Our new ICE Academy website is finally live!

Check it out at https://intentional-cold-exposure.com – there you’ll find everything about Intentional Cold Exposure (ICE for short),
our ICE Coaches, and upcoming journeys and trainings.  

So far, the website and our Academy program are available in German only — but we’re already working on English versions of both!

Last year’s ICE Coach Academy program was a great success, and this year’s training is nearly fully booked. If you're interested in joining an English-speaking training in 2026, let us know — if enough people are in, we’ll make it happen!

P.S.: As our calendar is packed for the next winter season once again, we’re treating ourselves to a longer break in Thailand this summer! We’ll be back in Germany just in time for the FlowFest in Munich – will we see you there?

Intentional Cold Exposure

​What is the best form of cold exposure?

In recent years, cold exposure has become very popular. With this popularity, a multitude of opinions, protocols, and methods have emerged on how to best utilize the cold. Already in Kneipp's bestseller "Meine Wasserkur" (1886) various forms of cold exposure were introduced. Nowadays, countless online influencers spread a variety of self-developed protocols. But what is the best form of cold exposure?

My answer is: It depends on YOU!
It depends on you, your intention, and your situation!

What do I mean by that? We all have different intentions (regeneration, fun, resilience, cold tolerance building, symptom relief), prerequisites (past experiences, mood, health, energy level, body type), and find ourselves in different situations (water temperature, outside temperature, weather, location, and surroundings of the ice bath).

Your intention is one of the most important factors determining which form of cold exposure is best for you!
Depending on why you want to practice cold exposure, one approach may be more suitable for you than another (see my book "The Healing Power of Cold").

Develop your own personalized practice:
(1) Intention: Consider why you want to do it.
(2) Prerequisites: Be aware of yourself and how you feel.
(3) Situation: Take into account the current weather conditions and local circumstances.

The best form of cold exposure = Intentional Cold Exposure!
Cold exposure that aligns with YOUR intention, YOUR body, and YOUR situation!

If you are interested in teaching Intentional Cold Exposure to others, then let us train you to become an ICE Coach!

ICE* Academy

ICE* Academy (Intentional Cold Exposure)
Due to the increasing media hype surrounding the cold, we felt the need to establish a training program with high safety and quality standards. The vision of the ICE Academy is to train competent instructors who are able to familiarize people responsibly with various forms of cold exposure. The ICE training is for any cold enthusiast who wants to teach others cold exposure in a safe and mindful manner. 
Course language: German (English Course may be available 2026) / Fee: 2750,- EUR per person including accommodation & food 
Write to us if you would like to join in one of the upcoming years when the course is available in English! [email protected]
​

YEARBOOK WIM HOF TRAVELS 

Since 2017, we have accompanied a total of 29 groups and hundreds of people!
Write to us if you would like to join in one of the upcoming travels! [email protected]
​Yearbook 2017-2023: a review of 21 trips! A minute full of memories of incredible moments and wonderful people!
​We look forward to seeing new and old faces next season!

ALUMNI TRAVEL November 2025

18th-25st of November 2025       
Place: Shambala Gatherings, Sweden
Language: english

This trip will be a wonderful opportunity for us to reconnect, relive old memories, create new ones, and explore this magical place together. It will also be a premiere for us, so we are inviting only people like you, who are already somewhat familiar with us and the experience of ice bathing.
Shambala is a retreat centre in the middle of the Swedish forest and located directly at a lake! 

Participation Fee: Sliding Range 1,750 EUR to 2,250 EUR
(includes shared room accommodation & meals)

The Sliding Range principle gives you the flexibility to choose your participation fee within a set range – depending on what works for you. You can choose between the following amounts, with accommodation and meals always included:
  • 1,750 EUR: For those who need financial support due to their current life circumstances.
  • 2,000 EUR: This amount covers the minimum teaching costs plus accommodation & meals for this seven-day retreat.
  • 2,250 EUR: For those who would like to use their payment to also enable someone else to participate, who otherwise couldn’t afford it.
To enable even more people to join, once the minimum participant number of 7 is reached, we will offer two discounted spots at half price (1,000 EUR). This discount is made possible through Shambala’s support, as the retreat location will waive 50% of the accommodation and meal costs once the minimum number of participants is met.

​Send an email to [email protected] to sign up.​

About me and my life

After completing my PhD in molecular biology (June 2012), it was clear to me that neither an academic career nor a career in the pharmaceutical industry would fulfill me. In order to find a new purpose and to recover from Burnout symptoms that arose due to the exhausting pressure during my PhD, I decided to take a break. I traveled South-East Asia for nearly a year. In northern Thailand I came into contact with meditation for the first time - in retrospect, I am sure that this was the first step in the right direction and towards a healthier future ...

After my return I worked for a biotechnology company in business development (February 2014- September 2017). During these years my desire for more freedom, for more space for development and personal growth grew steadily - but also my courage. I reduced my weekly working hours and completed my yoga teacher training. In April 2016 I founded my own company to teach the relaxation techniques that have helped me to deal better with work-related stress. 
It makes me happy to see how yoga, breathing techniques and meditation also helps my students deal better with stress.  When I realized how important this work is, I decided to start two further educations despite working part-time in biotech and being self-employed already. I wanted to learn more about stress reduction methods - and understand how they affect the body within. In early 2017 I started my training as a Wim Hof ​​trainer and my education to become a Naturopath. Before passing both exams in winter 2017, I did quit my biotech job completly! I did never regret that step! 
There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do – Freya Stark

My BooK: the Healing Power of the Cold

The Iceman
German
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English
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Czech
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Italian
I wrote a book about the many benefits of cold exposure!! Currently it is available in german, italian and czech.
And I have good news: there will be an english version of my book! I will translate & publish it myself - so it will still take a moment... 
If you are interested in receiving an email as soon as its available, please fill in your email adress here. If you have a moment please fill in the short questionaire as well   - THANK YOU!

On Instagram, my Blog and Facebook I share my knowledge in english.
I am happy if you follow me on the social media platform of your choice ;)

Thank you,
Josephine​

P.S. You will love these blog posts - written by my partner in love & crime, Douwe van den Berg:

PodCasts

  • The Wim Hof Method: Through Pregnancy, Birth and Motherhood with Josephine Worseck Transforming Matters with Rachel Babaganov (Podcast, September 2023)
  • The Meaningful Life with Andrew G. Marshall Ep.62 Josephine Worseck: Stress Reduction: TheTransformative Power of Cold Exposure (English Podcast, December 2021)
  • Reduce Your Stress with Tim Ringgold - Episode 81 Cooling Down w/ Josephine Worseck (English Podcast, November 2021)
  • What is Cold Therapy  The Fitmess #66 Dr. Josephine Worseck (English Podcast, März 2021)
  • We are I Podcast  #185 - WE are I with Dr. Josephine Worseck, This english podcast is about my journey of becoming a Wim Hof Instructor (Podcast, Juni 2020)
  • We are I Podcast  #179 - WE are I with Dr. Josephine Worseck, This english podcast is all about cold therapy (Podcast, Juni 2020)

Wim Hof Method ConTraindications

The Wim Hof Method can be practiced by every healthy individual. If you are dealing with a serious medical condition, we advise to counsel a healthcare professional before attempting any of the WHM techniques. We advise against practicing the WHM if you are dealing with any of the following:
•    Epilepsy
•    High blood pressure 
•    Coronary heart disease (e.g. Angina Pectoris; Stable Angina)
•    A history of serious health issues like heart failure or stroke
If you suffer from migraines, we urge you to be cautious about taking ice baths. If you are pregnant, we recommend to avoid the Wim Hof breathing!