Born and raised in Jonesville, Louisiana with his mother, four aunts and uncles, and grandparents, James T. Beckham grew up deprived of much. Their home had no running water or electricity. From the age of five , James and his aunts and uncles (who were like his cousins) planted, raised, and hand picked cotton for a wage of half a penny per bushel. His dreams were to get an education and move off to have a family.
James went on to be the first person from the Beckham family to go to college. He attended Northwestern University in Louisiana on a full ride track and field scholarship. There, he obtained his bachelor’s degree in business administration.

He worked in various jobs during his middle aged years including construction, banking, and selling time shares with Wayne Newton; he did all of this while raising a family of two children. From there, he went on to become an entrepreneur owning a financial consulting company. A few of his major clients included Crocker Bank and QVS network. This career soon turned into a motivational speaking career.

James was a motivational speaker until forced to retire at the age of fifty-four when he was diagnosed with melanoma. Doctors estimated that he had less than six months to live. After receiving this news, he moved to Mexico to begin a holistic treatment which enabled him to outlive all medical predictions. After a few years, he then moved to West Palm Beach, Florida where he continued his treatments.
James now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada where he plays poker with his idols and loves every second of life. He has taught me that no matter where you come from, success is never out of reach. As he says, “Life is precious; treat it well.”