Everybody has a plan when life is going right.

But what happens when life hits you with something you never saw coming?

That’s when you find out whether you actually built yourself for the cold.

Most people ask, “How do I fit everything in?”

Wrong question.

The better question is: What matters enough that I’m willing to make time for it?

In this episode of Built for the Cold, Joe breaks down the mindset of intense intentionality—building your life around standards, systems, priorities, and preparation instead of hoping motivation shows up when you need it.

Because you don’t get the life you intend to have.

You get the life your standards allow.

From 23 years of consistent training, to building businesses, coaching high-performing sales organizations, being a husband and father, and navigating responsibilities and adversity that don’t conveniently fit into a calendar—Joe shares why “balance” isn’t about doing everything.

It’s about knowing what deserves your time, eliminating what doesn’t, creating margin for the people who matter, and building systems strong enough to keep you moving when life gets heavy.

In this episode:

• Why “finding time” is the wrong mindset
• The difference between intention and intense intentionality
• Why your smallest daily decisions are constantly shaping your self-image
• How systems create freedom instead of restriction
• Why preparation matters more than opportunity
• How to build margin for your marriage, family, health, and career
• Why adversity exposes the standards you actually live by
• How to recognize when something that once served you needs to be left behind

Anyone can look disciplined when conditions are perfect.

The question is who you become when they're not.

Stop drifting. Build the systems. Raise the standard. Make time for what matters.

Because the goal isn't to build a life that only works when things are easy.

The goal is to become Built for the Cold.

Connect with Joe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joewannerofficial/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-wanner-19632bab/
Website: https://www.thejoewanner.com

Make a Cold connection with exercise physiologist, sales coach, and much more @JoeWannerOfficial on Instagram

What if the worst thing that ever happened to you ended up building the best parts of your life?

At 21 years old, Chris Kiefer lost his father to pancreatic cancer.

It could have broken him.

Instead, it forced him to confront something most people don’t confront until much later in life:

You do not have unlimited time.

That loss changed the career Chris chose, the woman he married, the brother he became, the father he wanted to be, the businesses he built, and ultimately the man he became.

And Chris says something in this episode that may stop you in your tracks:

He’s reached a point where he can actually be grateful for what happened.

Not because losing his father wasn’t devastating.

But because of the fruit that grew from the pain.

This episode is about what happens when adversity doesn’t just hurt you—it reorders your entire life.

In this episode of Built for the Cold, Joe sits down with entrepreneur, father of five, and founder of Boolean Automation, Chris Kiefer, for a conversation about loss, fatherhood, faith, technology, entrepreneurship, and what actually matters when life strips away the illusion that you have unlimited time.

Chris was only 21 when his father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away.

Before that moment, Chris was headed toward what looked like a successful and predictable future in aerospace engineering. He interned at Lockheed Martin, performed well, and had a job waiting for him after graduation.

Then his perspective changed.

Instead of moving across the country and chasing the career he thought he wanted, Chris returned home, became deeply involved in his younger brother’s life, eventually walked away from engineering, became an entrepreneur, married young, and began building an entirely different life.

Chris explains why one question transformed the way he processed his father's death:

“What is the worst thing that ever happened to you—and how was it also the best thing that ever happened to you?”

The conversation goes deep into the small moments that define fatherhood—the five-minute phone calls, showing up to games nobody else cares about, celebrating insignificant victories that are significant because your child cares about them—and why Chris now measures fatherhood by whether his children will someday want to call him with those same little wins.

Joe and Chris also examine the battle modern entrepreneurs face between ambition and presence, especially as technology, business, social media, and AI constantly demand more attention.

From there, the conversation turns toward AI and the future.

Rather than approaching technology purely from fear, Chris explains why he chooses “Team Optimism,” how he uses AI creatively with his children, why technological efficiency tends to create more—not less—opportunity, and why he believes entrepreneurs with a strong moral compass need to actively participate in the next technological revolution.

