The Entrepreneur DNA – EP 83

The Buffalo Mentality: Facing Challenges and Choosing Your Hard

Host: Justin Colby
Guest: Cole Taylor
Release Date: August 25, 2025

Episode Overview

In this inspiring episode, Justin Colby sits down with health, performance, and business coach Cole Taylor to unpack the “Buffalo Mentality”—a philosophy centered on facing life's challenges head-on rather than running from them. Cole shares how adversity fueled his transformation from "extremely fat to extremely fit," propelled him to build a business empire serving over 50,000 clients, and shaped his mission to help entrepreneurs optimize both their bodies and businesses. The conversation covers actionable mindset shifts, habit-building, data-driven fitness, the critical role of identity, and practical resources for listeners ready to upgrade their lives.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Choosing Your Hard: The Power of Perspective

[02:56–04:29]

• Cole and Justin discuss how pain is unavoidable in pursuit of big goals—whether in business, fitness, or life. The real choice is in the type of “hard” you face.
• "Being fat is hard. Being shredded is hard. Which one do you want to choose? When people start to recognize life's going to be hard either way, I just choose a different path." – Cole Taylor [03:42]
• The “Buffalo Mentality” analogy: Buffalo run into storms, minimizing their suffering, while cows run away and suffer longer. Embracing challenges rather than avoiding them accelerates growth.

2. Resilience through Adversity & Perspective

[06:53–07:25, 31:07–33:00]

• Cole shares his experience of coping with significant family loss, framing adversity as an opportunity for growth.
• He stresses that everyone has faced real pain; recalling how you got through can develop resilience and a sense of perspective on current problems.

3. From Overweight to Optimal: Cole’s Health Journey

[08:05–10:13]

• After college athletics, Cole gained 50 lbs before deciding to fully transform his body and health out of frustration with how he felt and performed.
• "I'm not just trying to lose weight. It's who I am. If I can become an athlete—athletes train, they don’t try to lose weight. And as a byproduct, I look better." – Cole Taylor [10:13]

4. The Three Pillars: Mindset, Meals, Movement

[09:41–11:32]

• Cole’s coaching centers on aligning these three pillars for sustainable health:
  • Mindset: Identity comes before action. Become the type of person who naturally does the right things.
  • Meals: Fuel your body for performance, not just aesthetics. Get granular—what works for your body may be unique.
  • Movement: Training is about feeling and performing well, not just burning calories.

5. Customization & Data-Driven Health

[11:32–13:09, 13:42–15:19, 18:17–19:47]

• Cole’s company takes a data-driven approach, using lab tests, DNA analysis, and continuous metrics (sleep, hormones, gut health) to customize recommendations.
• "Everything we do is data driven ... it becomes more human optimization than really even fitness." – Cole Taylor [14:08]
• Sustainable approaches beat quick fixes or fad diets—work with your body’s needs and find what you can stick with for life.

6. The Myth of Outworking a Bad Diet

[16:45–17:31]

• Cole and Justin debunk the belief you can simply “train off” poor nutrition.
• "Every single thing I put in my body is fuel... if I'm giving it high quality premium fuel to let it run like a race car, or am I going to give it junk fuel and I feel bad." – Cole Taylor [16:46]

7. Sustainability over Extremes

[19:47–22:07]

• Quick-fix approaches like extreme diets or challenges (e.g., 75 Hard) might deliver results but rarely create lasting change.
• Over-restricting or crash dieting damages metabolism and makes future progress harder.
• Shift the focus from tactics to belief and identity to ensure lasting transformation.

8. Coaching Entrepreneurs: The Four F’s Framework

[22:14–24:22]

• Cole encourages entrepreneurs to assess their lives in four core arenas: Faith, Family, Fitness, and Finance.
• Key questions for self-assessment:
  • Where am I now?
  • Where do I want to be?
  • Who must I become to get there?
  • What standards and habits does that person uphold?

9. Identity Change: The Missing Link

[20:33–21:00, 24:22–26:46]

• True change begins with embracing a new identity rather than just adopting new habits.
• "Belief modification leads to behavior modification. If I believe something different, then I behave in a certain way. Try to just change behaviors—eventually you will revert back." – Cole Taylor [20:46]
• Most people plateau because they focus on tactics, not on transforming the internal narrative.

10. The Importance of Giving, Faith, and Paying it Forward

[30:14–34:09]

• Cole attributes his resilience and success to his faith and a belief that life’s challenges are gifts, meant to be used for serving others.
• "The mindset I built my life on is my whole life is a gift that I’ve been given to now give to others." – Cole Taylor [33:00]
• He challenges listeners to use their own hardships and “zones of genius” to positively impact the world.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Being fat is hard. Being shredded is hard. Which one do you want to choose?" – Cole Taylor [03:42]
• "It's not how do I try to lose weight, it's how do I—let's step back and ask, who do I need to become first?" – Cole Taylor [10:08]
• "You can't outwork out a bad diet." – Justin Colby [16:45]
• "Everything we do is data driven... it becomes more human optimization than really even fitness." – Cole Taylor [14:08]
• "Belief modification leads to behavior modification." – Cole Taylor [20:46]
• "I can't fix what I won't face. If I don't get clear on where I am now—if I try to hide it, I can't heal." – Cole Taylor [23:04]
• "It’s the start that stops most people. Nobody ever actually gets to the starting line." – Cole Taylor [28:10]
• "The mindset I built my life on is my whole life is a gift that I’ve been given to now give to others." – Cole Taylor [33:00]

Practical Resources & Takeaways

Cole’s Free Resource

[28:15–29:26]

• Cole offers an in-depth, free health optimization guide, including meal and workout templates, calculators, and testing recommendations—all typically worth thousands of dollars.
• Get the free guide: Cole360.com → Click "Coaching" → Download "Free Plan"
• "That’s the same program that I follow... it's the calculations and numbers that I use." – Cole Taylor [29:53]

Connect with Cole Taylor

• Instagram: @coledavidtaylor
• Website: Cole360.com

Episode Segments & Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------------------------|:------------:| | "Choosing Your Hard" & The Buffalo Mentality | 02:56–04:29 | | Building resilience through loss | 06:53–07:25 | | Cole's personal fitness journey | 08:05–10:13 | | Three Pillars: Mindset, Meals, Movement | 09:41–11:32 | | Data-Driven Health & Business Philosophy | 11:32–15:19 | | Diet culture, sustainability, and harm of extreme quick-fixes | 19:47–22:07 | | Four F’s & Entrepreneur Self-Reflection | 22:14–24:22 | | Identity change & sustaining long-term growth | 24:22–26:46 | | Getting started & accessing Cole’s free resource | 27:39–29:26 | | Serving from your zone of genius, belief, and faith | 30:14–34:09 |

Final Thoughts

This episode is packed with tangible mindset strategies, the science behind sustainable health, and proven performance hacks honed by Cole’s personal and entrepreneurial experiences. The overarching message: life will present challenges, but the fastest way forward is to face the storm like a buffalo, leverage adversity as fuel, and become the person who achieves your vision—inside and out.