In early 2022, I was on the phone with a client of my John Neubauer Inc business (www.johnneubauerinc.com), the founder and CEO of the TV business reality show America’s Real Deal. He was lamenting that he needed to find one more compelling contestant for his upcoming season. With tongue-in-cheek, I said what about a business in which the founder could stand on his head in a business suit in front of the show’s judges and cameras. He said, “You know such a person?” I laughed and said, “Yes! Me.”
With that exchange, I was invited to become one of the 16 national contestants. The winner to be judged by the TV viewers would win a $100,000 prize and get exposure in front of millions of people. The show would be filmed in May and air late that year.
I had already been thinking about what kind of a legacy I might leave – given that I was 74 at the time. I had devoted my life to helping others work toward realizing their business dreams. But what about me? As I pondered, I realized that the formation of Tai Chi Yoga was a gift from the Lord inspired by Him. But what had I really done over the years to share that gift beyond the thousands I had taught in the 1970s and the hundreds since?
I decided that my Tai Chi Yoga being showcased on America’s Real Deal might be the vehicle for a legacy of bringing the benefits of Tai Chi Yoga to millions around the world. Having been a college basketball player, I decided if I was going to be on the show – I was going to be “in it to win it”. So I invested in redoing my website (www.taichiyoga.com), producing a 30-second and 60-second promo the show asked me to do, retaining a social media company to generate interest in voting for him, and all the legal paperwork that goes with such an undertaking.
The filming went well. People loved my headstand in a business suit in front of the judges and cameras. I spent the summer building up modestly my social media following. Then came time for the premiere of the show in LA in which each contestant got to be interviewed for his/her red carpet moment.
Just as I was waiting to be interviewed, my hands started to shake with uncontrollable Parkinson’s tremors – a real shock as neither I nor anyone in my family had ever had Parkinson’s. I really knew nothing about Parkinson’s or even if it could be treated. Having been involved in starting and building many businesses over the years, I knew what an “all-in” proposition it was. Suddenly I had doubts about being able in good conscience to ask people to vote and invest in my business (one of the judging criteria of the show) if I didn’t even know if my Parkinson’s could be successfully treated.
After praying and pondering for a few days, I did what I thought was right. I withdrew from participation in the show and refunded all the money that some had already invested. The show’s sponsors said that was not necessary as they said the SEC (the US Securities and Exchange Commission was watching over the investment claims of the contestants) did not require disclosure of major health changes. But that did not feel right to me.
I could not in good conscience continue to promote people voting for me and investing in my business if I did not know if I could successfully succeed in doing so. That withdrawal however cost me the loss of the tens of thousands of dollars I have invested in preparing for and competing in the show. How the Lord might judge me someday was more important than how those around me might judge me. So I accepted the loss gracefully.
Since the withdrawal, I have found a doctor who was been able to successfully treat my Parkinson’s to the extent that I seldom have any tremors, have regained my energy level, and still have all my physical and mental faculties. Actually, my doctor said that one of the reasons for its delayed onset and my recovery has been my years of practicing Tai Chi Yoga. Here is his opinion expressed on my website:
“I have treated thousands of patients over the years with medical ailments, including Parkinson’s. One of my more recent Parkinson’s patients has been John Neubauer. As I learned of his having innovated tai chi yoga nearly 50 years ago and practiced it faithfully every day since I came to appreciate that his tai chi yoga was likely a major contributor to delaying the onset of his Parkinson’s for so many years. I also believe that his special application of its principles during my treatment of him contributes to his progress and recovery. As a Regenerative Medical Doctor for many years, John’s tai chi yoga helps preserve one’s health and accelerate one’s recovery as well or better than other disciplines I have been exposed to. The principles of his tai chi yoga help the major concepts of slowing down the pace of aging. The mindfulness, the exercise/mobility component, and the nutritional aspect all combine to slow down aging and keep you young and healthy.” Dr. Steven E Warren, MD DPA, Longevity Research Center
While my hope for a Tai Chi Yoga legacy may not have been realized thru America’s Real Deal TV show, perhaps there is yet another path to be followed to do so. For as US Senator Ted Kennedy declared in 1980, “The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”
With that exchange, I was invited to become one of the 16 national contestants. The winner to be judged by the TV viewers would win a $100,000 prize and get exposure in front of millions of people. The show would be filmed in May and air late that year.
