Parkinson's: An Athlete's Journey

Jodie was already a CrossFit athlete when she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2025. She had boxed for years, competed in bodybuilding, and had no intention of giving up competition.

After her diagnosis, she set her sights on competing in adaptive CrossFit.

In her first season, Jodie finished 11th in the world in her division in the Adaptive CrossFit Open and qualified for the semifinals. She ultimately chose not to pursue the Games that year, but she wants to make another run at it next season.

Jodie and Eric talk about what training toward a goal like that looks like with Parkinson’s. They also get into adaptive competition, returning to golf, her 22 years in nursing, and where she wants to go from here.

Top Takeaways

➡️ Training has to change with the day.

Jodie found that even established CrossFit programs could be too much volume. She now mixes different approaches and adjusts her training based on how she is feeling rather than forcing herself to follow one program exactly.

➡️ Adaptive competition still has room to improve.

Jodie’s experience at the New Zealand Championships showed her what real inclusion can look like, with adaptive athletes competing on the main floor and being treated as part of the event rather than an afterthought.

➡️ Parkinson’s is changing how Jodie thinks about what comes next.

After 22 years in nursing, Jodie is starting to think about what happens if she can no longer do the work she has done for so long. She is also looking at ways to bring together her experience in nursing, fitness, and Parkinson’s to become more involved in the Parkinson’s community.

Key Moments

01:50 Early Parkinson’s Symptoms; Boxing, Weight Training & CrossFit
04:14 CrossFit Coach Notices Changes; Seeking Medical Help
05:00 Testing for MS; Parkinson’s Diagnosis
08:08 Telling Her Family; Life After Diagnosis
09:34 Non-Motor Symptoms; When You Can’t “Just Send It”
10:54 Adaptive CrossFit; 11th in the World; Qualifying for Semifinals
12:12 Adjusting CrossFit Training With Parkinson’s
14:12 Adaptive CrossFit Classification; Competition Standards
16:04 Bodybuilding, Nutrition & Parkinson’s
17:02 Starting Parkinson’s Medication; Stiffness & Rigidity
20:24 Carbidopa/Levodopa; Protein & Training
22:58 Chasing the CrossFit Games
24:47 Adaptive Competition; Inclusion at the New Zealand Championships
26:00 CrossFit Community; From Bodybuilding to CrossFit
27:34 Competitive Bodybuilding; Discipline & Diet
28:55 Returning to Golf; All Abilities Golf
31:56 Parkinson’s, Rigidity & the Golf Swing
33:09 Adaptive Bodybuilding
34:24 All Abilities Golf; Paralympic Possibilities
35:58 Jodie’s Response to Her Parkinson’s Diagnosis
38:29 Young-Onset Parkinson’s; Hesitating to Join Support Groups
39:22 Getting Involved in the Parkinson’s Community
40:38 Nursing, Identity & What Comes Next

Connect with Jodie

Instagram: @trainingthroughparkinsons
Facebook: Jodie Tickle

About the Host

Eric Von Frohlich is a fitness entrepreneur, coach, and athlete living with Parkinson's who founded EVF Performance and Row House before his diagnosis in 2020. On the podcast he talks with athletes, experts, and people refusing to let a diagnosis be the end of the story.

Parkinson’s: An Athlete’s Journey

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
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🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Lorrie Karn has spent 36 years working in fitness and wellness, much of it with people who need exercise adapted to their individual abilities.

Today, she directs Benefitness Adaptive Gym and is completing her doctorate in Health & Wellness Psychology, where she is studying the benefits of exercise for people with movement disorders. She works with people across a wide range of ages and abilities, including people at different stages of Parkinson’s.

Eric and Lorrie talk about how Parkinson’s can change posture, gait, spatial awareness, and the connection between the brain and body. They also get into forced exercise, boxing, pickleball, jiu-jitsu, dancing, group training, and how to find the right kind of movement for where you are right now.

Key Takeaways

➡️ The best exercise is the one you’ll actually do.

Lorrie’s research found benefits across different types of exercise. For someone with Parkinson’s, consistency matters, and that can start with something as simple as walking, swimming, or getting outside and moving.

➡️ Training should be adapted to the person in front of you.

Posture, gait, balance, spatial awareness, health history, and where someone is in their Parkinson’s journey can all affect how they train. Lorrie uses those differences to decide where someone should start and what they can build toward.

➡️ Some types of exercise challenge the brain and body at the same time.

Boxing, dancing, pickleball, jiu-jitsu, and other activities ask you to coordinate movement, react, maintain spatial awareness, and process what your body needs to do next.

➡️ Start small and build from there.

A Parkinson’s diagnosis can make exercise feel like one more thing to figure out. Lorrie encourages people to begin with achievable goals rather than trying to change everything at once, then add more as they are ready.

Key Moments

01:55 Lorrie’s Path Into Adaptive Fitness & Movement Disorders
04:00 Continuing Her Education After Decades in Fitness
06:50 A Parkinson’s Diagnosis Doesn’t Define the Person
08:00 How Lorrie Assesses Someone Before They Begin Training
09:10 Proprioception, Spatial Awareness & Parkinson’s
12:00 Posture, Center of Gravity & Shuffling
14:35 Finding the Right Exercise & Starting at the Right Level
17:00 Why Benefitness Integrates People With Different Abilities
20:20 Getting to Know the Person You’re Training
23:45 Starting the Day With Parkinson’s
25:00 Five Categories of Exercise & What Lorrie’s Research Found
26:45 Boxing, Cognitive Processing & Mind-Body Training
28:00 Pickleball, Jiu-Jitsu & Spatial Awareness
29:05 Forced Exercise & Working Both Sides of the Body
30:35 Dancing, Marching & Coordinating Mind and Body
31:35 The Best Exercise Is the One You’ll Do
32:50 Starting Small & Building Achievable Wins
36:05 Group Exercise, Community & Social Connection
37:35 Mixing Different Types of Training
38:20 Overtraining & Knowing When to Pull Back
49:15 Adapting to What Your Body Needs That Day
49:50 Comparing Yourself to Others & Celebrating What You Can Still Do

Connect with Lorrie

Benefitness Adaptive Gym:https://www.benefitnessgym.org/

LinkedIn:Lorrie Karn

Benefitness Social Media:Instagram, Facebook, TikTok & YouTube

About the Host

Eric Von Frohlich is a fitness entrepreneur, coach, and athlete living with Parkinson's who founded EVF Performance and Row House before his diagnosis in 2020. On the podcast he talks with athletes, experts, and people refusing to let a diagnosis be the end of the story.

Parkinson’s: An Athlete’s Journey

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📘 Facebook: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Kate McLaughlin knows what it means to rely on sport when things get difficult.

A former Division I lacrosse player and longtime coach, she still draws on many of the things she learned as an athlete: repetition, hard work, relying on a team, and adapting when circumstances change.

Those lessons have taken on new meaning since Kate was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s in 2023.

Kate continues to train regularly, with boxing, strength, agility, and coordination work all part of her week. She and Eric reflect on how her diagnosis changed her approach to life, and how she’s had to adapt her mindset while finding her way forward. They also talk about adjusting expectations without losing the drive to keep pushing, the role her family and coaching community continue to play in her life, and how the Bigfoot Lacrosse Classic has allowed her to bring the sport she loves into the fight against Parkinson’s.

