Meet Sarah “Sazzy” Boatright | Actor, Pro Wrestler, Founder of Misfitness

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah “Sazzy” Boatright and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sazzy, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk is a concept with which I never felt friendly growing up. My mother is an insurance underwriter, so assessing and minimizing risk was always emphasized in our household, haha. Only in my adult life is risk-taking something with which I’m having a new relationship.

Being a creative/fitpro multihyphenate, I’ve spent a lot of time swirling around in the gig economy, which I think was a direct result of fear: I felt I always had to have a side hustle so I could ultimately be an actor and a fitness professional. But the fitpro aspect WAS supposed to be the side hustle, not catering, or whatever couple-hundred-dollar event fell into my lap. I’m grateful for how it served me at that time, but I’m also grateful for the ability to say “no” to that way of living now, in an attempt to hold out for something better. That is a huge risk in my opinion, I was not raised that way! But as I’ve aged I realize that time is more precious than money, and the seven hours spent at said random gig might be better spent on my actual skills. This isn’t to say that I’m sitting on a trust, or that money isn’t important to me… what’s important to me is not living in the fear of failure.

It will always be my intention to serve the goal of “do what you love, never work a day in your life.” But love, inherently, is a leap of faith. If I feel called to a particular line of work, or creation, nowadays I just ask myself, “does it serve that greater vision?” “Can I learn from it?” “Is it fostering the LOVE of the work in me?” Some days, when I have no clients or pressing work, I worry about my financial security, and my overall success. But I worried about my financial security when I was working myself to the bone as well… I think a lot of risk-taking is just a shift of perspective.

It probably goes without saying that the pandemic has definitely kicked the risk factor into high gear–but it’s also been an amazing time to pivot and take stock of what is important to my practice, and what isn’t. Taking time for myself feels like a huge risk… but it has also proven to be the most useful tool for growth. It feels so risky to not be working every spare minute of the day, constantly trying to rake in clients, creating content, sending emails. Some days, it has to be about resting, reading, opening my mind and my heart and learning something new. Doing something “honorably selfish,” as an old acting teacher once said to me. I think risk-taking is propelled by acceptance and a whole lotta faith.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As an actor, I love biting into juicy roles that tell LGBT stories. I got to play a nonbinary trailer park friend in John Cameron Mitchell’s musical podcast “Anthem: Homunculous.” It was so amazing to me immersed in his writing–he pushes so many social and sexual boundaries in his stories, in ways that feel really beautiful and nurturing to a baby gay like me, haha. At that time I wasn’t out, but I was almost exclusively going out for gay, nonbinary and even sometimes trans roles (pre- or mid-transition characters). These experiences are so unique, and even though they’re not necessarily my own, the human experience has many inroads no matter what the background. I learn something about myself every time I study roles like these.

As a fitness professional, I strive to create a space for bodies that don’t feel comfortable maybe in a traditional gym setting. I want my clients to embrace their bodies for the high-functioning beautiful machines that they are, and not what they COULD be. I love seeing clients overcome challenges and embrace the process over the results.

As for pro wrestling, I just love it. If you know, then you know, haha. I appreciate it as another facet of performance and athletics; it’s a skill that informs me as a fitpro and an actor. I learn a LOT about the capabilities of my body–many of which I didn’t know existed!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, I live in Flatbush, Brooklyn, an absolute Mecca of Caribbean food. Peppa’s Jerk Chicken and Allan’s Bakery come to mind. I’m partial to Asian cuisine so Cha and I frequent Mondayoff, our favorite Thai restaurant. Purple Yam is a cute Filipino place nearby as well–love the pancit!

We also live near Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens–even after 15 years of living here, I see new things every time I go. Pre-pandemic I was a big library-goer–Brooklyn Public Library main branch is beautiful, definitely worth a visit (especially since it’s sandwiched between the Botanic Garden and Prospect Park). A friend of mine works at the main New York Public Library in midtown Manhattan, that’s a big tourist attraction, but so many hidden gems like the picture catalog room, and all the nooks and crannies of the reading rooms.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
This is a hard one… there are so many!

First I’d love to shoutout See Lighting Foundation. It’s spearheaded by my partner Cha See, and it’s a fund working to support immigrant theatre artists who are in the US on a visa, which generally prohibits them from taking advantage of unemployment benefits or other social programs. It’s a fantastic cause.

I’d love to give a shoutout to my T2T Wrestling Academy family… I spend most of my time here these days learning the ins and outs of professional wrestling. They are a talented and inclusive crew. Watch out, some of them will probably be famous one day!

Website: www.mis-fitness.com

Instagram: @sazzyboatright or @fit_4_misfits

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahboatright/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sazzyboatright 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitness4misfits/

Other: https://linktr.ee/fitness4misfits

Image Credits
Justin Emron, Ted Ely