TRUCKEE, Calif. — Work hard, play hard, is a common mantra in local communities, with Lake Tahoe towns being a hub for year-round activities, however, with burnout being commonly experienced, it’s vital to hit the reset button every so often. With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, there’s no better time than now to start exploring wellness. 

Blending together the spirit of the Truckee community with health and wellness, Spirit Rebel Collective, a wellness studio and community space, is taking a new, proactive approach of teaching and providing wellness experiences. Unlike a traditional yoga studio, Spirit Rebel Collective focuses specifically on practicing, restoring, and gathering for all their experiences. 

“It’s always been a passion of mine to bring people together in a more conscious way,” Kate Leist, owner and founder of Spirit Rebel Collective said. “I started with teaching [yoga] and I’ve been teaching now for 10 years.” 

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Leist has been passionate about exploring wellness for over a decade. She began her yoga teacher training with the intention of only learning more about the art and practice of yoga overall, however, once she was actively in the training, she became inspired and wanted to further pursue wellness practices. 

“During the pandemic, I personally felt like I needed to get away from town and have a break,” Leist said. “I landed in Mexico and was teaching online yoga courses, but also found a job at a retreat center, and it was life-changing for me. It was there where I learned my capacity as a leader.” 

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After her time in Mexico, Leist came back to Truckee feeling inspired, however was questioning whether or not staying in North Lake Tahoe was the right move for her personal and professional growth. 

“There’s not a huge wellness community in Truckee, and it can be challenging to get people to commit to showing up for anything wellness-related,” Leist said. “The dominant priorities for people around here are outdoor sports and there’s this competitive, hardcore mentality; and wellness is the opposite of that, with the goal of [wellness] being lifting yourself and others up. People need wellness, but they don’t always know that they need it until they’re desperate.” 

Leist was planning to make a move to San Diego to further pursue a career in wellness, however a studio space opened up that she found on social media. 

“I found a space through a local Facebook group, and I thought to myself how pretty the space was and how bad I wanted my own space, and I took a chance and gave the real estate agent a call,” Leist said. 

After calling, Leist found out the realtor had been to one of her women’s circles that she previously hosted, and after further discussion, secured the space in October 2022. 

“I didn’t want to be a yoga studio, I wanted an open, collaborative, inviting space where I can openly host unique events and experiences for the community,” Leist said. “We are a community space that offers all-things wellness, but we also want to provide support for other teachers and practitioners.”

Sticking to Leist’s original vision, Spirit Rebel Collective offers unique, proactive experiences that further explore one’s wellness. The three pillars of the business being practice, restore, and gather, Spirit Rebel Collective offers yoga, bodywork, ayurveda treatments, counseling, reiki, and encourages collaboration and co-creation through all the practices they offer. 

Along with the unique wellness treatments and experiences the wellness studio offers, Leist is passionate about weaving accessibility and inclusivity into all the services and treatments at Spirit Rebel Collective. 

“A fundamental part of Spirit Rebel Collective is I want people to know that you can access tools for healing very easily, and it’s very simple and accessible,” Leist said. “That’s one of my main things with everything I teach. I want the classes and experiences we offer to be accessible and for people to not be intimidated, because we live in this society overall where it’s very competitive with an expectation to achieve; and I want to break down the barriers — because that’s not what wellness is about.” 

Further pursuing accessible wellness for the local community, Spirit Rebel Collective will be hosting a Community Wellness Weekend on May 19 – 21 at their studio space, with three full days of wellness ceremonies, classes and workshops, and healing treatments. 

“We’re super excited to offer this to the community because it’s affordable and there will be a lot of different types of offerings, so people can try things they’ve never experienced before,” Leist said. “I’m excited to share these with people because they can sometimes be intimidating or expensive, so it’s a fulfilling feeling being able to break down those barriers and make these experiences accessible that can really be life-changing on someone’s wellness journey.” 

Leist is excited to open Spirit Rebel Collective’s doors and offer the Community Wellness Weekend to the local community, and is motivated that exploring one’s wellness is fundamental for all. 

“People can try all these different wellness practices, and there might be that one practice that someone tries that can be something they need in their lives moving forward,” Leist said. “I believe these practices and treatments can really open new doors of possibility for people’s personal healing and development. I love creating these little sparks of hope for people on their wellness journey.” 

Touching back on the foundation of Spirit Rebel Collective, Leist is grateful to host a space that’s open for human connection, and is looking forward to continuing to grow and be an open, welcoming space for community members to further explore themselves. 

“I want human connection and it’s something Tahoe communities need,” Leist said. “I love the idea of offering something more intentional, that’s community related, where people can be vulnerable; because there’s not a lot of space for that in our community. Going into a space and sharing what’s really going on and still being accepted is a game changer, and it can really strengthen a community.” 

Individuals are encouraged to come experience the upcoming Community Wellness Weekend at Spirit Rebel Collective, as well as attend classes, practices, or treatments at Spirit Rebel Collective.

For more information on Spirit Rebel Collective’s Community Wellness Weekend or to reserve a spot, visit https://www.spiritrebel.co/community-wellness-weekend. For more information on Spirit Rebel Collective, visit: https://www.spiritrebel.co/ 

Madison Schultz is a reporter for the Tahoe Daily Tribune and Sierra Sun.