Key Takeaways

➡️ The athlete mindset carries beyond the field.
Kate sees repetition, discipline, problem-solving, and learning to rely on a team as skills that prepared her to face obstacles well beyond sport, including Parkinson’s.

➡️ Progress means adjusting what you compare yourself to.
Kate still feels the frustration of not being able to do what she once could. She is learning to recognize what her body can do today while continuing to train and challenge herself.

➡️ Training remains a priority.
Boxing, strength, agility, and coordination work are regular parts of Kate’s week. Her family understands how important that training is and helps her protect the time to keep doing it.

➡️ Community can turn uncertainty into action.
Family, friends, coaches, fellow athletes, and the lacrosse community have given Kate support through difficult days. Through the Bigfoot Lacrosse Classic, that community has also become part of her work to raise awareness and funds for Parkinson’s research.

Key Moments

3:30 Lacrosse; First Signs Something Was Wrong
5:40 Son’s College Recruitment; Parkinson’s Changing Perspective
7:25 Athlete Mindset; Repetition, Obstacles & Adaptation
8:40 Parkinson’s Diagnosis; Early Symptoms & Diagnosis Experience
12:30 Community Support; Bigfoot Endurance & Finding Hope
15:20 Confirming the Diagnosis; Friends & Support
18:30 Family; Building the Right Parkinson’s Care Team
20:50 Dystonia; Running & Changes After Diagnosis
24:30 Second Opinion; Trying to Out-Train Parkinson’s
25:50 Telling Her Children; Choosing to Fight
27:15 Bigfoot Lacrosse Classic; Turning to Sport for Action
30:45 Isolation, Community & Finding Other Athletes With Parkinson’s
33:30 Family; Experiencing Parkinson’s as a Parent and a Daughter
38:30 Vulnerability; Losing the Feeling of Being Invincible
41:40 Comparing Past & Present Athletic Performance
43:15 Boxing; Training With Parkinson’s
46:30 Children, Young Athletes & Parkinson’s Advocacy
48:30 Coaching; What Sport Teaches Young Athletes
51:50 Bigfoot Endurance; Lacrosse, Fundraising & Parkinson’s Research

Connect with Kate

Instagram: @cr.icket8596
Bigfoot Endurance:http://bigfootendurance.com2026 Bigfoot Endurance Fundraiser:https://give.michaeljfox.org/event/2026-bigfoot-endurance/e744653

About the Host

Eric Von Frohlich is a fitness entrepreneur, coach, and athlete living with Parkinson's who founded EVF Performance and Row House before his diagnosis in 2020. On the podcast he talks with athletes, experts, and people refusing to let a diagnosis be the end of the story.

Parkinson’s: An Athlete’s Journey

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📘 Facebook: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Ashley Ellis is preparing to row more than 5,000 miles around the eastern United States as captain of the Human Powered Potential Second Wave crew.

Beginning in spring 2027, the six-woman team will row America's Great Loop — the roughly 5,200-mile waterway from Florida up the Intracoastal, through the Great Lakes, down the Mississippi, and back around the Gulf. If successful, they will become the first crew to row the route.

Ashley was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s at 40. Since then, she has found herself saying yes to more things in life, from experiences with her family to challenges she might not have considered before. The Great Loop is the biggest example of that yet.

Ashley and Eric talk about preparing for the Great Loop, adapting to endurance rowing, why she chose to row the same boat that made the first-ever Pacific crossing with a Parkinson's crew, and how she found the community that got her back on the water.

Key Takeaways

➡️ Diagnosis changed what Ashley was willing to say yes to.

After being diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s at 40, Ashley began thinking differently about what she might otherwise put off. That has included more experiences with her family, returning to rowing, and now preparing for the Great Loop.

➡️ Seeing another rower with Parkinson’s gave her proof she could return.

When Ashley questioned whether balance and coordination changes would keep her from rowing, she found a video of Paralympic rower Todd Vogt. Seeing someone with Parkinson’s out on the water was enough for her to believe she could do it too.

➡️ The Great Loop requires a different kind of athlete.

Ashley and her crew are moving from short rowing efforts to months of endurance work, including two-hour rotations, overnight rowing, unfamiliar waterways, fueling, navigation, and learning how to function while tired.

➡️ Community has been part of every stage of Ashley’s journey.

Ashley sought out other women with Parkinson’s after her diagnosis, found support within rowing, and is now part of a six-woman crew learning how to rely on each other through fear, fatigue, and uncertainty.

Key Moments

0:00 Ashley’s early-onset Parkinson’s diagnosis and return to rowing
3:30 Finding community after diagnosis
7:00 Seeing another rower with Parkinson’s and believing she could row again
8:45 Saying yes to more after Parkinson’s; living in the now
12:00 Family, being present and saying yes
13:00 Human Powered Potential and finding a bigger purpose for rowing
15:00 The idea to row America’s Great Loop
17:00 The 5,200-mile route and becoming the first crew to row it
18:45 Adapting from short-distance to endurance rowing
19:30 Training for the Great Loop; two-hour rotations and 48-hour sessions
21:00 Navigating unfamiliar waterways, boat traffic and nighttime rowing
23:00 Bioluminescence, dolphins and the realities of training on open water
25:00 Parkinson’s, sleep disruption and managing the demands of the row
26:00 Building trust, vulnerability and teamwork within the crew
29:00 Exercise and having something she can actively do after diagnosis
32:30 Finding meaning beyond reaching the finish line
34:00 Four months on the water; rowing clubs and community along the route
35:30 Fueling for around-the-clock endurance rowing
37:00 Family support and partnering with The Michael J. Fox Foundation
39:30 Becoming more open about living with Parkinson’s
41:45 “Chosen suffering is a privilege”; Parkinson’s and taking on hard things
42:30 Preparing herself and the crew for uncertainty on the water
45:00 The 2027 launch and how to follow Human Powered Potential Second Wave
46:00 Ashley’s message for someone newly diagnosed
47:00 “Rowing the Ocean of Hope”

Connect with Ashley

Website: https://humanpoweredpotential.org/
Instagram (Ashley): @shaky.but.unshakable
Instagram (Human Powered Potential): @humanpoweredpotential
Facebook: Human Powered Potential
YouTube: @HumanPoweredPotential
LinkedIn: Human Powered Potential
Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/1095227

About the Host

Eric Von Frohlich is a fitness entrepreneur, coach, and athlete living with Parkinson's who founded EVF Performance and Row House before his diagnosis in 2020. On the podcast he talks with athletes, experts, and people refusing to let a diagnosis be the end of the story.

Parkinson’s: An Athlete’s Journey

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📘 Facebook: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Michael Lu has been playing hockey since he was four. In 2018, years after being diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s, he was recognized by the Anaheim Ducks as their honorary “21st Duck” and skated onto the ice with the team at Honda Center.

Michael was diagnosed at 29, after experiencing symptoms as far back as high school. His younger brother was diagnosed even earlier, and the two have had very different experiences with the disease.

Michael still plays hockey, trains regularly, and looks for ways to keep doing the things he enjoys as Parkinson’s changes what his body can do.

In this conversation, he and Eric talk about adapting when the game plan stops working, the difficult side effects of medication, how years of sport prepared Michael for Parkinson’s, and why he no longer measures a good day by the numbers alone.

Key Takeaways

➡️ Sport gave Michael practice at adapting.
Years of swimming, hockey and snowboarding taught him not to treat mistakes as the end. When something stops working, he changes the game plan, tries another approach and keeps going.

