We chat with Movement Gyms Senior Director Matt Hopkins in an exclusive Q&A to learn more about the motivational projects like the “Move with Purpose” program and their partnership with the Access Fund. Movement Gyms is committed to removing obstacles to entry and preserving outdoor areas so that everyone can benefit from the life-changing effects of yoga, climbing, and fitness. This vision is realized in the “Move with Purpose” program, which emphasizes building inclusive communities that go beyond the gym’s doors. Through its collaboration with the Access Fund, a nationwide advocacy group dedicated to sustainable access and conservation, Movement Gyms is enhancing its endeavors to generate favorable effects in communities and for upcoming explorers.

Grayson Mask: Did you start off in the fitness world or at Movement before becoming the senior director?

Matt Hopkins: I started climbing as a kid. So I’ve been in climbing for quite some time as part of the community. I didn’t get into working in climbing gyms until around 2014. I had some injuries from climbing that took me out of it for a bit and I found myself more interested in the world of fitness, personal training specifically. One of the pieces that pulled me into personal training specifically was when I was training for climbing as a kid, no one really knew how to train young climbers at that point. So we kind of just winged it, to be honest, like doing more pull-ups. If you can’t do a move, you’re not strong enough. So there was a bit of overtraining. I got into personal training to help prevent that. I was living in Portland at the time, and Planet Granite, now one of Movements legacy brands, was opening a location in there. I thought, okay, I just got my personal training certification. I want to get involved in the climbing scene and work with climbers. So I applied to see what they had going on. They brought me on to help with some of the finishing work as the gym was getting ready to open.

So I came in to help move things into place and install the fitness equipment. Then, one of the last days before they started to train the front desk team for opening, they said, “We’ve got some front desk opportunities. You seem like a good fit. Let’s get you onto the team.” I worked the front desk, taught group fitness classes and adult climbing programs. I found I had a passion for operations and started to follow that path more directly. I became a lead supervisor, then an assistant gym manager, and then in 2018 became the gym director.

We announced we were going to be opening gyms in Texas and Chicago as new constructions. So I applied and was offered the opportunity to come down to Texas to open our first locations in Texas, the Hill and Design District as a District Director. Shortly after we opened the Design District location, Movement acquired the Summit locations. We opened the Design District location in November 2022 and in April of the following year, Summit joined Movement.

I then stepped into a larger capacity role as Senior Director. I began with Planet Granite, one of the legacy gyms that also includes Earth Treks, Movement, Summit gyms here in Texas and most recently the Cliffs gyms in New York and Pennsylvania. I’m happy to come from a legacy brand and work to support new ones. So I’ve been around for a bit.

Grayson Mask: I was curious about one of your programs, “Move with Purpose.” When was that originally introduced through Movement, and could you explain what that program is?

Matt Hopkins: Yeah, it’s actually really new. We’ve had a giving program since the Planet Granite days, but the actual “Move with Purpose” program was brought to life very recently in its current capacity. It’s more of a reimagining of how all our legacy brands, which also had their own versions of giving programs, put it together. We’re looking at what we’re doing as a larger whole now that we are 30 gyms and all these histories of different ways of doing giving programs are continuing to build and expand upon it. The biggest thing about the “Move with Purpose” program is looking to reduce barriers to gym access, whether they are financial or have specific needs.

Being in the climbing industry, we know the value and transformative effects of climbing, yoga, and fitness. That’s why we’re passionate about it and want to share that with folks. One of the main barriers is often financial, but not always. So, we’re looking for ways to identify and reduce barriers. We also want to support organizations that focus on protecting the outdoor spaces we like to recreate in and those with aligned values. Our goal is to improve not just the indoor spaces we operate within but also the places we go and the communities we support.

Grayson Mask: Have there been any local Dallas organizations that you have identified or collaborated with through this program?

Matt Hopkins: A few, and I definitely want to add that we’re always looking to work with more. So if there’s an organization we don’t currently work with, they can definitely reach out to me to start a conversation. One of the groups we work with most regularly are United Rocks. They have a climbing team for youth and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They come in every Sunday, except for the third Sunday. They’re with us quite a bit and are now expanding beyond the Texas.

