That's Fun

Nikki & Damaris
  • 4.9 (24)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Weekly

Life is a wild ride, full of highs, lows, and everything in between. But who says you can’t have fun while facing it all head-on? Welcome to "That’s Fun" the podcast where best friends Nikki Dinki and Damaris Phillips bring you the perfect blend of laughter, insight, and real talk. Join Nikki and Damaris as they embark on a lively journey to discover the secret to keeping life light and hilarious, even when it’s anything but. With infectious enthusiasm and a touch of loving sarcasm, they dive into topics that will get your brain buzzing and your spirit soaring. From backyard adventures to globe-trotting escapades, culinary creations, and quirky hobbies, they explore it all with genuine passion and a whole lot of heart. But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Nikki and Damaris aren’t afraid to tackle the tough stuff, too. They get real about life’s challenges, sharing personal stories of setbacks, triumphs, and resilience. Whether you’re grappling with the realities of middle age, parenting, or just trying to keep your inner child alive, they’ve got your back. Through laughter, heartfelt advice, and a shared sense of adventure, Nikki and Damaris create a community of listeners who are ready to embrace life’s ups and downs. So, if you’re looking for a podcast that makes you laugh out loud while reminding you to live fully, “That’s Fun + Real” is your new go-to. Tune in, because life is too short not to have fun—and Nikki and Damaris are here to show you how.

  1. 4d ago

    We Went to Portugal and Let Someone Else Do All the Planning

    What happens when two women who love a good plan go on an international vacation without making any of the plans themselves? This week, Nikki and Damaris are back from Portugal, where they handed over their itinerary to the experts at Visit Portugal and Tempo VIP and discovered just how much fun it can be to let someone else take the lead. No endless TripAdvisor rabbit holes, no agonizing over hotels or dinner reservations, and plenty of experiences they never would have thought to book themselves. From cruising through Porto in a motorcycle sidecar and exploring Portugal's fishing culture to a leisurely vineyard lunch that went on for hours (much to their driver's dismay), they share the surprises, memorable meals, and unexpected moments that made the trip so special. They also get into the art of finding the right travel companion, why local expertise beats scrolling through hundreds of online reviews, and the delicate balance between having an itinerary and leaving room for a little spontaneity. And because this is Nikki and Damaris, there's also a surprisingly enthusiastic discussion about Portuguese shopping malls, some questionable vacation biking decisions, and the very important business of buying enough bags to bring home all their treasures. Turns out, two self-proclaimed Type A travelers can have an incredible time relinquishing a little control. Although next time, they might want to leave a few more hours for the hotel spa.

  2. Oct 5

    Can We Make Our Husbands Be Friends?

    Can you make two grown men become friends? Nikki and Damaris are about to find out. With a destination party coming up, they’ll be sharing an Airbnb with their husbands, Evan and Derek, who know each other, but aren’t exactly booking that future couples’ trip through Europe yet. So Nikki and Damaris have a plan: create the conditions for an actual friendship and see what happens. They talk about why making friends as an adult can be so awkward, especially when two people don’t naturally connect over the same things. Their strategy involves shared errands, jobs around the house, a group text, music, favorite snacks, a little carefully planned alone time and, most importantly, resisting the urge to let the weekend turn into the Nikki and Damaris Show while their husbands watch from the sidelines. Along the way, they get into something bigger: sometimes fun, friendship and connection don’t just magically happen. A little thought and effort can give everyone something to talk about, laugh about, and eventually remember together. Will Evan and Derek leave the weekend as actual friends? Nikki and Damaris are going to do their best to make it happen.

  3. Sep 28

    Your Stuff is Stressing You Out

    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.

  4. Sep 14

    We Probably Should’ve Told You This 79 Episodes Ago

    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.

  5. Sep 7

    Wait, When Did Cooking Stop Being Fun?

    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.

  6. Aug 31

    You’re Not Relaxing. You’re Just Scrolling.

    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.

  7. Aug 24

    Sleep Divorce: Separate Beds, Happier Marriage?

    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.

  8. Aug 17

    Bingo Is Back, Baby!

    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.

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4.9
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

Life is a wild ride, full of highs, lows, and everything in between. But who says you can’t have fun while facing it all head-on? Welcome to "That’s Fun" the podcast where best friends Nikki Dinki and Damaris Phillips bring you the perfect blend of laughter, insight, and real talk. Join Nikki and Damaris as they embark on a lively journey to discover the secret to keeping life light and hilarious, even when it’s anything but. With infectious enthusiasm and a touch of loving sarcasm, they dive into topics that will get your brain buzzing and your spirit soaring. From backyard adventures to globe-trotting escapades, culinary creations, and quirky hobbies, they explore it all with genuine passion and a whole lot of heart. But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Nikki and Damaris aren’t afraid to tackle the tough stuff, too. They get real about life’s challenges, sharing personal stories of setbacks, triumphs, and resilience. Whether you’re grappling with the realities of middle age, parenting, or just trying to keep your inner child alive, they’ve got your back. Through laughter, heartfelt advice, and a shared sense of adventure, Nikki and Damaris create a community of listeners who are ready to embrace life’s ups and downs. So, if you’re looking for a podcast that makes you laugh out loud while reminding you to live fully, “That’s Fun + Real” is your new go-to. Tune in, because life is too short not to have fun—and Nikki and Damaris are here to show you how.

Information

  • Creator
    Nikki & Damaris
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    83
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024 Nikki Dinki
  • Show Website
    That's Fun

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