➡️ Preparation helps, but Parkinson’s can still move the target.
Michael builds extra time, medication, food and sleep into his routine, knowing that what works one day may not work the same way the next.

➡️ The way he measures a good day has changed.
Michael pays less attention to times and more to whether he enjoyed being out there. His body may not do everything it once could, but he still puts value on what it can do.

Key Moments

00:21 Michael and his brother’s young-onset Parkinson’s diagnoses
02:53 Growing up with hockey, swimming and water polo
05:10 Staying active to keep living life as himself
06:16 Early symptoms and using medication to keep snowboarding
07:34 Seeing how far Parkinson’s had progressed while off medication
08:26 Preparing for unpredictable days with Parkinson’s
09:56 Medication side effects, dyskinesia and impulsivity
12:10 Sleepless nights, racing thoughts and the next-day impact
13:37 Two brothers, two very different experiences with Parkinson’s
16:19 Michael’s work as a school psychologist
18:42 How being an athlete prepared Michael for Parkinson’s
20:52 Focusing on what he can control
22:11 Michael’s daily routine, training and adult hockey
24:38 Training for the unexpected in sport and Parkinson’s
27:15 Why Michael decided to share his Parkinson’s publicly
28:38 Letting go of times and changing how he measures a good day
30:25 Purpose, serving others and continuing to set goals
31:12 Learning to live with discomfort instead of fighting it

Connect with Michael

Instagram: @mikeyhasparkies
Facebook: @mikeyhasparkies
YouTube: @mikeyhasparkies
TikTok: @mikeyhasparkies

About the Host

Eric Von Frohlich is a fitness entrepreneur, coach, and athlete living with Parkinson's who founded EVF Performance and Row House before his diagnosis in 2020. On the podcast he talks with athletes, experts, and people refusing to let a diagnosis be the end of the story.

Parkinson’s: An Athlete’s Journey

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📘 Facebook: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

hris Hamper has been obsessed with climbing ever since he can remember.

When he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 13 years ago, one of his first thoughts was that he wouldn’t be able to climb anymore. He soon found that wasn’t the case. Chris has continued climbing throughout his diagnosis, even as Parkinson’s has made some movements and parts of the sport increasingly difficult.

That experience became the subject of the documentary The Parkinson’s Project, which follows Chris and the role climbing continues to play in his life with Parkinson’s.

Chris talks about the unexpected ways Parkinson’s has affected him, how he has kept climbing as his abilities have changed, and why he believes you can still get better at things after a diagnosis.

Key Takeaways

➡️ You can still get better at things after diagnosis.
After 13 years with Parkinson’s, Chris still believes there is room to learn, improve, and take on new challenges. His own experience has included continuing to climb, rebuilding a car, learning new skills, and recently taking up cycling.

➡️ Adaptation has kept Chris climbing.
As his left hand became harder to use, Chris changed how he moved between holds, became more selective about routes, and relied on friends for parts of climbing that had become difficult.

➡️ Effort can stay high even when performance changes.
Chris still prefers attempting harder climbs over choosing something easy. He says he tries as hard now as he did when he was climbing at his best, even though the level has changed.

➡️ Parkinson’s can affect the drive to do something you love.
Chris talks about losing the anticipation he once felt around surfing and snowboarding, and how the data and gamification of Zwift have helped give him another reason to keep pushing himself.

Key Moments

06:00 Early Parkinson’s signs in the classroom and on the climbing wall
07:10 Initial ALS concern and receiving a Parkinson’s diagnosis
08:54 Early symptoms and expectations after diagnosis
09:50 Returning to climbing after thinking it was over
10:18 Adapting his climbing around changes in his left hand
12:17 Changing how he taught physics with Parkinson’s
14:36 Multitasking, apathy and everyday challenges
16:25 Losing the ability and desire to snowboard and surf
18:28 Finding a new challenge through Zwift
20:52 Why harder climbs can sometimes be easier with Parkinson’s
22:58 Freezing on the climbing wall
23:18 Lead climbing, fear and continuing to try hard
24:50 The story behind The Parkinson’s Project
26:01 Advice for someone newly diagnosed
26:25 Rebuilding a car and learning new skills after diagnosis
27:28 Blackouts, vivid dreams and the decision to stop driving
29:14 Balance problems and newer Parkinson’s symptoms
32:06 Climbing identity and competing in paraclimbing
34:19 What’s next: climbing at Rocklands in Africa
35:11 Becoming the best climber, teacher and Parkinson’s patient he can be

Connect with Chris

Instagram: @chris.mj.hamper
Movie Website: The Parkinson’s Project

About the Host

Eric Von Frohlich is a fitness entrepreneur, coach, and athlete living with Parkinson's who founded EVF Performance and Row House before his diagnosis in 2020. On the podcast he talks with athletes, experts, and people refusing to let a diagnosis be the end of the story.

Parkinson’s: An Athlete’s Journey

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📘 Facebook: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Becky Johnson has spent decades pushing her limits.

She has raced ultramarathons, trained in CrossFit for more than a decade, and recently earned a spot at the CrossFit Adaptive Games. Training has always been part of how she approaches challenges, long before she was diagnosed with Parkinson's.

When subtle changes began affecting her running, grip strength, and coordination, Becky assumed they were unrelated. After months of appointments, spinal surgery, and eventually a Parkinson's diagnosis, she had to learn how to train in a body that no longer responded the way it once had.

In this conversation, Becky shares how she has adapted her training, why the CrossFit community became an essential part of her recovery, and what it takes to keep showing up on the mornings when Parkinson's makes even getting out of bed feel difficult. She also reflects on learning to ask for help, balancing intensity with consistency, and why adaptability, more than resilience, has become the mindset that guides her forward.

Key Takeaways

➡️ Adaptability became the foundation for staying an athlete.
Becky explains why resilience alone is not enough. Parkinson's constantly changes the equation, requiring athletes to adjust their training, routines, expectations, and even long-term plans without giving up on progress.

➡️ Community made it possible to keep moving forward.
From recovering after spinal surgery to competing at the CrossFit Adaptive Games, Becky describes how training alongside others kept her connected, accountable, and prevented the isolation that often follows a Parkinson's diagnosis.

➡️ Consistency matters more than intensity.
Instead of chasing personal records every day, Becky shares how she scales workouts, manages medication, prioritizes recovery, and focuses on showing up consistently so she can keep training for the long term.

➡️ The first goal after diagnosis is simply the next step.
Rather than thinking years into the future, Becky encourages newly diagnosed people to focus on the next breath, the next task, and the next decision. Breaking overwhelming moments into manageable steps helped her regain a sense of control.

Key Moments:

0:41 Finding CrossFit and the Adaptive Games
3:50 Qualifying for the CrossFit Adaptive Games with Parkinson's
5:35 Why getting to the gym starts with small wins
10:11 The symptoms that didn't seem like Parkinson's
13:54 A spinal surgeon changes the diagnosis
19:07 Recovery, community, and learning to ask for help
22:45 Rebuilding athleticism on a different path
26:47 The invisible reality of living with Parkinson's
27:53 Why CrossFit works so well for Parkinson's
32:41 Training around medication and symptom fluctuations
38:14 Finding belonging at the Adaptive Games
40:35 Adaptability versus resilience
41:50 Advice for someone newly diagnosed
45:18 Protecting your energy and setting boundaries
46:16 What's next: mobility, strength, and long-term training
49:13 Balancing intensity with consistency
51:42 Redefining identity beyond athletic achievements

Connect with Becky

Instagram: @beckyjohnson_1971

About the Host

Eric Von Frohlich is a fitness entrepreneur, coach, and athlete living with Parkinson's who founded EVF Performance and Row House before his diagnosis in 2020. On the podcast he talks with athletes, experts, and people refusing to let a diagnosis be the end of the story.

