What are the goals, challenges, and experiences shaping the Women’s Parkour Movement and its annual gatherings?

Volunteer organizers reflect on the balance between leadership, inclusion, and community building in parkour.

“For me, the women’s parkour movement space is much, much more about the feeling of being accepted and valued for what it is and who it is that you are and whatever you’re bringing to the table.” ~ Alice Popejoy (26:45)

“Whether parkour companies are sharing more female movement because of guilt or social pressure, the fact that it’s happening and we’re seeing more of it is a good thing.” ~ Gabby St. Martin (43:08)

The conversation focuses on the Women’s Parkour Movement organization, emphasizing the need for safe, empowering spaces for women and non-binary individuals in parkour. Gabby, Adrienne and Alice discuss the origins, leadership transitions, and ethos of the annual gatherings, highlighting the importance of fostering inclusivity, play, and body positivity. They share personal stories of discovering parkour and finding strength and community within women-centered spaces.

Challenges like representation, leadership diversity, and societal biases are explored, alongside positive trends in visibility and inclusion. The discussion touches on the broader implications of creating platforms that amplify underrepresented voices, with reflections on the impact of movements like “#MeToo” and strategies to build empathetic, inclusive communities.

Takeaways

Creating women-focused parkour spaces — fosters empowerment and community building.

Importance of inclusivity — ensuring spaces welcome women, non-binary individuals, and other underrepresented groups.

Volunteer leadership — highlights the dedication and personal sacrifices of organizers.

Play and creativity — emphasized as key elements of parkour practice in these spaces.

Challenges of representation — ongoing efforts are needed to improve visibility and leadership diversity.

Cultural shifts in parkour — moving toward valuing diverse styles beyond power and strength.

Addressing gender-based issues — from biases in coaching to ethical challenges in leadership.

The role of social media — visibility for women in parkour is increasing but requires further equity.

Resources

Women’s Parkour Movement — Includes event details and registration.

Queen City Documentary — Showcases female parkour athletes, and the need for inclusive spaces in parkour.

Recommendations for Increasing the Number of Women and Girls in Parkour — Alice Popejoy’s analysis of representation in parkour.

On Equal Prize Money and Women’s Participation in Parkour Competitions — Adrienne Toumayan’s article on women’s participation in parkour competitions.

Bonfire WPKM — Event fundraising merchandise.

Art of Retreat — Workshops discussing gender, inclusion, and leadership in parkour.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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— Hello👋 I’m Craig Constantine.

In the Movers Mindset podcast, I talk with movement enthusiasts to learn who they are, what they do, and why they do it. I’m interested in the nature and philosophy of movement and in exploring themes like independence, self-direction, and human excellence. My interests color each conversation and provide some structure to Movers Mindset. But since I like to take the scenic route, every conversation ends up going somewhere unique.

The purpose of Movers Mindset is to create and share great conversations with movement enthusiasts. Each conversation feeds my insatiable curiosity, but I share them to turn on a light for someone else, to inspire them, or to give them their next question.

I appreciate your time and attention, and I don’t take it for granted.

— Thank you!

My personal mission is creating better conversations to spread understanding and compassion. And Movers Mindset is one of the things I do in service of my mission. Drop by https://craigconstantine.com/ for my weekly email, my other podcasts, writing and more.

The Movers Mindset project grew from conversations I started having as part of my personal journey rediscovering movement. The project started late in 2015, and it was initially simply a web site that shared others’ writing. The project grew, and in 2017 I started the podcast. I’ve worked extremely hard, but none of this would have been possible without so much help from so many people.

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