Born in the United States, David James came to Germany as a philosophy student in 1967. He earned his living as a language teacher, editor, programmer, and clinical research assistant. After reading the book Fit for Life in 1992, the topic of healthy living became his chief focus. He switched to a raw food vegetarian diet. One of his many inspirations was a climbing apparatus that allowed him to analyse the effects of climbing on human health. In 2001, he joined the spiritual organisation Shumei and played a key role in founding the first European Centre for Natural Agriculture based on the teachings of Mokichi Okada, the founder of Shumei.