Interview with Dede Barbanti, author of 'TRANSFORM: The Secret to Unlocking the Perfect You'

Dede Barbanti is a renowned fitness & lifestyle coach, certified soul memory discovery facilitator, author, motivational speaker and single mother of three. Once weighing over 200 pounds, Dede has dedicated her life to developing innovative methods that have literally changed the face of weight loss, fitness, dieting and lifestyle!

Through the creation of her first format Boogie Box (BBX) and the “Un-Diet” nutrition and weight-loss program; Dede lost over 70 pounds in less than 6 months and has since helped countless people from all over the world. Since forming BBX, Dede has released two groundbreaking workout DVD's "Boogie Box LIVE" & "BBX Hardcore."

Her groundbreaking techniques and work have been featured on shows such as: Dr. Oz, Shark Tank, Fitceleb, OnAir, Good Day Utah, ABC, KTLA and FOX News, as well as several media productions. Dede was also named one of OC Metro Magazines "Top 20 Women In Business."

Dede's passion, training and experience has helped countless people from all over the USA transform their bodies and lives through her unique and “straight shooting” methods.

Pulling from her years of experience, Dede has written a complete lifestyle guide, TRANSFORM: The Secret To Unlocking The Perfect You. In it, she shares her three principles to obtaining the body and life of your own design!

For More Information

Visit Dede Barbanti’s website.
Connect with Dede on Facebook and Twitter.
Find out more about Dede at Goodreads.

About the Book:

Title: TRANSFORM: The Secret to Unlocking the Perfect You
Author: Dede Barbanti
Pages: 257
Genre: Self Help/Lifestyle/Health/Weight Loss

Finally, a book that will provide you with the answers that change your body and your life! TRANSFORM really is the SECRET TO UNLOCKING THE PERFECT YOU. Once weighing over 200 pounds, Fitness and lifestyle expert Dede Barbanti not only gives you the tools to achieve your weight-loss goals, but helps you dig deep to fix the core issues that keep you from lasting success and your true potential.

This is not your traditional weight-loss book. Most diet books focus on the outside by changing your eating and exercise routines,but they fail to find the root cause of your bad habits: what, why, and where they all started. These band-aid treatments never treat the problem, only the symptom, and most people find themselves back at square one, frustrated and defeated. Dede's no-holds-barred approach gets your booty into gear by tackling the real issues of your weight loss merry-go-round; so you can stop the madness and unlock the perfect you.

You can continue reading all of those other diet and lifestyle books that ultimately keep you repeating the same old story and never seems to get you anywhere, or you can get real with yourself and finally bring about the changes that you have always wanted...permanently!

For More Information

TRANSFORM: The Secret to Unlocking the Perfect You is available at Amazon.
Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? Where did you come up with the idea to write your book?

