Stumbling Blocks: How Great Leaders Are Made

Dana Perino, Fox News Anchor & Bestselling Author: How To Cross Party Lines

Dana Perino's new book is called Purple State. It's a political romance novel set in a gerrymandered Wisconsin district, about three young women who discover that love and friendship don't stop at party lines. Coming from the 26th White House Press Secretary and co-host of The Five on Fox News (the most-watched show on cable news!), it's a book worth paying attention to. Especially as we find ourselves more divided than any time in recent history. Dana talks about the personal story behind the book: The time a dear friend said, "Do not pass up the chance to be loved." She almost didn't listen. Dana tells the story of sitting in the Oval Office with President Bush just before walking out to face a press corps hungry over a tell-all memoir from her predecessor. She was furious on his behalf. He told her something about forgiveness that changed her. Purple State is out now. Pick it up today here:* https://amzn.to/4tRzGcZ [https://amzn.to/4tRzGcZ] CHAPTER MARKERS 0:00:00 Welcome to the Treehouse Studio 0:01:13 The 2007 Phone Call 0:02:35 Life After the White House 0:04:58 Purple State: The Book 0:06:59 Why I Wrote a Novel 0:10:42 Wearing Your Politics Lightly 0:12:57 The Oval Office and the Forgiveness Lesson 0:15:52 68% of Young People Won't Date Across Party Lines 0:17:29 Do Not Pass Up the Chance to Be Loved 0:19:00 Peter, the Proposal, and the Open-Ended Ticket 0:20:05 Dinner With the Queen's Staff 0:21:46 There Is Freedom in Being Disciplined 0:23:41 Closing Thoughts on Purple State 0:24:49 Outro KEYWORDS / TAGS Dana Perino, Purple State, leadership, Fox News, The Five, White House Press Secretary, forgiveness, discipline, political fiction, women in leadership, Minute Mentoring, President Bush, Jonathan Block, Stumbling Blocks, career resilience, love, faith *Amazon affiliates receive a small commission from Amazon for purchases made through this link. Commissions do not impact editorial decisions.

Outtakes: Sue Gordon Meets My Parents

My parents were visiting me the day I interviewed Sue Gordon, former Deputy Director of National Intelligence. So they joined me in the Treehouse Studio to say a quick hello to her. Here's their conversation.

Sue Gordon, Deputy Director of US Intelligence: What America Needs From Its Leaders

Sue Gordon once oversaw 100,000 women and men of the U.S. intelligence community as Deputy Director of National Intelligence, the number two role in American spycraft. She briefed Presidents Reagan, HW Bush, Clinton, W Bush, Obama, and Trump. She managed a $100 billion budget. And in August 2019, she handed Vice President Pence her resignation letter with a handwritten note: "I offer this letter as an act of respect and patriotism, not preference. You should have your team. Godspeed, Sue." Since then, life has come at her hard. Both parents died. Her husband Jim, the love of her life for 43 years, died unexpectedly. She has faced two rounds with cancer, the second one far more deadly than the first. And she says she's the most blessed woman in the world. In this conversation, Sue goes deep on: * The U.S. strikes on Iran and what she sees that most Americans don't * What the Epstein files actually reveal about how power protects itself * Why she almost ran for President * Why she quit the CIA with two weeks' notice to be a better mom * How the Trump administration publicly excoriated a 40-year career civil servant, and what she chose to do instead of fighting back * Why she thinks America needs to fix a system the Founders never designed for this much speed * What she wants every woman in a man's world to know, and what she wants the good men to finally do about it * The doorways of grief, and how to move through them This is Sue Gordon in full: the spy, the mom, the widow, the patient, the patriot. Unfiltered. Funny. Occasionally heartbreaking. Always worth your time. Find her podcast, Understandable Insights here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/understandable-insights-information-to-intelligence/id1827249845 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/understandable-insights-information-to-intelligence/id1827249845] Books and Works Mentioned: A Severe Mercy [https://www.amazon.com/Severe-Mercy-Sheldon-Vanauken-ebook/dp/B0053JJUL8/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OSkyUTLO441MIKg6ZGBRHL8pAwUv522meqyw2dlwSYCA6FaFrtHqzPImr1A_UUOEhSGIjKZ1SXxrwrPhdqY_L49WK6O8nF9EeXGrBFBtzHAIU-gOkCs31aJXJaxUkrb0AZwlA5dZGTOQvGatiGfR3mfbRkx42o6iZMAOEFT_1U6LYvOub4_8W7CHD6fmCm7lT4Uf-DzAVLQop6ZlPiTuYz0ImDK3sbOkPez1CbX8kWs.qmU11rTHpkmox2-Yq48gavRnHXsU1KMCW_077OlbMEQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=a+severe+mercy&qid=1776886488&s=books&sr=1-1] The Price We Pay [https://a.co/d/07Jqsil7] An Immense Journey [https://a.co/d/0aVezUaz] Sue's Resignation Letter [https://x.com/rebeccaballhaus/status/1159625289950990337] If this episode is worthy of your time, please share it and leave a review. It's how we grow.

Outtakes: The President's Advice I Didn't Want

A few times during my two-part interview with Judge and Rebecca Gonzales, they turned the tables on me. They listened. And they drew three stories out of me that I've rarely shared. The first is a story that never made it into the main episodes: the Oval Office advice I didn't want that... changed my life. The second is about what happens when your Quaker mother and your Jewish father sit down together at Hanukkah. The third is about what shaped my decision to work for Attorney General Gonzales as a political appointee. If you haven't heard Parts One and Two yet, start there. This bonus episode will mean more after you've heard their full story. Content warning: Like part 1, this episode touches on childhood trauma and may not be suitable for all listeners. If you'd like to support the show, please follow Stumbling Blocks on your favorite podcast app and leave a review. It's the best way to help other leaders like you.

Attorney General & Rebecca Gonzales, Pt 2: Leadership, Loss, and Love

Part 2 of this exclusive conversation with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and his wife Rebecca. It is a conversation about love, political betrayal, faith, and what it means to keep going when the wilderness feels endless. Judge Gonzales describes the political firestorm that ended his time as the nation's top law enforcement officer. What followed were years Rebecca calls "the wilderness." The phone stopped ringing. Friends vanished. Job opportunities disappeared. And the pain was so deep they sat side by side in silence, because words wouldn't come. But strangers showed up in ways you won't expect. And President Bush wrote a handwritten note that says something every leader needs to hear. And eventually, it becomes clear where home is. It's a political love story unlike any you've heard before. If you missed Part 1, start there first: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/exclusive-attorney-general-alberto-gonzales-becky-gonzales/id1849573843?i=1000757588087 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/exclusive-attorney-general-alberto-gonzales-becky-gonzales/id1849573843?i=1000757588087] Next episode: Sue Gordon, 30-year CIA veteran and former Deputy Director of National Intelligence. 0:00:00 Introduction & Part 1 Recap 0:03:30 The U.S. Attorney Scandal 0:07:45 "People Will Do Anything to Get Power" 0:09:50 President Bush Defends His Attorney General 0:11:45 The Call to Resign 0:15:30 The Phone Stopped Ringing 0:18:00 "We're Rich in Love" 0:22:15 President Bush's Handwritten Letter 0:27:30 The Wilderness Years 0:34:15 "It's Got to Work Out" 0:40:50 Finding Home in Nashville 0:45:35 Advice for Your Own Wilderness 0:51:00 Outro & Next Episode Preview ---------------------------------------- TAGS/KEYWORDS: leadership, resilience, Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, George W. Bush, public service, marriage, faith, political crisis, Washington DC, wilderness, Belmont University, trust, Rebecca Gonzales