James Clear

James Clear was raised in Hamilton, Ohio, and graduated from Denison University in 2008 with a degree in biomechanics, where he served as captain of the baseball team. After college, Clear began working as a performance coach for athletes and executives and started writing about habits, decision making, and improvement in 2012; his interest in small behavioral changes was influenced in part by his recovery from a serious cranial injury suffered while playing baseball. Building on years of writing and the audience he developed through a popular email newsletter, Clear published Atomic Habits in 2018, presenting a framework for making small, consistent changes that compound into major improvements over time. Since the success of Atomic Habits, Clear has been a regular keynote speaker for Fortune 500 companies and major events, teaches through online programs, contributes essays and articles, and donates a portion of income to charitable causes such as the Against Malaria Foundation.