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://www.ericvonfrohlich.com/emailsignup
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: https://parkinsons-an-athletes-journey.transistor.fm/
🎬 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqvbnEpxINs2wShQkxwFv1Q
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkinsonsathletepodcast/
🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/parkinsons-an-athletes-journey-podcast/?viewAsMember=true
🌐 Website: https://www.ericvonfrohlich.com/podcast

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 Email List: ericvonfrohlich.com/emailsignup
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: https://parkinsons-an-athletes-journey.transistor.fm/
🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast

📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast
🤝 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/parkinsons-an-athletes-journey-podcast
🌐 Website: https://www.ericvonfrohlich.com/podcast

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 Email List: https://www.ericvonfrohlich.com/emailsignup
🎧 Listen and Subscribe: https://parkinsons-an-athletes-journey.transistor.fm/
🎬 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqvbnEpxINs2wShQkxwFv1Q
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkinsonsathletepodcast/
🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/parkinsons-an-athletes-journey-podcast/?viewAsMember=true
🌐 Website: https://www.ericvonfrohlich.com/podcast

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

🎧 Listen & 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

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

🎧 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

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 Email List: https://www.ericvonfrohlich.com/emailsignup
🎧 Listen & Subscribe: https://parkinsons-an-athletes-journey.transistor.fm/
🎬 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqvbnEpxINs2wShQkxwFv1Q

📸 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

Disclaimer:

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

Parkinson’s changes how the brain controls movement. But movement can also change the brain.

In this episode, Todd Vogt and Eric Von Frohlich sit down with Julie Hershberg, neurological physical therapist and founder of re+active therapy & wellness, to talk about why exercise may be one of the most powerful tools we have for living with Parkinson’s. They get into neuroplasticity, symptom variability, training the nervous system, and what it means to adapt when the body does not always respond the same way twice.

This conversation is about learning to work with what is there, train what is possible, and keep moving with purpose.

Key Takeaways:

• Exercise can support brain change, not just physical fitness
• Parkinson’s requires adaptable training because symptoms vary
• Progress starts with working from what is real, not what is ideal

Key Moments:

00:00 Introduction to Julie Hershberg and re+active therapy & wellness
03:40 Why exercise matters so much in Parkinson’s
08:15 Neuroplasticity and how movement affects the brain
13:35 Training the nervous system, not just the muscles
18:20 Symptom variability and adapting day to day
23:10 How athletes approach Parkinson’s differently
28:00 Why meaningful movement works better than going through the motions
33:10 Working with what is there, not what you wish was there
38:00 Final thoughts on training, adaptation, and purpose

About the Guest:

Julie Hershberg is a neurological physical therapist and founder of re+active therapy & wellness, where she helps people with Parkinson’s and other neurologic conditions rebuild trust in their bodies and nervous systems, while keeping movement creative, challenging, and fun.

She is passionate about interdisciplinary care, creative movement, and helping people return to the activities that make life meaningful.

Connect with Julie:

Website: https://www.reactivept.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hershberg-pt-dpt-ncs-40481545/

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

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

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@reactivept

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reactivetherapy

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

Disclaimer:

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

In this episode, Eric and Todd catch up on Eric’s latest health updates, including how he is managing AFib, recent cardiac testing, and the way those challenges are shaping his training. They talk through what it feels like when the numbers do not quite line up, including HRV, unexpected heart rate spikes, and body composition readings, and how they are learning to navigate uncertainty without spiraling.

The conversation then shifts to one of the hardest Parkinson’s symptoms to explain: apathy. Not laziness. Not weakness. More like a neurological freeze that can make even the things you love feel difficult to start. They explore how apathy shows up in daily life, how it impacts identity, and a few simple experiments they are trying to create momentum and keep moving forward.

Key Takeaways:

• Chronic health management can feel like a constant cycle: adapt, reassess, repeat.
• Apathy is real and neurological. It is not a character flaw.
• Some days are about progress. Other days are about maintenance.
• Rating your day helps reduce emotion in decision-making.
• You do not have to solve everything. You just have to keep showing up.

Key Moments:

00:31 – Bloodwork, testosterone changes, and tracking baselines
01:09 – AFib, cardiac testing, CT scan results, and shifting to steady-state training
03:30 – HRV confusion: when “high” numbers may not mean what you think
06:09 – Body composition data, skepticism, and humor as coping
08:50 – Sleep disruption, travel fatigue, and symptom flare-ups
11:30 – Diet talk, protein timing, and fueling as endurance athletes (personal experience)
21:20 – Rating symptoms 1–10: defining “worst day” vs “best day”
22:48 – The reality of apathy: lack of motivation even for things you love
24:00 – Movement as a reset: shaking the body to break the freeze
28:20 – The Iboga story: processing dopamine loss and identity (personal experience)
33:40 – THC, sleep, tremor, and shifting perspective (personal experience)

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:

This podcast reflects personal experience and educational discussion only. It is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making decisions related to medications, supplements, training, or treatment.