As they approach their 11th wedding anniversary, Bryan Danielson joined wife Brie Bella on her Nikki & Brie Show podcast for an intimate and heartfelt conversation about their 14 years as a couple. The discussion touched on love, personal growth, parenting, and the realities of navigating marriage while dealing with depression.
“Eleven years, Bryan. Does it feel like you’ve been married to me for 11 years?” Brie asked. Danielson replied, “It doesn’t seem like our marriage has been 11 years,” noting how surreal it feels that their daughter Birdie is turning eight. “Where did the time go?” he mused, adding, “Parents always say that, but now it’s happening to us.” Brie echoed the sentiment: “When I look in the mirror, I’m like, well, clearly I don’t look like Brie that started dating Bryan… but it feels like it’s gone fast.”
The couple reflected on the longevity of their relationship, with Danielson remarking, “It’s weird to think that we have been together in our adult lives longer than we weren’t together at this point. That’s crazy.”
Asked to name a favorite memory outside of their honeymoon, Danielson joked about Brie losing their keys during the trip before shifting focus to the joy found in everyday moments. “The things I really cherish are just the everyday things,” he said, citing examples like shared hugs with their kids and carrying their son Buddy together after school. “He was being carried by both of us, and he was just so happy.” Brie agreed: “It’s those moments that we rejoice so much that I feel like makes our marriage really great.”
The conversation also candidly addressed mental health, with Danielson speaking openly about his struggles. “My depression would be something that I think negatively impacts our relationship, or it feels like it does sometimes,” he admitted. Brie recalled how challenging that was in the early years. “I wanted to be the clown and make you happy,” she said. It was a doctor’s advice during Danielson’s brain scans that shifted her perspective. “I was working overtime just trying to make him happy,” she said, “but the doctor told me I had to learn how to live my life even when he was in that space.”
Brie’s understanding evolved over time. “Now when I see you’re in it, it’s easy for me. Granted, is it still hard? Yes, but I have such a great understanding now.” Danielson acknowledged the emotional weight it can place on a partner: “It’s hard for the significant other of somebody who’s experiencing depression.”
They credited teamwork as the foundation of their resilience. “You and I act as a team, and I think that’s where it falls in a lot of relationships,” Danielson said. Brie praised him as a father, saying, “Parenting is not easy for anybody… but you make it easy.” She also shared how she had to let go of pushing him into social situations. “I tried to force Bryan so much in the beginning, because I always wanted him to be with me. But then I realized his social anxieties, and I finally let go.”
Danielson emphasized the importance of adapting as a couple: “As you are changing, as I am changing, our relationship is changing. We can’t hold ourselves to the same expectations that we had from 14 years ago.” He also underscored the need for continued appreciation. “You get so used to how amazing someone is that it becomes commonplace… But I regularly remind myself, ‘My wife’s a rock star.’”
Brie concluded by affirming the power of spoken gratitude: “We both do a great job at telling each other how much those acts of kindness mean.”
Together, Danielson and Bella offered a moving portrait of a marriage grounded in love, mutual respect, growth, and emotional honesty—a reflection of two people who continue to choose each other through every chapter of life.