Chris also breaks down how he built Boolean Automation, an extremely specialized company helping large painting contractors automate their businesses, and why the internet and AI are creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to solve problems at a level of specificity that previously would have been impossible.

Ultimately, this episode isn't just about grief, AI, entrepreneurship, or parenting.

It's about deciding what adversity is going to produce in you.

You don't get to rewrite what happened.

But you do get to decide what you build from it.

• Losing his father at 21: How pancreatic cancer and the death of Chris's father radically changed his trajectory.
• The question that reframed tragedy:
  “What is the worst thing that's ever happened to you—and how was it also the best thing that's ever happened to you?”
• Pain can reorder your priorities: Why Chris walked away from the expected Lockheed Martin engineering path and returned home.
• Adversity accelerated maturity: Chris believes losing his father forced him to develop perspective he otherwise may not have gained for another decade.
• Presence over prestige: Chris once felt embarrassed that his father was “just” a PE teacher. As an adult, he realized his father's presence mattered infinitely more than an impressive title.
• The moments your kids remember: Why a five-minute phone call after basketball practice can matter more than accomplishments, money, or status.
• The left-handed layup: Chris shares the emotional story of winning a meaningless recreational basketball game—and realizing the only person he desperately wanted to call was his dad.
• A different definition of fatherhood: Success isn't simply providing for your children. It's becoming the person they still want to call when something small goes right.
• Ambition versus presence: The internal battle entrepreneurs face when their mind is constantly trying to consume, learn, build, and stay ahead.
• Breaking the technology addiction: Chris discusses removing social media from his phone during Lent and realizing just how automatic the habit had become.
• Raising kids in an AI world: Instead of immediately fearing AI, Chris is experimenting with ways to use it to create, teach, connect, and reinforce positive messages with his children.
• “Team Optimism”: Why Chris would rather believe technology can be used for good and be wrong than spend his life expecting the worst.
• AI as an amplifier: Technology itself isn't necessarily the problem—the character and intention of the person wielding it matter.
• Why cheaper creation creates more creation: Chris explains why dramatically reducing the cost of software, music, automation, and content may increase human experimentation rather than eliminate it.
• Faith in the age of AI: Why technological advancement doesn't change Chris's belief that humanity remains extraordinarily small compared with God and creation.
• His bigger mission: Chris wants to help 1,000 Christians start or acquire businesses during his lifetime.
• The power of extreme specialization: How Boolean Automation built an entire business around automating systems specifically for painting companies.
• The opportunity of the internet: Hyper-specific expertise that once couldn't support a company can now attract precisely the right customers from around the world.
• The central Built for the Cold lesson:
  You cannot control every adversity that enters your life. You can control what you allow that adversity to build.

Connect with Chris

The Pursuit of Purpose Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-pursuit-of-purpose/id1337457439

https://helloboolean.com/

Connect with Joe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joewannerofficial/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-wanner-19632bab/
Website: https://www.thejoewanner.com

Make a Cold connection with exercise physiologist, sales coach, and much more @JoeWannerOfficial on Instagram

"Entrepreneurship is like running a race, but no one's telling you where the finish line is. Just run. We'll tell you when to stop."

David grew up in New Jersey with teenage drug-addicted parents, lived in 20 different places before high school, and battled his own 20-year heroin addiction. After hitting rock bottom on his grandmother's pullout couch with nothing but two bags of clothes, he got clean in 2012 — and built a $15 million insurance business from scratch.

In this raw conversation, David shares his entire journey: the $20K he made in his first 6 months selling insurance, why he turned down millions in disaster relief work to stick with his vision, and how he went from sleeping on a futon to making $1 million passively in year four.

