Our Mission

Our mission is to provide free fitness, dance, and singing classes for people with Parkinson's Disease and their care partners in the Austin, Texas area and around the world. We aim to engage people with Parkinson’s in regular exercise to slow or even reverse the effects of PD, improve overall sense of well-being, provide opportunities for socialization, and help prevent depression and isolation that often accompanies the disease.

 

Passion.

Power for Parkinson’s began in 2013 as a passion project for co-founders Nina Mosier & Susan Stahl. Both had fathers living with Parkinson’s and knew firsthand the effect it has on both families and the individual with PD. The organization was designed to provide free, ongoing, research-backed fitness and socialization opportunities for those living with Parkinson’s in Austin, Texas.

Growth.

Through word of mouth and a true grassroots approach, PFP quickly became a fixture in the Austin Parkinson’s community. By the time the COVID-19 pandemic began, Power for Parkinson’s was hosting over 300 local participants at 13 classes in 9 different Austin-area locations. When the pandemic shut down in-person classes, the organization shifted its free offerings to a fully virtual platform on YouTube, introducing PFP to an ever-expanding global audience, and further exceeding the wildest hopes and expectations of its founders.

Connection.

To you, the reader of this message, the person with PD, the friend or family member, the care partner, the fitness enthusiast: welcome to our corner of the internet. Power for Parkinson’s was founded to serve you, and we sincerely look forward to connecting with you.

Who We Are

 
 

Nina Mosier, M.D.

Executive Director & Co-Founder

Dr. Nina Mosier is a retired Internist with a special interest in geriatric medicine. She received her B.A. at Northwestern University and her medical degree at Hahnemann University in Philadelphia. She practiced in both Chicago and Austin for 10 years.

After taking time off to raise her children in Austin she found her passion was to help improve the lives of people with Parkinson’s disease. Meshing her medical background with her personal experience with her father who struggled with the disease, she collaborated with Susan Stahl to bring a free fitness program to Austin’s Parkinson’s community. For over a decade she has collaborated with a team of fitness professionals and creatives to develop Power for Parkinson’s, a multi-formatted, research-based Parkinson’s symptom-focused program that has grown to be the top channel globally for Parkinson’s fitness on YouTube.  Dr. Mosier continues to dedicate her time to helping the PD community find joy in movement and live their best possible life.

Garden Strong

Program Manager

Gardenia Rose (Garden) is from San Diego, California. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration, Nonprofit Sector Management, from California State University of Northridge. She has an extensive background in health and wellness, with experience managing a local Los Angeles yoga studio and coaching high school track and field athletes in the pole vault event. She serves as our Program Manager, leading our local and global fitness programs, as well as fundraising efforts and donor cultivation. Her favorite part of her role at Power for Parkinson’s is the opportunity to work with inspiring individuals and build meaningful connections in our community.

Zoë Thompson

Marketing Manager

Zoë is our Social Media Marketing Coordinator. She was raised in Bellingham, Washington, and I moved to Austin in 2020. Zoë has a background as a blogger, social media manager, and content creator for small businesses and nonprofits around the world. In her short time at Power for Parkinson’s, she has been inspired by the strength and commitment of PFP’s incredible participants and instructors and she is excited for the opportunity to continue her professional journey with such an impactful organization! In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading, and running cross-country with her dog Ursa.

Nadine Eram

Community Outreach Coordinator

Nadine has been a part of the PFP family since 2018. After relocating to Austin from Australia, she began volunteering with PFP to connect and serve our unique population and share her skills as a Physiotherapist in her new home. Nadine has a long history of volunteering, fundraising, and working with nonprofits in different countries worldwide and is dedicated to serving people in whatever capacity she can. She transitioned into a Community Outreach Coordinator role in 2020 and now leads our PFP Community Care Team. Nadine works to ensure our participants feel valued, included, and an important part of our community and the broader PFP family. She connects with both local and global participants. She supports them in whatever capacity they need so that they know they have a strong community that they can rely on as they navigate living with Parkinson's. Nadine also has a passion for yoga and mindfulness and loves weaving these areas of interest into her work. She is our Relax & Reset instructor and aims to provide slower, more mindful, stretch-based classes for PFP participants to complement their weekly exercise routine and to address the non-motor symptoms of PD.

 

Elena Eddington

Social Work Intern

Elena is a Master of Social Work Student at UT-Austin. She's joined PFP’s Community Care Team to expand the ways we can support our participants and offer more opportunities for connection; she's re-launched PFP support groups, organized lunch groups, and is working alongside participants to address issues they are facing and is working to spread the word of PFP's services to under-represented areas in Austin. Elena is in the process of completing the PFP Instructor Training with Lauren Lewis, so you might see her leading a class locally in Austin, TX. She plans to use her social work training to support older adults with anxiety and depression through exercise and other forms of therapy. When she is not in class or at PFP, Elena enjoys teaching yoga and enjoying the great outdoors!

 
 

Powerful People Interview Series.

Our close community includes people with Parkinson's, their caregivers, instructors, volunteers, staff and Parkinson's providers and supporters. This series highlights some special people and discusses their relationship to the organization. Click on the video to check out our latest interviews on YouTube.

Donate

Help us engage people with Parkinson's in regular exercise to slow or even reverse the effects of Parkinson's disease, improve their overall sense of well-being, provide opportunities for socialization, and help prevent the isolation that often accompanies the disease.

100% of your donation will directly support people with Parkinson’s. All donations are received into Power for Parkinson’s general account, which funds countless aspects of PFP.