I love it when people ask me this question because although they would like one, the truth is; there is no short answer. There were several factors that led up to me getting into fitness, speaking and writing; nothing is coincidence or happens randomly. From the time I was a child, up until this point; every moment and every experience shaped the person I am today and who I will become in the future. That is the way it goes for every person in this world. It’s just that many times people never put the puzzle pieces together, or do so later in life. I had an incredible 15-year career as a professional dancer and choreographer up until I was 28 years old, it was my passion and I believed it would be my career forever. However, life throws you a curve ball and I fell in love, got married, had three incredible children and left the dance world because I knew that I could not raise a family while traveling or spending 40 hours a week at the dance studio. During this time, I got into Real Estate and had a tremendous amount of success; but at the same time I found myself living the life of a single working mother because my ex-husband left me to handle being the primary money maker, housekeeper and parent. I also didn't seem to get along with his girlfriends, so that definitely didn't help the marriage. During this time, I had gained over 70lbs and found myself in a deep depression. I lost my voice, my dreams, my passion…myself! After some time, I realized that nobody could change my circumstances but me, so I picked up my three kids, who at the time were 2 weeks, 2 years and 4 years old; and I left my husband. I knew I had to get myself together physically so I could feel confident and strong again. I started going to the gym for 2 hours every day after work; but nothing was coming off. Not only was I frustrated with the fact that I could not lose the weight, I hated knowing that some daycare was practically raising my children. One day, a friend of mine gave me the idea to return to my dance roots and create my own fitness format. It was from that day forward that my life completely changed. I began to research all of the popular group fitness formats, pulling from what I felt worked and what was lacking and combined it with my 15 years’ of experience as a professional dancer. It was during this time I lost over 70 lbs. in 6 months and created my first fitness format Boogie Box Fitness (also known as BBX). From that moment in time until now, it has been a whirlwind. I ran several test groups and saw incredible success with each person I worked with, eventually having it University tested three times to prove its effectiveness. I studied food and how it works within the body; creating the healthiest plan that I felt would provide the most effective and permanent weight loss results. As a single mother of three, “save time and money” was my motto. That is what most women, especially with children, worry about right? “How can I get to where I need to be in less time and without having to shell out a ton of money?” Over the course of several years I have had the privilege of helping countless and incredible women. What I didn’t expect was to learn that the issues most people had with weight had absolutely nothing to do with eating and exercise, but had to do with what I now call “core barriers.” It was during this time that I realized the “BIG LIE” of the diet industry, Band-Aid treatments, and the misconceptions people had about health and weight loss. It was through all of this experience that I was drawn to write my book and speak out about what I had learned and developed. It became my mission! “TRANSFORM: The Secret To Unlocking The Perfect You,” was written so that I could inspire people to realize their true potential and power they all carry. While giving them the exact steps they need to take in order to discover the spark and power they all possess, to achieve the body and life of their own design.

Q: How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?

Writing the book came naturally because it was a passion project based on my own experiences, as well as those of personal clients. What was I didn’t realize was the importance of hiring a great editor that would be true to my voice. After a lot of research, I was very lucky to find an incredible editor with “My Two Cents Editing.” However, the editing process was a much longer process than I had anticpated….so be prepared!

Q: Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?

I self-published

Q: What other books (if any) are you working on and when will they be published?

Currently, I am not working on any other books because I plan on taking “Transform” on a live tour. However, down the road I will be writing a self-help book on the adventures of being a single mom.

Q: What’s your favorite place to hang out online?

To be honest I am old school. Although I understand the importance of social media for business purposes; that is pretty much what I use it for. Apart from my business, I really don’t hang out online. I’d rather watch a good movie.

Q: What’s your nightly ritual before retiring for the night?

As I always say, I am a straight shooter and tell it like it is; so here I go. From 6:30am until 9:30 at night my days are jam packed with my kids, classes, errands, chores and building my company. So once 9:30 hits, it’s all about mindless television. My brain is on constant overdrive; especially when it comes to the growth of my company, book and speaking engagements. The only way I can get myself out of my own head, is to watch something that will literally suck me out of that place in order to “not think” and just relax. Some people find it in a good book, I am a fan of great stories through great actors.

Q: Finally, what message (if any) are you trying to get across with your book?

“Transform” isn’t just for people that want to lose weight or get healthier. This is an overall health and lifestyle book, and it can be just as powerful for those who want to rediscover themselves, gain perspective, and find that passion in their lives. There are many so-called experts out there that will tell you what to do, as if we live in a society where everything runs perfectly in Wonderland. Umm, no. Reality check, people! I live on this planet, and I know and have experienced the difficulties and crap life throws our way. Heck, with all the stuff I have been through, I’d like to say I am quite the expert. My life is not and has never been perfect. I thank God for that, because I know that every difficulty I have encountered has taught me major lessons and helped shape the person I am today. You don’t have to love to work out. You don’t have to love eating healthy or become some fanatic. But you do have to love yourself enough to change on the inside and exercise and eat right to take care of the outside. My hope is to show people their true potential and inner strength and to know that every obstacle can be a stepping stone toward changing their lives for the better—forever! I want to show everyone that there really are no boundaries, other than those that people unintentionally create on their own. Nothing is permanent, everything CAN be changed!