🔥 Free Resources
The Cold Call Resilience Method™: https://perform.peakperformanceprospecting.com/performanceprograms
Built for the Cold Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/built-for-the-cold/id1792647112

Chapters
(0:00) The Race With No Finish Line
(1:24) Growing Up With Drug-Addicted Parents
(3:17) How Rock Bottom Became His Advantage
(6:38) The Millionaire Dream Started Early
(10:23) Why Adversity Kills Fear of Failure
(14:24) $20K in 6 Months — Then Everything Changed
(19:59) The 12-Step Meeting That Saved His Life
(24:44) Tony Robbins, Grant Cardone & Obsession
(33:13) No Alarm Clock: Sleep as a Weapon
(38:23) Business Is Like Video Games
(45:50) There's No Such Thing as Balance
(48:50) $200K → $500K → $1M Passive
(59:40) One Conversation Changed Everything

Connect with Joe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joewannerofficial/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-wanner-19632bab/
Website: https://www.thejoewanner.com

#entrepreneurship #addiction #recovery #insurance #salestraining #mindset #builtforthecold

Make a Cold connection with exercise physiologist, sales coach, and much more @JoeWannerOfficial on Instagram

"I love being the underdog." – Milind Gupte

The Underdog Advantage

Milind was told he was too analytical to sell. He failed the sales assessment. They said he should be an engineer. Most people would’ve accepted that label. He didn’t. He kept the letter, hung it on his wall, and used it as fuel. That underdog edge became the fire behind everything he built. This episode is about what happens when doubt becomes drive.

Pressure Is Privilege

From corporate America to building his own company, Milind didn’t chase comfort — he chased growth. He leaned into pressure instead of running from it. While others slowed down after small wins, he stacked momentum. Follow up. Service. Work ethic. Discipline. The things no one sees are the things that compound. Pressure isn’t punishment — it’s proof you’re playing a bigger game.

Freedom Through Responsibility

Milind has walked through the D’s — divorce, doubt, difficult seasons. He’s built, rebuilt, and refined who he is. Today, he values time as much as money. He’s self-employed, competitive, still evolving, still sharpening his edge. The market changes. Sales changes. Technology changes. But character, consistency, and resilience don’t. That’s what keeps you relevant. That’s what keeps you dangerous.

If the information in these episodes have helped you in your business journey, please subscribe to the show and leave an honest review.

Make a Cold connection with exercise physiologist, sales coach, and much more @JoeWannerOfficial on Instagram

"Clarity doesn’t create movement. Execution does." – Joe Wanner

Why Goals Alone Don’t Move You
In this episode, Joe Wanner breaks down why goal setting without execution leads to frustration, not progress. Most people don’t fail because they lack goals — they fail because they rely on motivation instead of systems. Joe explains how hidden assumptions, limiting beliefs, and the perfection complex quietly sabotage momentum before it ever starts.

Systems Beat Willpower Every Time
Execution requires structure. Joe unpacks why systems create consistency when life gets chaotic and motivation fades. From urgency and decision-making to eliminating friction, this episode shows how forward movement is built through repeatable actions — not perfect plans. If you’ve been waiting for the “right time,” this conversation will expose why urgency matters more than confidence.

Moving Forward Through Real Life
Life doesn’t pause for your goals. Distractions, stress, and unexpected challenges are part of the process — not excuses to stop. Joe shares how to move forward anyway, even when conditions aren’t ideal. The Forward Formula isn’t about doing more — it’s about removing the barriers that keep you stuck and choosing progress over perfection.

If the information in these episodes have helped you in your business journey, please subscribe to the show and leave an honest review.

Book Recommendation: The Science of Getting Rich By Wallace Waddles

Chapters
00:00 New Year, New Opportunities
01:23 The Science of Getting Rich
03:41 Executing Your Goals
08:38 Overcoming Barriers to Success
12:13 Empowerment and Control

Make a Cold connection with exercise physiologist, sales coach, and much more @JoeWannerOfficial on Instagram

"I didn’t just survive the pressure. I found purpose in it." – Moritz Lohr

Thrown Into Life Too Early
 At just 12 years old, Moritz had to grow up fast. There was no clear plan, no real guidance — just pressure. His dad was doing the best he could, fully focused on caring for Mo’s mom through a serious health battle. That left Mo emotionally on his own. And when he really considered what it would mean to lose his mom, the weight of that fear hit deep. This episode explores what it means to become a man before you even know who you are.

