The Nikki & Brie Show

Episode: Our First Curious Convo of 2026!

Date: January 22, 2026
Hosts: Nikki & Brie Garcia
Producer: SiriusXM

Episode Overview

This episode marks Nikki & Brie’s return to their signature “Curious Conversations” format for 2026. With their trademark humor and candor, the sisters dive into impromptu, thought-provoking questions for each other. They riff on everything from society’s unwritten rules to childhood nostalgia, parental honesty, “balance,” insurance frustrations, and the existential questions of curious kids. The episode is bubbly, light-hearted, and conversational, blending real-life wisdom with the sisters’ playful sibling dynamic.

Key Discussion Points & Highlights

1. Reintroducing Curious Conversations

• Nikki and Brie explain the concept: no prepared questions, just spontaneous, honest queries and reactions.
• Brie reflects, “Kind of feels like it’s a little off Bella Brains.” (01:25)

2. Society’s Unspoken Rules

• Nikki’s Curious Q: “What is a rule in society that no one really follows but we all agree exist?” (01:56)

  • Brie: Highlights how we don’t protect essential resources like trees and bees, despite their critical importance for survival (02:05-03:13).
    • “If we keep cutting down the Amazon, we’re going to screw ourselves. But for some reason, there’s no logic there.” – Brie (02:07)
  • Nikki & Brie riff on the dangers of losing bees, wasps, and the imbalance of killing pollinators.

• Jaywalking: Where’s the Name From?

  • Nikki and Brie wonder about the word’s origin, dive into a Google search, and learn it was a city-slang term to mock “naive” rural folks, later co-opted by the auto industry in the 1920s.
  • Notable moment:
    • Nikki: “So jaywalking is called that because Jay was slang for a naive, not native country person...” (04:33)
    • They decide maybe it’s time to call it something else—“No Idiot Walking?” Brie jokes. (06:04)
    • Both sisters riff on how companies shifted blame to pedestrians:
      • Nikki: “GMC was gonna make sure it was his fault. Just kidding.” (05:30)

3. Protecting Your Peace Online

• Brie’s Question: “Is protecting your peace online a selfish act or a necessary one?” (06:50)
  • Nikki: “Beyond necessary. There’s not even a curious conversation about that.” (07:00)
  • The duo briefly share agreement and shift gears.

4. Life Skills: What We’re Never Really Taught

• Nikki: “What’s a life skill we’re all expected to know, but no one actually taught us?” (07:16)
  • Brie: “Your checkbook, how to write a check, how to balance your check and account. Those are all surprises. Utility bills. Nobody told me about that in high school.” (07:35)
    • Nikki adds basics like how much water to drink, the Heimlich maneuver, and changing a tire—life skills left out of the curriculum (07:55-08:22).

5. Insurance Frustrations

• Brie: “Why does homeowners insurance kick you off for fire insurance if you live in an area that has fires?” (10:12)
  • Nikki: “Because they don’t want to pay for it. They want your house to burn and they don’t want to pay for it.” (10:33)
  • The hosts vent about insurance companies avoiding responsibility and compare it to health insurance surprises.
    • Nikki: “How do fake titties cost less than this?” (11:06)

6. Existential Kid Questions

• Buddy’s Deep Thought: “Who created outer space?” (13:00)
  • Brie shares how her son Buddy asked about God, the Big Bang, and where heaven is.
  • Nikki: “I believe… God being like, boom, let’s start life.” (14:01)
  • Swap stories about the differences between religious and scientific worldviews, Brie’s lack of interest in the Big Bang Theory TV show and concept, and how her dyslexia influences conversation mix-ups.

7. Flat Earth & Astronaut Perspective

• Bri asks Nikki if she believes the Earth is round, joking about flat Earthers.
  • Nikki: “We literally have photographs from space and clearly the Earth looks round.” (16:00)
  • Brie shares a story about an astronaut who observed Earth’s unity from space: “…when you look at it, it just—it’s a planet…you don’t see the drawings of what we all know…that’s why there should be unity.” (16:46)

8. Collective Overreactions

• Nikki asks: “Do you think there’s something that we collectively overreact to in the world?” (17:40)
  • Brie: “I feel like we overreact over the way we’re all judged.” (17:55)
  • They touch on the lack of empathy and misunderstanding in society, looping back to the “jaywalking” anecdote.

9. Childhood vs. Adult Stress

• Nikki: “What’s something that used to feel exciting as a kid, but now is just stressful?” (21:38)
  • Brie: “Holidays. For me, holidays, for sure.” (21:48)
  • Even games like tag feel more exhausting as a parent!