Parkinson’s: An Athlete’s Journey

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📘 Facebook: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Jodi Brown is the CEO of Parkinson Association of the Rockies (PAR), a nonprofit serving people with Parkinson's and their care partners across Colorado and Wyoming.

After leaving a career in corporate marketing and finance, Jodi helped transform the organization, expanding exercise programs, support groups, educational events, equipment loans, and community services while doubling its revenue, services, and staff. Her work is built around a simple idea: the sooner people connect with resources and other people living with Parkinson's, the better equipped they are to keep moving forward.

In this conversation, Jodi shares what she's learned from supporting thousands of people living with Parkinson's, why connecting with the right resources early matters, and how community, exercise, and education help people continue moving forward after diagnosis.

Key Takeaways:

➡️ Support looks different in every community.
Parkinson Association of the Rockies builds programs around the needs of each community rather than using the same model everywhere, recognizing that access, geography, and local resources vary widely across Colorado and Wyoming.

➡️ Connecting early can change the experience after diagnosis.
Jodi explains why so many people wait months or even years before seeking support, and why finding exercise, education, and community early helps people better understand the condition and feel less alone.

➡️ Exercise is only one part of living well with Parkinson's.
While movement remains central, Jodi discusses the importance of support groups, education, care partner resources, and practical services that help people continue navigating life with Parkinson's.

Key Moments:

0:30 Jodi's Journey to Parkinson Association of the Rockies
4:17 Why Every Community Needs Different Support
6:43 The Five Pillars of Parkinson Association of the Rockies
14:20 Research, Conferences & What's Changing
17:00 Why the First Months After Diagnosis Matter
20:20 Building the Future of Parkinson Association of the Rockies
26:56 Jodi's Advice for the Newly Diagnosed
29:04 Finding Your Way Back to Movement

Connect with Parkinson Association of the Rockies

Website: https://parkinsonrockies.org/
Instagram: @parockies
Facebook: Parkinson Association of the Rockies
YouTube: Parkinson Association of the Rockies
LinkedIn: Parkinson Association of the Rockies

About the Host

Eric Von Frohlich is a fitness entrepreneur, coach, and athlete living with Parkinson's who founded EVF Performance and Row House before his diagnosis in 2020. On the podcast he talks with athletes, experts, and people refusing to let a diagnosis be the end of the story.

Parkinson’s: An Athlete’s Journey

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📘 Facebook: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Eric and Todd are back together on the pod, catching up on everything that has changed since they last sat down.

Todd has started a new full-time job, Eric has been recovering from a medical procedure, and both of them have been trying to find their footing with movement, training, and the usual unpredictability that comes with Parkinson’s.

They talk about getting back into exercise, building routines that can survive real life, and Eric’s recent fishing trip to Alaska, where a little planning, a few adaptations, and support from the people around him made it possible to stay fully part of the experience.

They reflect on how easily life can start to get smaller after diagnosis, and how friendship, preparation, and being willing to accept help can keep more of it open.

Key Takeaways

➡️ Life can get smaller before it has to.
Eric and Todd talk about how Parkinson’s can lead people to step back from plans, travel, and everyday experiences before they know what is still possible.

➡️ Adaptation keeps you in the experience.
On Eric’s fishing trip to Alaska, support from family, help with the physical details, and clear expectations allowed him to stay involved instead of sitting the trip out.

➡️ Accepting help is not the same as giving up independence.
The conversation explores the discomfort of relying on others and how the right support can make it possible to keep training, traveling, and participating in the parts of life that matter.

Key Moments

00:00 Eric and Todd Catch Up; Moving, Recovery & Life Updates
05:41 Todd’s New Work Routine; Making Exercise Automatic
06:36 Eric Returns to the Rowing Machine After Three Months
07:50 Alaska Trip; Doubt, Balance & Showing Up Anyway
10:11 Learned Helplessness; How Life Can Start to Get Smaller
11:53 Saying Yes When Parkinson’s Makes Plans Uncertain
12:21 Asking for Help; Independence, Frustration & Daily Challenges
14:50 Travel, Medication Timing & Disrupted Routines
16:27 Adapting the Fishing Trip; Support That Keeps You Involved
17:23 Family Support; Accepting Help Without Feeling Like a Burden

About the Hosts

Eric Von Frohlich and Todd Vogt are athletes living with Parkinson’s, sharing the day to day reality of training, adapting, and figuring it out as they go. They explore what helps, what does not, and how to keep moving forward with purpose.

Parkinson’s: An Athlete’s Journey

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Rob Warner’s athletic life was built one challenge at a time.

First it was climbing stairs. Then Mount Whitney. Then cycling. Then triathlons. Each step gave him a new way to measure effort, build confidence, and stay connected to what his body could do.

When Parkinson’s symptoms first appeared, Rob thought he was dealing with an injury from a triathlon fall. Instead, after a long diagnostic process that included an early concern about ALS, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2008.

Since then, Rob has kept adapting. He has trained, raced, raised money through Parkinson’s events, gone through DBS, dealt with freezing, falls, dyskinesia, a broken back from a bike crash, and still continued looking for ways to stay active.

Rob talks with Eric about family, faith, humor, cycling, the Ride to Phoenix, and why movement still matters after nearly two decades with Parkinson’s.

Key Takeaways

➡️ Movement kept giving Rob a way forward.
From Mount Whitney to cycling to triathlons, Rob kept finding new challenges that helped him stay connected to his body before and after diagnosis.

➡️ Adaptation is not one decision. It keeps changing.
Rob has adjusted through DBS, medication changes, freezing, dyskinesia, falls, injuries, and new tools like an e-bike. The work is ongoing.

➡️ Support matters when it protects agency.
Family, guides, doctors, and riding partners help Rob keep participating without turning him into someone who needs to be pitied or held back.

➡️ Community turns effort into purpose.
Through fundraising, Cycling to End Parkinson’s, the Ride to Phoenix, and the World Parkinson’s Congress, Rob uses movement to connect with others and build something larger than his own diagnosis.

