Liezyl Ribeiro didn't set out to build a fitness festival. She set out to change her city. What started as a fight to make a difference on Chicago's South Side has grown into Strength in the City, a nationwide fitness and wellness movement now thriving in 14 cities, with Denver playing a major role from the very beginning.

In this episode of the Sweat Community Podcast, Liezyl, the Creator of Opportunities behind Strength in the City, shares how one grassroots idea became one of the country's most recognized fitness festivals. We talk about why Denver's fitness community is unlike anywhere else, why collaboration beats competition, and how local fitness studios, instructors, and wellness businesses are building stronger communities together.

We also dive into Strength at the Rocks, Denver's newest fitness experience at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and what to expect at this year's festival.

In this episode:

• How Strength in the City grew from a Chicago passion project into a nationwide movement
• Why Denver became the second city, and what makes its wellness community so special,
• How competing fitness studios come together to build community
• What it takes to produce one of Denver's biggest fitness festivals
• Why creating opportunities, not competition is the focus

🎟️ Save 50% on your Strength in the City Denver ticket with code SWEAT at checkout.

link to tickets: https://sweatpals.com/event/strength-in-the-city-festival-denver/2026-07-25?aff=sweat-community-podcast

Learn more at strengthinthecity.com.

For more Denver fitness studios, wellness events, and exclusive local deals, subscribe to the free newsletter at sweatcommunity.com.

Follow along:

• Strength in the City: @strengthinthecity

• Strength in the City Denver: @strengthinthecity.den
• Sweat Community: @sweat__community

What makes a boutique fitness studio truly successful? Is it more members, lower prices, or something else entirely?

In this episode of Sweat Community, I sit down with Wendy Hennig, founder of Aligned Studio Consulting, to explore what really helps fitness studios thrive. Wendy has been a fitness instructor, general manager, studio owner, and now consultant, helping boutique fitness businesses increase revenue, improve member retention, build stronger teams, and create communities that keep people coming back.

We dive into why more members isn't always the answer, the biggest mistakes studio owners make, what causes members to cancel their memberships, and why instructors play such a critical role in creating loyal communities. Wendy also shares her perspective on pricing, marketing, Google Reviews, ClassPass, burnout, and the systems every studio owner should have in place.

Whether you're a studio owner, fitness instructor, or someone who simply loves your local fitness community, this conversation offers valuable insight into what happens behind the scenes of the studios we all love.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why more members doesn't always mean more profit
• The biggest mistakes studio owners make
• How to improve member retention and create loyal communities
• Why instructors are one of a studio's greatest assets
• When to raise prices—and how to do it successfully
• The truth about ClassPass
• Marketing strategies that actually work
• What makes boutique fitness studios thrive

🎁 Special offer for Sweat Community listeners:

• An extra 30 minutes added to a Studio Alignment Session (a $150 value)
• $75 off a Studio Experience Audit for local Denver studios

Connect with Wendy Hennig:
🌐 Website: alignedstudioconsulting.com
📱 Instagram: @alignedstudioconsulting

Resources Mentioned:
📚 Profit First by Mike Michalowicz
📚 Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

If you're enjoying Sweat Community, head over to sweatcommunity.com and subscribe to stay in the know with new podcast episodes, local fitness and wellness events, exclusive offers, and the people building community through movement.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend, instructor, or studio owner who would find it valuable. Every share helps grow our local fitness community.

What made you sweat this week?

Chelsea Stewart didn't have investors, a playbook, or a guarantee it would work. What she had was 12 years of teaching experience, a method she believed in, and enough drive to open HAVN Hot Pilates in just three months, while working a full-time job.

Two and a half years later she has 21 employees, two waitlisted studios in the Denver metro area, and a community that keeps coming back not just for the workout but for how it makes them feel.

In this episode of Sweat Community, Chelsea gets real about what it actually takes to build a boutique fitness studio from scratch, the 80-hour weeks, the contractor battles, the self-doubt, and the moment she knew it was time to open a second location.

We also get into everything you've wanted to know about hot Pilates and why Chelsea believes the era of exclusive, aesthetic-obsessed fitness studios is over.

We cover:

• Launching HAVN Hot Pilates in three months with no outside investors
• Teaching 22 heated classes a week while running a business solo
• Mat Pilates versus reformer and why mat is harder than you think
• Whether Pilates actually builds muscle and how it compares to strength training
• The real benefits of working out in a heated room
• Opening a second waitlisted studio and the pressure that came with it
• Why exclusivity in fitness is over and what HAVN is doing differently
• Chelsea's personal wellness routine: nutrition, sleep and avoiding burnout

Chelsea's philosophy is simple: work hard, be nice, and go where it feels good.

Whether you're hot Pilates curious, an aspiring studio owner, or someone who has ever felt like the fitness industry wasn't built for you, this one is for you.

Find HAVN Hot Pilates: Instagram: @havnhotpilates Website: havenhotpilates.com Studios in Greenwood Village + Littleton, CO

First three classes: $45 | First drop-in: $22

Never miss an episode, subscribe at sweatcommunity.com for new episodes, Denver area fitness and wellness events, studio spotlights and exclusive local offers.

What if the thing that changed your life wasn't winning, but simply refusing to quit?

After a devastating car accident and spinal injury, Angela Fuller was told she'd never be an athlete again. She spent 27 years away from gymnastics, battled postpartum depression, and faced the heartbreaking loss of her best friend to terminal breast cancer.

Most people would have accepted those setbacks as the end of the story.

Angela didn't.