We also partner with Gallant Few, The Phoenix, and a few other organizations. We’re still looking to establish and create more with our community. We like to create partnerships that support both the gym and the groups themselves, making it more impactful to the group itself.

These are the ones we work with the most, but we’re always looking to expand and work with more folks in our communities doing great work. Rather than us trying to create a Movement version of what these folks are doing, we aim to support and lift them up because they are the best at what they do. We want to recognize that and shine the light on them.

Grayson Mask: You touched on this a bit, but I remember seeing something on the website about a TEAL membership. Is that offered through this program?

Matt Hopkins: Yes, through Move with Purpose, there are a few main pillars. Two of those are passes & classes and partnerships. The TEAL membership is another piece of it. We recognize that there is sometimes a financial barrier to get folks into climbing. We have recently rolled out a needs-based membership that helps with this.

Folks who can’t otherwise afford the gym or access to climbing, yoga, and fitness can apply for this membership. It’s good for 12 months and includes all the normal perks and access of our regular membership. Currently, nationally, we have around 200 folks on that membership, with about 20 in the Dallas area. We open it up every month from the 1st to the 15th for anyone looking to apply. There are some questions we ask to ensure that the process is equitable. The application is confidential and handled by a very limited group on our team. If anyone wants to apply for the TEAL membership, they can visit movementgyms.com/TEAL. We’re looking to grow that program and ensure that if a financial barrier exists, we have a pathway established to get folks into the gym and benefiting from developing a climbing, yoga, and fitness habit and skill set.

Grayson Mask: I also saw something about the Access Fund. What does Movement do with that program, and when did it start?

Matt Hopkins: We partner with Access Fund on a national level. They really exist basically everywhere our gyms do, so they’re a great partner because we’re already working in the same areas with a lot of the same communities. Access Fund’s main goal is to protect and provide access to outdoor climbing spaces. While we focus on indoor climbing, many of our climbers who start with us want to go outside. It’s crucial to ensure the land is protected and used responsibly.

This involves cleaning up trails and teaching good outdoor ethics. Recently, we did a bigger partnership with Access Fund. In June, we did a donation match and I’m happy to share that we hit our donation goal with them, which is awesome to see. It’s great to see that nationally, we’re getting a lot of support from our communities and the larger climbing community to support Access Fund. This ensures that the outdoor areas we enjoy are protected and maintained for current and future climbers. We want these areas to remain intact, so they’re not damaged or degraded over time. They’re a great partner, focusing primarily on the outdoor aspect, while we develop the indoor structure. There’s a lot of symbiosis in working together to ensure good ethics exist both indoors and outdoors.

Grayson Mask: As a final question, is there anything you’re particularly looking forward to or that Movement is excited about moving forward or throughout this year?

Matt Hopkins: We definitely have things we’re looking forward to. Climbing is in the Olympics again, which is awesome and that’s coming up pretty soon. Regarding Move with Purpose and Access Fund, we’re excited to continue what we’re currently doing and to enhance these partnerships. We want to make sure these initiatives are more visible within our spaces and the broader climbing community. We aim to grow the TEAL membership base so more people are aware of it and know that this pathway exists. We’re also looking to continue partnering with the organizations we work with to help people get into the gyms either through reduced financial barriers or tailored classes.

We know there are individuals and organizations out there doing similar work to what we’re doing, and we might not have connected yet. Some might be tangential to the climbing industry and unsure if it’s the right fit to try climbing, but we understand the value of climbing and its benefits. There’s a lot of crossover with hiking, cycling, and other activities, so we want to continue expanding there.

We have a lot of events coming up. The Dallas gyms, including Fort Worth and Denton, are planning a climbing event in August called 12 Hours of Movement Misery. It’s a pretty fun event starting at 8 in the morning. Participants have 12 hours to climb as much as they can, moving between all the gyms we have in DFW. The more gyms you visit, the higher your point scale. This incentivizes climbers to start at one gym and try to hit all six in a day. We end with an after-party, which this year will be at the Plano location. Each Movement gym also has individual events which are updated monthly. For most up to date listings check out our website Movementgyms.com