Latest news with #IWishSomeoneHadToldMe...
USA Today
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
The surprising way Fox News' Dana Perino takes her lunch break
The surprising way Fox News' Dana Perino takes her lunch break Show Caption Hide Caption Fox News' Dana Perino talks about the election Fox News' Dana Perino talks about the idea that Americans are divided, ahead of the RNC starting. Anyone who works in media (this reporter included) is likely in a toxic relationship with their phone. But Fox News personality Dana Perino sometimes puts her phone down for a luxurious 90 minutes in the middle of the day. Why? To ballroom dance. "It's like being at a jury," she says, marveling at all the people she meets in a world outside her typical bubble. "It's the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker, and it's taken about a year or so for me to now have little fun friendships with people from all over the world and people all different walks of life in New York who gather at this place, and are super encouraging to each other, and it's fun." She encourages people to go out and escape their pandemic habits in her new book "I Wish Someone Had Told Me ... " (Fox News Books, 263 pp., out April 22) to reset their career and life goals. And in her case, taking her own advice helped her fix her posture and back issues. Today's trends: Sign up for USA TODAY's Everyone's Talking newsletter for all the buzziest stories. More from the Fox News journalist: Dana Perino on lessons learned from the White House, Fox News hosts and longtime husband "I carry a lot of tension in my upper back, a lot of us do," she says, noting her back pain grew chronic. She didn't take any medicine but tried Pilates, acupuncture and saw a chiropractor. Instead, Perino ballroom danced her way into a solution. "The only thing that has sustained this actual better posture and comfort, I have to say, it had to have been adding the dance to my routine," she says. Bad posture can lead to more than just back discomfort, but neck pain, problems with balance and overall flexibility, according to Cleveland Clinic. On the flip-side, though, dance on its own can lead to injuries, including ones involving the back, per Johns Hopkins Medicine. Before you try anything yourself, of course, consult a healthcare provider.
USA Today
17-04-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
What advice does former press secretary Dana Perino tell Karoline Leavitt?
What advice does former press secretary Dana Perino tell Karoline Leavitt? Show Caption Hide Caption Fox News' Dana Perino talks about the election Fox News' Dana Perino talks about the idea that Americans are divided, ahead of the RNC starting. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. The same goes for conversations between two White House press secretaries. At least that's what Fox News host and former President George W. Bush's press secretary Dana Perino says about President Donald Trump's right-hand woman Karoline Leavitt. "I always keep my advice to press secretaries private," Perino says. "I will say this though, she's got an exceedingly bright future, and I'm excited to be around her. She is funny, she is self-deprecating, she's a fierce loyalist, and you probably want her on your side, I would say. But I really admire her too, as a young mom and trying to figure all of that out, because it's an all-consuming job, and she does it quite well. She always has a smile, and I think that helps her, and it definitely helps (Trump)." Perino's mother puts it simpler: "That girl's a real pistol." Leavitt has done her job in being a steadfast spokesperson for the president, even as she's irked members of the press for trying to curtail their access to Trump. Reporters have said the White House will not respond to their inquiries if they include pronouns in email signatures. In case you missed: Dana Perino on lessons learned from the White House, Fox News hosts and longtime husband Perino remarks how different the job is now compared to then. "In January 2009 when I left the White House, I didn't have a Twitter account. I didn't have a Facebook account. There were not all of these ways to communicate, and I do think in some ways they benefit, in some ways it's harder." For advice that Perino will share, curious minds can check out her part-memoir, part self-help book "I Wish Someone Had Told Me ... " (Fox News Books, 263 pp., out April 22). It features words from Fox News personalities like Bret Baier, Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters and Jeanine Pirro, plus journalist Salena Zito, novelist Patti Callahan Henry and Perino's husband, businessman Peter McMahon.