In this inspiring episode of Sweat Community, Angela shares how she found the courage to start over, applied to American Ninja Warrior four years in a row before finally making the show, and returned to competitive gymnastics.

Her story has been featured in People Magazine and Inside Gymnastics, but what she really wants is for every mom listening to know: your dreams don't expire just because you became a parent.

If you've ever felt like it's "too late" to go after something, this episode is your sign.

Follow Angela and her journey:

• Instagram: @coloFitnessChick
• Facebook: Angela Fuller
• YouTube: Angela Fuller
• TikTok: @HappyDanceNinja

Zumba

• Tuesdays at 10:00 AM – Northridge Recreation Center (Highlands Ranch)
• Thursdays at 9:00 AM – Westridge Recreation Center

HIIT 30 Lift 30

• Wednesdays at 10:00 AM – Westridge Recreation Center

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who needs a reminder that it's never too late to chase a dream.

For more fitness, wellness, and community events around the Denver metro area, visit sweatcommunity.com and subscribe so you never miss an episode, local event, or special offer from our community partners.

Is Botox in your 20s a good idea? Do red light masks actually work? And what does it really mean to age gracefully?

In this episode of Sweat Community Podcast, we sit down with Heather Gilbert, PA, at Après Skin and Wellness, to talk aesthetics and regenerative medicine. Heather shares her journey into becoming one of Denver's most trusted injectors, and why education and patient relationships are at the center of everything she does.

We cover the questions you're probably afraid to ask: how Botox really works long-term, whether fillers damage your lip tissue, what biostimulators and PRP/PRF actually do for your skin, Nutrafol, the most overhyped treatments right now, and how to know if your provider truly has your best interest at heart.

Heather offers free consultations for everyone. Mention code HeatherSweat150 to save $150 off your first treatment *terms and conditions apply.*

Book your consultation at www.onlyapres.com

For more episodes and to stay up to date on wellness events, subscribe at sweatcommunity.com

What does it take to go from Starbucks barista to leading billion-dollar businesses?

In this episode of Sweat Community Podcast, Sheena sits down with Denise Nelsen, former Senior Vice President at Starbucks, former CEO of Smashburger, yoga teacher, mentor, and leadership advisor with SGNL.

Denise shares her journey from barista to executive leadership, the role wellness and movement played throughout her career, and how living in Colorado shaped her approach to health, fitness, and community. She also opens up about navigating career transitions, redefining success, and helping others find alignment in their work and lives.

Plus, Denise shares her favorite Colorado wellness experiences, insights from building a life centered around movement with her husband, Rich Nelsen, former CEO of VASA Fitness, and why fitness, community, and wellness remained non-negotiables while leading billion-dollar organizations.

Special offer for Sweat Community listeners: Denise is offering 10% off coaching and mentoring services through SGNL when you mention "Sweat Community."

Connect with Denise: denise@clearsgnl.com

For more local fitness, wellness, and community conversations, visit sweatcommunity.com and subscribe to stay in the know on new podcast episodes, show notes, and upcoming events.

What made you sweat today?

What does it take to build a yoga festival from the ground up?

Host Sheena sits down with Brittany Hopkins Switlick, founder and director of the Denver Yoga Summit, bestselling author, yoga teacher trainer, and community builder, to talk about how she turned a message with friends into a three-day wellness festival happening this September at the stunning Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield Farms.

We're talking about building community through movement, the real story behind launching a wellness event, healing through yoga, and why Denver's wellness scene is about to change forever.

In this episode we cover:

• How the Denver Yoga Summit was born and what it took to make it happen
• Why yoga is the workout you didn't know you needed, especially if you're an athlete
• What 90+ classes, workshops, and sessions across three days actually looks like
• The gap between yoga classes and teacher training, and how this event bridges it
• How Brittany's bestselling book Dancing with Our Selves teaches you to harness your ego and live with intention
• The nonprofits and community impact baked into the Summit's DNA from day one
• Why in-person wellness community has never been more important than right now

Whether you're a seasoned yogi, a fitness lover curious about yoga, a yoga teacher looking for continuing education, or someone who has never set foot on a mat, this episode is for you.

Grab your tickets at DenverYogaSummit.com and use code SWEAT30 for $30 off. Single day passes and payment plans available.

Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield Farms | September 11–13, 2026.

Follow the Denver Yoga Summit on Instagram: @DenverYogaSummit

Stay connected with the Sweat Community at SweatCommunity.com and subscribe so you never miss an episode or community events.

Shannon Weston didn't set out to build a wellness business, she set out to save her son. What started as a desperate search for answers to her child's mysterious health issues became a complete obsession with the power of food as medicine and eventually, Vibe Foods, one of Colorado's most trusted organic health food stores.

In this episode of Sweat Community Podcast, Shannon gets refreshingly honest about the wellness industry, what's worth your money, what's complete health washing, and why that acai bowl you think is healthy might have more sugar than a hot fudge sundae. We also dig into clean protein sources, bone broth benefits, ingredient label red flags, and what it really takes to build a passion-driven business in today's economy.

Later in the episode Shannon reveals her unexpected guilty pleasure, the supplement she swears by, and her honest take on wellness trends that need to go away.

Plus, Shannon shares why fighting to protect the Lone Tree Bluffs is deeply personal to her and connected to everything she believes about health and community.

Sweat Community exclusive: order online at lovevibefoods.com, use code SWEAT3 at checkout for $3 off your order. As always, go to SweatCommunity.com and subscribe to stay in the know on all things health and wellness in the Denver metro area.