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Six boxes of stuffed animals. Cookbooks you never cook from. A purse you don’t use but can’t give away because someone gave it to you. How did we all end up with so much stuff? This week, Nikki’s upcoming move has her going through eight years of accumulated belongings, and questioning why it can feel genuinely painful to let any of them go. She and Damaris get into the strange emotional math behind our stuff: the money we spent on it, the person who gave it to us, the memory attached to it, and even the version of ourselves we thought we might someday become. They also talk about what actually makes letting go easier, from finding someone who will genuinely love what you no longer need to giving yourself permission to declutter in stages. Damaris is setting a hard deadline with a flea market booth; Nikki is discovering the magic of local “give and get” groups, and both are realizing there’s a big difference between getting rid of something and feeling good about where it goes. And if getting rid of some stuff means you get a Saturday back to take a walk, start a project, sit on the porch, or do absolutely nothing? That sounds like a pretty good reason to finally deal with the basement.

Almost 80 episodes in, Nikki and Damaris realized there’s something they probably should have explained a long time ago: Why exactly are they doing this podcast? So they’re going back to the beginning, to a hotel room in 2013, where they met as competitors on Food Network Star. On paper, they had every reason to size each other up. Instead, they found trust, mutual respect, and the beginning of a friendship that would eventually involve a whole lot of actual phone calls. They talk about what makes female friendship so powerful, why finding someone you can be completely messy with matters, and the effort it takes to keep those relationships close. They also get into something they’ve become increasingly intentional about with That’s Fun: leaving the conversation mostly unedited. The interruptions stay. The tangents stay. The occasional episode where they don’t quite nail it stays, too. After years of television, where entire teams worked behind the scenes to make everything look effortless and perfect, they wanted this to feel different. More like the conversations they actually have when one of them picks up the phone, and like there’s room for one more person on the call. So consider this the episode that probably should have been Episode 1. It just took them almost 80 episodes to get around to it. And if you’ve been listening all along, or you just found them today, now you know what you signed up for: two friends figuring out how to make life a little better, a little more exciting and, whenever possible, a whole lot more fun. Come hang out.

Nikki and Damaris are live from Park City, Utah at the Park City Song Summit, a festival bringing together music, food and wellness, which makes it a pretty perfect place to ask: when did cooking dinner become something we’re all trying to get over with as quickly as possible? They dig into why cooking can feel completely different on a Wednesday night than it does on a leisurely weekend. One is a race to get everyone fed; the other might involve music, a glass of wine, and actually enjoying yourself. So what would happen if we brought a little more of that energy into the everyday? Nikki shares the new dinner system she’s trying at home, while Damaris looks back at growing up in a family where everyone, even the kids, had a night to cook. That leads to a bigger conversation about the life skills we teach our kids, the mental load that makes doing it yourself feel easier, and why making dinner deserves more credit than we tend to give it. They also talk farmers markets, cooking with the seasons, getting curious in the kitchen, and finding ways to make the whole thing feel less like one more chore. No one is suggesting you lovingly hand-roll pasta every Tuesday. Sometimes dinner just needs to get on the table. But if you’re going to feed yourself again tomorrow anyway, you might as well figure out how to have a little more fun doing it. Gold stars, yam yummies and breakfast-for-dinner Wednesdays included.

You’re lying in bed scrolling Instagram. You’re relaxing, right? Maybe not. This week, Nikki and Damaris are digging into nervous system regulation and why all those tiny, seemingly harmless bits of stimulation throughout the day might be keeping our bodies more stressed than we realize. They talk about the difference between actually resting and simply zoning out, why scrolling while eating might not be doing us any favors, and how comparison, mental to-do lists and the constant stream of information coming at us can add up. The tricky part is that sometimes, you might not even know you feel stressed. From three-minute breathing breaks and stepping outside, to humming, singing, shaking it out and putting the phone away during lunch, Nikki and Damaris share the small things they’re trying to give their brains and bodies an actual break. They also get into EMDR, sleep, and the surprisingly difficult task of figuring out whether you’re truly recovering from the demands of everyday life. Turns out, “doing nothing” while consuming 47 different pieces of information might not actually count as rest. Maybe the real reset is giving your brain a few minutes when absolutely nothing is asking anything of you.

