Adaptive sport asks a simple question: what does the sport require, and how do you build the athlete to meet it. Todd Vogt and Eric Von Frohlich sit down with Ellen Minzner, elite rowing coach and leader in adaptive and Paralympic sport, to discuss coaching athletes with disabilities through standards, structure, and respect. From Parkinson’s to para rowing to the Paralympic Games, the conversation centers on competition, training, and an athlete-first approach.

Ellen shares why being treated like an athlete matters, how competition supports development, and why Parkinson’s presents unique challenges in training because it is progressive and unstable. Coaching decisions, sport demands, and measurable progress remain central throughout.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why adaptive athletes don’t want to be “coddled.” They want standards, structure, and the chance to improve.
• How competition functions as a training tool, not just a finish line.
• What makes Parkinson’s different from other disabilities in sport and why coaching has to adapt.
• How elite coaches separate sport demands from limitations.
• Why the Paralympics normalize disability in a way everyday life often doesn’t.

Key Takeaways:

➡️ Treat the person like an athlete, not a diagnosis. Expectations matter, and so does respect.
➡️ Competition drives integration. Skills, nerves, fitness, and mindset have to show up together.
➡️ Adaptive sport requires precision. Progressive conditions like Parkinson’s require constant adjustment.
➡️ Improvement fuels motivation. Athletes need evidence they are getting better, not just “participating.”

Key Moments:

00:00 – Introduction to Ellen Minzner and her background in rowing and adaptive sport
03:10 – Why the Paralympic Games are so powerful and surprisingly accessible as a fan experience
06:45 – “The world is built for them.” Disability normalized at the Paralympics
10:20 – What adaptive athletes actually want from coaches
14:05 – Competition as a tool for growth, not just medals
18:40 – The spectrum of disability in adaptive sport including congenital, acquired, and progressive
23:15 – Parkinson’s as a non-stable condition and what that means for training
27:30 – Defining sport demands versus limitations. What must be trained, adapted, or accepted
31:10 – “They just want to be treated like an athlete”
34:50 – Why hard work and visible improvement matter more than inspiration
38:20 – The danger of lowering standards in adaptive sport
42:00 – Closing thoughts on respect, effort, and doing meaningful work

About the guest:

Ellen Minzner is the Para High Performance Director at USRowing, where she leads the U.S. Para national team program. She was named the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s 2023 Paralympic Coach of the Year, and under her leadership, Team USA earned two silver medals at the 2023 World Rowing Championships and qualified boats for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

A former elite athlete, Ellen is a two-time World Champion in the lightweight women’s pair (1995, 1996) and a Pan American Games gold medalist. She has also held leadership roles focused on inclusion and access in rowing, including work at Community Rowing, Inc.

Connect with Ellen:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellenminzner/?hl=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenminzner/

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’s working, what’s frustrating, and how to keep moving forward with an athlete’s mindset.

Follow / connect:

🎧 Subscribe: https://parkinsons-an-athletes-journey.transistor.fm/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkinsonsathletepodcast/
🌐 Website: https://www.ericvonfrohlich.com/podcast
🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/parkinsons-an-athletes-journey-podcast/?viewAsMember=true

This podcast contains personal experience and education only, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical decisions.

Parkinson’s doesn’t only show up during workouts; it shows up when you’re putting on a shirt, tying shoes, walking the dog, or getting up off the floor. In this episode, Todd Vogt and Eric Von Frohlich share how they “gamify” everyday tasks to turn normal life into training: adding constraints, timing tasks, using the non-dominant hand, and stacking small challenges that build mobility, coordination, confidence, and consistency.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to turn daily tasks into “tests” you can repeat and improve (without needing more gym time).
• Why adding load / biofeedback, balance constraints, and the non-dominant side can make movement practice more effective and engaging.
• Simple “scoreboard” examples: the t-shirt challenge, timing your dog walk, shoe-tying reps, and “get ups.”
• A mindset shift: choose your challenge on purpose, instead of feeling like Parkinson’s is choosing it for you.

Key Takeaways:

• Treat chores like training. “Gamification” makes daily work more engaging and helps skills that are already eroding show up stronger in real life.
• Repeat the test. Do a task multiple times to refine technique and efficiency (instead of just “getting through it”).
• Add constraints (load, balance, eyes closed, non-dominant hand) to create neurological + physical demand without fancy equipment.
• The floor is training. Practicing getting up and down builds confidence and reduces fear around falls and floor transitions.
• Do the work; don’t chase the outcome. The consistency compounds.

Key Moments:

00:32 – Weekly training check-in + medicine ball warmup ideas
02:27 – Theme setup: movement practice “wherever you find it” + PT discussion (includes a mention of Jimmy Choi at the clinic)
03:15 – Physical therapy tactics: add load, time tasks, and build “tests” (t-shirt/vest drill)
05:28 – Why daily-life training matters: you notice PD more in day-to-day tasks than the gym
06:00 – Stretching, mobility, juggling as cognitive/neurological work
08:35 – Biofeedback + load (ankle/hand weights, trekking pole idea)
09:47 – “Get ups” (Dan John) and why floor practice matters
12:09 – Dog-walk gamification: 18 minutes → 15 minutes (move with purpose)
36:22 – Shoe-tying reps + non-dominant hand + cognitive challenges
38:49 – Shirt-on/off becomes training; add balance/load/eyes closed; “limited by imagination”
43:18 – Why this is underappreciated + closing mindset (“do the work…”)

Follow / Connect:

🔔 Subscribe: https://parkinsons-an-athletes-journey.transistor.fm/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkinsonsathletepodcast/
🌐 Website: https://www.ericvonfrohlich.com/podcast
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/parkinsons-an-athlete-s-journey-podcast/?viewAsMember=true

Disclaimer:

Personal experience and education only, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical decisions.

What happens when you’ve spent your whole life letting a time or a ranking define you as an athlete, and then Parkinson’s changes the rules?

In this episode of Parkinson’s: An Athlete’s Journey, we talk about performance pressure, athlete identity, and how the “clock” can quietly become your self-worth. Todd breaks down why sports like rowing (and even swimming) can wire your brain to chase tenths of a second, and how that can mess with you when things shift.

We also get real about motivation. Parkinson’s can dull that internal “rocket fuel,” and sometimes you have to brute-force your way into the work. We talk about redefining the metric: effort, consistency, and showing up, even when your best today isn’t your best from ten years ago.

A few takeaways:

• The clock can be a tool, or a trap (especially for lifelong competitors).
• Parkinson’s can change your access to “rocket fuel,” even when your grit is still there.
• Sometimes the hardest lift isn’t the barbell, but walking through the front door.
• Shift the metric: how hard you can go today matters more than how fast the clock says you went.

Medical note: This podcast shares personal experience only. It is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals for medical decisions, including medications and training choices.