Phaedra Parks Says Returning to 'RHOA' Felt Like 'Coming Home': 'It's Going to Be a Great Season'

Phaedra Parks hasn't been on the Real Housewives of Atlanta since 2017, but now she's back and better than ever!

"It was like coming home . If you ever rode a bike, you get back on, and it starts to flow. It was so natural to me, especially being with Porscha Williams . Frick and Frack are back! We are having a great time. We're obviously in different points in our life — she's married and I'm divorced, we're both mothers ... but it's going to be a great season ," the star, 51, exclusively told OK! on January 9 while at the the first-ever Silk and cereal pop-up in New York City. "It's going to be so good!"

"Also, the new Housewives are just perfect. They have such great energy!" Parks said of the newbies, which include Brit Eady , Kelli Ferrell , Angela Oakley and Shamea Morton Mwangi .

Parks, who shares her two sons, Dylan and Ayden , with ex-husband Apollo Nida , has been busy in the last few years, but she said re-joining the show this time around "felt like" the right time to jump back in.

"I was in a great place with my family, my kids and my children. Both of my sons were previously on television, so they definitely remembered it. They were like, 'Mom, let's do it.' They are excited about it!" she gushed. "I just got right back in the saddles, and the [ RHOA ] girls were very excited! It was a warm welcome."

"There was a little spice, some drama, but we are friends and foes, but at the end of the day, we have fun," she added.

As for how Parks attempts to stay out of the drama , she has an important motto she follows. "Everybody knows I'm mortician as well as a mom and the Queen of Shade, so I know that life is really short," she said. "It's not too short to have fun and to take yourself so seriously, and I love to have fun. I like to fight too, but I like to have fun."

"Even though I'm a tough cookie, sometimes I do take things personally," she continued. "I'm all about meditating now, but I realize drama is a part of my life, but at the end of the day, my key thing is about having fun and introducing people to other ideas and different ways of thinking about stuff. As long as I'm doing that, we can always figure out the fun part."

Parks said she is still close with NeNe Leaks , who has yet to come back to the series after leaving in 2020. "I just spoke to her yesterday! I speak to all of them pretty regularly," she said of her prior castmates . "Everyone's on their own path."

The Bravo star also got a chance to try out some new experiences, as she starred on The Traitors and Dancing With the Stars in the past few years. " Traitors was my absolute favorite project. Alan Cumming is a beautiful man — physically and internally!" she shared. "He is so fun!"

Parks also said got quite the work out when she would dance alongside DWTS partner Val Chmerkovskiy . "Training is very rigorous on your body, and it involves long days of practicing, but it's very rewarding," she said. It was totally different than anything I've ever experienced, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm all about a challenge. I'm not a trained dancer, I'm a cheerleader, but the professionals are genius. I've always been the biggest fan of the show, and Derek [Hough] was my crush at all times! He's the s------ man alive, oh my god!"

Since Parks is used to dealing with spectacles, it made sense for her to partner with Silk , as the company is on a mission to prove that Silk Vanilla Almondmilk is the superior cereal companion, with the help of a lie detector test and a splash of drama.

On January 9, just days before National Milk Day, Silk partnered with reality TV icon and queen of deception Parks – who knows a thing or two about spotting a lie when she sees one – to host Cereal Liar: Breakfast's Ultimate Taste Test, the first-ever Silk and cereal pop-up in New York City. People were invited to try cereal with both Silk Vanilla Almondmilk and plain old dairy milk to help Silk prove who say they prefer dairy may just be Cereal Liars.

"Today is all about detecting cereal liars — we are talking about milk vs. Silk . Seven out of 10 dairy drinkers prefer Silk Vanilla Almondmilk in their cereal over dairy. We are trying to make sure people know there is a plant-based alternative for breakfast or just for people that are lactose-free. This is a great solution because it's nutritious but tastes delicious," she explained.

"I'm a big Silk fan. I've got two young sons who love it in their cereal, and I love it in mine! It's sweet enough that you don't eat sugar," she added. "In the vein of The Traitors , which is about the art of deception, this fits perfectly with my brand and being a Housewife, obviously. This is right up my alley!"