Key Moments

0:59 Life before diagnosis; Lancaster, Edwards Air Force Base, flight test engineering
2:33 First symptoms; left pinky movement, arm swing changes, triathlon fall
3:22 Early ALS concern; waiting for answers with four young children
4:18 Parkinson’s diagnosis; relief, uncertainty, and having something concrete to face
5:05 Hiding symptoms at work; disclosure, coworkers, and relief after telling the truth
7:08 Family response; humor, support, and not being treated with pity
10:24 Athletic background; Mount Whitney, cycling, and finding triathlon
14:28 Racing with symptoms; dystonia, running backward, and adapting mid-race
18:00 Moving closer to care; family support and the realities of daily limitation
22:51 Exercise becomes advocacy; fundraising through Parkinson’s events
23:56 Choosing DBS to protect his ability to exercise
24:13 DBS experience; medication changes, tuning, and symptom relief
27:44 Parkinson’s risk; bike crash, broken back, falls, and challenging easy sayings
31:14 E-bike support; adapting tools for long-distance riding
32:25 Cycling to End Parkinson’s; Ride to Phoenix and family logistics
35:45 Riding from Salt Lake to Phoenix; trikes, heat, support, and endurance
37:33 Rock Steady Boxing, rock climbing, pickleball, and movement variety
38:53 Freezing and sport; why pickleball can feel almost normal once play begins
40:18 World Parkinson’s Congress; community, research, and being around people who understand
41:41 New infusion therapy; managing on/off time and medication delivery
45:21 Advice for the newly diagnosed; Parkinson’s is not life-ending
48:08 Movement as the message; cycling, running, swimming, boxing, jujitsu, and doing something

Team Utah - Pedal for Parkinson's
Facebook Page: PedalForParkinsonsUT

About the Host

Eric Von Frohlich is a fitness entrepreneur, coach, and athlete living with Parkinson's who founded EVF Performance and Row House before his diagnosis in 2020. On the podcast he talks with athletes, experts, and people refusing to let a diagnosis be the end of the story.

Parkinson’s: An Athlete’s Journey

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Larry Grogin is nearing the end of one of the most demanding endurance challenges imaginable: 100 marathons in 100 consecutive days.

With only a few runs left, Eric catches up with Larry as he nears the end of a journey that has taken him more than 2,500 miles across the United States. What began as a challenge built around Parkinson’s, exercise, and possibility has become something more personal, more practical, and more revealing. Larry has learned what happens when the body hurts, the mind gets tired, the weather turns, and the road still has to be covered.

In this conversation, Larry reflects on what the first 97 days have taught him about adaptation, support, medication, movement, and the mental tools that help him keep going. He talks about slow warm-ups, hard miles, music, nature, community, and the surprising strength that comes from doing the work day after day.

Key Takeaways

➡️ Hard days connect the easy days.
Larry describes the rough stretches of the challenge as temporary, not permanent. Over 97 days, he learned that the bad miles, low-energy windows, and painful moments always shifted if he kept moving.

➡️ Adaptation happens through repetition.
The daily marathons forced Larry to respect slow warm-ups, listen to his body, and let his running improve through consistent use. By the end, he felt smoother, stronger, and more like a runner than when he started.

➡️ Support made the challenge possible.
Larry is clear that the run was not done alone. Sponsors, drivers, family, Parkinson’s groups, and strangers across the country helped carry the effort, reminding him that accepting help is part of endurance.

➡️ The diagnosis is not the finish line.
When speaking to newly diagnosed people, Larry’s message is direct: Parkinson’s changes things, but it does not mean life is over. Movement, community, and the willingness to try can still create a path forward.

Key Moments

00:31 Reconnecting with Larry Grogin near the end of 100 marathons in 100 days
01:02 What the challenge taught him about pain, overuse, and time
02:03 Tough days connect the easy days
02:48 The 40% of dopamine-producing nerves still doing their job
09:34 The support team behind the run
10:31 Returning to the site of Larry’s first triathlon
12:14 Medication consistency and changes during the challenge
13:05 Why slow warm-ups became even more important
14:22 Looking stronger at the end of each marathon
15:32 Parkinson’s Warriors, Durango, and the power of community
18:42 Learning to accept help
21:45 Mental tools for hard miles: music, calls, nature, and birds
25:25 The role of rhythm, music, and running cadence
27:06 What Larry would tell someone newly diagnosed
29:25 Running for people who think they cannot
32:17 The people Larry met across the country
37:19 What Larry would tell his 2019 self
38:00 Learning that every downtime ends
39:11 What an athlete’s mindset means after Parkinson’s
41:41 “Larry is running for people who think they cannot, but they’ll try”

Connect with Larry Grogin
Strides for Humanity / Run Larry Run: https://dpf.org/runlarryrun
IG: @runlarryrun26
Follow the journey: #RunLarryRun

About the Host

Eric Von Frohlich is a fitness entrepreneur, coach, and athlete living with Parkinson's who founded EVF Performance and Row House before his diagnosis in 2020. On the podcast he talks with athletes, experts, and people refusing to let a diagnosis be the end of the story.

Parkinson’s: An Athlete’s Journey

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Ryan Cotton has been part of Rock Steady Boxing since it was thirty boxers in an aerobics room.

With more than 20 years of clinical experience and a Doctorate in Health Science, he joined as a board member before becoming Chief Scientific Officer and eventually President and CEO. When his father was diagnosed with Parkinson's, the work became personal.

By then he already understood what the research said and what the gym floor proved: that people who keep moving do better, and that engaging with the disease early changes its trajectory.

This episode covers what changes after a diagnosis and what helps people stay engaged in the life they still want to live. Exercise as daily medicine, building the right medical team, and the support systems that offer both understanding and accountability.

Key Takeaways

➡️ Exercise is part of the treatment plan, not an optional add-on.
Ryan explains why consistent, moderate-to-high intensity exercise has become central to Parkinson’s care, with benefits that can show up physically, emotionally, and neurologically.

➡️ The best exercise is the one you will keep doing.
Boxing is one model, but Ryan is clear that movement can take many forms. Cycling, rowing, dancing, strength work, etc., or a mix of disciplines can all matter if they keep someone engaged.

➡️ Community turns exercise into accountability.
The gym becomes more than a place to train. It becomes a place where people compare notes, check on each other, offer encouragement, and sometimes give the push someone needs to keep going.

➡️ Early action changes the experience of diagnosis.
Ryan encourages newly diagnosed people to build the right team, take medication consistently, find their form of exercise, and surround themselves with support before isolation or apathy take over.

Key Moments

00:33 Ryan Cotton’s background and early involvement with Rock Steady Boxing
02:33 When Parkinson’s became personal through Ryan’s father
04:44 Why Ryan became a physical therapist
06:22 How Rock Steady Boxing connected Ryan’s clinical work to Parkinson’s
08:14 PT, OT, speech therapy, neurologists, and the team approach to Parkinson’s
10:31 The “lottery no one wants to win” and the range of Parkinson’s symptoms
11:31 What newly diagnosed people should focus on first
13:52 Eric’s morning routine, mindset, breath work, and stackable wins
18:39 Ryan’s path from board member to Chief Scientific Officer to CEO
22:50 The early growth of Rock Steady Boxing
24:20 Why exercise matters so much for Parkinson’s
26:58 Physical, emotional, and neurological benefits of consistent exercise
28:29 Apathy, dopamine, and finding exercise you actually enjoy
32:07 Social and emotional transformation through Rock Steady Boxing
33:36 Accountability, support, and peer-to-peer knowledge in the gym
35:38 A retired Marine’s shift from isolation to a half marathon
38:13 Why some people become thankful for what diagnosis brought into their life
40:17 Reflections from the World Parkinson’s Congress
41:19 Scaling Rock Steady Boxing while protecting the mission
46:22 Exercise collaboration across the Parkinson’s community
49:23 Ryan’s definition of resilience

Connect with Ryan

LinkedIn: Ryan Cotton
Instagram: @rock_steady_boxing
Website: https://rocksteadyboxing.org/

About the Host

Eric Von Frohlich is a fitness entrepreneur, coach, and athlete living with Parkinson's who founded EVF Performance and Row House before his diagnosis in 2020. On the podcast he talks with athletes, experts, and people refusing to let a diagnosis be the end of the story.