The Mask of Performance
 Moritz opens up about how success became his mask. From bodybuilding to high-ticket sales, he bulldozed his way forward — driven by pain, hiding the cracks. We talk about the “D’s” that tried to destroy him: depression, debt, and destructive relationship patterns. He shares how pushing through became a way to avoid healing, and what it took for him to finally stop performing and start becoming.

A Man With Love and Legacy
 Mo had to get real about the man he was in past relationships — and do the work to become someone better. Now? He’s married to an incredible woman, looking forward to raising strong, grounded kids, and living from a place of purpose. He’s traded aesthetics for utility — no longer chasing bodybuilding trophies, but training for tactical races that demand more than muscle. From faith to fatherhood, healing to legacy, this episode is what Built for the Cold really looks like in a man.

If the information in these episodes have helped you in your business journey, please subscribe to the show and leave an honest review.

Connect with Mo: @ernsthetics 

Chapters

00:00 – Intro: Built for the Cold
 02:11 – Sent Out at 12
 07:49 – Growing Up Alone
 12:35 – Performance as Protection
 18:22 – Success and Pressure
 24:41 – Suppressing Pain
 30:58 – The Panic Attack
 38:19 – Starting the Inner Work
 43:02 – Faith and Fatherhood
 49:18 – Building Financial Legacy
 55:27 – Final Reflections

Make a Cold connection with exercise physiologist, sales coach, and much more @JoeWannerOfficial on Instagram

"Fear is the compass. Resistance is the map." – Joe Wanner

The Thing You Resist Is the Thing You Need
 In this episode, I break down the two tools that will never lie to you: resistance and fear. And I challenge you with this — the thing you’re resisting most right now is probably the exact thing you’re supposed to do. Not because it’s comfortable, but because it’s costly. Resistance reveals the assignment. Fear confirms its value. If you're still wondering what your next move is, look for the one you keep putting off — that’s where your true north is hiding.

Friction Is What Moves You
 We live in a world that tries to eliminate friction — but nothing moves forward without it. Planes need drag to lift. Tires need grip to roll. Growth needs challenge to transform. In this episode, I reframe resistance not as something to avoid but as something to press into. Because the more something pushes back, the more it matters. The friction you’re feeling isn’t a stop sign — it’s momentum trying to build.

Action Brings the Clarity You’re Waiting For
 I close this episode with three books that helped me lean into this mindset: The War of Art, Turning Pro, and Do the Work. These aren’t just books — they’re playbooks for facing resistance, killing excuses, and moving anyway. You don't wait for clarity and then act. You act — and clarity shows up in motion. That’s how you lead your life during separation season: by doing the hard thing you’ve been avoiding and letting it change you.

Book Recommendations:

By Steven Pressfield: War of Art, Turning Pro, Do the Work

Chapters

00:00 Embracing Adversity and Building Consistency

01:28 Understanding Resistance and Fear as Guides

04:00 Overcoming Limiting Beliefs and Finding Purpose

Make a Cold connection with exercise physiologist, sales coach, and much more @JoeWannerOfficial on Instagram

"Momentum works both ways. The question is: which direction are you stacking?" – Joe Wanner

Momentum Never Stays Neutral
 In this episode, I break down a truth most people ignore: you’re either gaining momentum or losing it — there’s no middle ground. I talk about how the small, daily choices you think don’t matter actually make all the difference. Momentum isn’t just movement. It’s energy stacking over time. And if you're not intentional about it, life will push your boulder backward before you even realize you stopped pushing.

The Slight Edge That Changes Everything
 Drawing from personal stories, track coaching, and books like The Compound Effect and The Slight Edge, I explain why it’s not about doing more — it’s about doing small things consistently. Just one shift in direction, like a plane off course by a few degrees, determines where you end up in 1, 5, or 10 years. I talk about using this time of year — the curve — as your slingshot, not your slowdown.

