03 | Inside a Community-Driven Gym — Katie’s Member-to-Owner Story

Nov 20

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.

Highlights from this Episode

How Katie accidentally became a gym owner
The story of being approached to buy Solveig Gym, telling her husband “don’t let me do this,” and the Lake Byron drive that changed everything.
Juggling a government job, teenagers, and a brand new business
What that first year and a half really looked like with 8–5 workdays, low membership, late-night programming, and a gym that sometimes had to take the back seat.
Why it often takes women longer to grow a business
A candid conversation about mom guilt, mental load, staying up late to keep the household running, and why women business owners in small towns are playing a different game.
Solveig as more than a Huron SD gym
How StrongFit, GritFit, Sculpt, Blend, and yoga classes are built around community, encouragement, and helping people practice “doing hard things” in a supportive environment.
Passing it on to the next generation
The way Katie’s kids grew up at the gym, Jillian’s journey from teenage member to certified yoga sculpt instructor, and what it means to imagine her kids taking over someday.
Real talk about small business ownership
Why owning a local fitness studio is not passive income, what social media doesn’t show you, and Katie’s advice for anyone thinking about starting a business in Huron.
What is new and what is coming at Solveig Gym
From Halloween sculpt parties and holiday workouts to yoga with Adriana, expanded mat classes, and even future jujitsu for kids, Katie shares what is happening now and what she is dreaming up next.