USA Today
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Dana Perino on lessons learned from the White House, Fox News hosts and longtime husband
Dana Perino on lessons learned from the White House, Fox News hosts and longtime husband Show Caption Hide Caption Fox News' Dana Perino talks about the election Fox News' Dana Perino talks about the idea that Americans are divided, ahead of the RNC starting. Dana Perino beats her 4:45 a.m. alarm every morning by two minutes. And it's easy to see why. The 52-year-old Fox News host for "America's Newsroom" and "The Five" has no time to waste. She anchors the news. She races on her Peloton bike. She ballroom dances. You name it, Perino, who previously served as President George W. Bush's press secretary, is probably doing it. But she didn't get to be her best self on her own. She's giving credit to the people and advice that have shaped her in a new book called "I Wish Someone Had Told Me ... " (Fox News Books, 263 pp., out April 22). Part-memoir, part self-help book, it features words from Fox News personalities like Bret Baier, Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters and Jeanine Pirro, plus journalist Salena Zito, novelist Patti Callahan Henry and Perino's husband, businessman Peter McMahon. In case you missed: Age-concealing makeup, reflective tape: Book reveals 'effort to cover' Biden's health decline A day in the life for Dana Perino OK, back to that morning routine. After her early wake-up, Perino mediates or prays. Then she switches to checking for breaking news, something she says happens more often with the Trump administration than the Biden administration. Next, her morning involves movement (diet and exercise advice peppers her book). Anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes of pedaling on her Peloton and a mix of strength training or yoga. She listens to several podcasts on rotation while getting ready for her first call of the day at 6:45 a.m., after which she heads into the studio to finish prep for "Newsroom," which she hosts with Bill Hemmer. In between her shows, she either pauses for a private Pilates session or takes a ballroom dancing class while also preparing for "The Five." Even when life appointments get in the way, Perino is walking and calling friends and sources or checking out another podcast. "In the news hour, I am asking questions and trying to get sources to give us something interesting," she says. "For 'The Five,' I have to give my analysis or my opinion, and I have to bring energy." After work, she rushes home. She only goes out one night per week, advice from Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott that's included in the book. Perino sings her praises about her ability to manage life and career. Once home, Perino and McMahon only eat healthy meals; they never order in. Yes, even in New York. He always cooks and she helps a bit with the dishes – "my husband will laugh about that," she quips – before watching an hour of TV, choosing an outfit for the next day. Perino is tucked into bed by 9 p.m. and reading a novel (right now that's Jojo Moyes' latest, "We All Live Here") before drifting off. She avoids checking her phone, or at least tries, and is asleep by 9:30 p.m. Whew. In other 'host' news: Ryan Seacrest reveals iconic memory of Dick Clark, New Year's 'Rockin' Eve' TV essentials Dana Perino says 'we are not as polarized in practice' How does Perino accomplish it all and stay sane? For starters, she limits her time to two hours on Instagram per day, but she says she's cutting that back to an hour. She's posting on TikTok and trying to connect to a Gen Z audience, but knows "The Five" viewers span all ages. "You have families across generations who are watching it, some of them at the same time," she says. "There was this one family – I didn't keep in touch with them, I wish I had – the grandmother lived in Virginia, and the kids lived in California, and they would get on FaceTime and watch 'The Five' together." When Perino thinks of them, she tries "to keep in mind when I'm talking on 'The Five' or even on social media, that there are a lot of different people that might be willing to listen to something that I might say. It might be an important point that I think is newsworthy. It might just be something fun and entertaining. And I think one thing I have learned about myself, and since leaving the White House and coming to Fox, it has kind of taken me a few years, is that having fun and a little bit of lightness to life is not a bad quality. It's not superfluous." That's another key theme to the book. What actually matters in life? Not political partisanship, in her eyes. It's about stepping up in your community. "I actually believe that we are not as polarized in practice as we talk about in the media or in theory," she says. "I think communities actually get along quite well." So with so much packed into her life, is there anything more she wants? "The only thing I really wish for right now is more time, because I have a lot I want to fit into my days in my life, and I would buy anyone's extra minutes if they were selling them," Perino says. "But the most bipartisan thing that we all share is that we all get the same amount of time in a day."
