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
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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.

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
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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.

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.

Brendan Cusick wanted to do something big for his 50th birthday.

That idea led him to ocean rowing, a four-man team, and eventually a 2,800-mile row from Monterey to Kauai. Patrick Morrissey came into the picture as Brendan’s friend, a fellow endurance-minded athlete, and someone recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s who initially thought he might help as a spokesperson. A couple months later, he was on the team.

Eric and Todd talk with Patrick and Brendan about how the team came together, what the row asked of them physically and mentally, and how the mission took on a life beyond the boat.

They get into seasickness, sleep deprivation, medication, teamwork, and the growing sense that the crossing was no longer just about finishing in Hawaii. It had become something much larger, with families, supporters, and the Parkinson’s community invested in every mile.

What You’ll Hear

• How Brendan’s birthday challenge turned into a Pacific crossing
• How Patrick went from possible spokesperson to full team member
• What the row demanded physically and mentally once they were out there
• How the team handled sleep deprivation, stress, and the daily rhythm of the boat
• How the mission grew into something bigger than the four men rowing
• How support from family, followers, and the Parkinson’s community became part of the effort

Key Takeaways

➡️ The row became bigger than the original plan.
What started as a bold challenge between friends grew into a major fundraising effort for Parkinson’s research.

➡️ Teamwork carried the mission.
The crossing depended on trust, honesty, and knowing when one person needed the others to step in.

➡️ Endurance is not only physical.
A huge part of this episode is what sleep loss, stress, and uncertainty do to the mind over time.

➡️ Community changed the experience.
The people following along from home gave the team something bigger to pull for.

➡️ Parkinson’s should not shrink the picture of what is possible.
Patrick’s story pushed back on the idea that a diagnosis puts someone in a small box.

Key Moments

00:31 — Introduction to Patrick, Brendan, and the scale of the row
02:32 — How the team came together
08:20 — Patrick’s diagnosis, early involvement, and saying yes to the boat
12:59 — What training looked like leading into the row
14:18 — Two hours on, two hours off, and the reality of sleep
21:39 — The first week, big water, blisters, seasickness, and mental stress
28:40 — Finding rhythm after two difficult weeks
31:13 — The para anchor moment and realizing the row was bigger than the four of them
39:30 — Support from the Parkinson’s community and what it meant mid-row
42:35 — Landing in Hawaii and being met by family and the local Parkinson’s community
44:54 — Post-expedition blues, recovery, and what came next
48:16 — The next Human Powered Potential expedition
49:53 — Raising $43 million for The Michael J. Fox Foundation
54:08 — Race placement and redefining what an athlete with Parkinson’s can look like

About the Guests

Patrick Morrissey and Brendan Cusick are endurance athletes and co-founders of Human Powered Potential. In 2024, they were part of the four-man team that rowed 2,800 miles across the Pacific from California to Hawaii in 41 days, raising $43 million for The Michael J. Fox Foundation. Patrick, who lives with Parkinson’s, became the first person diagnosed with the disease to row the Pacific. Today, they continue that work through Human Powered Potential, building endurance events that raise funds for Parkinson’s research and challenge assumptions about what’s possible.

Learn more about Human Powered Potential

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humanpoweredpotential
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humanpoweredpotential

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.

Mike McCastle doesn’t talk about strength the way most people do.

His definition of strength was shaped by watching his dad live with Parkinson’s. Watching the effort, patience, and composure it took to get through everyday moments most people barely think about.

That stayed with him.

It also inspired the Twelve Labors Project, Mike’s mission to take on a series of extreme endurance and strength challenges in honor of his father’s life with Parkinson’s.

The scale of it is hard to miss. World records. Long efforts. Hard things stacked on hard things.

But Mike does not talk about those efforts like stunts. He talks about them as a way to honor what he saw his father carry for years.

Eric and Todd talk with Mike about endurance, failure, and how quickly a challenge can feel too big when your mind gets out ahead of you. They get into a failed pull-up world record attempt, what it took to come back from it, and the habit of breaking hard things down before they swallow you whole.

You do not conquer the mountain in a day.

You win the morning. You take the next step. You stay with what is in front of you.

That applies to training. It applies to Parkinson’s. It applies to any stretch where progress is uneven and your body or mind is not cooperating.

What You’ll Hear

• Why Mike built the Twelve Labors Project around his father’s experience with Parkinson’s
• What failure taught him after a pull-up record attempt fell apart
• Why “win the morning” is more useful than thinking too far ahead
• How he handles bad training days without turning them into zero days
• What he learned from watching his dad carry himself in public
• Why community matters, even for athletes who are used to doing hard things alone

Key Takeaways

➡️ You don’t conquer the mountain in a day.
Big things get handled in small pieces. The next step matters more than the full picture.

➡️ Strength shows up in the response.
Not when things are easy. When they’re slow, frustrating, or out of your control.

