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.