themselves. That way, the friendship isn’t codependent but about sovereign nourishment and enrichment.

On meeting your obligations healthily.

In the health space, I’ve noticed that founders frequently practice these aspirational, disciplined morning routines. But the truth is I’ve long struggled with routines.

I keep up with my fitness, because that’s always helped me. At the same time, I’m constantly jumping on planes and balancing pressing aspects of my job.

A few things I have found helpful in balancing things:

I don’t take early-morning flights anymore because sleepless nights hurt my sense of presence, acuity, and even immune system. Direct flights are also key to not getting stuck with a layover.

If I have a long night out with friends on the weekend, I will prioritize sleep — even into the afternoon if needed. My body just doesn’t bounce back quickly anymore if I’ve neglected my physical needs.

Along those lines, if it’s an event with friends that I know will emotionally enrich me, I consider it a meaningful investment and plan accordingly.

On learning to do less as a CEO.

I would find myself auditing my calendar and realizing, “Man, I hardly did any of my most valuable tasks this week.” That space to prioritize has been key.

For example, it’s easy to become captive to your email inbox. I often found being a CEO was this Sisyphean task of responding to countless messages. Email-checking and constant refreshing has sadly become a compulsion for many (myself included).

I actually think we tend to under-utilize a number of our efficiency tools. How is it that we’ve made all these gains in technology, yet we’re still working just as many hours?

As a startup CEO, it seems you have to do everything to get the ship up and running — but being the CEO of a scaling organization is quite different now. It’s been humbling to see how much moves forward totally without my involvement.

I’m finding that I need to get less “right” and, in moving toward stewardship, I need to make sure we avoid making wrong moves. It’s an interesting shift.

On evolving workplace structures.

A professor at my alma mater recently asked me to visit and speak about workplace cadence.

One question was: “How can we bring more space into work environments so we have greater choice and freedom in how we operate?”

That “choice” refers to being able to intentionally use your time and talents, rather than going down that eternal email sinkhole I’ve mentioned.

The Industrial Revolution laid the foundation for our understanding of 9-to-5 jobs. You work in the factories then go home. The key is that you can only do the work on the factory floor.

People in my industry don’t live that reality anymore. There is plenty of cross-contamination between our work and home lives.

As such, we should consider structural shifts in the workplace that allow us to leave work at work. It’ll fundamentally improve output, retention, decision-making, and sustainability.

We’re trying this new 3-and-1 working structure: 3 week sprints and 1 week to rest and assess. We have a blog up about it here if you want to learn more. It’s been really great for us.

On returning to our inherent selves.

I’ve been reading Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, which details this intricate sleep experiment that concluded humans make better decisions when we sleep.

He points out how, in every language, there’s a phrase for “Sleep on it.” I find that infusion of science into our universally understood truths to be pretty funny.

It also makes me think we’re losing some of our inherent wisdom as humans.

We lack trust in ourselves. Our species has evolved for millions of years to reach this point, yet we feel we need self-monitoring technology to learn if a diet or workout is beneficial.

Sure, it can help. But I think we have an opportunity to honor the vibrant connections and wisdom we inherently have within ourselves.