End of year gratitude + notes from the team
Check out an interview with our Twin Cities Product & Community Lead and close out this year with us.
Hello Ralle Community!
We hope you’re all doing well, taking care of yourself, and enjoying the holiday season with loved ones. We feel so lucky to have shared such an amazing year with you; we are truly grateful for every member of this community.
As 2025 comes to a close, we’ve been reflecting on everything we built together. This year, Ralle hosted 160 events—totaling 250 hours of movement and connection across 800 unique movers.
We are honored to be a part of your journey and can’t wait to keep moving with you in 2026. Thank you for helping us grow and for making Ralle such a welcoming space for us all to connect.
For this month’s newsletter, we’d love to share an interview with our Product & Twin Cities Community Builder, Michael Thomas, who’s currently working on the Ralle app, which we’re so excited to share with you!
How are you connected to the Ralle team?
Eli, the founder, and I have been close friends since childhood. From street hockey and sleepovers as young kids, to carpooling together for morning lifts in high school, we built a strong foundation growing up. Ralle began in Minneapolis, and when Eli moved to New York, I became part of the core team back here.
What’s your favorite Ralle moment so far?
The first run in the On Fall Series. The days leading up were hectic with route planning, food/drink partners, t-shirt printing, and predicted bad weather. However, the logistics came together, rain held off, and it became a banner event in the Twin Cities. As I was packing things up at the end, I couldn’t help but smile, because it was one of those moments where things just work out.
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently building the Ralle app!
What’s been the most exciting part of this process? What has been the hardest part?
Externally, it has been exciting to build this thing out with the team. I can’t ask for better people than Eli and Luke to be on calls about everything from minor details to major decisions. Internally, it has been rewarding to see myself and the app grow at the same time.
This idea came to me on a run last year as I thought of ways I could get more involved with Ralle. I was excited about the brand, and wanted to support Eli, so I thought sure, I can build an app. It turns out I was a bit overconfident at first. The hardest part has been the learning curve. I have experience as a data engineer, so coding is not totally foreign to me, but these app languages were when I started. Despite its challenges, I have enjoyed the process, and it has taught me more about myself outside of software engineering too, which brings its own value.
What is your vision for the app and its uses?
This first version for users will give a seamless event sign up process. We have ideas planned for next year, including allowing Ralle users to connect though the app, direct instructor payments, and a couple more things we won’t share…yet.
What is your vision / hope for Ralle over all?
I want Ralle to be a place where people come together to move in ways that are best for them. Whether it is the type of activity, or level of intensity, Ralle has something for everyone. The social aspect is integral to our events and underlines the community part of our mission.
Accessible third spaces are important for community building, and Ralle’s ability to create, promote, and fill those spaces makes it valuable. What began with movement has grown into something powerful.
What are you most looking forward to this year within and outside of Ralle?
Within Ralle, I’m looking forward to the app’s launch and continual development, and I’m enthusiastic about new brand partnerships and event spaces. Outside of Ralle, I’m excited for the World Baseball Classic, resuming weekend group bike rides, and visiting my friends and family in New York.
Anything else you want to add?
Leave a comment with a recent recipe you liked, I like to cook and always want to know what other people are making.
The reason I love this interview so much is because I think it truly speaks to Ralle’s mission and culture at our core – a team of people excited by the opportunity to build and grow something meaningful while taking on all the challenges. We can’t wait for another amazing year together and to share with you all that’s in store.
January New Event Highlight
Yoga + Social at Minneapolis Cider Co 1/11
Jan 11, 2026, 10:50 AM – 12:30 PM CST
Minneapolis Cider Company, 701 SE 9th St, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA
A high-energy sculpt yoga class led by Sadie, followed by intentional post-movement connection inside Minneapolis Cider Company’s incredible space.
Thanks for tuning in - can’t wait to move with you soon!
-Ella + the Ralle team