We first met Sarah Fraser in 2007 with her banter on The Kane Show, and then later hosting her own show on Mix 107.3. She’s now the main voice on the popular podcast Hey Frase and reports for Fox 5 DC, where she gives the millennial take on living in the Metro-D.C. region.
What is the one piece of advice you wish you had heard when you were starting your career?
Spend less time being offended. When I first started out in the media business, I would get so hurt when people criticized my work or me. I wish someone had told me that when they hate you it’s just as good as when they love you.
What has been your greatest achievement so far? Your greatest regret?
My greatest achievement has been conquering my weight and body-image issues. Four years ago, I lost 40 pounds with my mindful eating therapist, and I have kept it off ever since. Resolving my body-image issues has changed everything for me. Everything. Regrets? I have regrets every day, but I find a month later they were just lessons I needed to learn.
When did you feel you had “made it”?
Oh Lord, do people really answer this question? I haven’t made it yet. I’m a woman with a dream making it happen and I will know when I get there, but it ain’t today.
How do you define success?
Success is freedom: the freedom to pick and choose the projects you want and the financial freedom to tell someone to piss off who doesn’t respect or value you. You must have the power to walk.
What job or position have you previously had that helped you get to where you are today?
My time as a radio host of Sarah, Ty, and Mel on DC’s 107.3 and co-host on The Kane Show on Hot 99.5 prepared me for everything I’m doing now. Radio taught me to be a great storyteller. I also have the most loyal audience, and that came from my years in radio. I am forever grateful.
What do you do after a disappointment?
I take Oprah’s advice, which is get really quiet. I take long walks through Arlington; it helps me come to my senses and realize God has the best plan for me.
Give us an idea of your work/life balance philosophy.
I am getting better at work-life balance. When I’m doing my podcast, on Fox 5, or hosting an event, I am 100 percent on. I am there to be over the top and entertain and inspire the audience so when I come home I don’t want to talk. I go to bed really early every night around 8:30 or 9 p.m.
What is the one thing you do for yourself every day, or at least once a week?
I give myself a luxurious face mask twice a week.
What’s one thing you still want to do with your life?
Two big things. I want to turn my Hey Frase podcast into a five-day-a-week talk show that is something people have never seen before and lobby to make therapy free for everyone. We all need therapy and someday it will be free for the masses.
Any advice for those who are going into your field?
Yes, create your own. The days of working for a radio or TV station and having them groom you for your own show don’t exist anymore. Media companies are looking for already established talent with a following. The saying “If you build it, they will come” is so relevant today except it’s now: “If you build it on social media, they will come.”
