Hi, I'm Darbe Schlosser.
My work explores Parkinson's through a neuroeconomic lens.
Cost.
Timing.
Learning.
Parkinson's is highly variable. Rather than focusing only on movement symptoms, I focus on how movement is generated, timed, learned, and adapted.
Every person arrives with a different history, different goals, and different constraints. My role is to help identify the mechanisms driving impairment and build practical systems that create meaningful change.
I am particularly interested in how self-generated sound influences movement. Through simple vocalizations linked directly to action, individuals learn to organize attention, establish rhythm, direct effort, and improve movement execution.
The goal isn't to just follow a beat. The goal is to develop the ability to generate one.
In essence, the person becomes the conductor of their own motor system.
Read my story
From the plains of North Dakota to Think & Move Well
Darbe Schlosser
President / Founder
Growing up on 100 acres in the valley of Minot, North Dakota, I was gifted with space. Space to run, to jump and climb, and to explore how my body interacted with the environment and the world beneath my feet. I was my own coach and the uneven terrain I ran upon provided a level of unpredictability that bestowed upon me the feedback I needed to self-correct and to transfer learning and skill to multiple domains. Little did I know at the time; my life's passion and purpose were being built on the foundation of movement.
In 2014, I formed my company Motorvation USA, and began my entrepreneurial career as a trainer working with neurological disorders. These individuals were my very first teachers. They showed me that movement can be built and beautifully transformed out of the disruption of disease.
Over the past 7 years, I have administered nearly 5,000 hours of hands-on motor control training to People with Parkinson’s disease and have developed a system of methodologies to ameliorate symptoms of PD by increasing movement vigor. I’ve focused most of my attention on the underrepresented demographic of Postural Instability Gait Disturbance subtype (PIGD) as well as Freezing of Gait (FoG) and Parkinson’s disease with Dementia.
My empirical and exploratory work enlightened me regarding the many roadblocks impacting the biopsychosocial model of health and its effect on the trajectory of disease. Specifically, the ability to create adequate training protocols addressing Parkinson's disease within the context of all other co-occurring ailments. Transitioning from an exercise mindset to a training mindset that is more skill based so self-correction strategies can be used to promote learning initiatives that overcome pre existing coordination tendencies. Providing adequate training for movement professionals working with Parkinson’s to enhance their knowledge of what to look for when orchestrating group classes. Improving communication between MDS doctors and patients to prevent medication mismanagement as well as a model for care partner integration.
I want to create and implement programs that address these issues and I want to change policies that further fuel these issues. I want my voice to be heard so I can open doors to new and innovative ideas. I want to be a driver in the field of motor control and fall prevention research and I want to influence change at a global level by raising the expectations of what humans are capable of achieving through movement.
Selected Publications
THE COST PROBLEM
Movement becomes expensive before it becomes impossible.
ACTUAL EFFORT ≠ PERCEIVED EFFORT
Before movement begins, the brain evaluates whether an action is worth the energy it will require. In Parkinson's, that calculation becomes distorted. Movements that should feel accessible begin to feel expensive, resulting in hesitation, reduced amplitude, slower movement, and decreased participation.
My work recalibrates that calcualtion, helping people restore access to movement that is often still available.
THE TIMING PROBLEM
Generating rhythm is not the same as following rhythm.
FOLLOWING RHYTHM ≠ GENERATING RHYTHM
Most movement depends on timing systems that operate automatically in the background. Walking, turning, speaking, reaching, and transitioning between tasks all rely on precise internal timing.
Parkinson's disrupts these systems, forcing movement to require more conscious control and attention. Rather than teaching people how to work around timing problems, my goal is to help them rebuild internal timing itself.
THE LEARNING PROBLEM
Practice doesn’t guarantee improvement. It guarantees learning.
LEARNING ≠ IMPROVEMENT
Every repetition teaches the nervous system something. When movement becomes inefficient, inconsistent, or compensatory, those patterns can become reinforced over time.
My work focuses on helping the brain detect errors, make adjustments in real time, and shape what it learns from every repetition.
The goal is not simply practice more, but to practice in a way that creates lasting improvements worth keeping.
The brain is always learning . The question is whether it is reinforcing Parkinson's patterns or learning more effective ways to move.
TEACHING PRINCIPLES, NOT PROTOCOLS.
The professionals who teach Think and Move Well.
Our team brings deep expertise across movement, neuroscience, physiology, and real-world application. Together, we translate complex principles into practical, individualized training.
Danielle Dinger
RUNNER · PARKINSON'S · ENDURANCE
Specializes in endurance training, running mechanics, and aerobic conditioning for people with Parkinson’s.
Read full biography
Danielle Dinger
RUNNER · PARKINSON'S · ENDURANCE
Danielle Dinger was diagnosed in 2020 with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease after recognizing a resting tremor in her hand, arm and leg. Being a life-long endurance runner, her diagnosis of Parkinson’s ignited her motivation to continue running as a means to battle progression of the disease. She runs over 1000 miles per year and has completed seven full marathons and eight ultramarathons. She has invested over a decade into coaching high school athletes, and often shares her fitness expereince online. She uses her social media to bring awareness to Parkinson’s Disease by sharing educational bits about symptoms, as well as highlighting the possibilities of living well despite a degenerative diagnosis. Many followers have related to her honesty and vulnerability as well as found inspiration in her iron-clad grip on hope.
She is a wife and mother of four. Along with her husband, they planted a church in St. Cloud, Minnesota where they have been serving in ministry for over twenty years.
Danielle owns her own business as a ceramic artist, making functional pottery and selling her work at local shows and online. She also teaches pottery workshops from her studio and in classrooms.
Danielle is thrilled to be working as a Lead Coach with Motorvation. She loves getting to know clients, listening to their story and encouraging them to use the exercises in this program to think and move well.
Madelyn Garland
DANCER · EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY · PERFORMANCE
Focuses on exercise physiology, performance training, and movement quality.
Read full biography
Madelyn Garland
DANCER · EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY · PERFORMANCE
Madelyn Garland is a Think and Move Well coach who has been with the program since the completion of her education last spring. She has a bachelors degree in Kinesiology from Temple University where she spent three seasons as a student athlete on the University’s Dance Team. She also has a graduate degree from the University of Delaware in Clinical Exercise Physiology. Working in cardiac rehabilitation, a parkinsons disease research cohort, and as a dance instructor contributed to her passion for one on one training in this space!
