Short questions with Dana Perino for Laura Ingraham

You've seen us on screen, but have you ever wondered what we're like off-camera? 

For the last few months, I’ve enjoyed checking in with some of your favorite Fox personalities to learn more about who they are behind the scenes. 

What's the one thing Jesse Watters couldn’t live without? What's Bill Hemmer’s favorite Halloween costume? And what's sitting on Greg Gutfeld’s nightstand? 

But that's not all! The fun is just getting started.

This week we're excited to shine the spotlight on Laura Ingraham. She is the host of FOX News Channel's "The Ingraham Angle" (weeknights, 7 p.m./ET) and joined the network in 2007 as a contributor. She's hosted a series of highly rated town halls, including "The Ingraham Angle Town Hall: Red State Trailblazers," "The Ingraham Angle Town Hall: Time for Class" and "The Ingraham Angle Town Hall: Georgia and the Battle for Senate." 

She also co-hosts "Laura & Raymond" on FNC's on-demand subscription-based streaming service FOX Nation. During the program, she and her co-host Raymond Arroyo dive into the latest in politics and culture. She's also host of her podcast, "The Laura Ingraham Show" and is the author of several New York Times bestsellers, including "The Hillary Trap," "Shut Up & Sing," "Power to the People," and "The Obama Diaries."

P.S. We have so much more in store for you. Stay tuned each week for new editions of "Short Questions with Dana Perino" — and if there’s a question you want answers to or a suggestion for the person I should interview next, leave a note in the comments section below! 

In this week's "Short questions," Laura Ingraham, host of "The Ingraham Angle," reveals the hardest job she's ever held, her favorite place to be with her three kids — and the greatest lessons she learned from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas while working for him as a law clerk years ago. (Fox News)

Q: You've had an incredibly dynamic career — from being a speechwriter for Reagan to attending law school at UVA. You’ve done so much. Among all the roles you've undertaken, which do you consider to be the hardest job you’ve ever held — perhaps one we don’t even know about?

LI: The hardest job for me by far is being the mother of three teenagers! I really try to do my best, but I am like so many women who never feel like it is enough.  

My daughter is 18, has applied to colleges, and this is her last year of living full-time here at home. It's very emotional for me. She was 12 when "The Ingraham Angle" started, and my sons were 10 and 8. 

So many changes, and it all went so fast. They're all big people now.  

Q: What did you want to do for a profession when you were a little girl? 

LI: I used to host a pretend radio show with my friend Pam when I was maybe eight, but I never thought I would be on the radio or TV for real.  

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do when I grew up, but given my proclivity for languages, in high school I toyed with the idea of being an interpreter at the U.N. (Don't ask.)

"I really try to do my best, but I am like so many women who never feel it is enough."

Q: Favorite type of workout? And best music to work out to?

LI: I try to do Orange Theory 4 or 5 times a week — it's a circuit of tread, rower and floor work. Some days I just walk in the woods with my dogs.  

I like ‘70s and ’80s rock and roll and ‘80s and ’90s pop music to get the blood pumping. 

Not a big hip hop fan, but my kids are. 

Q: Your top book club recommendations, both fiction and nonfiction?

LI: Nonfiction: "Empire of Deception: The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation." This biography of Leo Koretz, who's been described as "the Bernie Madoff of the Jazz Age," is not just a fantastic biography, it reads (I'm not finished yet!) like a classic thriller. Can't put it down.  

Fiction: "The Passenger" by Cormac McCarthy. One of my favorite writers. This story involves a jet, a crash, a denial of God and a conspiracy.  

Q: Back in January, you had an eventful ski trip to Colorado and you ended up blowing out your knee after your teenage kids challenged you in a race down the mountain. Since then, you’ve been on the road to recovery and I know your viewers have been asking for updates. How is the rehab going? 

