
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION
& BELONGING
We work to create a community in our clubs in which individuals are seen, recognized and celebrated including but not limited, regardless of their background, race, gender, gender identity, age and fitness level.
What We’re ReadingWhat We’re DoingContact Us- DEI Education
- Recruiting & Leadership Team Makeup
- Marketing
- Community Engagement
- DEI&B Committee
- Intention vs. Impact
- DEI ERG
DEI Education
We are committed to requiring all team members to complete DEI Training. Our new hire training includes the following:
- Unconscious Bias
- Microaggression Training
- Upstander Training
- Trans and Nonbinary Inclusion Training
- Workplace Harassment Training
In addition, our managers complete the following training:
- Once And For All: Stopping Sexual Harassment at Work (MANAGER version)
- DEI&B Recruiting and Hiring Best Practices
We are working with Ashley Mitchell, an external DEI consultant, to lead our DEI&B initiatives.
Ashley Mitchell is a multi-passionate creator and new mom. She has become a powerful voice speaking out against racial inequality in the fitness space, garnering fast follow-ship and influence, making her an agent of untold levels of inspiration and strength. Ashley currently works in several capacities, including stay-at-home mom to Zion, Director of the Movement School at Down Under Yoga where she also teaches strength classes, consults in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and most proudly, runs The Courage Campaign, a non-profit founded with her husband Mark.
Completed and Ongoing Trainings
- Today: We continue our work each month with Ashley Mitchell and utilize the online application to share education and training.
- October 2024: In-Personal Leadership Training on Microaggression led by Ashley Mitchell
- December 2023: We purchased an online application that allows us to share education resources with all team members each month. Monthly trainings have included:
- Barriers to Fitness and Health for Marginalized Populations
- Accepting Feedback with Ashley Mitchell
- Harassment in the Workplace
- Understanding Impact vs Intention
- Triggering words and actions with Ashley Mitchell
- Microaggression Training
- LGBTQIA+ Allyship
- Latin X Heritage
- Ageism with Ashley Mitchell
- Sizeism with Ashley Mitchell
- July 2023: Barriers to Belonging & Taking Action Training for all team members with Ashley Mitchel
- June 2023: Defining DEI and Bias & Allyship Training for all team members with Ashley Mitchell
- May 2023: We hosted 5 Listen & Heal Sessions with Ashley Mitchell
- April 2023: Leadership Team completed a LGBTQIA+ inclusion training with Addison Darrow
Recruiting & Leadership Team Makeup
We are actively working on diversifying our team for the benefit of all team members and the organization with the following tactics:
Commitments:
- Yearly Leadership Team Training – Unconscious Bias Recruiting and Hiring
- Measure Diversity on Leadership Team
- Work with organizations that will provide more diverse applicants.
Marketing
The fitness industry has often failed to feature people of all races, body sizes, ages, gender appearances. While Healthworks has made conscious efforts to reduce this gap, there is more work to do.
We have created a more formal strategy for social media. Both on what we post and how we highlight our community and National Observances.
Community Engagement
- We will provide more visible support of Healthworks Community Fitness
- We will include our Healthworks Community Fitness program in our new member information and provide an opportunity for new members to donate
- We will explore partnerships with Nonprofits such as Breaktime, Big Brothers Big Sisters, etc.
- We will continue our partnership with Brookline Housing
Our longer term goals include:
- Personal Trainer Certification Scholarship Program
- Now available. Please see below.
Healthworks Group Community Membership Program
We believe in giving back to the community and making fitness more accessible. This April we will be offering 75+ Scholarship Memberships at all our club locations. If you or someone you know is eligible, please encourage them to apply.
Healthworks Fitness Eligibility: Healthworks is a place for women and non-binary people to focus on themselves and elevate both their physical and inner power in a women centered space.
Republic Fitness Eligibility: Republic Fitness is a place for all genders to foster connections, support personal growth, and uplift their overall health and fitness.