I had already been thinking about what kind of a legacy I might leave – given that I was 74 at the time. I had devoted my life to helping others work toward realizing their business dreams. But what about me? As I pondered, I realized that the formation of Tai Chi Yoga was a gift from the Lord inspired by Him. But what had I really done over the years to share that gift beyond the thousands I had taught in the 1970s and the hundreds since?
I decided that my Tai Chi Yoga being showcased on America’s Real Deal might be the vehicle for a legacy of bringing the benefits of Tai Chi Yoga to millions around the world. Having been a college basketball player, I decided if I was going to be on the show – I was going to be “in it to win it”. So I invested in redoing my website (www.taichiyoga.com), producing a 30-second and 60-second promo the show asked me to do, retaining a social media company to generate interest in voting for him, and all the legal paperwork that goes with such an undertaking.
The filming went well. People loved my headstand in a business suit in front of the judges and cameras. I spent the summer building up modestly my social media following. Then came time for the premiere of the show in LA in which each contestant got to be interviewed for his/her red carpet moment.
Just as I was waiting to be interviewed, my hands started to shake with uncontrollable Parkinson’s tremors – a real shock as neither I nor anyone in my family had ever had Parkinson’s. I really knew nothing about Parkinson’s or even if it could be treated. Having been involved in starting and building many businesses over the years, I knew what an “all-in” proposition it was. Suddenly I had doubts about being able in good conscience to ask people to vote and invest in my business (one of the judging criteria of the show) if I didn’t even know if my Parkinson’s could be successfully treated.
After praying and pondering for a few days, I did what I thought was right. I withdrew from participation in the show and refunded all the money that some had already invested. The show’s sponsors said that was not necessary as they said the SEC (the US Securities and Exchange Commission was watching over the investment claims of the contestants) did not require disclosure of major health changes. But that did not feel right to me.
I could not in good conscience continue to promote people voting for me and investing in my business if I did not know if I could successfully succeed in doing so. That withdrawal however cost me the loss of the tens of thousands of dollars I have invested in preparing for and competing in the show. How the Lord might judge me someday was more important than how those around me might judge me. So I accepted the loss gracefully.
Since the withdrawal, I have found a doctor who was been able to successfully treat my Parkinson’s to the extent that I seldom have any tremors, have regained my energy level, and still have all my physical and mental faculties. Actually, my doctor said that one of the reasons for its delayed onset and my recovery has been my years of practicing Tai Chi Yoga. Here is his opinion expressed on my website:
“I have treated thousands of patients over the years with medical ailments, including Parkinson’s. One of my more recent Parkinson’s patients has been John Neubauer. As I learned of his having innovated tai chi yoga nearly 50 years ago and practiced it faithfully every day since I came to appreciate that his tai chi yoga was likely a major contributor to delaying the onset of his Parkinson’s for so many years. I also believe that his special application of its principles during my treatment of him contributes to his progress and recovery. As a Regenerative Medical Doctor for many years, John’s tai chi yoga helps preserve one’s health and accelerate one’s recovery as well or better than other disciplines I have been exposed to. The principles of his tai chi yoga help the major concepts of slowing down the pace of aging. The mindfulness, the exercise/mobility component, and the nutritional aspect all combine to slow down aging and keep you young and healthy.” Dr. Steven E Warren, MD DPA, Longevity Research Center
While my hope for a Tai Chi Yoga legacy may not have been realized thru America’s Real Deal TV show, perhaps there is yet another path to be followed to do so. For as US Senator Ted Kennedy declared in 1980, “The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”