Overview of Not Skinny But Not Fat with Nia Sanchez
Amanda Hirsch opens the episode with her usual pop-culture commentary, spending a long stretch joking about the rumored Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce wedding spectacle, celebrity guests, and the drama of it all before transitioning into the main interview: The Valley star Nia Sanchez. The conversation is a mix of personal backstory, motherhood, fertility, reality-TV chaos, and Nia’s perspective on the ongoing drama surrounding her husband Danny on the show.
Key Topics Discussed
Nia’s background and upbringing
- Nia shares that she grew up on the West Coast, living in California, Oregon, and Washington.
- Her childhood was unstable at times; she and her mother and brother experienced periods of housing insecurity and lived in shelters or with extended family.
- Her parents separated when she was young, and she ended up living primarily with her father after the custody arrangement shifted in a way she still doesn’t fully understand.
- She says therapy has led both her and her mother to question why her father received full custody.
Martial arts, pageantry, and self-confidence
- Nia explains that her dad put her into Taekwondo at age 8 to help build her confidence because she was shy and introverted.
- She became a fourth-degree black belt and also trains in jiu-jitsu.
- She says martial arts made her feel empowered and prepared to defend herself.
- Her entry into pageantry came unexpectedly after watching Miss USA and deciding to pursue it.
- She was one of the early Miss USAs to embrace social media as part of her platform and career.
Motherhood, pregnancy, and postpartum life
- Nia talks openly about always wanting to be a mom, though she had fears about pregnancy and giving birth.
- She and Danny discussed having kids before they married, and she says she always knew she wanted a large family.
- She had:
- one son,
- twin girls,
- and a youngest daughter.
- She describes pregnancy with the twins as physically and emotionally intense, including a severe rash called PUPPP and complicated medical monitoring.
- She says all of her deliveries were vaginal, including the twins.
- Nia also discusses breastfeeding each child for long stretches and how breastfeeding affects her body differently than she expected.
Fertility struggles and finding help
- Nia reveals that conceiving her first child was difficult and took 18 cycles.
- She and Danny went through fertility treatments, including multiple IUIs.
- She says they were preparing for IVF when fertility acupuncture helped them conceive.
- A subsequent fertility treatment session led to the twin pregnancy.
The Valley, Danny, and the drama
How they ended up on the show
- Nia says she and Danny met in 2013 through mutual friends and a church/book club community.
- They were originally told The Valley would be a lighter, family-focused show about married life and parenthood.
- Instead, the show became heavily centered on drama.
The Jax/Brittany situation
- Nia says Danny and Jax had a falling out after Jax felt he got a “bad edit.”
- Jax allegedly told Danny he was coming after him, which escalated things.
- She and Amanda discuss whether Brittany was fighting Jax’s battles on the show.
- Nia says she and Brittany are now on good terms.
Kristen, Zach, and who really has her back
- Nia says Kristen is deeply loyal and has been a real support for her.
- She also has a strong bond with Zach.
- Amanda and Nia talk about how the couple tends to polarize viewers: people either love them or strongly dislike them.
- Nia suggests that part of the backlash comes from people not seeing their real life the way close friends do.
Janet, Lala, and the ongoing conflict
- Nia says she feels detached from Janet and doesn’t spend emotional energy on her.
- She and Amanda discuss how much of the conflict feels repetitive and prolonged across seasons.
- Nia says Lala stepping in during conflict initially felt helpful, but she was frustrated that the same issue kept being dragged out long after it had already been addressed.
The “Danny is drinking” storyline
- A major chunk of the conversation focuses on the ongoing narrative that Danny has a drinking problem.
- Nia insists the storyline is misleading and overblown.
- She explains that:
- Danny did drink at events,
- he was often seen drinking openly,
- and some scenes appear to conflate separate occasions.
- Her bigger frustration is that Danny’s attempt to hide drinking made him look worse than simply owning it would have.
- She says outside of filming, he drinks socially without issue.
- Amanda and Nia agree that the best move would have been for Danny to be upfront and let the story die.
- Nia says she does not believe he has an alcohol problem.
Public perception and family concerns
- Nia says she and Danny both worry about how their kids may one day see these episodes and storylines.
- She notes that reality TV creates a permanent record of moments that may not represent their family fairly.
Notable Takeaways
- Nia comes across as thoughtful, grounded, and surprisingly calm despite being in the middle of a high-drama reality-TV environment.
- Her personal story is marked by resilience: unstable childhood, martial arts discipline, fertility challenges, and motherhood with four kids in five years.
- Her main frustration with reality TV is not conflict itself, but when conflict is stretched, repeated, or misrepresented.
- She believes the best version of Danny is one that is honest, direct, and unafraid to own what he does.
- Despite the chaos, she remains committed to her marriage, her children, and the friendship bonds she’s formed with people like Kristen and Zach.
Sponsor/Host Moment Notes
- The episode includes the usual Amanda Hirsch ad reads and pop-culture banter throughout.
- Amanda also promotes Polymarket in her opening rant and uses her signature conversational, humorous tone to set up the interview.