Parkinson’s: An Athlete’s Journey

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Jorge Quintero’s work with Parkinson’s began in the operating room.

As an electrical engineer working in neurotechnology, he supported deep brain stimulation surgeries and watched people with severe tremors experience immediate changes once stimulation was turned on. That experience led him deeper into clinical neuroscience and into a question that now shapes much of his work: how much can the brain change when it is trained with the right demands?

Jorge is now a clinical neuroscientist, NASM certified personal trainer, and founder of NeuroGym, an athletics gym built around mental health and brain performance. His approach blends neuroscience, fitness, and practical movement training for people dealing with brain conditions, including Parkinson’s.

Eric and Jorge explore what Parkinson’s changes in the brain and body, and why varied, athletic training can help people keep building capacity after diagnosis. They get into deep brain stimulation, neuroplasticity, cognitive reserve, proprioception, progressive muscle relaxation, rope flow, learned helplessness, and the value of doing things that are challenging enough to wake the system up.

Key Takeaways

➡️ The brain needs challenge to keep adapting.
Jorge returns to neuroplasticity throughout the conversation, especially the idea that the brain can keep changing when it is asked to learn, coordinate, remember, balance, and move in new ways.

➡️ Parkinson’s training has to go beyond cardio and strength.
Eric and Jorge talk about the value of varied athletic training, including balance, footwork, proprioception, reaction, rope flow, cognitive load, and skills that keep the body solving problems.

➡️ Confidence is part of movement.
Freezing, shuffling, and hesitation are connected to how clearly the brain reads the body and the environment. Better sensory input, balance work, and body awareness can help rebuild trust in movement.

➡️ Learned helplessness can shape the diagnosis experience.
Jorge and Eric discuss how quickly people can begin living inside the limits they expect. The conversation pushes toward action, curiosity, social connection, and training that gives people evidence they can still adapt.

Key Moments

00:50 Jorge’s background in engineering, neuroscience, DBS, NeuroGym, and Parkinson Power Protocol
03:24 What deep brain stimulation is and when it becomes an option
04:25 Seeing tremor suppressed during DBS surgery
07:42 Current treatment options and adaptive deep brain stimulation
09:06 Stem cell therapy, bemdaneprocel, and the exPDite trial
10:45 Cognitive reserve, neuroplasticity, and proactive brain health
16:04 Neuroplasticity as a double-edged sword
20:41 Feet, gait, freezing, and the brain’s body map
23:20 Balance as a neurological task: proprioception, vision, and vestibular input
27:09 Why athletic, multimodal training matters for Parkinson’s
29:42 Why Jorge started NeuroGym
32:06 Learned helplessness and the diagnosis mindset
33:42 Breath work, interoception, and progressive muscle relaxation
36:23 Rope flow, spatial awareness, proprioception, and coordination
38:25 Motor reserve and why adults need more movement variety
43:58 Self-directed neuroplasticity and living well with Parkinson’s
44:17 Group exercise, social engagement, and brain health
45:29 Jiu-jitsu, pickleball, and building motor reserve through sport
49:44 Cognitive load through memory, reaction, and coordination drills
52:43 Intensity, lactate, and the brain benefits of exercise
56:33 What newly diagnosed people should understand about adaptability
58:30 Parkinson’s as a movement disorder and why movement remains essential
59:34 How to connect with Jorge and NeuroGym

Connect with Jorge

LinkedIn: Jorge Quintero
Website: https://theneurogym.org
Instagram: @theneurogym
YouTube: @theneurogym

About the Host

Eric Von Frohlich is a fitness entrepreneur, coach, and athlete living with Parkinson's who founded EVF Performance and Row House before his diagnosis in 2020. On the podcast he talks with athletes, experts, and people refusing to let a diagnosis be the end of the story.

Parkinson’s: An Athlete’s Journey

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Garrett Salpeter’s work began with a personal injury and a question that stayed with him: why did recovery often feel so limited?

As a hockey player and engineering student, he became interested in the nervous system, direct current stimulation, and the ways the body responds after injury. That path eventually led him to found NeuFit, where his work focuses on helping people improve movement, recovery, activation, and function by working directly with the nervous system.

His work has extended beyond sports performance into neurological conditions, including early research on how NeuFit treatments affect sleep quality in people with Parkinson's.

Garrett joins Eric to talk about neuroplasticity, recovery, performance, and direct current stimulation. They also discuss autonomic function, the nervous system's role in movement, and what it means to create enough input to maintain or rebuild capacity over time.

Key Takeaways

➡️ The nervous system sits at the center of movement.
Garrett explains how recovery, activation, coordination, and performance all depend on the signals moving between the brain and body.

➡️ Neuroplasticity depends on repeated input.
Creating change requires enough stimulation, repetition, and consistency for the nervous system to recognize which pathways are worth maintaining or rebuilding.

➡️ Recovery and performance are closely connected.
Good rehab and good performance training often share the same goals: restore movement patterns, address weak links, load tissues well, and build capacity over time.

➡️ Sleep and autonomic function matter for Parkinson’s.
Garrett and Eric discuss sleep disruption, recovery, parasympathetic function, and early research exploring NeuFit treatments and sleep quality in people with Parkinson’s.

Key Moments

00:00 Garrett’s background in hockey, injury, and recovery
04:21 Early patient work and major turning points
05:20 Spinal cord injury, neuroplasticity, and learning to walk again
08:18 The impact of helping one person
09:24 Fascia, direct current, and the nervous system
16:42 The brain-body connection goes both ways
18:40 Eric on morning symptoms, mindset, and Parkinson’s
20:34 MS, neuropathy, and neurological case work
23:01 Diabetic peripheral neuropathy and nerve function
25:46 Early Parkinson’s sleep quality research
26:43 Sleep, recovery, autophagy, and brain cleanup
28:10 Parkinson’s research, Phoenix, and Linda Denny
29:41 Neuroplasticity and how the nervous system adapts
31:36 Habits, repetition, and building new pathways
33:49 Creating enough input for the nervous system
36:28 Recovery, activation, and performance
37:24 Vagus nerve, parasympathetic function, and autonomic reset
41:11 What gives Garrett hope
44:13 Recovery and performance as overlapping worlds

Connect with Garrett

LinkedIn: Garret Salpeter
Instagram: @neufitrfp
YouTube: @Neufit
Website: www.neu.fit.com

About the Host

Eric Von Frohlich is a fitness entrepreneur, coach, and athlete living with Parkinson's who founded EVF Performance and Row House before his diagnosis in 2020. On the podcast he talks with athletes, experts, and people refusing to let a diagnosis be the end of the story.

Parkinson's: An Athlete's Journey

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Larry Grogin is halfway through running 100 marathons in 100 consecutive days.

He started in New Jersey on March 24 and is making his way toward Southern California as part of Strides for Humanity, a run raising awareness and support for people living with Parkinson’s. Each day starts with the same challenge: cover 26.2 miles, manage what Parkinson’s brings, and get up the next morning to do it again.

Larry has spent decades around movement as a chiropractor, acupuncturist, and endurance athlete, having completed more than 300 marathons and 30 Ironman triathlons. Having been diagnosed in 2019 with Parkinson's, he marked his 71st birthday with the start of his run to show what movement can still look like after diagnosis.

