In retrospect, Perino likens that moment to the serendipity of meeting the right wellness coach or receiving a pivotal prenatal care consultation that changes everything.
“We call it love at first flight,” Perino tells PEOPLE. Long-Distance, Doubts — and the Decision to Leap
At the time, Perino was building her career in Washington, D.C., while McMahon was living in the UK. The distance, and their 18-year age gap, gave her pause. “It was daunting,” she admits. “I had never pictured myself with someone older, and moving abroad felt like a huge step.”
For someone deeply entrenched in public service, such a leap can feel as overwhelming as managing private health insurance premiums or navigating hospital costs without clarity.
But her loved ones were supportive, including her father, who believed an older man might be the grounding influence she needed. Still, it was a friend’s simple advice that ultimately guided her:
“Don’t pass up the chance to be loved.” That message would later become a defining theme in Perino’s new book, I Wish Someone Had Told Me.
