Michael’s Voice - Build Different: Finding Belonging Through Movement
Meet Michael Betteridge.
He’s the founder of Queer Fit Club, a space rooted in movement, healing, and radical belonging. His story is one of courage, disconnection, and reclaiming identity after years of being told it didn’t belong. It’s honest, layered, and a reminder that when we stop performing, we start becoming.
Michael’s Story:
I grew up going to Catholic school and playing competitive sports. They were both environments that sent clear messages, both spoken and unspoken, that queerness didn’t belong. That I didn’t really belong as my authentic self.
Whether it was in the classroom, under the watchful eye of teachers, or on the field surrounded by teammates, I absorbed the idea that to be myself was to be wrong. So I learned to play a part. I excelled in sports, competed at high levels, and on the surface, it looked like I had found my place. But even in those moments of success, I felt like I was just performing and trying to fit into a mold that was never made for me.
In my early 20s, I eventually stepped away from athletics. And with that, I lost the structure, the routine, and the one place where I felt a sense of connection. Even if that connection came at the cost of authenticity. I felt unanchored. Like I was floating without direction or community.
But in that space of uncertainty, something began to shift.
I started attending group fitness classes not to compete, but simply to be. For the first time, I found movement that wasn’t about proving anything. It wasn’t about stats, rankings, or approval. It was about showing up. Being present. Moving because it felt good, not because I had something to prove.
That shift away from performance and toward presence changed everything. It helped me begin to unlearn years of shame. It gave me the courage to imagine something different. And from that space, Queer Fit Club was born.
Queer Fit Club isn’t just about fitness. It’s about reclaiming space. It’s about creating the kind of environment I never had growing up. Somewhere that movement is joyful, where every identity is welcome, and everyone could show up as their most authentic selves and know they are safe.
It’s about building something bigger than myself:
A space where confidence can grow, where friendships are built, and where no one has to fear judgment just for existing.
Mental health and identity are deeply connected.
When you're constantly told directly or indirectly, that who you are isn’t welcome, it leaves a mark. That kind of rejection chips away at your sense of self, your safety, your confidence. Reclaiming movement and creating a space where all identities are celebrated hasn’t just been about fitness, it’s been a part of my healing. Belonging isn’t just a nice idea; it’s essential. And when we find spaces that reflect and affirm who we are, it changes everything from our mental health to the way we show up in the world.
-Michael