Would you sleep better, and maybe even like your partner more, if you stopped sleeping next to them? This week, Nikki and Damaris are talking about “sleep divorce,” the increasingly popular practice of couples sleeping separately. Nikki even puts it to the test for a week, while Damaris tries to get past the fact that the name alone makes the whole thing sound mildly catastrophic. They get into the practical reasons separate sleeping can make sense, from snoring and wildly different schedules to blanket stealing and the simple desire for a good night’s sleep. But the conversation quickly turns into something bigger: why can having a little space of your own feel so good when you’ve been coupled up for years? Nikki and Damaris talk about the intimacy you might lose when you stop sharing a bed, the surprising freedom of occasionally doing exactly what you want without checking in, and why marriage doesn’t necessarily have to follow all the rules we inherited about what being “together” is supposed to look like. Maybe wanting a room, a night, or even just a comforter to yourself isn’t a sign that your marriage is in trouble. Maybe you just really, really want your own blanket.

Estate sales and bingo halls: apparently, your grandparents were onto something. This week, Damaris is making the case for two decidedly old-school ways to have a ridiculously fun weekend. First up: estate sales. She answers Nikki’s many, many questions about how they actually work, where to find them, what things cost, and why wandering through a stranger’s house looking for vintage treasures has become one of her favorite hobbies. But the real surprise comes when a friend suggests going to an actual bingo hall. What starts as a nostalgic Saturday outing quickly turns into Damaris and her friends laughing their way through a game they are hilariously bad at, and Damaris leaves completely sold. Five dollars, a couple of hours with friends, and something totally different from the usual dinner/drinks? Bingo officially makes her top five fun experiences of the month. Nikki and Damaris also get into why it can be easier to connect with friends when you’re actually doing something together, what estate sales can unexpectedly tell you about a person’s life, and why there’s something especially fun about trying an activity that feels a little weird, a little nostalgic, and nothing like your usual plans. So maybe skip brunch this weekend. Go poke around someone’s old house. Find a bingo hall. Sometimes the weird idea is the good idea.

Ever wanted to take the trip, try the retreat, or sign up for the thing? But couldn’t quite get past the part where you’d have to go without your usual people? This week, Damaris is back from a yoga retreat in the Colorado mountains, and considering she almost talked herself out of going, she has some thoughts. She and Nikki get into the weird vulnerability of traveling with people you barely know, sharing a cabin with strangers, figuring out when to socialize (and when to disappear with a book), and why a little structure might be the secret to making solo-ish travel actually fun. But somewhere between yoga, hiking, tie-dyeing, and Damaris finding her own very specific way to enjoy the great outdoors, the trip became an unexpected experiment in something bigger: asking yourself what you actually want. They talk about the habit of automatically accommodating everyone else, why having a preference can feel strangely indulgent, and how easy it is to miss out on your own vacation while making sure everyone else is having a good one. Turns out, you don’t always need the perfect travel companion, or even the confidence to go completely solo. Sometimes you just need enough of a plan to get yourself there, permission to do things your own way, and the willingness to be a little uncomfortable along the way.

This week, Nikki and Damaris are catching up on the little discoveries that are making life noticeably better. Damaris has finally figured out why she hated washing her face, while Nikki returns from 6 nights of glorious 9-to-10-hour sleep wondering if maybe we've all been dramatically underestimating how much rest we actually need. Then Nikki has a decision to make: is a seven-hour road trip with one kid an unnecessary complication OR the kind of spontaneous one-on-one adventure he'll remember forever? They talk through the difference between traveling with three kids and traveling with one, why slowing down can make a trip more fun, and how an ordinary obligation can turn into a core memory when you approach it differently. And Damaris is taking her own advice from a previous episode and entering the State Fair. Not in one category, but three—and when Nikki starts guessing what Damaris could possibly be entering, she gets shockingly, hilariously close. Turns out, making life more fun doesn't always require a big plan. Fix the tiny thing that's been annoying you. Get more sleep. Take the road trip. Enter the State Fair.

Nikki and Damaris unpack the difference between dressing for other people's approval and dressing in a way that genuinely makes you feel like yourself. From signature hairstyles to thrift-store finds, they explore how personal style can become less about following trends, and more about expressing who you are. They share the stories behind Nikki's now-iconic pink hair, Damaris's beloved bob, and why both of them have stopped worrying so much about looking "normal." Along the way, they talk about experimenting with your closet, finding inspiration without spending a fortune, and why playing dress-up isn't just for kids. Sometimes the smallest change isn't about changing how the world sees you; it's about finally seeing yourself a little differently.

