Kelsea Ballerini opened up in a “brutally honest and vulnerable chat” with Jade Iovine on a new podcast episode on Tuesday (December 13), fittingly named with inspiration from one of the relatable tracks on Ballerini’s latest album, “Doin’ My Best.”
Ballerini, 29, appeared on the latest episode of Tell Me About It With Jade Iovine. The “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” artist is the podcast host’s “people-pleasing, perfectionist, anxious 29-year-old soul-sister who struggles in ways I know we can all relate to,” Iovine shares in the description. “We had an incredibly honest and real conversation, so much so that I think we both forgot we were recording a podcast for thousands of people to hear.”
Ballerini opens up about lessons she’s learned in her 20s, empathy, her family, the importance of female friendships (including another award-winning country artist, Carly Pearce, and pop star Fletcher), Subject To Change, her recent divorce from fellow singer-songwriter Morgan Evans and more. Listen to the full podcast episode here (warning: language):
Iovine echoed on her Instagram story on Tuesday that her conversation with Ballerini was so honest that “I think we both forgot we were recording a podcast for thousands of people to hear.” The pair spoke about Ballerini’s “whirlwind” year, how she’s feeling now, and how she’s navigating life transitions and a new era. Iovine credited Ballerini’s openness as “heroic,” acknowledging that “her realness about this tricky topic is going to set so many other women free of the shame and stigma of divorce…at 29 or at any age.
“Kelsea is giving a voice to people who have to make this objectively hard decision to choose themselves at an age when we’re conditioned to believe we should have it ‘all figured out’ and I’m forever grateful we were able to capture her healing process.”
Find more about the Tell Me About It With Jade Iovine podcast here:
“Tell Me About It is the podcast manifestation of all the ‘off-the-record’ conversations we’ve had with other women about things we’re taught to stay silent about -- from stumbling through our twenties, rejections, heartbreaks, fertility struggles, mental health challenges, mistakes, and the cringey shame spirals that keep us up at night. Host Jade Iovine and her guests challenge the idea of social media perfected lives and get very real about all the less-than-perfect and inevitable shi**y moments we all go through. Tell Me About It is here to remind us that we’re not alone… and that the women we constantly compare ourselves to ALSO have lives that are far from perfect.”