Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris - 94: LeAnn Rimes, Grammy-Winning Artist

Episode Date: August 23, 2017

LeAnn Rimes has been making a name for herself and her powerful voice since her early teens -- she's the youngest person ever to win a Grammy -- and the country music star's career includes writing books and appearing in TV series and movies, including the new film, "Logan Lucky." In our interview, Rimes opens up about another side of her life: How meditation has changed how she feels about herself and interacts with others. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It kind of blows my mind to consider the fact that we're up to nearly 600 episodes of this podcast, the 10% happier podcast. That's a lot of conversations. I like to think of it as a great compendium of, and I know this is a bit of a grandiose term, but wisdom. The only downside of having this vast library of audio is that it can be hard to know where to start. So we're launching a new feature here, playlists, just like you put together a playlist of your favorite songs.

Back in the day, we used to call those mix tapes. Just like you do that with music, you can do it with podcasts. So if you're looking for episodes about anxiety, we've got a playlist of all of our anxiety episodes. Or if you're looking for how to sleep better, we've got a playlist of all of our anxiety episodes, or if you're looking for how to sleep better, we've got a playlist for that. We've even put together a playlist of some of my personal favorite episodes. That was a hard list to make. Check out our playlists at 10%.com slash playlist. That's 10% all one word spelled out..com slash playlist singular.

Let us know what you think. We're always open to tweaking how we do things and maybe there's a playlist we haven't thought of. Hit me up on Twitter or submit a comment through the website. Hey y'all, it's your girl, Kiki Palmer. I'm an actress, singer, and entrepreneur. I'm a new podcast, baby, this is Kiki Palmer. I'm asking friends, family, and experts,

the questions that are in my head. Like, it's only fans only bad. Where did memes come from? And where's Tom from MySpace? Listen to Baby, this is Kiki Palmer on Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcast. I never thought I'd be sitting here talking to anyone about this kind of stuff.

You know, I mean, this is a piece of me that's just opening up. And so, to be able to discuss it in such an intelligent way, and to be able to talk about it, and to be able to discuss it in such an intelligent way and to be able to talk about it and to be able to be one of those examples of look, you know, you can shift the internal and it does shift the external. From ABC, this is the 10% happier podcast. I'm Dan Harris.

So I'll admit and you'll hear me admit this to my guest this week, that I don't know much about country music. I'm not particularly a huge fan, although I am partial to Alt Rock, Dad Rock, Alt Country, Wilco style stuff, but commercial, big, poppy commercial country music isn't really my bag. But I do know the name Leigh Ann Rhymesmes And so when I saw that there was a magazine article that mentioned that she had a meditation room in her home I Asked her publicists if they'd be willing to put her on this little podcast and they said to my surprise

They said yes, and so here we go Leon Rhymes She actually has quite a serious meditation practice as you'll hear her discuss. She's very articulate about why she does it and what it's done for her. She's had a very interesting life. She's been famous and she was a little kid. Her first big hit was at age 13. She was on star search before that. I believe the youngest person ever went to Grammy at age 14. She's had a very varied career where she's been in movies. In fact, she's in a new, she's got a brief role in a new movie called Logan Lucky. And she's written books, including novels.

She's also been engaged in more than her fair share of tabloid-y stuff. We don't really get into that, but she does make some oblique references to it in quite interesting ways. And so, without further ado, here we go, Leanne Rhymes. So what kind of meditation do you do? I, there's so many different kinds. I started out, I started working with an energy healer about a couple of years ago, and one of the reasons why we were just talking about this off of air. I was on stage, and I was experiencing so much energy coming back at me and I was coming

off incredibly drained. And I didn't understand what was going on really. I mean, I understood the exchange of energy, but not in that way where I was like, why am I coming off like so drained? And I'm just a really empathic, very sensitive person. I think that's just part of my gift in my art. And so, you know, I have all of these fans that have these incredible stories about how my music has been a part of their lives, and some of them are really sad, and some of them, you can just, for me, I can just feel, I can feel the intensity of the way that people relate to me. So, I started working with an energy healer, and she started working with me through a lot of these visualization meditations because my brain, like my brain would not shut off

I couldn't sit still for 10 minutes. So a lot of visual that visualizing a lot of light and like those kind of things To start with and then I I started diving deeper into it getting into meta and Meta like loving kind of yeah, I love loving. Yeah, it's a beautiful meditation. And then I've just started allowing myself, I guess, spiritually, and to listen to my instinct when I sit down to meditate, like guide me through what I need today.