10. The Illusion of “Balance”

• Brie: “Is chasing balance realistic, or something we’re always adjusting?” (22:20)
  • Nikki: “Chasing balance, always something we’re chasing. I feel like that’s been on my New Year’s resolution list for like five, six years, maybe longer.” (22:27)
  • Both agree: life is always changing, so balance is about adapting priorities, not reaching a static state.

11. The Pull of Nostalgia

• Brie: “Why are so many people drawn to nostalgia right now?” (24:59)
  • Nikki: “Because we’re missing life before social media and Internet and these phones…our brains really took in things…that’s why nostalgia has become such a big thing.” (25:11-26:49)
  • Brie: “Why are we effing everything up?” (26:51)
  • Nikki references studies about memory retention pre- and post-digital era, and how millennials look younger thanks to less early “screen light.”

12. Game: Why or Why Not?

Segment starts 28:39.

• Nikki & Brie take turns on scenarios, answering “why or why not?” and expanding:
  • More Family Trips?
    • Brie: “Why not. But more road trips, less flying.” (29:04)
  • Canceling Plans to Stay Home?
    • Nikki: “That means your soul is calling some rest. So I say, why not?” (29:45)
    • Brie has been intentionally reading instead of TV.
  • Learning a New Skill for Fun?
    • Brie: “Why not? If you have time. Don’t stress yourself out.” (30:48)
    • Both agree on brain benefits; Brie hopes to take a pottery class.
  • Waking Up an Hour Earlier?
    • Nikki: “Yes. Why not get it done?... once you get into that flow... it’s so much better in life.” (31:33)
  • Trusting Timing Instead of Forcing Outcomes?
    • Brie: “I believe in timing. Timing’s everything. So I say, why not?... every time it came at the right time, even if I desired it before…” (32:27)
  • Letting Your Kids See You Mess Up and Own It?
    • Brie: “They need to know you’re not perfect so they don’t feel like they have to be perfect…” (33:11-34:09)
  • Googling Yourself?
    • Brie: “No, don’t do that!” (34:35)

13. Notable Sisterly Banter & Quotes

• On Jaywalking’s origin:
  “Poor Jay. Poor Jay. Well, at least we were right.” – Nikki (05:57)

• On balance:
  “I just started to realize I stress myself out trying to find balance when I truly don’t think balance exists.” – Nikki (23:43)

• On digital overload & nostalgia:
  “Because we’re missing life before social media and Internet and these phones…our brains really took in things…” – Nikki (25:11)

• On collective judgment:
  “I know not everyone’s gonna love me…I think sometimes we all overreact because…” – Brie (18:11-18:27)

• On apologies as parents:
  “The first thing I do is I apologize. I’m sorry, guys. Mommy’s had a really hard day.” – Brie (33:28)

14. Inspirational Send-Off

• Brie reads a quote about the power of kindness, smiling, and words:
  "The world needs more kindness, so don’t underestimate the power of your smile, your words, or your actions." (38:26)

  • Nikki adds: “A smile literally can change someone’s life for sure and for sure change someone’s day.” (39:05)

• They end with TV show recommendations, particularly loving the Netflix series “Leanne,” and joke about getting the comedian on the podcast.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:49 — Show intro & concept of “Curious Conversations”
• 01:56 — Society’s unspoken rules & environmental responsibility
• 03:00 — Jaywalking – name origin deep dive
• 07:16 — Life skills nobody teaches
• 10:12 — Insurance rants
• 13:00 — Buddy’s big kid questions about the universe
• 16:46 — Astronaut perspective & unity
• 17:40 — What do we overreact to most?
• 21:38 — Holidays & adulting stress
• 22:20 — The myth of achieving “balance”
• 24:59 — Draw of nostalgia & memory in the digital age
• 28:39 — Game: “Why or Why Not?”
• 33:11 — Letting your kids see you own your mistakes
• 38:26 — Inspirational quote & power of kindness

Conclusion

This episode is a quintessential Nikki & Brie experience: relatable, humorous, a little chaotic, and full of genuinely thoughtful moments. The sisters’ honesty about modern challenges, their musings on everyday mysteries, and their willingness to own flaws make for a fun and comforting listen—like a happy hour with your real-life besties. Regular listeners and newcomers alike will walk away laughing, nodding, and maybe even a little inspired to smile at a stranger (or reconsider the next Google search for their name).