Teen Beat with Danielle Fishel

Guest Episode: Nikki and Brie Garcia (The Bella Twins)

iHeartPodcasts | March 25, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Danielle Fishel sits down with Nikki and Brie Garcia—better known to wrestling fans as The Bella Twins—to unpack their untelevised upbringings, swap stories about awkward teenage milestones, and reflect on the journey from Arizona farm chores to WWE superstardom. The conversation winds through their childhood on a working farm, enduring the twin dynamic at school, thrift store fashion moments, being "boy crazy," the realities of life in a male-dominated industry, motherhood, and their ongoing legacy as women who rewrote the rules of pro wrestling.

Key Discussion Points

1. Looking Back: What Would You Tell Your Younger Self?

(05:51)

• Both twins reflect on their difficult middle school years, emphasizing resilience.
  • “I would definitely say, like, you’re gonna be okay. Just, you know, the struggle was very real at that time. And I’d just be like, hang in there, because, like, really, really good things are coming.” —The Bella Twins
• Acknowledgement that, given all they’ve accomplished, their teenage selves "wouldn’t believe it."
  • “Our teenage selves wouldn’t believe it. No, they would.” —Nikki & Brie

2. Childhood on a Working Farm in Arizona

(08:34 - 12:30)

• Raised in a farming family: mother’s side were produce farmers, father was a tree farmer.
• Daily chores included feeding horses, mucking out stalls, and bottle-feeding calves.
  • “Middle school. I just remember being like, this is so uncool.” —Brie
• Early mornings (6am starts) and walking to school after farm work was the norm.
• The hardest chores? "Shoveling... mucking cow manure... early in the morning, and then you have the horses in the pen with you..."
  • Humor about being well-prepared for motherhood thanks to cleaning up animal poop.

3. Twinhood: Perks, Pitfalls, and Personalities

Dressing Alike and Asserting Individuality

(14:46 - 16:36)

• Dressed alike until second or third grade when they started pushing for individuality.
• "That's when you really saw our personalities and, like, the outfits." —Nikki
• Childhood stories of feeling overlooked—for example, one got the "nicer crib" as a baby.

Comparisons and Companionship

(27:10 - 30:19)

• The worst part: Constant comparison, being treated like clones.
  • “People almost thought we should be clones… they would literally compare us… ‘Your nose is a little like this…’" —Brie
• The best part: Never facing awkward milestones alone; always having support, including even breaking up with each other's middle school “boyfriends.”
  • “We would even break up with each other's boyfriends...You barely talk to him. You just would see him from afar and be like, ‘Yeah, that's my boyfriend.’” —Brie

4. Embarrassing Fashions & '90s Nostalgia

(16:43-19:02)

• Favorite teen fits: Wide-legged black pants with white stitching "Jinko style," ladybug crop tops, “I Heart Brad Pitt” shirts from Buffalo Exchange.
  • “We idolized No Doubt—her [Gwen’s] style...” —Brie
• They loved thrift shopping: “We’d walk to all the secondhand shops...we’d get legitimate bell bottoms...so cheap.”
• 1990s style is coming back, they reflect: “Honestly, 90s is so back. Oh, it’s crazy.”

5. Teenage Rebellion & 'Brie Mode'

(12:54-14:45)

• "Brie Mode" was Brie’s wild alter ego at parties—"zero to a thousand" in fun.
  • “She'd just get this look in her eye...there's Brimo, Brianna is gone, Brimo has entered the building.” —Nikki
• Hilarious party anecdotes, including comparisons to viral internet shenanigans.

6. Boy-Crazy Years—and Pop Culture Crushes

(31:16 - 35:38)

• All three discuss being "boy crazy"—from school crushes to 90s teen magazine heartthrobs.
  • "We also loved hanging out with boys because of being athletes...And I love the boys in the magazines and on tv." —Brie
• Locker and binder posters included Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Leo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt.
  • “My dad called me boy crazy and tore that poster. How dare you!” —Brie
• Nostalgia for pre-social media innocence: "We were so authentically us...it was a wholesome boy crazy."

7. Family and Motherhood

Twins Expecting Twins?

(24:09-26:14)

• Brie reveals that her first pregnancy began as twins, before becoming one.
  • “At my first ultrasound...‘are you an identical twin?’…‘You’re pregnant with identical twins.’” —Brie
  • One embryo stopped growing, a moving story about imagining "there could have been two."
• Danielle shares her own grief and acceptance journey when discovering she’d be a "boy mom."