And I'm now literally can sit in stillness for a good 45 minutes an hour. And I just don't know when anybody's even bringing me out of it, like leave me alone. So it really has changed everything about my life. It's changed the way I, it's changed my perception about, you know, everything in my life is kind of remain the same, but my perception has changed.

And it's, you know, we talk about 10% happier here. Like I feel like I'm way more than that. Like at least 50. At least 50. I don't like getting into Mathematical way more than that like at least 50. I don't like getting into math. No, no, no. 10% was a joke. Yeah, no, no, but it really has. It's changed my relationships, the way I'm less reactive.

It's just my whole outlook on life has changed and it's, you know, I've been doing this. I've been in this business for over 20 years. And- You were famous at 13. Yeah, which has brought a ton of challenges in itself. And, you know, I've gone through my whole life and the public eye. And so this feels like a piece of me, you know,

I get to have those moments for myself. And I used to not be able to sit in, I didn't, I had separation anxiety big time. I used to not be able to sit in, I had separation anxiety big time. I used to not be able to sit by myself at all. I just didn't want to be alone. And now I crave that time every day. I have to have that piece for myself. I have to say, I didn't know you before.

But I was really struck from the moment you sat down in this room or even meeting. I actually saw you as just for the listeners I saw you coming into the building when I said came up and said hello I Need a lot of famous people you don't have that vibe about a lack of a Less cheesy term you really seem like a normal person. Thank you. I try I strive for that I you know it's just something that God there's so many levels to that for me. It's something that was instilled in me. I think as a kid. I mean, I'm from the

south. I've always had this kind of values in me. But I think there's a humanity that's come out of me just after all I've gone through starting out as a child star, all the ups and downs. I think there's a humanity and a humility that I've found that from where I create from now, from where I connect from now, how I connect to myself. And yeah, there's, I think, as I'm starting to get deeper and deeper into meditation and spirituality and into myself, and I really, I think, it's so easy for us to use all of our gifts for ourselves and to strive for things for ourselves. And I think I've had that in my life.

And of course, I want that. But I'm always looking at it now. How can I use my gifts for the whole? And that's really something that I'm especially in this climate we're living in right now, diving into more. I don't know exactly what that looks like completely for myself, but I'm definitely trying to explore and discover that for myself,

because I think after being in this business for so long, I've either been joking and kind of joking, but it's pretty serious too. I want to try to expand in a different way. I don't want to do this anymore. What am I doing it for? Just putting out hip record. Just putting out music. As an artist, I have the opportunity to be able to put hope in the world. With my last record remnants, I've really made... Released in February? Yeah, it was really in February. I was made a conscious effort really to put love and hope out in the world. And I think that that kind of kicked the ball rolling for me.

Okay, how do I expand that? And you think I've, in some ways, grew out of your meditation practice? Oh, completely grew out of my meditation practice. Yeah. Just getting in touch with myself and realizing, and then also realizing how connected we all are, and how much we all need to be diving into that piece of how connected we all are right now. And it's just kind of, it's grown really fast within me. And like I said, I'm trying to really kind of figure out how that is going to develop for me to be able to

use my gifts and my talents and my platform in a in a broad way. It's an interesting question like how you actually do that because musicians have been singing about love for a long time. Right. John Lennon who did guide right up the street from here was doing it in the 60s and yet we've had plenty of war and you and I are speaking days after Charlottesville. There's a lot of tumult still. So how does one as an artist with the platform and the gifts that you have make a dent in any of this? I wish I had silver bullet for it.

I wish I did too. I wish I had the answer. I mean, I think it's, as a creator, I think you continue to, for me, what I realized on this last record is, if I open myself up, I'm such a conduit to be able to receive creativity, to be able to put out in the world that means something. And, you know, there's probably four or five songs on the Remnant's album that I have the title Love in the Title.

