This story is brought to you by 5MU and Power FM, sponsors of the 2025 Murraylands Business Awards.
In an age of Instagram-worthy workouts, a Murray Bridge gym is offering a different kind of fitness experience – one that has earned it a reputation as the best in the business.
Inner Soul Physical Rehabilitation looks like any other gym, with exercise equipment scattered around a large shed which sits among mechanical and trade businesses on Eleanor Terrace.
But it’s the philosophy behind the scenes which sets Donna Jaensch Brown’s business apart.
She is focused on sharing the benefits of fitness with community members in their old age, those living with disability or recovering from injuries.
“Everyone has got their own unique story and journey,” she says.
“They’ve all got their different limitations and challenges.
“We can design a program, but some things don’t work … you’ve really got to sit outside the square to be able to accommodate clients and (have them) feel like they’ve achieved something.”
That supportive mindset has made Donna and the Inner Soul team tremendously popular with their clients – popular enough to win the gym or fitness business category at the inaugural Murraylands Business Awards last year.
They are among the five finalists again in this year’s awards, for which voting is currently open.
It has been a humbling experience, Donna says.
“We don’t go into business to be recognised, for accolades and awards,” she says.
“At the end of the day, it’s the clients who put in the hard yards to get the best outcomes for their wellbeing and lifestyle.
“Our rewards are in everyone attending on a regular basis, seeing the good outcomes, and just the camaraderie and social aspect.”
Colin Wells celebrates his 1000th session at Inner Soul in 2023. Photo: Inner Soul Physical Rehabilitation/Facebook.
Donna has been in the local fitness industry for 34 years.
She spent 16 years with a mainstream gym before moving into the public service with Country Health Connect, rehabilitating clients who had been through joint replacements and things like that.
She established Inner Soul after seeing a gap in the market for a fitness centre to which allied health professionals could refer their clients with confidence they would get the support they needed.
Back in the day, she remembers, there was a common perception of gyms as places full of muscly, sweaty, lycra-clad people, where you would only be welcome if you were already built like a tank.
Even as a powerlifter who competed internationally during the 1990s, she was aware that strength-based training had the potential to scare people away.
“When I did a lot of my fitness courses, it was all about lifting as much weight as you can,” she says.
“When I went into the functional training side of it … it was all based around: ‘What is that person’s body able to do right now, what could it do prior to an injury, are we able to get it back to that?’
“That’s why we look at people’s lifestyle, sport history and occupation, as well.”
Inner Soul is nestled among mostly automotive in the heart of Murray Bridge. Photo: Peri Strathearn.
On the day Murray Bridge News visits, a dozen mostly older clients are working their way around the equipment, with a couple of support workers and therapy dog Leo helping them along.
An Inner Soul client might have goals like walking un-aided after surviving a stroke, making it down a staircase without pain, or retaining the ability to live independently at home.
“Making themselves feel better about themselves can make all the difference,” Donna says.
“I generally try and say to people: just remember what your first couple of weeks were like when you came in the door, and then what you’ve done (since then).
“Simple things like improving their balance, or the way they walk, or they can bend a bit easier because they back isn’t as stiff and sore – for them, they’re huge goals.”
Kenisha Seidel accepts Inner Soul’s award from Brett Taylor and Peri Strathearn last year. Photo: Penny Heighes.Vote now in the 2026 Murraylands Business Awards
Also nominated in the gym or fitness business category at the 2026 Murraylands Business Awards are Anytime Fitness, Snap Fitness, Tailem Bend Fitness and Ultimate Performance Fitness and Nutrition.
Voting is open to the public until May 18 ahead of the awards gala at Murray Bridge’s Bridgeport Hotel on May 29.