The Energy of Raising Boys

(26:14-27:03)

• Discussion on “boy energy”: endless, wild, and often a shock to parents of girls.
  • "Boy moms get a lot of credit." —Nikki
  • Danielle’s son wakes up at 6am declaring, "I am Hulk."

8. Relationships, Marriage, and Dating in the Spotlight

(41:09-47:05)

• Brie’s marriage to fellow wrestler Bryan Danielson: Busyness makes the relationship stronger; lunch "date days" are key.
  • “We've been married 11 years...we still get excited to see each other.”
• Nikki on navigating dating as a single mom with fame:
  • "If you go on a date with someone, all of a sudden you’re making headlines...Can’t I just experience people like everyone else?"
  • Funny, self-aware dating stories, including a rejected flirt with a blunt man at a bar:
    • “He’s like, I don’t want to raise their mistakes…So her and I were like, no idea…kicked each other under the table.” —Nikki

9. Wrestling: Then vs. Now

Returning to the Ring

(47:06-49:32)

• Brie’s return: Inspired by Nikki’s fun, her kids, wanting to show them moms can still go after dreams and challenge themselves.
  • “For my kids to see that...that at any age you can go out and challenge yourself and do something.” —Brie

Women’s Evolution in WWE

(49:32-53:53)

• Then: Lack of respect, fighting for limited TV time, paid by appearance.
• Now: Women are treated as equals; more airtime, multiple women’s storylines each night.
  • “Now they’re respected...it's so great to be a woman now...you're backstage and no matter what, you are respected and you're treated equally as a man.” —Nikki
  • “When there's more room for opportunity, we don't have to fight each other in that way...this is a really tight knit sisterhood.” —Brie

10. Listener Stories and "Mortifying Moments"

(54:40-58:30)

• Voice memo: Allison recounts accidentally messaging her crush—mortified, but it led to them going to the dance together.
  • “Being direct paid off, right?” —Danielle
• Nikki’s embarrassing teenage messenger name: "Pink Diamond"
  • “Everyone at school thought it was for my vagina...I literally just thought of Marilyn Monroe because I was obsessed with her.” —Nikki

Memorable Quotes

• Danielle Fishel (05:25): "So nice to hear your accomplishments read back to you. Like, isn't that such a great feeling to be like wow. We did that."
• Brie Garcia (12:10): "Surrounded by poop—I was really prepared for motherhood."
• Nikki Garcia (29:40): "We never experienced the first day of school alone."
• Brie Garcia (35:38): "Everyone was so innocent—it was so pure."
• Nikki Garcia (45:28): "How hard, like, he would stare. And I haven’t had that kind of, like, where it’s just a complete stranger and you're locking eyes. I was, like, blushing..."
• Brie Garcia (49:54): "Now they’re respected...it's so great to be a woman now."
• Nikki Garcia (53:12): “This is a really tight knit sisterhood that makes me so proud.”
• Danielle Fishel (54:40): “Every week we listen to a voice memo sent in from a listener detailing their own awkward adventures of youth.”

Notable Moments & Timestamps

• 00:03:16 – Introduction to The Bella Twins; Danielle's playful “handshake” premise for the show
• 00:05:51 – "What would you tell your young self?"
• 00:08:34 – Daily farm chores & before-school routine
• 00:14:46 – First move for individuality (not dressing alike)
• 00:27:10 – “Worst part” and “Best part” of being twins in school
• 00:31:16 – On being boy crazy, pop culture crushes
• 00:41:09 – Marriage, relationships, and dating as busy/members of the public eye
• 00:47:06 – Brie's return to wrestling & inspiring her kids
• 00:49:32 – The evolution of women’s wrestling
• 00:54:40 – Listener story: accidental crush message
• 00:56:09 – Nikki’s hilarious mess with messenger handles ("Pink Diamond")

Tone & Style

The episode is warm, unfiltered, and full of self-effacing humor—equal parts nostalgic, candid, and empowering. The Bellas’ sisterly banter shines through, and Danielle Fishel brings enlightened empathy from her own teen celebrity experience.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

This episode provides an in-depth, personal look at what it’s really like to be “The Bella Twins”—not just in the spotlight, but behind the scenes: growing up as farm kids in Arizona, surviving adolescence (and each other), navigating womanhood, motherhood, and fame. It's a conversation about cherishing awkwardness, finding your voice, supporting other women, and holding on to the innocence of pre-internet adolescence. You'll laugh at their thrift store finds and wince at their embarrassing moments, but you’ll leave with a greater appreciation for how the Garcias rewrote what it means to be strong, vulnerable, and real—both in and out of the ring.