How do I qualify?
- Qualification based on income. Applicants will need to submit a copy of their 2024 tax returns.
- There are two scholarship tiers:
- 31-50% Median Income – 50% off dues for applicants in the Very Low-Income Limit
- Under 30% median – 70% off dues for applicants in the Extremely Low- Income Limit
What is the commitment?
We are looking for members who are ready to make a difference in their health and wellness and are committed to using our club 8+ times per month.
What type of membership do I receive and what is the duration of membership?
Community memberships provide unlimited access to a single club location for 1 year.
When do we apply?
Each April we will open enrollment for scholarship memberships.
What is the evaluation process for each application?
Random lottery based on qualifying applications
Can I reapply for future years?
To qualify for future years, you must:
- Meet the income requirement and re-submit application.
- Meet the commitment to healthy movement of 8+ visits per month.
What if my income changes:
We can provide an option to increase membership for a minimal increase if you want to continue but no longer qualify based on income.
To Apply Click Here: Healthworks Group Scholarship Application
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee
Our DEI&B Committe has been meeting every month since 2023. Our committee is committed to making Healthworks Group a great place for all to visit and work.
DEI&B Committee:
- Denise Spinale Cambridge Club, Assistant Manager
- Jalynn Brown HWX, Director of HWX Program
- Jen Sadowski Regional Team, Marketing Specialist
- Liz Keller Coolidge Corner, Personal Trainer
- Mark Harrington Jr Regional Team, President of Healthworks, Republic Fitness & GymIt
- Meg Negron Regional Team, Director of Operations
- Nicole Poirier Cambridge Club, Member Service Team
- Shoshana Edelson Coolidge Corner, Personal Trainer
- Tanisha Tate Healthworks Community Fitness and Republic Fitness, Member Service Team
- Tina Counihan Regional Team, Staff Development
Create a community in our clubs in which individuals are seen, recognized, and celebrated including but not limited, regardless of their background, race, gender, gender identity, age and fitness level.
Growth Statement
We believe everyone is capable of change and growth. Creating a just, safe, and equitable community at Healthworks Group takes work and a willingness to have difficult conversations with our members and staff. The primary goal of these conversations is to stop the perpetuation and negative effects of harmful words or behavior in order to create a compassionate space for listening, understanding, offering new information, and correcting assumptions.
If a member of our community makes an error and then demonstrates an openness and commitment to learning how to better foster spaces of inclusion and belonging, we are open to their continued participation in our community.
Our expectation is for all staff and members to join in the process, provide space for growth, and continue to deliver our standard level of professionalism, respect, and customer service to all members and fellow staff.
Impact and Intention Report
There are times in our clubs that a conversation or interaction can have a negative impact on a member or team member. We recognize that our intentions do not always match our impact. When these negative experiences occur, we investigate and document the incident. This allows us to address the impact, provide training when necessary and create a better experience for everyone in the future. If you would like to report an incident to your team, please use the contact form below.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Employee Resource Group
Each month, team members are encouraged to participate in our DEI Resource Group. One of the goals of this ERG is to create a space to have conversations that challenge us to learn and grow. Monthly discussion will be based on a chosen article, podcast, movie or book. The resources are chosen to help educate and deepen our understanding of these crucial social issues. See the full list below.
All employees are welcome to participate in our Employee Resource Group. Each month, team members are encouraged to participate in a discussion based on a chosen book, movie or podcast. The resources are chosen to help educate and deepen our understanding of these crucial social issues.
