The Curious Builder

Latest Episodes:

#176 | Louise Woehrle | Whirlygig Productions | Fear, Vision, and Why Your Story Is Worth Telling Jul 27, 2026

Show notes

Louise Woehrle is a passionate storyteller whose mission is to shine a light on stories that need to be told with the hope they will serve as catalysts for change. In addition to her work as a documentary filmmaker, she is an Emmy regional award-winning Executive Producer (Grandfather's Birthday), book publisher/editor for Suicide Survivors' Club - A Family's Journey Through the Death of Their Loved One - awarded first place in the Midwest Book Award, and co-founder of the Collaborative Theater that produced an award-winning all-women original play, Women: Scenes From Life.

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The host of the Curious Builder Podcast is Mark D. Williams, the founder of Mark D. Williams Custom Homes Inc. They are an award-winning Twin Cities-based home builder, creating quality custom homes and remodels — one-of-a-kind dream homes of all styles and scopes. Whether you're looking to reimagine your current space or start fresh with a new construction, we build homes that reflect how you live your everyday life.

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella

Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Contractor Coalition Summit:

Website: https://www.contractorscoalitionsummit.com/

Where to find the Guest:

Website: https://www.whirlygigproductions.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whirlygigproductions/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/whirlygigproductions

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whirlygigproductions/

Where to find the Host:

Website - https://www.mdwilliamshomes.com/

Podcast Website - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/markdwilliams_customhomes/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MarkDWilliamsCustomHomesInc/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-williams-968a3420/

Houzz - https://www.houzz.com/pro/markdwilliamscustomhomes/mark-d-williams-custom-homes-inc

Losers are Winners | Chad Guillory's Secret to Failing Fast and Winning Bigger Jul 23, 2026

Show notes

What happens when two marketing minds start talking about failure? A surprisingly fun conversation about growth, trust, data, and why "measure, learn, change" beats chasing the perfect plan every time. Chad Guillory of CARD Companies shares hard-earned lessons from 30 years in sales and business development, proving that today's mistakes often become tomorrow's competitive advantage.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Where to find the Guest: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadguillory/

Where to find the Host: Website - https://www.mdwilliamshomes.com/ Podcast Website - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/markdwilliams_customhomes/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MarkDWilliamsCustomHomesInc/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-williams-968a3420/ Houzz - https://www.houzz.com/pro/markdwilliamscustomhomes/mark-d-williams-custom-homes-inc

#175 | Etinosa Agbonlahor | Decision Alpha | Stop Underpricing Your Work: Etinosa Agbonlahor on Money Conversations Nobody Wants to Have Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

Most business owners underprice their work not because the math is wrong but because their fears show up in the numbers, and Etinosa Agbonlahor has built an entire firm around fixing exactly that. She and Mark talk through the psychology of pricing, how to have money conversations with the people who matter most before it becomes an emergency, and why a blank price tag on a truly unique home might actually work against you. It is one of the most fascinating episodes in recent memory, and the wine study alone is worth the full hour.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Contractor Coalition Summit: Website: https://www.contractorscoalitionsummit.com/

Where to find the Guest: Website: https://decisionalpha.co/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/etinosasere/

Losers are Winners | Building Smarter Homes One Circuit at a Time with Reina Smyth Jul 16, 2026

Show notes

SPAN is the smart electrical panel that tells you exactly which circuit is draining your wallet, can charge your car only on solar power, and somehow also looks cool enough that homeowners show it off to their friends. Reina Smyth and Mark cover the origin story behind the product, the wrong QR code that caused two weeks of frustration, and Mark's very ambitious idea to turn his wellness home into a Faraday cage for family quiet time. The idea did not pan out, but it did lead to one of the better rabbit holes in recent podcast history.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Where to find the Guest: Website: https://www.span.io/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/get_span/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reinasmyth/

#174 | Don Forsman | Welch Forsman Associates | Don Forsman on Why Precision Beats Perfection Every Single Time Jul 13, 2026

