High Hopes and Thunder Road: Ann Abel on Bruce Springsteen, Depression, and a Life‑Changing Australia Tour

Jesse Jackson welcomes back author **Ann Abel**, whose memoir *High Hopes* Jesse calls one of his favorite reads of 2025.

Abel—who discovered Bruce Springsteen at age 59—shares the extraordinary story behind her book: how a lifetime of severe depression, the loss of her teaching career, and a desperate need for structure pushed her to book a solo trip to Australia for **eight Springsteen shows across five cities in 26 days**. What began as an escape from “the abyss” became a journey of fear, resilience, connection, and unexpected joy.

Ann recounts:

- **Battling self‑doubt and loneliness** while navigating a foreign country alone

- A terrifying night stranded after the Hunter Valley show when her driver vanished and her flip phone died

- Quiet, intimate moments of being “invisible” in hotel lobbies near E Street Band members

- Meeting Bruce’s longtime manager **Barbara Carr**, the conversations that followed, and the fundraiser where Ann won a silent auction to **co‑host SiriusXM’s E Street Radio with Dave Marsh**

- The months of intense rock‑history study she undertook to prepare—and the unforgettable on‑air moment when she corrected a punk‑rock attribution

- How storytelling open mics and winning a **Moth StorySLAM** helped her break through writer’s block and finally write *High Hopes*

- Seeing the Springsteen movie and feeling deeply validated hearing Bruce speak openly about struggle

- The concert moments that changed her life, including “Dream Baby Dream” and Bruce’s reminder that “It’s all right to have a good time”

Ann also talks about her recent **TEDx talk**, her unexpected rise as a late‑in‑life social‑media creator with **750,000 followers and multiple viral videos**, her upcoming travels, and the joy of becoming a grandparent. She closes by sharing where listeners can follow her work online.

This is an episode about music, survival, reinvention, and the way Bruce Springsteen’s art can crack open a life at any age.

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