A Northwest Indiana Life in the Spotlight: Kate-Lynn Holley, the Lemon Rice Realtor

DeMotte resident Kate-Lynn Holley is known for many things. As a former professional wrestler who once stepped into a WWE ring, she is also a full-time local realtor helping families navigate some of the biggest decisions of their lives and an avid lover of lemon rice soup. For Holley, those identities don’t clash; they combine. She’s earned herself a nickname — the Lemon Rice Realtor — that’s become both a brand and a conversation starter.

Most real estate agents hang their reputation on sales numbers or customer testimonials. Holley has built hers on something much different. She has become a social media phenomenon by combining her passion for Northwest Indiana restaurants with her career in real estate, all while carrying the battle scars and strategic mindset from her time in the wrestling ring.

Holley’s path to real estate success wasn’t conventional. She grew up in Hammond with four brothers and was a theatre kid, participating in community theatre since age 4 and serving as captain of her high school dance team. Despite a challenging childhood that included time in foster care, Holley maintained an optimistic outlook shaped by her upbringing.

“I moved around a lot as a child, was in foster care for a short time and was an angel tree kid,” Holley shared. “This community helped raise me. I pour back into the community that poured into me because I’m so grateful for the generosity and grace shown to me. I really want to give others that same energy and kindness.”

That spirit of kindness became her guiding principle.

“I say to be sweet to all you meet,” Holley said. “Everyone has a perspective, and everyone matters. I always want to make sure everyone I meet feels valued.”

That philosophy of treating everyone with kindness has stayed with her throughout her career transitions. After reconnecting with professional wrestling in her mid-20s through old friends who were passionate fans, Holley decided to take the leap herself.

“I went to see Monday Night Raw, and I had nosebleed seats,” she said. “After seeing the women wrestle in person, I literally was like, ‘If they can do that, I can do that, too.’”

A few weeks later, she attended wrestling practice at a church in Merrillville, and the rest was history. Her dedication and talent eventually caught the attention of WWE talent scouts, leading to extra work that culminated in an on-camera match in 2018.

“I wrestled Bayley and Sasha Banks as part of a tag team,” Holley said. “It obviously wasn’t some glorious match, but our faces will forever be in a WWE ring and on YouTube.”

That match came with a substantial paycheck, with what wrestlers call a “bump bonus,” which Holley took as a sign to pursue another dream; real estate.

Using her WWE earnings, Holley paid for real estate classes and her first year of licensing dues. The skills she developed in the wrestling ring translated surprisingly well to real estate transactions.

“In wrestling, success doesn’t come from being the biggest person or punching the hardest,” Holley said. “It comes from strategy, timing and trust. Real estate is the same. You have to read the room, anticipate the next move.”

Similar to a wrestling manager calling an audible when things go wrong, Holley has learned to pivot when deals fall through.

“You have to have a backup plan. You have to know where to go next,” she said. 

While Holley was building her real estate career, COVID-19 effectively ended her wrestling journey. Scheduled matches in Texas, Las Vegas, California, and Colorado were canceled. By the time wrestling resumed, she had given birth to her daughter in 2021 and decided it was time to retire, though she did come back for one final match in August 2024 so her daughter could see her perform.

“Every wrestling match is like putting your body through a very mild car accident,” Holley said. “I’m her primary care provider, so I can’t just be in pain for a week when I’m trying to chase a 4-year-old and get her to dance class.”

Retirement from wrestling didn’t mean retirement from the spotlight. Holley’s quirky personality and love of soup would soon make her a local celebrity in an entirely different way.

“Everyone says to be authentic on your social media,” she said. “I love soup, especially lemon rice soup. I’m going to taste every bowl of lemon rice soup in Northwest Indiana.”

What started as a short list of TikTok reviews quickly gained traction. Holley didn’t realize that lemon rice soup was virtually unknown outside of Northwest Indiana.

“I’ll meet Illinois buyers, and I’ll talk about lemon rice soup, and they have no idea what I’m talking about,” she said. “It’s so unique to our area.”

The nickname “The Lemon Rice Realtor” came about organically. When someone asked on a local Facebook group where to find the best lemon rice soup, multiple strangers tagged Holley and recommended her reviews. One commenter specifically called her the name, and it simply stuck from there.

“I was in Costco on Monday, and this lady from across the frozen aisle says, ‘Hey, you’re the Lemon Rice Realtor,’” Holley said. “She ran up to me and gave me a big hug.”

So far, Holley has reviewed 32 bowls of lemon rice soup, with another two videos in her drafts, but the quest is far from over, as she still has 91 restaurants on her list. The number just keeps on growing as people suggest new spots.

The current champion? Radius in Valparaiso.

“Radius has been the best balanced so far, as it’s not too much chicken or lemon and no creaminess that takes over the flavor,” she said. “A lot of these soups, you’ll only taste the lemon at the beginning, and then it tastes like cream the rest of the way. Radius has a balanced flavor the whole way down.”

For Holley, who now lives in DeMotte with her husband and daughter, Northwest Indiana isn’t just a place to work, it’s home.

“I just love being a Region rat,” she said. “Region rats are kind of these people who seem rough and hard when you meet them, but if you have a conversation with them, we’re just big goofballs who are passionate about local stuff.”

Living in Northwest Indiana also offers the best of multiple worlds.

“We have Chicago so close, so we have all the amenities such as concerts, restaurants, and malls,” Holley said. “Where I am now in DeMotte, Indianapolis is still only two hours away, so it’s close enough that you could make it a day trip.”

She also appreciates what the Region doesn’t have.

“Whenever it snows a lot, I just tell myself that we don’t have alligators and we don’t have forest fires,” she said. “We have the occasional tornado warning and cold days, but at least we’re not being eaten by animals just walking outside.”

The area’s rich history and cultural diversity appeal to her as well.

“We have houses that are 200 years old in the area. There’s so much history here about the steel business. We are a pinnacle of American history in many ways,” she said. “Northwest Indiana is known for so many things across the country, and yet we’re so small.”

Beyond real estate and lemon rice soup reviews, Holley has been working to support STEM education in the Region. She’s been one of the top three fundraisers for the Challenger Learning Center, which provides hands-on science education through space mission simulations.

As a self-described space nerd whose daughter is named Kenobi, keeping educational opportunities alive for the next generation is personal.

“The Challenger Learning Center is such a special place to continue quality STEM education,” Holley said.

Whether she’s reviewing soup on TikTok, negotiating a real estate deal, or simply being herself, it’s that genuine care for people that makes Holley stand out in Northwest Indiana.

“I hope that somehow it radiates in my videos,” she said. “I genuinely have a heart for people. I think if you are really authentic, people trust you. They know you’re not going to screw them over.”

As for her favorite wrestler? That would be Mick Foley, a fellow Hoosier who Holley says embodies everything Region rats are. 

“When you look at him, he looks grizzly and scary. When you get to know him, he loves Christmas and is a goofy character.”

It’s a description that could easily apply to Holley herself, minus the grizzly part. Behind the wrestling persona and the lemon rice reviews is simply someone who believes in being sweet to all you meet. She is all about finding opportunities in unexpected places and never being afraid to go for it.

With 91 more bowls of lemon rice soup to go and countless real estate clients to serve, the Lemon Rice Realtor shows no signs of slowing down, and Northwest Indiana is all the better for it.