Alana Springsteen grew up in a house where prayer was the answer to everything—including an eating disorder no one talked about out loud.

In this conversation, the country artist opens up about her new album *I Hope This Helps* and the years of quiet work behind it: the breakup that broke her trust in herself, the chameleon habits she picked up as a kid, and the phone call from her 85-year-old pastor grandfather questioning why she'd see a psychiatrist instead of just praying about it.

We talk about:
- Moving to Nashville at 14 with no plan B
- Writing "Love Me Anyway" as a letter to herself, her family, and God
- The moment her mom asked, "Is that your story or mine?"
- Why questions deepened her faith instead of dismantling it
- What it looks like to ask for help in a community that calls it a lack of faith
- Living in the messy middle of a healing journey with no finish line

For anyone who's ever felt like the kid looking through the window at a party they weren't invited to—this one's for you.

Listen to *I Hope This Helps* wherever you stream music.

TIMESTAMPS

00:08 Meet Alana: from Pungo to Nashville
02:39 Has success changed her definition of why
04:36 Finding her "why" beyond fame
07:25 The relationship that shattered her trust
08:41 Writing "Love Me Anyway" as a confession
11:55 Growing up as the family caretaker
15:44 Playing "Note to Self" for her mom
20:29 Faith built on fear vs. transformed faith
26:14 The eating disorder no one talked about
28:42 Her grandfather's reaction to therapy
33:18 Why the album is titled "I Hope This Helps"
37:26 The loneliness of choosing a different path

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when a kid from the Netherlands grows up to write the origin story of America's first president?

In this episode, screenwriter Diederik Hoogstraten joins Ben to talk about Young Washington — the Wonder Project film releasing July 3rd to mark America's 250th — and why an immigrant might be uniquely positioned to remind us what this country actually is.

We get into:

- Growing up progressive in 1980s Holland and how Family Ties (yes, really) planted the seeds
- Becoming a U.S. citizen in 2019 and what most Americans miss about their own country
- The Wonder Project, House of David, and building a studio for the audience Hollywood forgot
- Writing George Washington from age 11 to 22 — the failures, the loss, the overbearing mother
- Why failure shaped Washington's character (and what that means for the rest of us)
- A Native American chief, a battlefield, and the moment Washington's purpose became clear

A conversation about country, craft, and the kind of leader formed in the quiet years.

Young Washington hits theaters July 3rd.

CHAPTERS:
00:48 Welcome & guest intro
02:18 Why an immigrant celebrates America 250
03:51 Family Ties and discovering America
06:28 World Cup as a unifying moment
12:48 What the Wonder Project is
17:15 Faith-based or family-friendly?
22:19 The loneliness of screenwriting
27:10 Why focus on young Washington
30:34 Balancing history with creative license
36:36 How failure shapes leaders
43:05 What viewers should take away
48:09 How the project changed him

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this conversation, the former White House Press Secretary, Fox News anchor, and bestselling author Dana Perino joins Ben Higgins to talk about the unglamorous middle of an ambitious life: the quarter-life crisis, the yeses that change everything, and why worry might be the most wasted emotion we have.

We cover:
- The moment President Bush asked her "What's wrong?" — and changed her career
- How she said yes to becoming Press Secretary in a single second
- Why mentorship works better as conversation than contract
- The "epidemic of interruption" and what listening actually requires
- Her new novel Purple State, and why she wrote a political book without politics
- Faith, humility, and praying silently for strangers on the subway

Dana's perspective is grounded, specific, and refreshingly free of partisan noise. If you're in a season of figuring out what's next — or wondering if you're behind — this one's worth your time.

Dana's new book "Purple State" is available wherever books are sold!

Subscribe for more conversations like this one.

CHAPTERS
00:32 Welcome to If You Can Hear Me
01:11 Why mentorship matters now
05:35 Bush's "what's the worst that could happen"
08:11 The yes that made her press secretary
14:41 Staying excited in a new chapter
19:51 Meeting Peter on a plane
23:16 Humility vs. imposter syndrome
30:06 Inside Purple State's characters
34:39 The epidemic of interruption
40:24 Don't worry your 20s away
44:06 Silent prayers on the subway
49:53 Who Purple State is really for

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.