CBD and Me with James Krause

In our third edition of CBD and Me, we are highlighting the legend-in-the-making, James Krause. If you are a fan of MMA, or the UFC, you already know exactly who James Krause is. James has made a name for himself as one of the most well-rounded fighters in the world. Not only is James a fantastic fighter, he also is quickly proving that he is one of the best MMA/life coaches in the entire world. He's become notorious for taking fights (both as a fighter and a coach) with little-to-no notice embodying the saying that if you stay ready, you never need to get ready. 

Krause was born in Virginia but moved to Missouri when he was two years old and spent all his formative years growing up in Missouri. He got his first taste of hand-to-hand combat when he joined his high school wrestling team at Odessa High school. James said he got started with his MMA career when he showed up to a little gym in Grain Valley, Missouri, 14 years ago to the month.  

“I immediately fell in love with the sport. It was something I really enjoyed. I enjoyed the chess piece of it… The game, the strategy, the puzzles. I was always smaller, so I liked the weight classes, and I enjoyed the fact that you could outthink somebody that was more athletic than you... There are so many moving parts to it and I really enjoy figuring out those moving parts on the fly... I just showed up to a gym one day and I never left. I’ve fought for pretty much every major organization and I never quit. I think a lot of people in this sport can’t handle the rollercoaster - The ups and downs with it. I just never really went away, and I never quit.” James said.

James’ business career may have started with MMA but it definitely doesn’t end there. We heard of James' business prowess and asked him about some of the things he does outside of MMA.

“I definitely have a lot of things going on. I am a part of three gyms that I am an owner in to some degree. I do quite a bit of real estate and I like real estate a lot. I actually have another long-term rental that I am closing on right now.”

From there we asked James how he began his CBD journey and how he was introduced to it.

“I have always been kind of skeptical of anything – like I’m not a person that takes supplements or anything. Especially with USADA coming in. I just have never found anything that really improves my livelihood that much… Where I really feel CBD has changed the game for me is my sleep. That’s been the big game changer for me is the quality of sleep I get. It’s crazy for me because I am so against taking anything. I don’t take anything – pain pills, ibuprofen, none of that. I was taking CBD a bit before joining with DirectHemp but just stopped because I didn’t feel I needed it. My sleep started to get really rough. There was like a two-month period where I just wasn’t getting good sleep at all. Terrible, terrible sleep. I felt tired all the time and I wasn’t getting that good REM sleep… I started taking CBD again and my sleep drastically got better. I felt more recovered and felt I was getting that deep, deep sleep."

To close the interview, we wanted to ask James some quick, direct questions for our audience. 

How has your knowledge of CBD changed since you first found out about it?

"Since I got with DirectHemp, I have learned about these little recipes that you can have - CBD and magnesium that I like to take (Cured Zen) and there’s just a couple other things you can mix and match. It’s really changed the game for my rest and my recovery. Especially for as much as I train. I don’t even like admitting this, but it’s true that there is beyond a shadow of a doubt that taking CBD has directly impacted the quality of my sleep and recovery. It is the truth. It’s a big player at how well I sleep and recover”

What are some of your favorite products? 

“Cured Nutrition, their tinctures and their Zen product are my two go-to products right now. I love tinctures, I don’t know why. I take the tincture and the Zen pills before bed.

What do you like about being a partner of DirectHemp.com?

“It’s pretty obvious that the great thing about DirectHemp is that it’s kind of like the Amazon of CBD. It’s not just 1 company… I’m able to try new products and new brands and experiment to see what works best for me. I’m not super-knowledgeable about the industry but DirectHemp allows me to dabble a little bit with new things I may not normally try but because of the convenience of the site and having different products under different brands, I am able to tip-toe my way in without jumping in the water all the way. For me, everything is about convenience since I don’t have a ton of time. I don’t want to go to 14 different websites, so I love that Direct Hemp has everything all in one place for me.”

For people who may not be currently following you, what types of things do you post on your social media?

“I’m a pretty laid-back person. I post about every day life – obviously fighting. I have a bunch of fighters that I have on my socials but I think I’m just a normal, everyday dude. It’s just hard-work day in and day out. Nothing crazy."

You're currently coaching out of Glory MMA in Lee's Summit, MO. About how many guys are you coaching currently, and what are your goals for the future? 

“Yes, I coach about 30-40 guys…. I’m already a full-time coach but .. Ideally, I would like to become one of the best coaches in the world. That’s my goal. I want to be one of the best MMA coaches in the world. That’s where my passion lies, that’s what I want to do. I’m still competing right now but I feel like I’m off to a really good start."

We would have to agree that James is off to a great start. He's a role model for many and we are so honored to have him as a part of the team. If you want to follow James on social media you can find him under the handle @thejameskrause. You can also find him training with his guys and fellow DirectHemp.com family member, Laura Sanko, at Glory MMA and Fitness in Lee's Summit. Do you have any questions you would like to ask James? Let us know in the comments below!