Erin Sears Basile received her BA in Music Education and Vocal Performance from Vanguard University and then went on to receive her MA in Choral Conducting from Azusa Pacific University. She then pursued a teaching career and has loved sharing the joys of music with her students for the past thirteen years. Following a health crisis that ignited a mental and physical transformation, she was motivated to refocus her life entirely towards helping others, by way of encouraging and guiding healthy living behaviors. She is a certified health coach, yoga teacher, group exercise instructor, and co-founder of the Transform 5 healthy living plan. She is also an advocate and speaker for whole-food nutrition and assists families all over the world in living life to the fullest. Whether it’s through music or health coaching, she has devoted her life to helping others find their joy and thrive, experiencing the best version of themselves. Be sure to check out her newest publication, The Dr. Sears T5 Wellness Plan: Transform Your Mind and Body, Five Changes in Five Weeks!
1. What are 3 things or experiences that bring you the greatest sense of fulfillment in life?
- Going through my Yoga Teacher Training, and sharing my journey with my students.
- Watching people have that “Ah Ha” moment when they are beginning the T5 program. I see/feel them grasp that they are in control of their health and wellness.
- Singing throughout Italy with my college chamber choir.
2. What are the small things you do every day to be happy/fulfilled?
- Drinking coffee while sitting contently with my husband.
- Taking time to sit quietly and breathe (even if it is 5 minutes)
- Reading silly posts on social media.
- Connect with friends
3. People often find they don’t have enough time. How do you make time for those?
Well, on the days I don’t practice all those joy-producing things it is NOT pretty. I have a deep devotion to those things because I see the value in joy and connection. Hey, if I’m going to be rushed and stressed, at least I can do my best to find joy where I can!
4. What health habits do you stick to no matter what?
- Drinking at least 70 ounces of water a day
- Taking my whole-food nutritional supplements (Juice Plus+)
- As soon as my eyes open in the morning, I set an intention of love and service.
5. What’s your best relationship tip?
Acceptance is key! Respect and love them for who they are and don’t try to control outcomes. Also enjoy each other, and have fun! Dr. Bill who just celebrated 51 years of marriage would say “Dance, laugh and don’t sweat the small stuff”.
6. You seem to balance both happiness and success. What’s your secret to being happy and productive?
Easy! The helpers are high! Success bread happiness and happiness breeds success as long as my mission is always to help others. The joy and inspiration I get when I’m coaching a transformer (someone on the Transform 5 plan) keeps that fire lit in my heart and helps me take the next right step.
7. What – in your opinion – is the best way to spread happiness and fulfillment to others?
Have pure motives. Fall in love with yourself so you can be of service to the world.
8. What is a quote you live by?
“If we own our story then we can write the ending” Brene Brown
An exclusive excerpt from Erin Sears Basile’s newest publication, The Dr. Sears T5 Wellness Plan: Transform Your Mind and Body, Five Changes in Five Weeks:
5 STEPS IN 5 WEEKS:
YOUR JUMPSTART TO A MIND AND BODY MAKEOVER.
These five changes translate to five simple steps that are the core of Transform 5:
- Enjoy the “5-S” Diet: Eat delicious foods that are simple to prepare and leave you feeling full and satisfied.
- Graze on five daily mini-meals: Forget the “three squares a day” routine. The T5 approach is far more satisfying and healthier, too.
- Move more: Five categories of exercises you can do for the rest of your life that benefit your body and your brain, too. Plenty of options here, so there’s something for everyone.
- Stress less with five daily stressbusters. They take only a few minutes a day, so you can stay mellowed out no matter how busy you are.
- Share T5 five times: Transforming with others reinforces your new, good habits, so recruit a team of five from your family and friends to transform with you. You’ll stick to it better, and you’ll feel great about sharing something this good.