Running on five hours of sleep, wearing "busy" like a badge of honor, telling yourself you'll rest after you finish one more thing. Sound familiar? This week, Nikki and Damaris talk about why so many of us are exhausted, and why getting enough sleep can feel strangely unproductive. From afternoon naps and bedtime routines to overcommitted calendars and the guilt that creeps in when we slow down, they dig into why rest has become so hard to prioritize. The conversation goes beyond sleep. They get into why being busy can feel like proof that we're doing enough, why taking a nap somehow feels more indulgent than answering another email, and what changes when we stop measuring our days only by what we accomplished. So they're trying something different: treating sleep like any other healthy habit. For the next seven days, the challenge is simple—make rest part of the plan, not the reward.

What if, every day at 5 p.m., you traveled back 100 years? No cell phones. No TV. No endless scrolling. Just card games, books, long walks, homemade dinners, conversations, and figuring out what people did before every quiet moment was filled with a screen. This week, Nikki and Damaris dream up an experiment that starts as a whimsical idea but quickly becomes something much bigger. As they work through the logistics (Would you keep the air conditioning? What about cooking? Could your family actually commit?), they uncover what they're really searching for: a slower pace, deeper presence, and evenings that feel lived instead of consumed. Along the way, they talk about why discomfort isn't always the opposite of fun, how convenience quietly shapes our lives, and why boredom might actually be the doorway to creativity. Whether you decide to try the experiment or simply borrow one small piece of it, this conversation might leave you looking at your evenings—and your habits—a little differently.

Remember when summer felt magical? When an ordinary Tuesday could turn into an adventure? This week, Nikki and Damaris are building the ultimate summer inspiration list—packed with simple, affordable, and surprisingly memorable ways to make the most of the season. From bonfires, drive-in movies, and county fairs to paddleboarding, hiking to waterfalls, roller skating, rainy-day walks, Renaissance fairs, and even a little (private!) skinny dipping, they're sharing dozens of ideas to help you break out of routine. Along the way, they talk about why summer can feel harder to embrace as adults, how to create fun without spending a fortune, and why sometimes the best memories come from saying yes to something a little unexpected. Whether you have kids, don't have kids, or just don't want another summer to disappear into work and errands, this episode is your reminder to get outside, try something new, and make this season one you'll actually remember.

How do you stay close when your best friend lives 800 miles away? This week, Nikki and Damaris pull back the curtain on something listeners ask about all the time: how they've built (and maintained!) a friendship across different states, different schedules, and completely different seasons of life. From comparing calendars and planning trips to debating hotels versus Airbnbs, they share the surprisingly thoughtful process behind creating experiences they actually look forward to. Along the way, they talk about how friendships evolve as kids grow up, why different life stages require different expectations, and how comparison can make us underestimate the demands of our own lives. More than anything, this episode is about making room for the people who matter. Meaningful friendships are built through intention, flexibility, and showing up for each other, even when life gets busy. Whether your closest friend lives down the street or across the country, this conversation might inspire you to make the call, book the trip, or simply put something on the calendar.

Remember when fun just...happened? A random phone call turned into an all-day adventure. You'd pile into someone's car with no real plan, wander through the day, and somehow end up with a great story by the end of it. This week, Nikki and Damaris explore why having fun feels different in your 40s, and why it often takes a lot more intention than it used to. They talk about overscheduled calendars, passive entertainment, the disappearance of boredom, and how modern life makes it surprisingly easy to stay home while feeling disconnected. Along the way, they share practical ways to create more joy, from planning "adventure days" with friends and finding local events, to rediscovering hobbies from childhood and making room for spontaneous connection. They also dig into the role community plays in happiness, and why some of the most meaningful fun comes from simply being around other people. Whether you're looking for more adventure, more friendship, or just a better Saturday, this episode is full of ideas for getting off the couch and back into your life.

Feeling like you just need a week off from your week? Sound familiar? This episode starts with Nikki and Damaris comparing notes on a shared struggle: waiting for that magical stretch of downtime when everything finally settles down. The problem? That break keeps getting pushed further and further into the future. They unpack what’s really underneath the feeling of burnout, from overscheduling and people-pleasing to the pressure of building careers, businesses, families, and creative lives all at the same time. Along the way, they ask some surprisingly helpful questions: Why am I so busy? What was I hoping that vacation would actually fix? And is there another way to get what I need right now? From scheduling fun on purpose to creating tiny moments of joy during overwhelming weeks, Nikki and Damaris share the practical reset strategies they’re leaning on when life feels especially full. You’ll hear ideas for breaking out of a funk, making space for creativity, lowering the pressure on yourself, and finding small ways to recharge—even when a month-long vacation isn’t in the cards.