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Jim Curtis is under a brighter spotlight now that he’s known as Jennifer Aniston‘s new boyfriend. However, he is also a recognizable name in the health and wellness space. As a hypnotherapist and coach, Jim made it his mission to help others, and he was inspired to pursue his passion by his own illness. Jim’s personal health problems, including living with a limp at one point, are making headlines, and fans of Jennifer are curious to learn more about him.

“After years of living with a chronic, misdiagnosed illness and emotional trauma, he found a way to heal that honored both the body and the soul,” Jim’s website indicates. “His work is rooted in that experience — and in the belief that no matter how stuck or broken you may feel, transformation is always possible.”

Hollywood Life breaks down everything we know about Jim’s illness and how he’s doing now below.

Jim Works in the Health & Wellness Space

As previously noted, Jim works as a hypnotherapist, coach and author. He’s published two books: Shift: Quantum Manifestation Guide and The Stimulati Experience: 9 Skills for Getting Past Pain, Setbacks, and Trauma to Ignite Health and Happiness. 

“For over two decades, Jim has been a voice in the wellness world — holding leadership roles at WebMD, Everyday Health, and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN),” Jim’s website bio reads. “He’s coached entrepreneurs, creatives, and public figures through deep inner work — blending neuroscience, subconscious reprogramming, and emotional healing.”

What Illness Was Jim Curtis Diagnosed With?

Jim currently uses a cane to walk. When he was 22, doctors found lesions on his spinal cord.

“My own illness and disability forced me to confront the limited beliefs, disconnection, and trauma that were keeping me sad, sick, and alone,” Jim’s website indicates. “Through many powerful tools, including hypno-realization, I not only transformed my physical health, depression, and relationships, but I’ve also helped thousands of others break free to create an entirely new reality full of connection, community and love.”

During a 2018 interview with Fast Company, Jim opened up about his condition, which caused him to have muscle spasms, a limp and even paralysis at one point.

“It was unknown how they started, but I very rapidly became ill and soon had trouble walking,” Jim said. “My illness was telling me something about the perception of who I was, [which to me] was this macho guy; I was an athlete, and I had a plan to work on Wall Street, so I did it.”

Noting that his Wall Street job “couldn’t have been a worse choice,” Jim explained that it was “super high-stress, which is inflammatory and devastating for a condition like mine. It increased symptoms of fatigue and pain, and it brought on new ones like IBS [irritable bowel syndrome] and other things I couldn’t control.”

Jim stayed at his job for two years before transitioning into the health industry.

Does Jim Curtis Have a Disability?

It’s unclear if Jim currently lives with a disability, but he recalled living with a limp during his 2018 Fast Company interview.

“Often, I would never broach [the subject of my illness] because I was walking with a limp, and I didn’t want to get into the ‘why,’” Jim explained. “So, for most of the time, I lied. I made up a story because I wasn’t vulnerable enough to tell this story. So, I said I’d been in an accident – often it was motorcycle accident – because that fit perfectly, that’s kinda cool, and that’s tough enough.”

Jim elaborated on the other symptoms he lived with, including IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), noting that he “hid [his] condition, and it was really hard for [him].”

“Up until 10 years ago, I had IBS, and accidents happened a lot,” Jim explained. “As a salesperson on the road a lot, I would have to walk through major airports literally for a couple miles; I didn’t want to wait for a wheelchair and trip and fall and be so sweaty. I was doing that and not talking about it and pushing through. When something terrible happened — which it did — I would go into disaster mode or go home and take care of it, and go back to work for another day. I was definitely depressed. You don’t realize what a toll that takes. [Since] I was in sales, I was entertaining [and consumed] a lot of bad food and alcohol and was easily 50 pounds overweight.”