And I, as a songwriter, I was like, God, this is so cliche. Like, what are you writing this? And as I took a step back from it, I was like, oh, these are important messages. And we're looking at it from every angle. And so sometimes you have to let that ego side of you that's going, oh, why are you writing so many love songs? Completely go and go, oh, this really means something. I see the bigger picture.

So as a creator, I think there's one aspect there of being able to continue to create music and art that speaks to our times. That makes people think. I think that's really important at this moment. You know, people listen to music. People take a look at art and it really affects them. And so I think I have an opportunity to be able to do that through me music. But as a human and as a person who hopefully can, I'd use the word loving activist,

because I think it's so important for us to come from that space of love, to come from that space of peace. You know, love says no, and love can make changes, but before coming at it from a place of love, to come from that space of peace. Love says no, and love can, love can make changes, but with we're coming at it from a place of anger and hatred, we're never gonna get anywhere. I mean, I think Martin Luther King and Gandhi and everybody have shown that and demonstrated that very well. But I feel like sometimes we're not demonstrating that anymore in our society. And so it's time for people to start, I guess, with the awareness of it to be able to cultivate that and to be able to, I guess, for myself, with, to be someone who can be an example of that.

So I think I start with myself, I start with my music, and then I keep asking myself the question of how can that grow from there? When opportunities may arise that neither of us could force you right now, sitting here, I mean, I think all the time.

I talk about dropping Grigo when getting into things that you fear are gonna be cliche, and I have a lot of problems with that. Right. A lot of problems with that. What drop might you go in any way is a huge problem. But I do think there's something, and this is going to sound a little woo-woo.

But there is something too. If you have your intention and motivation in kind of set in the right direction, things opportunities may come up for you that you wouldn't have foreseen otherwise. All the time, sitting here talking to you, actually, I never thought I'd be sitting here talking to anyone about this kind of stuff. I mean, this is a piece of me that's just opening up.

And so, to be able to discuss it in such an intelligent way and to be able to talk about it and to be able to be one of those examples of, look, you can shift the internal, and it does shift the external. For me, that's been a big thing. So, yeah, things open up for me all the time. In fact, I keep a gratitude and kind of magic list of my days, and I reflect back every night and it keeps getting really, really long. Just when you start recognizing little moments of magic and of gratitude, they keep growing. I mean, I always thought it was BS actually. I was like, you know, really does that gratitude thing really work? And so I started a list and started creating it and it just kept getting longer and longer. I'm like, wow, this really does work.

Whenever you focus on grows, it's true. You are my people, a converted skeptic. Yes. Because I do this thing now with this super cheesy. I've talked about it on the show before, but every night before I go to sleep, you know, you got to do something with your mind to fall asleep. And I just kind of make a list of the things I'm grateful for. You know, start, I have a two year old,

I'm some days I want to put them in the garbage, but mostly I'm very, very grateful that he exists and start from there and the list can go really long. And then often I fall asleep. I want to get back to what you were talking about your actual meditation practice. So you mentioned the word meta, ME, TTA for the uninitiated,

who may be listening. This is, talk about having to drop your ego because this practice can feel very cheesy. It's like, when you envision people and send them good vibes. How did you get into that practice? Can you walk us through how you do it? Like, for short, and it's full of a lot of interesting questions. What does happiness really mean? How do I get the most out of my time,

pure on earth? And what really is the best cereal? These are the questions I seek to resolve on my weekly podcast, Life is Short with Justin Long. If you're looking for the answer to deep philosophical questions, like what is the meaning of life? I can't really help you. But I do believe that we really enrich our experience here

by learning from others. And that's why in each episode, I like to talk with actors, musicians, artists, scientists, and many more types of people about how they get the most out of life. We explore how they felt during the highs. And sometimes more importantly, the lows of their careers. We discuss how they've been able to stay happy during some of the harder times, but if I'm being honest, it's mostly just fun chats between friends about the important stuff. Like if you had a sandwich named after you, what would be on it? Follow life is short wherever you get your podcasts.