Start So Small It Feels Stupid
 Most people wait for the perfect plan. But real momentum starts with one action you can repeat. I challenge you to pick something simple — walking for five minutes, writing one sentence, stacking one habit — and just begin. The universe, momentum, and even infinite intelligence respond to consistency. And when you move, you don’t just shift your results — you shift who you are.

If the information in these episodes have helped you in your business journey, please subscribe to the show and leave an honest review.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Separation Season

02:52 Overcoming Adversity and Fear of Success

06:08 Building Consistency and Momentum

08:53 Practical Steps for Habit Formation

Make a Cold connection with exercise physiologist, sales coach, and much more @JoeWannerOfficial on Instagram

"You don’t access infinite intelligence with logic — you access it through alignment." – Joe Wanner

A Force Bigger Than Willpower
In this episode, I walk you through a power most people don’t tap into — not because it isn’t available, but because they aren’t aligned enough to receive it. I’m talking about what Napoleon Hill called “infinite intelligence.” It’s that mysterious force that creates breakthrough ideas, right-place-right-time moments, and inner knowing you can’t explain. If you’ve ever felt stuck, it might not be a strategy problem — it could be a spiritual blockage.

The Formula Behind Flow
I break down the real, actionable ways you start to command the support of infinite intelligence in your life. It’s not just about thinking positively — it’s about building a life that sends a clear demand: I’m ready. I cover burning desire, unshakable faith, subconscious belief, and the power of speed when you feel a nudge. Success loves speed. Poverty loves delay. You either move when you’re called, or miss what was meant for you.

Alignment Unlocks Everything
From friendships and fitness to ideas and intuition, I talk about how alignment affects every area of your life. When you’re spiritually aligned and persistent over time, the universe brings people, clarity, and opportunities to your aid. You’re not “lucky” — you’re connected. But infinite intelligence doesn’t reward dabblers. It rewards the committed. And if you want to receive more in your life, it starts with how you’re living when no one’s watching.

If the information in these episodes have helped you in your business journey, please subscribe to the show and leave an honest review.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Separation Season

02:50 Understanding Infinite Intelligence

06:08 The Role of Subconscious in Success

08:47 Aligning with the Right People

11:36 The Demand for Infinite Intelligence

15:00 Persistence and Consistency in Achieving Goals

Make a Cold connection with exercise physiologist, sales coach, and much more @JoeWannerOfficial on Instagram

"You can’t align with blessing while drifting in distraction." – Joe Wanner

The Energy That Works With You — Or Against You
In this episode, I share why spiritual alignment matters more than most people realize — especially during separation season. Whether you call it God, the universe, or just divine order, there’s a force that either flows with you or pushes against you. When you’re off track, even a little, it shows up everywhere — in your energy, your relationships, your habits, and your results. Nothing stays neutral. You’re either building or breaking.

Your Habits Reveal Your Alignment
I challenge the idea that you can “dabble” in self-sabotage without consequences. From casual vices to hidden distractions, I talk about how even one misaligned choice — like one drop of iodine in water — shifts everything. This episode unpacks how true spiritual alignment isn’t about being perfect. It’s about removing what blocks your soul from the good that’s already trying to reach you.

A Personal Story of Repentance and Reward
I share the real story of how I went from broken and uncertain after a divorce… to finding peace, clarity, and even my future wife — all through alignment. In a freezing cabin in northern Wisconsin, I confronted myself. I repented, I listened, and I wrote down what I truly wanted. What followed was undeniable. You don’t earn spiritual alignment by trying harder — you receive it by getting honest. And when you do, everything starts working for you again.

If the information in these episodes have helped you in your business journey, please subscribe to the show and leave an honest review.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Separation Season

01:24 The Power of Acceptance and Consistency

02:48 Spiritual Alignment and Momentum

05:13 Health of the Soul and Personal Growth

07:38 The Journey to Spiritual Alignment and Love

Make a Cold connection with exercise physiologist, sales coach, and much more @JoeWannerOfficial on Instagram