MAKE YOUR OWN MEDICINES—NATURALLY—WITH T5
This is the real “wow” factor of T5—the reason it works so well—the reason T5ers say, “I feel so much better!” is that T5 greatly enhances your ability to make your own medicines internally. Yes, you read that right. As of this writing, no other health or fitness plan takes this approach. Transformers “make their own medicines” by tapping into the body’s two personal pharmacies: (1) the endothelium— that is, the lining of the blood vessels; and (2) the microbiome lining of the intestines. These two “silver linings” dispense your own personal medicines. The endothelium is a natural pharmacy that contains trillions of endocrine glands, which I think of as microscopic medicine bottles that release the right dose of “medicine” at the right time, without the side effects of prescription drugs. exercise and eating real foods like fruits, vegetables, and omega-3-rich fish helps your blood flow freely through your blood vessels.
This opens your personal pharmacy so that it dispenses the right amounts of hormones and other natural biochemicals—your internal “medicines”— to keep your body and your brain in tip-top shape. This discovery was such a “wow” moment that it won the Nobel Prize. (You’ll learn more about it in chapter three and about the microbiome in chapter six.) Are your personal pharmacies open or closed? Your endothelial pharmacy is easily damaged by eating what we call “the sticky stuff”—bad sugars and bad fats—the stuff that literally sticks to the endothelium and closes off those endocrine glands. When this occurs, the “pharmacy” is all but out of business, its shelves barely stocked. The results are disease and disability. Transformers know that keeping their natural internal pharmacy open is easy when they follow the T5 plan.
MEET TRANSFORMED CO-AUTHOR AND CERTIFIED HEALTH COACH ERIN SEARS BASILE
Hello, everyone! Welcome home! As your health coach, and as Dr. Bill’s Transform 5 colleague and daughter, I can’t wait to share the experience, strength, and knowledge I’ve gained from T5—and from 15 years of dealing with my own health challenges. Whether you’re dealing with depression, stress anxiety, or chemical dependency, or simply want more energy and a healthier life, you’re not alone. Believe me, my journey has not been easy, but I have found a sense of peace and serenity that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
One day in 2011, I woke up and stepped onto the scale, and it read 204 pounds. I felt awful about myself, and I knew something had to change. This was where years of crash diets had brought me. Each time, I’d lose 20 or 30 pounds, then gain it all back and more. I felt lost. My self-worth was below zero. I had hit rock bottom. But, slowly, I began making progress on my inner issues and came to love myself just enough to realize how much I am really worth. That helped me to climb out of depression enough to make better overall health choices. My outer appearance started to match my newfound self-respect. As the number on the scale went down, the passion inside me grew. I was living and feeling the Transform 5 plan. Here’s how that worked, on an emotional level, for me:
- I got my emotional health in balance and looked at past patterns
that had gotten me into a dark place. - I set my body up for success by fueling it with nutritionally dense food and a meal plan of five small meals throughout the day.
- Consistent exercise. A very wise friend, my dad, told me, “The best exercise is the one you do.” I started with Zumba because I love to dance and it didn’t feel like work. I added strength training and yoga, and the fat really began to melt.
- I changed my relationship with food. Don’t get me wrong—I still love to eat. But I’m so much happier and healthier now that I’m putting quality food into my body. For example, I enjoy my Juice Plus+ smoothie every day.
- I got a tribe of people into my life who lift me and support me and vice versa. And I stay engaged with things that give me joy and motivation, like music and coaching. This new chapter in my life has fulfilled me more than I could have imagined.
I call it Erin 2.0. I’m down 65 pounds, with eight inches off my waist. And I’m living life every day to the fullest. I am now a Dr. Sears Wellness Institute Certified Health Coach, a yoga teacher, and a fitness instructor. And I am honored to have the chance, through this book, to help others find their best selves. Thank you for that. My role as a health coach is to help you make this program part of your new, healthy, transformed life. Here is my hope for you: Take control of your health from the inside out.
Excerpted with permission from the new book The Dr. Sears T5 Wellness Plan: Transform Your Mind and Body, Five Changes in Five Weeks by Dr. William Sears and Erin Sears Basile, published by BenBella Books, Dallas, TX. Copyright © 2017 William Sears and Erin Sears Basile.