You can also listen to ad free on the Amazon Music or Wondering app. I want to get back to what you were talking though about your actual meditation practice. How did you get into that practice? Can you walk us through how you do it? Well love, because I think the word love, and I think in our society we look at it as an emotion rather than an action.

When I started writing this record and this love started coming out, well, something's trying to tell me something here. And I think it started opening my heart in different places where I feel like I had closed it off. And I may, I'll go into this a little bit. I'm a stepmom with two boys that are 10 of 14 and the step family environment can be rocky at times and so to try to cultivate love in that situation honestly that's

what brought me to meta and when I discovered it I was like okay I'm starting to put all of these little puzzle pieces together for myself and and also the piece of meta where it was directing it toward yourself is probably one of the hardest pieces for me. And so... Really? Yeah, big stuff. Because so many people love you. Well, thanks. But I think it's a loving myself thing. You know, I'm my hardest,

you know, worst critic. And so it's I and growing up in this business, like there's so many opinions coming at you and like you lose yourself, you lose that piece of you that is really in touch with with the intuition and your soul. And so I think to cultivate that, this meta has helped me really sit with finding the love that I so easily give, turning it to myself, and then taking, using people that are, you know, you go from yourself and you go to someone who's neutral

and direct love and kindness, and then you go to someone who you love, and then someone who you find difficult. And that, yeah, it's challenging, and to really feel that. I mean, you can intellectualize it all you want, but to really feel that. I mean, I find myself with certain pieces

still intellectualizing it a lot, but every once in a while you'll tap into that way. Like, oh, I really feel, I feel that, I feel love. How does it play out when the rubber hits the road and you're having a tough moment with this step? It's not really, it's not my step, kids, actually. It's the adult dynamic of the whole situation. Yeah, actually, okay, that's it.

But sometimes we aren't such big adults. But I, you know, it brings more compassion. I can see, I can put myself in someone else's shoes, even though I might not agree with their actions. I can definitely not be responsive. You mean just like fly off the hand? Yeah, not at all. It's changed my whole life in that way. And I've also realized that we're all as human

beings. We're all on a different, we're all in our different places of growth. And so with that realization, it gives me, I can cultivate more compassion for people and not to say that I'm above anyone at all. I have so much further to go, but I am in a place at this moment where I can create and cultivate compassion

for a place where I actually know that I have been. I see myself there. I'm like, oh, I've been angry about that before. I might not, that situation might not have happened in a career in my life, but I know myself there. I'm like, oh, I've been angry about that before. I made and might not that that situation might not have happened It occurred in my life, but I know that feeling and so That's so important. It's so important as human beings that we try to cultivate compassion for one another You can't sit and watch your own mind and not see that you're insane Oh, and then when you see how insane you are, you realize, oh, this is the human condition.

And so when you see somebody else freaking out at the airline counter or being inappropriate over dinner or whatever, losing it with their child, with a little bit of meditation on board, you can see, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's in my repertoire, too. I know how that feels. And I've been there. And it even, it's funny, like even little things. There was this guy I was in the airport. And this man, he walked into me. Like, I was coming off of a walking, run, walkway. And I couldn't stop.

He just walked into me like I wasn't there and even the guy beside me, he's like, he didn't even think he saw you. But he hit me hard and then I ran over his foot with my bag and I turned around and I went, dude! I'm like, and then I ran over his foot with my bag and I turned around and I went, dude, I'm like, and then I was like, wait, I'm like, are you okay? Like, first though, my first reaction was like, what are you doing? And then I stopped for a moment.

I'm like, okay, are you okay? You know, I mean, even those moments where you can make a different decision. These are, you know, I've been working on this for a couple of years now, and these are new things for me. And it's, for me, it's, you know, out of all that I've accomplished in my life, those moments are huge, like biggest accomplishments ever. For a human being. Yes.

