Indigenous entrepreneur and police officer spins her way to success with Saskatoon cycle studio

You might think being a Saskatoon police officer wouldn't leave you time to do much else — certainly not help start a successful business.

But Shaina Lynden is not just a full-time officer — she's also a co-owner of Ryde YXE, a spin cycle studio that now has a second location, and is a venture she says is about reinvesting in the community.

"I stepped outside myself and created something that I wanted to be a part of," Lynden said in an interview with CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.  

The business owner and police officer, who is a member of the Yellow Quill First Nation, will tell her story this week at the Aboriginal Women's Business Entrepreneurship Network Conference in Saskatoon.

A survival story

Her success is propelled by a desire to help others, and by the story of a former NHL player.  

Lynden, still a full-time police officer, worked for years with children in inner-city schools, but as that duty began to wind down she found herself searching.

That's when a friend invited her to come to Calgary and see her cycle studio, and to consider the idea of opening up her own spin gym in Saskatoon.

"She just knew that it would be a kind of community hub and that it would just be amazing."

Lynden rode that day in Calgary with her husband beside her and former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy in front.

Kennedy's story of abuse at the hands of his coach, Graham James, is well documented, and he has become an outspoken advocate for victims of abuse.

"I just kind of related to having a space and a time where you could let all of those worries, concerns, and the build-up of all the things happening, go," said Lynden.

But Kennedy's ability to overcome, reach out and stand up for others touched her that day.  

"I was crying harder than I have ever cried in my life."

It's what motivated Lynden to make the move and get involved as a co-owner of Ryde YXE.

The spin studio has become an important part of Saskatoon's trendy Broadway District, and now it has opened a second location in City Park.

"Starting Ryde meant not just a spin class, not just a workout, but opportunities to come together and reinvest in our communities in different ways," said Lynden.

She'll speak at the Aboriginal Women's Business Entrepreneurship Network Conference, which is being held at the Saskatoon Inn Thursday and Friday.