He talks about the long warmups, the moments when his stride has to shorten, and the people along the road who help him keep going. At the center of the run is a simple hope: that someone sees what he is doing and decides to walk a mile, get out of bed, or do a little more than they thought they could.

Key Takeaways

➡️ Movement starts before the miles do.
Larry spends hours warming up before his body begins to feel available. The early work is patience, rhythm, and staying with it long enough to get moving.

➡️ Adaptation can be small and practical.
When his body resists, Larry shortens his stride, changes the pace, or gives himself time to rest. The goal is to keep moving in a way his body can handle.

➡️ One person moving can help someone else start.
Larry wants people with Parkinson’s to see the run and try something of their own. That might mean walking, running, getting out of bed, or doing a little more than yesterday.

➡️ Past challenges become tools.
Larry draws on decades of marathons, triathlons, and difficult races. Those experiences remind him that hard moments shift, and the next mile can feel different from the last.

Key Moments

01:43 Eric introduces Larry and his 100 marathons in 100 days challenge
02:49 Larry’s athletic background and getting into triathlon
04:36 Living with Parkinson’s instead of trying to beat it
06:38 The first signs of Parkinson’s and getting diagnosed in 2019
08:06 Why exercise can be hard to start with Parkinson’s
08:35 Larry’s long warmups and what running every day is teaching him
14:09 Why Larry decided to run 100 marathons in 100 days
15:52 What happens when the body says no
17:39 Running 100 consecutive marathons and reaching day 50
19:23 Lessons from long endurance races
21:19 Purpose, resilience, and the human spirit
28:47 The route, the support vehicle, and how Larry chooses places to run
30:05 Learning his off times and when to stop fighting the body
31:18 Medication, exercise, and managing Parkinson’s day to day
33:32 What 50 straight marathons have taught him about adaptation
36:35 Planning the finish in Calabasas
38:23 Larry’s message for someone newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s
43:58 Dreaming big and refusing to limit the goal too early
45:01 The hard moments behind the optimism

Larry Grogin:

Strides for Humanity / Run Larry Run: https://dpf.org/runlarryrun
IG: @runlarryrun26
Follow the journey: #RunLarryRun

About the Host:

Eric Von Frohlich is a fitness entrepreneur, coach, and athlete living with Parkinson's who founded EVF Performance and Row House before his diagnosis in 2020. On the podcast he talks with athletes, experts, and people refusing to let a diagnosis be the end of the story.

Parkinson's: An Athlete's Journey

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Before Gaia Forlani became a neuroscientist, she was a professional ballerina.

Ballet gave her a direct understanding of movement at a high level: control, rhythm, timing, strength, coordination, and the constant feedback between the brain and the body.

That background still shapes how she sees Parkinson’s.

Today, she works at the intersection of neuroscience, coaching, and Parkinson’s performance, helping people think differently about movement, training, and identity after diagnosis.

Eric and Gaia talk about why so many people with Parkinson’s are treated as fragile, even when they are strong, capable, and willing to train.

They also get into purposeful training, recovery, sleep, overtraining, cognition, and the difficult overlap between Parkinson’s and aging.

Key Takeaways

➡️ People with Parkinson’s are not fragile.
Gaia challenges the way people with Parkinson’s are often treated as passive, incapable, or already declining, especially when many are still strong, capable, and willing to train.

➡️ Training needs purpose, not just effort.
Eric and Gaia separate general activity from purposeful training, including strength, power, coordination, and movement that is matched to the person’s goals and capacity.

➡️ Recovery is part of performance.
More exercise is not always better. Gaia and Eric talk about sleep, recovery, overtraining, and why athletes with Parkinson’s need to take rest as seriously as training.

➡️ Identity shapes how people adapt.
The language people use around Parkinson’s matters. Gaia talks about seeing people as athletes rather than patients, while also recognizing that the constant “fight” mindset can become exhausting.

Key Moments

00:01 — Eric asks about Gaia’s “You Are Not Fragile” message
00:22 — Why Gaia pushes back on people with Parkinson’s being treated as fragile
03:15 — Eric reflects on mindset, gratitude, and not feeling like a victim
05:34 — Gaia’s path from ballerina to neuroscientist
10:32 — How ballet shaped Gaia’s understanding of the brain and body
12:46 — Treating the whole person as an athlete
13:00 — Language, identity, and not calling people with Parkinson’s patients
13:56 — Sleep, recovery, and neurological regulation
14:55 — The risk of doing too much after diagnosis
17:28 — When exercise becomes harmful without the right foundation
18:44 — General movement versus exercise medicine
20:27 — Cognition, strength training, and metabolic health
23:25 — Aging versus Parkinson’s symptoms
24:53 — Muscle loss, strength, power, and bradykinesia
28:34 — Looking at the person before the diagnosis
29:15 — Training professionals to understand Parkinson’s movement
31:01 — Gaia’s work moving online and reaching a wider audience
32:02 — Coaching as a two-way learning process
32:34 — Eric compares Parkinson’s adaptation to jiu-jitsu
34:20 — Why the “fight” against Parkinson’s can be motivating but also exhausting
36:16 — Eric on balancing jiu-jitsu, pickleball, recovery, and downtime
37:00 — Education, family support, and the social side of Parkinson’s
38:38 — Beliefs, mindset, and defining your own story
39:53 — Eric on small wins, daily resets, and moving forward

About Gaia Forlani:

Gaia is a neuroscientist specializing in sensorimotor, clinical, and movement neuroscience. A former professional ballerina, she brings together movement science, coaching, and performance experience in her work with people living with Parkinson’s. She is the co-founder of the Parkinson Performance Centre and creator of the Parkinson Power Protocol.

Connect with Gaia:

Website: http://parkinsonperformancecentre.com/
LinkedIn: Gaia Forlani
Instagram: gaia.forlani.ppc
Facebook: Gaia Forlani

Parkinson's: An Athlete's Journey

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Jay Freyensee has always moved through life as an athlete.

Cycling, mountain biking, martial arts, Muay Thai, cross-country skiing, running, and Spartan-style events have all shaped how he understands effort, progress, and identity. His athletic life has never been about one discipline. It has been about staying active, learning what a sport asks of him, and finding the next way to challenge himself.

After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s in his late 40s, Jay had to rethink what it meant to stay competitive and keep trusting his body.

Kickboxing remains a key part of his training because it demands power, speed, coordination, reaction, and focus in the same session. He runs with ankle weights to help reinforce his gait, keeps strength work in the week, and uses races like Spartan DECA as a reason to keep building.

Jay gets into his diagnosis, adaptation, clinical trials, support groups, and the importance of finding people who understand young-onset Parkinson’s. He also shares what he would tell someone newly diagnosed: get tested, stay close to the research, keep exercising, and do not try to handle it alone.

Key Takeaways

➡️ Training became the anchor after diagnosis.
Exercise shifted from athletic routine to daily structure, giving him a way to stay capable, measure progress, and keep fighting back.

➡️ Adaptation became part of the athlete’s job.
Jay uses tools like ankle weights, kickboxing, strength training, and Spartan DECA goals to keep challenging his body while adjusting to what Parkinson’s changes.

➡️ Community made the diagnosis easier to carry.
Finding people who understood young-onset Parkinson’s gave Jay support, perspective, and a place where he did not have to explain every part of the experience.