➡️ Resilience can be trained.
Through repetition, pressure, and learning how to stay with the moment.

➡️ Bad days still count.
Doing something is different than doing nothing.

Key Moments

00:00 — Introduction
00:30 — The Twelve Labors Project and where it came from
02:00 — Parkinson’s, fatherhood, and what kids absorb
03:00 — First labor: 50K with a weighted pack
04:30 — “Win the morning”
07:00 — Failed pull-up world record attempt
08:30 — “The brain is a liar”
10:30 — Staying in the moment under pressure
21:00 — Completing a labor after his father passed
22:00 — The bank story
24:00 — Caretaking as a teenager
26:30 — Fatherhood and example
38:00 — What to do on bad days
45:00 — Community and support
49:30 — Closing reflections

About the Guest

Mike McCastle is a U.S. Navy veteran, 7-time world record-setting endurance athlete, and founder of the Twelve Labors Project, a long-running mission built around extreme feats of strength and endurance.

He has a background in sport psychology and works as a mental strength coach, personal trainer, USA Weightlifting coach, and Rock Steady Boxing coach. His work focuses on helping people build physical capacity and mental durability under pressure.

The Twelve Labors Project was inspired in part by his father’s experience with Parkinson’s, and that connection runs through the way Mike thinks about resilience, discipline, and what strength actually looks like.

Follow / Connect

Instagram: @mikemccastle
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.mccastle
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemccastle

About the Hosts

Todd Vogt and Eric Von Frohlich are athletes living with Parkinson’s who share what they’re learning in real time: what helps, what doesn’t, and how to keep adapting.

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.

Jimmy Choi is known for doing things most people do not associate with Parkinson’s. Ultramarathons. Triathlons. American Ninja Warrior. World records.

What comes through in this conversation is everything underneath that.

Jimmy talks openly about the years after his diagnosis, when depression, apathy, and anger took over. He shares the reality of trying to live with a progressive disease, and the slow, unglamorous work of changing his life over time.

Eric and Todd talk with Jimmy about exercise, mental health, medication, daily routines, and why he believes there are no shortcuts to living well with Parkinson’s. They also get into the gap between what people see from the outside and what it actually takes to manage this disease day after day.

➡️ Content note: This conversation includes discussion of depression, suicide, and the mental health side of Parkinson’s. We’re grateful to Jimmy for speaking so openly. Please take care while listening and reach out for support if needed.

Key Takeaways:

• The mental side of Parkinson’s can be as hard as the physical side.
  Jimmy speaks candidly about depression, apathy, and the importance of getting help and talking more openly about mental health, especially for men.

• There are no shortcuts.
  Jimmy has a clear message for people looking for a quick fix. Learn your body. Track what helps. Pay attention to medication, food, exercise, and recovery. Put in the work over time.

• What people see is only part of it.
  Jimmy is open about the difference between how he functions on medication and how hard he has worked to build routines around movement, nutrition, and training.

Key Moments:

00:00 — Introduction
01:15 — Jimmy’s diagnosis and athletic accomplishments
04:00 — Early symptoms and Young-Onset Parkinson’s
07:00 — Family, relationships, and life after diagnosis
08:40 — Mental health, depression, and turning points
16:00 — Parkinson’s as an endurance event
23:00 — Identity, perspective, and personal growth
27:00 — The moment that sparked lifestyle change
29:30 — The 10% rule and building momentum
31:30 — Training for American Ninja Warrior
35:00 — Showing what’s possible with Parkinson’s
39:00 — Medication tracking and personal routines
46:00 — Rigidity, dystonia, and daily variability
50:30 — A day in Jimmy’s life with Parkinson’s
55:00 — Why there are no shortcuts
1:03:00 — Mental health and community support

About the Guest:

Jimmy Choi is an endurance athlete, Guinness World Records title holder, and one of the most recognizable athlete-advocates in the Parkinson’s community. Diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson’s disease in 2003 at age 27, Jimmy spent years in denial before a wake-up call in 2010 pushed him to fully overhaul his lifestyle and commit to the work of living well with Parkinson’s. At the time, he was walking with a cane and weighed 250 pounds.

Since then, Jimmy has become a competitive ultramarathoner, cyclist, and triathlete. He was the first person with Parkinson’s on record to complete a 100-mile bike ride in under five hours and has competed on multiple seasons of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior. He uses his platform to challenge assumptions about what’s possible with Parkinson’s while remaining honest about the realities of both on and off days.

Beyond performance, Jimmy is deeply committed to advocacy and research. He has participated in clinical trials, supports fundraising efforts through Team Fox and The Michael J. Fox Foundation, and serves in advisory roles within the Parkinson’s community.

Connect with Jimmy:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jcfoxninja

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 doesn’t, 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 contains personal experience and education only, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical decisions.