Show notes

Don Forsman has 45 years of building homes and is currently building his own, which means he has never been more dangerous in a conversation about never evers and always always. He and Mark cover why you can't blame the drywaller for a bad HVAC vent, how external insulation brought wood siding back from the dead, and why precision is the goal and perfection is a trap. This one is basically a masterclass disguised as two guys talking in a sunroom.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Contractor Coalition Summit: Website: https://www.contractorscoalitionsummit.com/

Where to find the Guest: Website: https://www.welchforsman.com/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/welchforsman

Losers are Winners | Josh Frei Fought Fires for 17 Years Then Started One Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

Josh Frei spent 17 years as a firefighter before pivoting to custom saunas, which means he already knew how to show up calm, problem solve fast, and never leave a job half done. He and Mark talk through the lessons learned when too many cooks in the kitchen cost a project days of rework, why a quick phone call beats an email thread every single time, and how Symmetry earned a lifetime partnership by driving benches across the country in a rental truck. Also: a former firefighter helping people sweat on purpose is the kind of career pivot that writes its own theme song, and yes, his crew actually made one.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Where to find the Guest: Website: https://www.symmetrysauna.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/symmetrysauna/

#173 | Billy Beson | Billy Beson Company | Billy Beson on Bowling Alleys, Billionaires, & Building for 100 Years Jul 06, 2026

Show notes

Billy Beson walked into a million dollar hotel pitch with nothing but a museum poster, told the client he could make the place look like a million bucks for a million bucks, and got the job anyway. He and Mark spend an hour trading stories about Minnesota's quietest billionaires, 46,000 square foot homes with bowling alleys and car simulators, and why designing toward feelings instead of materials is the real secret to a legendary career. This one will make you laugh, make you think, and make you wish you had been a fly on the wall at every dinner party Billy's ever thrown.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Contractor Coalition Summit: Website: https://www.contractorscoalitionsummit.com/

Where to find the Guest: Website: https://www.theartemaxgallery.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BillyBesonCo

Inside the Big Wins | Alyssa Abbott & Mary Clark on the Power of Putting People in a Room Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

After pulling off six events in seven days, Mark sits down with Alyssa Abbott and Mary Clark to talk about why in-person connection is still the most underrated marketing strategy in the building industry. They cover everything from swag as a love language to why empowering your community to be your advocates beats any ad spend, and Alyssa makes the very good point that sometimes the best business move is just grilling hot dogs and saying thank you to your subs. Turns out the guy who invented fire was an influencer too, and Mark has the quotes to prove it.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Where to find the Guest: Alyssa Abbott Website: https://oliveandvinesocials.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliveandvinesocials/ Mary Clark Website: https://www.pella.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-clark-9b45b2119/

#172 | Mark Stankey & Matthew Byers | PLAAD | Design NEVER EVERs: Good Design Outlasts Trends Jun 29, 2026

Show notes

PLAAD's Mark Stankey and Matthew Byers join Mark for a deep dive into what actually makes a home authentic, and it turns out the answer has a lot more to do with composition than cost. They talk through never evers like windows to nowhere, soffit returns gone wrong, and why a quiet, well composed exterior beats a gable smashed mansion every time. Stick around for the courtyard story that proves the best design lessons sometimes come straight from the client.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

Contractor Coalition Summit: Website: https://www.contractorscoalitionsummit.com/

Where to find the Guest: Website: https://www.plaadoffice.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plaadoffice/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plaadoffice

Losers are Winners | Alyssa Abbott & Mary Clark on Why AI Can't Touch Real Storytelling Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

Two social media experts walk into Mysa Hus, and what comes out is a refreshingly honest take on the wins, the flops, and the algorithm mysteries nobody can fully explain. Alyssa Abbott from Olive and Vine Socials and Mary Clark from Pella swap stories about overworked carousels that flopped, lazy Saturday posts that crushed it, and why chasing every trending audio clip is a great way to end up in murky water. They also tackle the AI elephant in the room, and spoiler, authenticity wins every single time.

Support the show - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/shop

See our upcoming live events - https://www.curiousbuilderpodcast.com/events

Sponsors for the Episode:

Pella Website: https://www.pella.com/ppc/professionals/why-wood/

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