Sweat Inspire Sisterhood
Sweat Inspire Sisterhood
Location: 7477 Thunder Valley Drive, Peosta, Iowa
Online: sweatinspiresisterhood.com
There is a kindred bond that manifests when women are in the presence of other women.
At least that’s what Erika Hermsen has experienced.
“I see it time and time again whenever I’m in a group of other women, or whenever I’m in the studio,” she said. “The space created becomes like a safe haven for them to talk to one another about the stress in their lives, about their careers, about their families, about their husbands, about their divorces. What you see forming is a strong support system that becomes about so much more than what brought them there in the first place.”
Hermsen, 37, is the owner of Sweat Inspire Sisterhood, a fitness center that houses strength training, Pilates, barre and hot yoga in Peosta, Iowa, in addition to providing livestreamed classes for members,
on-demand workout videos, meal plans, healthy recipes and more.
But female camaraderie is what Hermsen said it’s all about.
Since opening its doors in March of 2024, classes and memberships only are available to women.
“It creates a sacred space,” Hermsen said. “It also creates a safe space for women to have the opportunity to network, gain support and confide in one another. They might come here for the workout experience, but what they build beyond that in friendships and the ability to find like-minded females makes it unique.”
A native of Farley, Iowa, Hermsen has long taken an interest in fitness, inspired to help others take their health into their own hands to prevent future illness when her father was diagnosed with cancer.
“I was halfway through my junior year, studying nursing at the University of Iowa, when my mom and dad called with that news,” Hermsen said. “After that, I went to the admission’s office and changed my major. I wanted to do something that focused more on prevention. And I wanted to do something that was more hands-on.”
After graduating, she began teaching classes privately and pursued an internship through The Gym in Dubuque, prior to relocating to San Diego, then Florida and later Kansas City.
“I was going through my own divorce at the time and just needed to get away,” Hermsen said. “But when I left, I had a lot of people continuing to reach out to me, asking if I’d still offer workouts virtually.”
By 2016, Hermsen had built a steady following and what would become the early makings of Sweat Inspire Sisterhood.
After remarrying, having a daughter — now 2 years old — and seeing continued growth and interest in the business, she and her husband, who also is an Iowa native, made the decision to move back to the area and open a brick-and-mortar location.
“It just became so much easier to manage here than continuing to do it from distance,” Hermsen said.
The building, located at 7477 Thunder Valley Drive in Peosta, features two spacious heated studios, as well as a large bathroom and locker area, and an airy lobby to welcome class participants.
Classes and memberships can be booked online, through an app or at the studio, with a free trial available to new members for at-home virtual or in-person studio classes.
Hermsen said her goal with the space was to help women feel light and at ease the minute they walked through the door.
“It’s good to be back, and it’s exciting to see the growth outward toward Peosta,” Hermsen said. “It’s also nice to be able to provide this kind of thing in a more rural community. I think for most women, self-care is a challenge. We carry and take on so much, and we’re not always good about giving ourselves the time we need to decompress or to focus on our health. Eventually, stress can catch up with us, and we get a wake-up call that we need to care for ourselves.”
Hermsen encourages women, especially heading into a new year, to create space for health and wellness.
“Don’t go to the gym for weight loss,” she said. “Go to move, to feel better. Start small, from 10 minutes to 30 minutes, and build consistency over time.”
She also adds: Don’t forget to lean on those girlfriends for support.
“The root of community is common unity,” Hermsen said. “And there is truly something incredible that happens when women are brought together in the presence of other women.”
Megan Gloss writes for the Telegraph Herald.
