Life & Work with Sarah London of East Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah London

Hi Sarah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Asheville, NC. My mom put me in ballet at 4 years old and I continued dancing for 25 years. I danced in programs at University of NC School of the arts, Philadelphia, New York City, and Greensboro, NC, eventually retiring from ballet when I moved to Nashville in 2015.

Through a job at lululemon, I was introduced to TITLE NASH and there I found a love for boxing fitness which quickly turned into a curiosity around actual fighting. A co-worker introduced me to Muay Thai and I loved it immediately. I researched gyms in the area and found Chonburi Muay Thai. After my first class with Coach I was obsessed and I have been training there 5x a week, every week for the last 7 years.

I have fought 13 times since starting Muay Thai, 8 wins, 5 losses, and 5 knockouts on my current record.

I met my partner, professional fighter, Souleya Duangsay, the first day I went to the gym. We now have 2 children together at our home in east Nashville. People often think we are crazy because we live, work and train together but it works for us.

Alongside fighting, I have a great passion for personal training & fitness. I have operated out of TITLE Boxing Club and online for 8 years and have grown a business I am proud of. TITLE NASH gave me a great foundation for growing my fitness community here. At one point I taught 18 boxing classes per week and had the largest personal training roster in the TITLE Boxing company. I have since, honed that down in order to make time for my family and my own training but TITLE is still my homebase. You can train with me in-person at the East Nashville location.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As with most people, my road has not been bump-free. The time between my ballet career and fighting life was hard for me. I was lost in transition and depressed. My identity had been wrapped up in ballet for the majority of my life and without it I wasn’t sure who I was or what I was capable of.

In 2016 my father passed away unexpectedly. We did not have a close relationship but it was still difficult. After that loss, I knew I needed to find things and people that fit well in my life.

Muay Thai helped me find a strength and confidence that I did not know I could possibly have and introduced me to a community that gave me so much.

In 2019 I found out I was pregnant. I gave birth to my son on April 5th, 2020 at the height of the pandemic fear. My job was on hiatus, and I was very unsure of what my body would be able to do from that point.
Through continued training and support from my partner and coaches, I went on to win an international tournament only a year after having my son. That still blows my mind to this day.

In the fighting world, failing is always part of the process. Winning fights feels great but eventually you lose (in my case, I lost my very first fight). I have lost fights that I knew I won, I have lost fights I knew I lost, I have lost fights by getting my nose smashed to pieces. But, I ultimately love what fighting gives to me. The sense of confidence I have and the deep joy I get from testing myself in the ring and even in the gym day-to-day is unwavering.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My training specialties are strength training and Muay Thai technique.
You do not have to want to fight to train with me! I have many clients that are purely strength based and I love that area of my life so much.
I operate in-person and online because I know that people work in different ways. Many people don’t have the luxury of meeting for an hour 3x a week to train but can absolutely fit in a workout I’ve crafted specifically for them on their own time.
Helping people reach their goals is very fulfilling to me and I strive to show that I do the same work in my own life and it is VERY possible to achieve the things you want.

I take humor and energy into almost everything I do. Laughter and joy makes doing hard things WAY more fun. Yes, we work hard. Yes, we stay disciplined. But you can be damn sure we are having a good time.

I will always, always run with the bit.

What’s next?
For now, the plan is to keep fighting, show up for women in my sport, and train people!

As long as I am happy and enjoying it, I will keep going.

Beyond that, I would love for the online side of my business to grow in order for me to dedicate as much time to my family as possible but I do still thoroughly enjoy seeing people in-person.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @lapetitelondon