These are, you have, I mean, this is the whole point of this podcast and of my basically, the latter half of my adult life is to point out that these are skills that you can develop. Oh, big time. Being less of an idiot, this skill that you can develop. You are a walking poster child for this. Before I let you go, because I'm sensitive to the fact that you have limited time, Logan Lucky, you got a new song. Well, actually, the new movie Logan Lucky, which I hear from you is very good. It is, it's very funny. I believe you, the critics agree with you. It's very funny. It's Daniel Craig, Adam Driver, Chaining Tatum, just a fantastic

cast of people. And yes, there's a Steven Soderberg called. And when Steven Soderberg calls, I guess, you end up in Atlanta singing a song. You know, he called and I guess he'd seen me perform the national anthem at an Indy car, the Indy 500 race several years ago. And within the film, there's a NASCAR race that where the heist in this film happens.

And they needed someone to sing America the Beautiful to Open the Race. And so he called and I ended up a couple days later in Atlanta where they were filming. And I didn't realize America the Beautiful had eight verses. I don't know if anybody knows this, but I was unaware. And I get there and they hand me the lyrics to it. And I'm like, okay, so eight verses.

I'm like, does he want all eight verses? And the producers are like, oh yeah, he wants all eight verses. I'm like, does he want all eight verses and the producers are like, oh yeah, he wants all eight verses. I'm like, well, can I speak to him? So they take me down to said and he's like, oh, I had no idea they had eight verses. I'm like, thank you God. So he ended up saying, just do the first two.

And so the next morning I come in, I go down, get dressed, go down to the track and I literally sing it twice. He has everything set up, sing it twice, and he's like, okay, cool, done. So it was honestly the easiest thing I've ever done. He's the nicest man, such a pro. I mean, his whole team of people around him,

the actors, everyone's just amazing. So I think the film is fantastic, and I also have a song off of my album remnants, which is called Love, His Love, His Love. That's in the film too. I know, I am. I trippled it and trippled it down. Yeah, but I have that on the soundtrack in the film too.

So yeah, it's fun. It was a really fun project that kind of, like you said, kind of came out of the blue and you're like, oh, okay, that sounds like fun. Yeah, I think if Steven Soderberg calls me, I will also say, okay, good, yes. I don't think that's bad.

I don't think that's bad. I don't think that's bad. I don't think that's bad. I don't think that's bad. And the other thing you've got going on that I wanted to ask you about is, is this festival you're doing from one country? Oh, yes. Live from the vineyard.

Live from the vineyard, yeah. There's a bunch of radio stations all over the country that they do, they are involved in this event, and I'm headlining it this year in Sinapa. I mean, once again, you don't really say anything, you know, and it's in Napa. I mean once again you don't really say anything you know and say no to Napa but they bring in a bunch of winners so I do a couple of shows actually I do one big show for the winners and I do a show for the radio stations and the people that are sponsoring the event so it's it's gonna be a fun fun little time. I am excited about it. I love doing that. It sounds like your life is ain't bad.

It's not bad. No, I'm good. Things are good. Thank you very much. Thanks for having me. Yeah, it was so nice to come and talk to you. Absolutely. Any one more question.

Any, if you want to get more information about you, I know you've written books. Yes. Is there a central place where people can go just to learn more? Yeah, there's LeonRimesWorld.com is my website. And then I also started a blog because of all of this change that's happening in me, and I wanted to share another part of myself called Soul of Everly, EVERLE.

And that just kicked off a couple of months ago, so I'm just continuing to develop that. So yeah, come find me around. All right, I'm sending a happy doorway. Thank you so much. Thank you very much. Okay, that does it for another edition of the 10% Happier Podcast. If you liked it, please take a minute to subscribe, rate us.

Also, if you want to suggest topics, you think we should cover or guests that we should bring in, hit me up on Twitter at Dan B. Harris. Importantly, I want to thank the people who produced this podcast, Lauren Efron, Josh Cohan, and the rest of the folks here at ABC who help make this thing possible. We have tons of other podcasts. You can check them out at ABCnewspodcasts.com.

I'll talk to you next Wednesday. Hey, hey, prime members. You can listen to 10% happier early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen early and ad-free with 1-3-plus in Apple Podcasts. Before you go, do us a solid and tell us all about yourself by completing a short survey at 1-3-dot-com slash survey.

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