About Us | Radiqal Movement

WHO ARE WE?

We are a queer-affirming, body-liberating, "fitness" organisation formed in November of 2021. We are one of the first and only organisations in Aotearoa to offer gender-affirming, joyful exercise experiences tailored to our LGBTQ+ whānau.

We offer weekly group fitness classes (in-person and online), personal training, facilitate community groups and run events.

We have 11 beautiful instructors, all of whom are queer. Different instructors have different lived experiences of disability and/or neurodivergence, having a diverse gender identity and/or gender expression, having a diverse sexuality, and many others that have shaped the wonderful, selfless humans that they are today.

We currently run our services at various locations throughout Tāmaki Makaurau. With continued engagement and support, it is our goal to have our own rainbow hub in Tāmnaki Makaura and expand our services throughout Aotearoa.

WHAT DO WE STAND FOR?

Exercise should be enjoyable and accessible for everyone.

At Radiqal Movement, we encourage positive, holistic approaches to movement, centered around joy, consent, body-liberation, and peer support.

We ensure the use of body-positive language, teaching of non-gendered fitness, and provide services that cater to all fitness levels, experience, and confidence. Our staff take pride in ensuring our members are respected and celebrated.

Radiqal Movement is one of the first and only fitness platforms in Aotearoa to provide a dedicated space for rainbow communities. However, Radiqal Movement also welcome allies who shares our values of inclusivity, respect, and body-liberation.

Providing our services is a crucial step towards improving the mental and physical health of some of New Zealand's most vulnerable communities.

HOW ARE WE DIFFERENT?

Mainstream gyms are not often a welcoming, comfortable, or safe space for many people. The toxic, hyper-masculinized, gendered environment, and general disrespect within mainstream gyms contribute to this. Gyms are a wide-reaching public resource which should, by definition, improve the health of their members, rather than create more barriers to mental and physical wellness.

Instead, Radiqal Movement aims to reduce inequities and improve the health of some of New Zealand's most vulnerable individuals.

Community, connection, and intergeneration support are the foundation of our gym. We value post-workout coffees, social events, and prioritise our members' holistic wellbeing. We use exercise and movement to provide our clients with autonomy over their body expression, particularly to combat body dysphoria and increase positive mental health.

LAUREN HARTRIDGE

Founder, Director,

Exercise Specialist.

Kia ora e te whānau,

I am the founder and director of Radiqal Movement. Radiqal was built to provide joyful exercise opportunities for LGBTQ+ folk and other communities underrepresented and often omitted from mainstream fitness spaces.

I believe that to better serve our communities and reduce intersectional inequities, the narrative(s) surrounding exercise needs to change. A whole new landscape of movement, one that takes holistic, body-liberating, community peer support approaches to hauora, is the way forward.

I am an Inspiring Stories Impact Awards Finalist (2023), Health Sciences and Exercise Sciences graduate, two-time National Futsal Champion, former International Waka Ama competitor, and have 12+ years of gym training experience.

Trans, gender diverse, and queer folk deserve to have positive, healthy and happy relationships with movement and their communities.

~ Lauren Hartridge (she/they) ~

Can I attend if I am not part of a rainbow community?

Of course. Although Radiqal Movement centres LGBTQ+ communities, our services extend to anyone who shares our values of body-liberation, manākitanga, genuine inclusivity, respect, and anti-discrimination.
What if I am late to a session?

Our main goal is to provide the best possible service to our clients. Our late/no-show policy: Radiqal Movement works on an appointment based schedule to allow you the time required for your session. Personal training sessions will generally be 30 minutes to 1 hour. Group fitness classes tend to be 45 minutes in duration. Please be on time for your appointments. If you are late for any session it will still end at the scheduled time. If you are more than 15 minutes late for a personal training session, it will be considered a no-show and you will be required to pay the fee for the session. If you are more than 15 minutes late to a group fitness class, you may be asked to obtain from joining late as the risk of injuries is increased.
Can I cancel my session?

Yes, however it is important that you give us sufficient notice when you need to cancel an appointment. This means a cancellation should be made at least 24 hours before the scheduled appointment. To cancel an appointment, please contact us. Failure to cancel a training session within this time will result in you being charged for the session. This helps offset income lost due to being unable to find a new client in time. Should you wish to reschedule an appointment, a minimum of 24 hours notice is required. We will do our best to accommodate this - we understand that emergencies happen.
How do I pay for my session?

Our services must be payed-for online and in-advance via Stripe Payments. Personal training is the exclusion whereby personal training clients will be sent an invoice pre-session. Subsequent payments alternative may be organized.
Where are you located?

We currently run our group fitness classes at the Grey Lynn Library Hall, and at the Auckland Domain. We provide personal training, however, at our home-gym set up in Grey Lynn, at your own home, or via Zoom.
Do I have to be fully vaccinated to attend classes and sessions?

Due to the changes in Government policies, you are not required to be fully vaccinated to access our services. - 5/07/22
Do you have a physical gym?

We currently hire out various spaces around Tāmaki Makaurau for our group fitness classes and have a home-gym set up in Grey Lynn/Newton. It is our goal to one day have a fully functioning health and wellness centre where queer, gender diverse, and takatāpui individuals are able to access all types of gender/queer-affirming healthcare, including physios, doctors, therapists, and of course, our gym. We are working towards this. If you do have a million dollars wanting to be shared, please know our hands our wide open ;)
What is 'Radiqal Social'

'Radiqal Social' is another stream of Radiqal. Through Radiqal Social, we facilitate social events and oversee our community-led groups, such as the monthly movie night and Dykes n Hikes (our walking/running group).
I am struggling financially, what support can I access?

Please email us at radiqalmovement@gmail.com. We will take into consideration your situation and do whatever we can to ensure you are able to access our services.
Where do you do personal training from?

We offer personal training from either a home-gym in Grey Lynn, and/or from your own home. When the weather is good, we can also facilitate sessions at your local central Tāmaki Makaurau park. Our trainers provide all equipment necessary, including heavy barbells, dumbbells, medicine balls, resistance bands and kettlebells. Let us know what would work best for you, and we will try our best to be accomodating and accessible.
Do you provide group fitness classes?

Yes - we currently offer a variety of classes every week, from Total Body, to Yoga Vinyasa Flow, to Barre Classes. Check our schedule under "classes" on our website for the latest group fitness timetable.