READ
- Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
- The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander
- The Revolution Has Come, Robyn C. Spencer
- The Color of Law, Richard Rothstein
- Trouble with White Women, Kyla Schuller
- The Black Kids, Christina Hammonds Reed
- The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett
- Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word, Randall Kennedy
- Assata: An Autobiography, Assata Shakur
- Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia, Sabrina Strings
- Black Girl Dangerous, Mia McKenzie
- Stamped from the Beginning, Ibram X Kendi
- A Case for Reparations (article)
- ‘There Is No Neutral’: ‘Nice White People’ Can Still Be Complicit In A Racist Society (article)
- How To Celebrate Juneteenth (article)
- An Ally’s Guide To Juneteenth: What True Black Allyship Should Look Like Today And Frankly, Every day (article)
- What is Hispanic Heritage Month (article)
- Ageism and the Fitness Industry (article)
- Black Friend, Ziwe
- Are Prisons Obsolete?, Angela Davis
WATCH
- When They See Us, Netflix
- Get Out, Hulu
- Judas and the Black Messiah, HBO Max
- Sorry To Bother You, Amazon
- Paris is Burning, Apple TV
- Passing, Netflix
- Selma, Amazon Prime
- Disclosure, Netflix
- Fruitvale Station, Amazon Prime
- Malcolm X, Amazon Prime
- Miss Evers’ Boys, HBO Max
- Birth of a Nation, HBO Max
- I Am Not Your Negro, Netflix
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Amazon Prime
- Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man (series)
- Trans In Texas
- MLK/FBI, Hulu
- Exterminate All The Brutes, HBO Max
- Cultural Appropriation: A Fixable Cultural Crime, YouTube
- Tantura, Amazon
LISTEN
- Nice White Parents
- Code Switch: Why coronavirus is hitting Black communities hardest
- Code Switch: The Kids Are All Right
- Louder Than a Riot EP 1: Conspiracy Against Hip-Hop
- TEDxHampshireCollege: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Discussing Race
- Reparations: The Big Payback
- On Coronavirus and the Black Community: A Shot in the Dark
- The Complicated Role Of Black Leaders In Shaping The Criminal Justice System
- Antisemitism Now and antisemitism Then,
- Juneteenth Faith & Freedom
- NPR A Taste of Freedom (podcast)
- NYT The History and Meaning of Juneteenth
- “F*ck Colonialism”?: Reclaiming Two-Spirit Histories
- LGBTQ Oral Histories from the Archive
- Effective Allyship: A Transgender Take on Intersectionality
- How to be an LGBTQ Ally: We Need You!
- America Ferrera’s Ted Talk
- How Do We Feel About Fat
- Cross Addiction: Substance Use Disorders and Compulsive Behaviors
- Reframing Addiction: Shifting the Lens Towards Hope
- Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong
- Miracle Jones: The radical, revolutionary resilience of Black joy
READ
Black Friend
Ziwe
Are Prisons Obsolete?
Angela Davis
WATCH
MLK/FBI
Hulu
Exterminate All The Brutes
HBO Max
Cultural Appropriation: A Fixable Cultural Crime
Tantura
Amazon
LISTEN
Coming Soon
READ
Between the World and Me
Ta-Nehisi Coates
The New Jim Crow
Michelle Alexander
The Revolution Has Come
Robyn C. Spencer
The Color of Law
Missing author
Trouble with White Women
Kyla Schuller
The Black Kids
Christina Hammonds Reed
The Vanishing Half
Brit Bennett
Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word
Randall Kennedy
Assata: An Autobiography
Assata Shakur
Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia
Sabrina Strings
Black Girl Dangerous
Mia McKenzie
Stamped from the Beginning
Ibram X Kendi
Black Girl Dangerous
Mia McKenzie
Stamped from the Beginning
Ibram X Kendi
WATCH
When They See Us
Netflix
Get Out
Hulu
Judas and the Black Messiah
HBO Max
Sorry To Bother You
Amazon
Paris is Burning
Apple TV
Passing
Netflix
Selma
Amazon Prime
Disclosure
Netflix
Fruitvale Station
Amazon Prime
Malcolm X
Amazon Prime
Miss Evers’ Boys
HBO Max
Birth of a Nation
HBO Max
I Am Not Your Negro
Netflix
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Amazon Prime