LI: I'm trying to get it stronger for ... wait for it ... skiing this winter! I was blessed to have the best surgeon on the planet, Dr. Neal ElAttrache — he just got Aaron Rodgers back on the field doing light throws! 

But going forward, I'm not racing the boys down the mountain again.  

Q: When it comes to skiing, do you have a favorite place you’ve ever skied? Also, is there somewhere that’s still on your bucket list? 

LI: Love Aspen but blew both ACLs out there, so I'm a bit spooked. Vail is always fun. Someday in Big Sky or Whistler! 

Q: Best locations for a family vacation? Are you someone who likes to spend Christmas in the snow or in the sand? 

LI: Jackson, Wyoming, is our favorite place to be. 

Christmas, mostly in the sun because the kids like the ocean, but anywhere we are together is home to us.  

"Anywhere we are together is home to us."

Q: What advice would you give someone with a broken heart? 

LI: Cry it out. But then keep going — get out there. Be with friends. Exercise. 

If you've never had your heart broken, you miss out on a lot of growing.  

Q: Any parental tips for dealing with screen time and social media? How do you strike a balance between allowing technology use and setting limits for your own kids?

LI: Delay cell phones as long as possible. My kids were among the oldest to have them — 15! I use the Apple filters, but kids can figure out ways around most everything. 

Ultimately, they need to learn self-control.  

Q: You once clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. What is the greatest lesson he taught you? 

LI: The importance of befriending people from different backgrounds, of reading certain prayers at difficult times, such as the "Litany of Humility," of forging on when it feels like the world is pushing against you, of sharing an optimistic outlook when pessimism comes easy — and that's just a thumbnail sketch of what Justice Thomas taught me. 

Q: What is your preparation like for "The Ingraham Angle" each day?

LI: Reading, writing and collaborating with my producers about what matters and new angles on the latest developments in politics and the culture.  

Q: With your show having recently moved to the 7 p.m. slot, do you eat dinner before or after?  

LI: I eat dinner late! I'm still not quite used to 7 p.m. 

Somehow, as a morning person, I became a night owl. But now when 10 p.m. rolls around, I think to myself: I'd just be starting right now.  

To read all of Dana Perino's earlier "Short Questions" interviews for Fox News Digital, check out this (long) list!

For her interview with Carley Shimkus, click here. 

For her interview with five New York FOX reporters, click here. 

For her interview with Katie Pavlich, click here.

For her interview with Guy Benson, click here. 

For her interview with Pete Hegseth, click here. 

For her interview with Sandra Smith, click here. 

For her interview with Nicolas Yannicelli, click here.

For her interview with Abby Hornacek, click here. 

For her interview with Elise Bitter, click here. 

For her interview with Brian Kilmeade, click here.

For her interview with Kennedy, click here. 

For her interview with John Roberts, click here. 

For her interview with Janice Dean, click here. 

For her interview with Charles Payne, click here. 

For her interview with Trey Gowdy, click here. 

For her interview with Johnny "Joey" Jones, click here. 

For her interview with Bill Melugin, click here. 

For her interview with Jimmy Failla, click here. 

For her interview with Tyrus, click here. 

For her interview with Ainsley Earhardt, click here. 

For her interview with Lawrence Jones, click here. 

For her interview with Dr. Arash Akhavan, click here. 

For her interview with Martha MacCallum, click here. 

For her interview with Bret Baier, click here. 

For her interview with Kayleigh McEnany, click here.

For her interview with Harold Ford Jr., click here. 

For her interview with Shannon Bream, click here. 

For her interview with Jessica Tarlov, click here.

For her interview with Leo Terrell, click here.

For her interview with Geraldo Rivera, click here. 

For her interview with Clay Travis, click here.

For her interview with Bill Hemmer, click here. 

For her interview with Greg Gutfeld, click here. 

For her interview with Benjamin Hall, click here. 

For her interview with Judge Jeanine Pirro, click here.

For her interview with Jesse Watters, click here. 

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.1eye.us/lifestyle.