I met Rich around 2015 when I left coaching group fitness and moved my book of business to Impact Sports Performance in Central Boca. At the time, he was the head of the facility and coach to many up-and-coming tennis superstars. Early on, we butted heads a bit as we were both early risers, and he was used to being one of the only people in the gym at that hour.What started as tension eventually turned into a genuine respect for each other’s work ethic, business mindset, and the effort it took to show up every single day. We worked alongside each other for several years, sharing that huge training space and watching countless athletes and coaches come and go. When I eventually opened my own facility, Rich couldn’t have been more supportive.We stayed connected through social media, and one day while watching the US Open, the broadcast cut to the athletes’ training box. Sitting there stoically, locked into the match, was Rich. His athlete was battling for a spot in the finals. I snapped a photo and sent it to him with a quick message: “Congrats, man. So cool to see.” A few hours later he replied briefly as they were still on the road chasing a championship.Over the years, I continued asking him to come on the show, but it never quite materialized. Then, a couple months into 2026, he released a public video sharing his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease. I watched the video several times and reached out to offer my support and appreciation for his honesty and vulnerability. Not long after, he agreed to come on the show.He explained that for years he simply wasn’t ready to sit down and openly talk about coaching, sports, or life because he was privately carrying the weight of the diagnosis while trying to hide it from the world. It was exhausting. When he arrived for the interview, he was completely himself. We sat down, went over the usual guidelines; open book, nothing off limits and started talking. He shared incredible stories from years of coaching at the highest international levels of tennis and reflected on the experiences and pressures that came with it. Most importantly, he opened up honestly about living with Parkinson’s. His physical challenges, the emotional toll and the journey toward acceptance. It became one of the most heartfelt, honest, and vulnerable conversations I’ve had on the show and I truly hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed having it.