Photography: Jessica Kelly
Sarah Sadie Newett, creator of the SSN Method, calls herself a badass body transformation coach, but the shifts she inspires in her clients run way deeper than a firm derriere.
An initial session with the dancer turned aerialist turned out-of-the-box trainer usually goes like this: “We spend time connecting about what they want to be experiencing and parallels between their body, their relationships and their wealth or career. They tell me their story and where they are looking to create change. Then we shift into movement.”
That movement is a customized blend of yoga, pilates, dance and acrobatics, derived from Newett’s background: child tree climber in rural Maine, teen and professional dancer/choreographer, Emerson College theater/dance major, aerialist with celebrities like Lady Gaga and L’il Kim and certified yoga/pilates/barre instructor. Add a battle with alcoholism in her twenties and a shattered wrist from an aerial apparatus malfunction at a performance, and the result is a human being uniquely in touch with what clients need to change in their bodies and lives.
“At its core, the SSN Method helps women feel powerful, free and alive,” says Newett. “That’s what most women are searching for, just as I was.”
Newett has an expansive library of classes that simply involve a roller and band or chair and towel for virtual students. She quips, “I’m the Dr. Seuss of body transformation: I can do it on a chair, over there, from anywhere!” There is no shame if a client only has time for a “Feel Good in 5” five-minute class. Newett lends customized support with calls or Facebook chats. “I’m also developing community-based classes,” she says.
Newett’s stunning studio in Westport features an aerial setup, and she also helps clients purchase the equipment they need to install their own. “I have an autistic client,” she says. “They respond very well to aerial work. I also love working with pre-natal and post-natal women.”
Raves one fan, “It is more than just physical activity. It gave me a connection to myself that I had been searching for feverishly.”
CLAIM YOUR CONFIDENCE
Brave steps toward self-love
1 Favorite acro trick I love hanging upside down.
2 Most rejuvenating exercise Puppy pose.
3 Best strength builder Pull-up.
4 Favorite motivating phrase You can do more than you know.
5 Guilty pleasure? I love sugar and reality TV.