03 | Inside a Community-Driven Gym | Katie’s Member-to-Owner Story
If you have ever driven past Solveig Gym on Market Street and wondered what happens behind that big garage door, this episode is your invite inside. On this week’s Huron Spotlight Podcast, we sit down with local gym owner and small business powerhouse Katie Reno, the woman behind one of the most community-driven fitness spaces in Huron, SD. If you are searching for a Huron SD gym, curious about local fitness classes, or just love hearing real stories from women business owners, this conversation is absolutely worth a listen.
Katie never planned on owning a gym. In fact, when the previous owners approached her about buying Solveig, she literally went home and told her husband, “Whatever you do, don’t let me buy this.” At the time she was working a full-time government job, raising teenagers, and squeezing in classes as a member and coach at the gym. But somewhere between a drive out to Lake Byron, good music on the radio, and thinking about the people she had met on those gym mats, something shifted. She realized Solveig was not just a fitness studio. It was her people. It was her kids’ people. It was a community she did not want to see disappear.
In this episode, Katie shares what it really looked like to take the leap from “safe” government work into small business ownership in a small town. We talk about those first months when membership was low, the bills still had to be paid, and she was juggling a full-time job, a full-time family, and a full-time gym. If you have ever romanticized owning a cute little local fitness studio in Huron or imagined that being a business owner means passive income and sleeping in, Katie gives a very honest, very relatable look behind the curtain. There are early mornings, late nights, and a lot of “do the hard thing even when you don’t feel like it.”
We also dig into what makes Solveig different from a typical gym. Yes, there are StrongFit classes, GritFit sculpt and blend, and yoga sessions with garage doors open to the morning air. But underneath the burpees and yoga blocks is something bigger. Katie describes Solveig as a place where people practice doing hard things together so they can face hard things outside the gym. It is about showing up for yourself, being surrounded by people who cheer you on instead of judge you, and walking out 45 minutes later as a slightly stronger version of the person who walked in. That is the kind of Huron SD fitness community many of us are craving.
If you are a woman business owner in Huron SD, someone dreaming about starting something of your own, or a local who just wants a judge-free place to move your body and find your people, Katie’s story will hit home. You will hear the messy middle most people don’t talk about, the mom guilt, the hustle, the honest fears, and also the pride that comes with building something that might someday be passed on to your kids.
Tune into this episode of the Huron Spotlight Podcast to hear the full story of how Katie went from “don’t let me buy this gym” to leading one of Huron’s most welcoming, hardworking fitness communities. Press play to hear how Solveig Gym is helping people in Huron show up, get stronger, and do hard things together.
LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED
* Solveig Website [https://solveig.fit/hours/] – View Solveig's class schedule
* Solveig on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/solveig.gym]
* Solveig on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/solveigstrong?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==]
* Access all classes and memberships here: StreamFit App [https://go.streamfit.com/embed/memberships/151-solveig?fbclid=IwY2xjawOLAJtleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFrMElWY1VIVnZtaVdNSEJLc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHr0O5TlXUGvPC6VSIZSpPEP_IVW1EAFX8I6T-lMIf_llFMZ8b2XtY3Y-BWuP_aem_KlybUzS3P2K3wTcQXEToKg]
* Solveig Location: 201 Market St. SW, Suite 2, Huron, South Dakota 57350
* Email Solveig: solveig.gym@gmail.com | mail@solveig.fit
* Call Solveig: (605) 931-1480
CONNECT WITH HURON SPOTLIGHT PODCAST
Huron Spotlight Podcast Website [https://www.huronspotlightpodcast.com/]
Huron Spotlight Podcast Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/huron_spotlight_podcast/]
Huron Spotlight Podcast Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580239487657]
CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS
MEGAN SMITH — STRESS LESS ORGANIZING
Stress Less Organizing Website [https://www.megansmithstressless.com/]
Stress Less Organizing Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/megansmithstressless/#]
Stress Less Organizing Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/megansmithstressless]
Stress Less Podcast: Home Organization for Moms with ADHD [https://pod.link/1729879437?view=episodes&sortEp=newest]
MALWINA AVILES — PHOTOGRAPHY
Malwina Aviles Photography Website [https://malwinaaviles.com/]
Malwina Aviles Photography Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/malwina_brand_photographer/]
Malwina Aviles Photography Facebook Page [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089744149470]
MALWINA AVILES — SPOTLIGHT STUDIO & EVENTS
Spotlight Studio & Events Website [https://www.spotlighthuron.com/]
Spotlight Studio & Events Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/spotlight_studio_events?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==]
Spotlight Studio & Events Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571690126323]
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