➡️ Newly diagnosed people need action, testing, and connection.
Jay encourages genetic testing, staying aware of clinical trials, continuing to exercise, and telling trusted people instead of trying to carry the diagnosis alone.

Key Moments:

00:45 — Jay’s athletic background and competitive history
03:30 — Training Muay Thai in Thailand
07:20 — First signs of gait changes
08:16 — Foot cramping during runs
10:36 — Receiving the Parkinson’s diagnosis
11:52 — Searching for better information after diagnosis
14:34 — Jay’s weekly training routine
14:55 — Running with ankle weights
16:34 — Spartan DECA as a training target
18:36 — Young-onset Parkinson’s and work
19:00 — Hand function, typing, and career change
21:52 — Navigating disability and insurance
31:22 — Presence, breathing, and mindset
36:52 — Clinical trials and future treatments
41:28 — Genetic testing and advice for newly diagnosed people
43:46 — Sharing the diagnosis with community
44:46 — Parkinson’s, identity, and athletic confidence
48:47 — Finding support from people who understand

Connect with Jay

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-jay-freyensee-6193a7/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freyguys_redlines/

About the Hosts

Eric Von Frohlich and Todd Vogt are athletes living with Parkinson’s, sharing the day to day reality of training, adapting, and figuring it out as they go. Through honest conversations, they explore what helps, what does not, and how to keep moving forward with purpose.

Follow / Connect

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Jeff Martin helped shape what group fitness looks like today.

Over nearly five decades, he built one of the early studio environments in New York City where people trained together, showed up consistently, and stayed connected to the work. That model spread, and companies like Equinox and Crunch grew out of foundations that started in studios like his.

For 47 years, Jeff has been teaching classes. Tens of thousands of sessions. Movement has been a daily part of how he lives and works.

He is now sharing publicly for the first time that he has Parkinson’s.

In this conversation, Jeff speaks about his diagnosis, the hesitation around saying it out loud, and what shifted once he did. He reflects on how his relationship with training has changed, why exercise has become non-negotiable, and how he is adjusting to changes that show up day to day.

While his experience with Parkinson’s is still new, he is actively working through it in real time and beginning to open up to others while continuing to train.

Key Moments:

00:32 — Reconnecting and Jeff’s background in NYC fitness
02:18 — First public disclosure of Parkinson’s diagnosis
02:47 — Early symptoms and initial misdiagnosis
03:25 — Receiving the diagnosis
04:26 — Hesitation around engaging with the Parkinson’s community
06:13 — Humility and asking for help
06:44 — Changes in daily behavior and awareness
13:00 — Lifestyle shifts and consistency with exercise
17:15 — Processing the diagnosis and perspective shifts
19:30 — Changes in social life and routine
21:08 — Decision to share publicly
23:57 — Redefining strength and showing up
28:58 — Managing outside advice and information
32:00 — Training, coordination, and staying active
36:08 — What he continues to hold onto

Connect with Jeff:

Website: https://jeffmartinfitness.com

About the Hosts

Eric Von Frohlich and Todd Vogt are athletes living with Parkinson’s, sharing the day to day reality of training, adapting, and figuring it out as they go. Through honest conversations, they explore what helps, what does not, and how to keep moving forward with purpose.

Follow / Connect

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Greg Schaefer is used to long races. Kona, Ironman, and years of knowing what his body could do.

When that started to change, he noticed.

In 2023, he was diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson’s. He still trains and races, but the approach is different, and some days require more adjustment than others.

He speaks openly about the days when he pulls back, when patience runs thin, and when the mental side is harder than anything physical. He also talks about what helps. Structure, training partners, and having someone waiting for you at 7 a.m. so you actually show up.

Greg is clear about his “why.” Being present for his wife. Setting an example for his kids. Showing them what it looks like to keep going, even when things aren’t going well.

What comes through is how he keeps showing up, and how those days, one at a time, still stack up.

Key Takeaways:

➡️ You can’t rely on motivation to carry you.
When someone’s expecting you at a set time, you show up. That structure matters more than how you feel that day.

➡️ Your reason has to be specific.
For Greg, it’s his wife and his kids, and that’s who he shows up for every day.

➡️ Some days just aren’t there.
Energy, movement, focus, they don’t always line up. Learning to recognize that without turning it into failure is part of it.

➡️ Adjusting is part of staying in it.
The training is still there, but the expectations shift. Showing up and finishing start to matter more than performance.

➡️ Over time, those days stack.
Not every day is strong, but the consistency builds when you keep showing up across all of them.

Key Moments:

01:40 — Realizing something was off during Kona preparation
02:39 — Finishing Kona hours later than expected
05:38 — Diagnosis in March 2023
09:11 — Training changes and adjusting expectations
10:48 — First race back and a different experience of racing
13:41 — “What you do during the calm…”
16:17 — The idea of “stacked days”
23:09 — Daily routine and disrupted sleep
29:49 — Managing good days and bad days
35:51 — Accountability and training with others
37:08 — Starting the Forward Motion Fund
41:08 — The role of caregivers

About Greg Schaefer

Greg Schaefer is a 19-time Ironman athlete, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker living with Young-Onset Parkinson’s disease. Diagnosed in 2023, Greg continues to train and compete, while managing the day-to-day realities of the condition.

He shares his journey publicly and co-founded the Forward Motion Fund with his wife to support families affected by Parkinson’s and contribute to research and awareness.

Connect with Greg

Instagram: @gschaeferundefined
Facebook: GSchaeferDefined
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gregory-schaefer
About the Forward Motion Fund: https://gregoryschaefer.com/forward-motion-fund/

About the Hosts

Eric Von Frohlich and Todd Vogt are athletes living with Parkinson’s, sharing the day to day reality of training, adapting, and figuring it out as they go. Through honest conversations, they explore what helps, what does not, and how to keep moving forward with purpose.

Follow / Connect

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.

Eric and Todd check in on training, setbacks, and where things are at right now.

Eric shares how rethinking his heart rate approach has allowed him to start pushing intensity again. Todd talks through the cycle of trying to return to running and encountering the same knee issue tied to motor control on his left side.

They also touch on the early phase of Parkinson's after diagnosis, when you're still training, still functioning, and it doesn't always feel as serious as you expected.

Along the way, they reflect on recent conversations with other athletes living with Parkinson’s and how similar many of those early experiences can be.

Key Takeaways

➡️ You can keep pushing and get the same result every time.
Trying to run again keeps ending the same way, which means something else has to change.

➡️ Early on, it doesn’t always feel as serious as you expected.
When you’re still training and functioning well, it’s easy to think things might stay that way.

➡️ Physical training is only part of it.
Mindset and the people around you play just as big a role as what you’re doing physically.

Key Moments

00:00 – Training updates and current routines
02:30 – Running setbacks and knee issues
05:30 – Reflections since starting the podcast
06:30 – Early diagnosis experiences
08:30 – The early phase and shifting expectations
10:00 – Adjusting training vs pushing through
11:30 – Mental side and community

About the Hosts

Eric Von Frohlich and Todd Vogt are athletes living with Parkinson’s, sharing the day to day reality of training, adapting, and figuring it out as they go. Through honest conversations, they explore what helps, what does not, and how to keep moving forward with purpose.

Follow / Connect

📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey
🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com

Disclaimer

This podcast shares personal experience and general education, not medical advice. Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to medication, treatment, or exercise.