Find What Keeps You Moving | Ryan Cotton

Find What Keeps You Moving | Ryan Cotton

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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-cotton-bb54117/] Instagram: @rock_steady_boxing [https://www.instagram.com/rock_steady_boxing/] Website: www.rocksteadyboxing.org [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 [https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community] 🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey [https://parkinsons-an-athletes-journey.transistor.fm/] 🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast [https://youtube.com/@parkinsonsathletepodcast?si=uWaZy-8-Q-BahmT-] 📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast [https://www.instagram.com/parkinsonsathletepodcast/] 🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey [http://linkedin.com/company/parkinsons-an-athletes-journey-podcast] 🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com [https://evfmethod.com/home] 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.

Challenge the Body Enough to Adapt | Jorge Quintero

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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/theneurogym/] Website: https://theneurogym.org [https://theneurogym.org] Instagram: @theneurogym [https://www.instagram.com/theneurogym/] YouTube: @theneurogym [https://www.youtube.com/@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 [https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community] 🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey [https://parkinsons-an-athletes-journey.transistor.fm/] 🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast [https://youtube.com/@parkinsonsathletepodcast?si=uWaZy-8-Q-BahmT-] 📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast [https://www.instagram.com/parkinsonsathletepodcast/] 🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey [http://linkedin.com/company/parkinsons-an-athletes-journey-podcast] 🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com [https://evfmethod.com/home] 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.

The Brain Has to Get the Memo | Garrett Salpeter

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 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrett-salpeter-a860ab4/] Instagram: @neufitrfp [https://www.instagram.com/neufitrfp] YouTube: @Neufit [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpD1KnRjsI3fWeB6AS3hRNg] Website: www.neu.fit.com [https://www.neu.fit/] 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 [https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community] 🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey [https://parkinsons-an-athletes-journey.transistor.fm/] 🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast [https://youtube.com/@parkinsonsathletepodcast?si=uWaZy-8-Q-BahmT-] 📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast [https://www.instagram.com/parkinsonsathletepodcast/] 🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey [http://linkedin.com/company/parkinsons-an-athletes-journey-podcast] 🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com [https://evfmethod.com/home] 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.

100 Marathons, 100 Days, and a Honda Odyssey Named Herbie | Larry Grogin

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 [https://dpf.org/runlarryrun] IG: @runlarryrun26 [https://www.instagram.com/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 [https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community] 🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey [https://parkinsons-an-athletes-journey.transistor.fm/] 🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast [https://youtube.com/@parkinsonsathletepodcast?si=uWaZy-8-Q-BahmT-] 📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast [https://www.instagram.com/parkinsonsathletepodcast/] 🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey [http://linkedin.com/company/parkinsons-an-athletes-journey-podcast] 🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com [https://evfmethod.com/home] 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.

You Are Not Fragile | Gaia Forlani

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/ [http://parkinsonperformancecentre.com/] LinkedIn: Gaia Forlani [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaia-forlani-ppc/] Instagram: gaia.forlani.ppc [https://www.instagram.com/gaia.forlani.ppc/] Facebook: Gaia Forlani [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576111081168] Parkinson's: An Athlete's Journey 📩 Join our Community: https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community [https://evfmethod.com/subscribe-to-podcast-community] 🎧 Listen and Subscribe: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey [https://parkinsons-an-athletes-journey.transistor.fm/] 🎬 Watch on YouTube: @parkinsonsathletepodcast [https://youtube.com/@parkinsonsathletepodcast?si=uWaZy-8-Q-BahmT-] 📸 Instagram: @parkinsonsathletepodcast [https://www.instagram.com/parkinsonsathletepodcast/] 🤝 LinkedIn: Parkinson's An Athlete's Journey [http://linkedin.com/company/parkinsons-an-athletes-journey-podcast] 🌐 Website: www.evfmethod.com [https://evfmethod.com/home] 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.