Name: And the Good News Is …
Rating: 4 (10 reviews)
Author: Dana Perino

What’s in it for me? Get to know Dana Perino.

What do you really know about Dana Perino? Maybe you’ve seen her on television or know something about her political stance. But beyond that?

Right – not much.

What did her life look like before she became a famous figure in American politics? Where is she from? How was her childhood? What obstacles did she overcome on her way to success?

These blinks answer such questions and more. They provide you with Dana’s personal life story, describing landmark moments along the way – from living life on a ranch to working closely with president Bush in the White House and going on to achieve fame on the Fox News show, The Five.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how Dana’s parents prepared her for a job in politics;
that being tough doesn’t exclude being gentle; and
what Dana learned from Dick Cheney.

Spending lots of time on a Wyoming ranch taught Dana to be tough and independent.

Dana Perino spent much of her childhood in rural Wyoming, on her grandparents’ ranch. Her father’s grandparents were Italian immigrants who’d grabbed the American dream by the horns; for them, and for Dana, too, the ranch was a symbol of freedom.

Not just that, but living on the ranch taught Dana the importance of always lending a hand. Even though it wasn’t always fun, Dana and her sister helped out with all the chores: filling water tanks, opening gates, collecting eggs and keeping the calves fed during winter.

Sometimes Dana had to overcome her fears in order to help out.

For instance, gathering chicken eggs frightened Dana. The coop was dark and smelly, and the hens would peck at her hands when she tried to take the eggs. But she did it anyway. Life in rural Wyoming was rough, and everyone had to pull his or her own weight. Learning to overcome her fears and pitch in proved a valuable lesson later in Dana’s life.

Ranch life taught Dana other important lessons, too. For instance, that it’s essential to be both tough and gentle. When she was about eight years old, Dana and her sister were in the truck with their grandfather when they noticed that one of the horses had a broken leg. The huge animal was whimpering and clearly in a lot of pain.

Dana’s grandfather got out of the car, grabbed his rifle and told the two little girls to stay in the truck with their heads down. Dana snuck a peak anyhow, and watched as her grandfather shot the horse.

As they drove away, he rested his hand on her knee and squeezed it gently, showing her he knew how she felt. It was then that Dana realized that tenderness and strength are like peas in a pod.

Dana was a high-achieving student and quickly secured a job on Capitol Hill.

So, Dana found an early love for politics and, in high school, was elected student body president. Among other improvements made during her term, she altered the weekly schedule to allow more time for tutoring and studying.

But she soon discovered that her real passion lay in the media. While in college, she got a job on Standoff, a debate show broadcast on a local television channel. This went so well that she earned her own show, Capitol Journal, a weekly series on political topics and legislative issues concerning Colorado. This show helped her make contacts that proved invaluable later in her career.

After years of hard work Dana finally landed her dream job.

In August of 1997, Dana got on a plane to Washington, DC. She was 25 years old and oblivious to the fact that the British man sitting next to her would soon be her husband. Nor did she know that this man would give her unwavering support and help her become the presidential press secretary in 2007. His name was Peter, and here’s how it all happened:

In 2000, after Peter and Dana got married, an old friend of Dana’s called her from the Bush campaign. The team was looking for a spokesperson in California. At that time, however, Dana was living in the United Kingdom with her husband. Luckily, he convinced her that she wouldn’t be happy if she didn’t give Washington another go and in August of that year they moved back to America.

Success means cultivating good habits.

Congresswoman Susan Molinari, a long time friend of Dana’s, once gave her some solid career advice. In return, Molinari said, she wanted Dana to share the advice with others. Passing on information is just one of many rules of conduct that Dana thinks is essential to success. At the top of her list, however, are good manners – because Dana believes that politeness will restore America’s lost civility.

But how did the country lose its manners in the first place?

Embrace risk, change and always work to improve yourself.

In life, it’s tempting to keep your nose glued to the trail. No need to seek change if change isn’t necessary! However, moving forward sometimes means literally moving, even if that seems like a frightening or impossible thing to do. That’s exactly what Dana learned over the course of her own journey: don’t be afraid to move!

Nonetheless, Americans are becoming more and more afraid of risk and a fear of moving is increasingly common. So don’t get trapped by your worry. Because changing locations can be the only way to advance your career – and if it doesn’t pan out, or you’re just plain homesick, you can always move back.

Key ideas in And the Good News Is …