Community-Based Ralle Movements: "Part Movement, Part Social"
Saturday, June 20, 2026 at 12:06PM
Eli Goldman, founder of Ralle Movements
Ralle Movements’ tagline is Part Movement, Part Social. Eli Goldman is the founder of Ralle Movements and he is reimagining what it means to move together – to create community and create space for people to show up as they are, reconnect with their bodies, and find belonging in a shared experience. We talked to him about how Ralle Movements came to be, growing pains after one year into the experiment and how to join in.
Q: Take us back to the moment you first imagined Ralle Movements—what was happening in your life?
A: Ralle started without any real plan or vision, it just started because (selfishly) I needed it. In the spring of 2024, I had come back from New Hampshire where I was in the midst of my last semester of an MBA and had just completed my last season of Division 1 soccer. I came home to pursue a professional soccer career with my hometown club (Minnesota United) and to be home with my mom who was battling pancreatic cancer. And of course, finish my MBA virtually. Over the months I was home, her illness rapidly worsened, and I stopped traveling to Blaine everyday (to train with Minnesota United) to be able to be with her as we all knew her time was coming. During these weeks, I still found a way to move every day. Movement had been in my life since I could walk and kick a ball, and I knew how important it was to my health. Sometimes I would run alone. Sometimes one of my best friends would pick me up and take me to the gym. Sometimes I would go down to the lake and slowly immerse myself into the frozen lake (the now famous Lake Harriet ice plunge). My mom passed away in the early morning on the 17th of March, and I played soccer that evening in my friend's men's league that night. (I don't actually remember this, as I was so out of it, but my best friend just told me this the other day). Clearly, I needed to lean on my people and movement.
A week or two later, some of my closest friends helped me clean out my parents' garage and turn it into a little gym for people close to my community to come and move together. There was no thought with this. Or a grand plan. I wasn't even a "trainer" at the time, but knew a good bit from my years as an athlete. This gym was called the "Rally" gym. My mind was so blurred from the loss of my mother, having people over to move with was my way of grieving and healing. One of my mom's friends told me this during that time… I didn't even think of that. I just needed a way to move, and to move with people… I guess.
Months later, after finishing my MBA and spending time home with my dad, I moved to NYC (where my sister lived) to start the next chapter of my life. I assumed the Rally gym would close and that would be that. But all of my Minneapolis community (young and old), wanted to continue to find ways to move together in the Rally gym. We tried a few different things. I sent them workouts virtually. I set up ways for them to "sign up" to go together. Started group chats. And as I continued to help organize the community in Minneapolis, I realized how much fulfillment this gave me. I needed to follow it more.
So, I started a run club (one of a million run clubs in NYC). The first run was me, my roommate, and one longtime friend. We continued weekly, and the group grew. Then one day, a friend at a run asked what if I tried to organize another movement activity, like a Pilates class. I texted an instructor I knew, and a couple weeks later we had our first ever Pilates class outside in Prospect Park with 40 people. Free for all. People in Minneapolis began asking if we could do the same there. One thing led to another. And in the spring of 2025 we named it Ralle Movements. Pronounced like Rally, but we changed the y to an e. The name stems from the start of my mom's name, Rachel.
Outdoor yoga at the Rose Gardens, partnered with Sweetgreen — everyone got bowls after the class.
Ralle's first fly-fishing event, partnered with Orvis — movement comes in all forms.
Outdoor yoga in McLaren Park, NYC.
We have now completed over 200 community movement events. We have worked with national brands and our story has been televised on Minneapolis local news (Fox 9 and KARE 11). We have free events and paid events, and events for all types of movers, all focused on getting people together to move, but more importantly just to be together. Community and movement can get through anything. It's how I got through the loss of my best friend.
Q: What did you see missing in our community that made you feel this needed to exist?
A: I've been a "competitive" mover my whole life. So, I know and love that scene very much. But I also know how important social movement is too. Movement isn't about what type of movement you are doing, or what the "goal" of the training is, but just about moving to move. Moving because it feels good, in the now. The movement/fitness culture is BOOMING, but I continue to feel a lot of studio/group classes aren't always getting it right. The more corporate the classes get, the less communal they feel. People go into classes with 30 other people and walk out without speaking to anyone. Movement can be such a beautiful way to connect with others, and that is such a core value at Ralle. And that takes real intention to create spaces that actually feel welcoming, inclusive, and communal.
Q: You talk about movement as more than exercise. How do you explain that to someone new?
A: Movement has its own meaning to everyone. I will never be able to tell someone how movement should make them feel, but I can always tell them how integral it has been in my life. How movement helped me emotionally and mentally in ways I could never have imagined. Movement is ours to experience.
Q: Many people feel excluded from traditional wellness spaces - how do you actively counter that?
A: It can be such an exclusive industry! I can't agree more. We try our best to counter that by putting the people at the core. From the first second of walking into a group fitness class you can feel what the priority of the class is. How the person at the front desk welcomes you, how you feel navigating the new space, the culture that is built in the space. You just know. We try our best to think about it from a hospitality perspective. Creating a space that feels welcoming, inclusive, and social takes intention! It takes culture building from our instructors, from our community leads, from our people who come to every event, so if you have never been, you can quickly feel what we are about.
Q: Have there been moments when you had to rethink or adapt your original vision?
A: Yes!! We are adapting all the time. A lot of struggles we have faced is finding the balance of bringing in revenue so we can keep growing, but then also making sure these spaces feel inclusive and open for all. We were running all free events for a while but then there was no way for us to pay our instructors! We had to keep getting creative and adapting. Also, in learning how to work with bigger brands that have budgets for community events (which we need!) but also making sure our events feel grassroots and don't lose their identity as bigger brands get involved. We are always adapting from our events, chatting about what went well and what didn't and how we can continue to follow our overarching goal of creating community through movement.
Q: What kind of support—community, financial, or otherwise—has made the biggest difference?
A: People showing up! That is the number one way to support us. Sometimes that obviously means literal event tickets, but it's way more important to just have people showing up at the events. We always say "heads" (meaning people showing up) is the number one thing. And that doesn't mean these massive events either where the community feels lost. But just continuing to create spaces that people show up to, and then tell their friends about, and then come back, and let the Ralle community grow organically. (And of course we will use socials too, as we feel our high quality and creative content is another very cool and fun part of our brand!)
Q: What do you wish more people understood about the connection between movement and mental or social health?
A: To me this is pretty simple. Whenever I feel stuck, I know I've got to move. Not every problem is going to be fixed after I go for a run, or kick a soccer ball, or ride my bike, or go to a group fitness class that I don't even love. No, not at all. But I moved, and whatever I was stuck in the mud about… well, I can see a little bit of a way out of that mud.
Q: That works for me too – if I’m stuck on a problem, I can come up with several solutions after a walk outside. What's next for Ralle Movements - are you thinking about growth, deepening, or something else?
A: We have some exciting visions. Some bigger events (first in NYC), that are like "marquee events" with a movement portion and then a social portion. We think trickling these in could bring a lot of value in introducing Ralle to more people. On the flip side, we have visions of more intimate retreat type events. Maybe one or two nights away from the normalcy of our lives, with people! We have ideas all the time, and always share them, sometimes try them, and then see what sticks!
Q: How can readers get involved or support your work?
A: Come to an event! Bring friends. It's a space for everyone. And of course, share this with whoever may find joy in these spaces. Follow us on Youtube, Instagram and Facebook.
