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Smart Girl Dumb Questions

Smart Girl Dumb Questions

Nayeema Raza 53 Episodes Sep 15, 2026

Smart Girl Dumb Questions is a podcast hosted by Nayeema Raza, who asks simple questions to big thinkers like Neil deGrasse Tyson and Diplo, as well as everyday people like two 11-year-olds. The show aims to make sense of life through curiosity and conversation. Listeners are invited to submit their own dumb questions to the host.

Episodes

Where Does Confidence Come From?
Where Does Confidence Come From? Sep 15, 2026 3660 Nayeema sits down with Serena Kerrigan, who left a salaried job and a self-described “Nepo Baby Lite" lifestyle to become an influencer (slash "icon"). Six years later, she’s built an empire: an IG live show that led to a TV deal with Peacock, card games, merch and a new book, "Let's F*cking Date".  The secret to her success? Confidence. Nayeema and Serena discuss how a mirror can make you a
Why Am I Working More and Getting Less Done?
Why Am I Working More and Getting Less Done? Sep 8, 2026 3382 Nayeema sits down with Cal Newport, an expert on deep work, pseudo-productivity and how technology is shaping work. He’s prolifically productive himself (he’s written multiple bestselling books, is a tenured Georgetown professor, and hosts a hit podcast called Deep Questions … all of which is made possible by his work process and his abstention from social media).  In this episode of the SGD
Why Don't Adults Get Summer Vacation?
Why Don't Adults Get Summer Vacation? Sep 1, 2026 3085 Is Gen Z Unemployable? And/or are the rest of us addicted to work? NYU Stern Prof and bestselling author Suzy Welch joins Nayeema in this first episode of the SGDQ “What Even is Work?!” series to figure out what we value and how we spend our days. Suzy breaks down the 16 values that organize our lives. You can take the test here. (get the *free* assessment or use SGDQ50 for 50% off). They analyze
Can We Get Better at Flirting … with Rejection?
Can We Get Better at Flirting … with Rejection? Aug 25, 2026 3629 Whether you’re single, married or something in between: this episode is for you. Nayeema sits down with love coach and rejection survivor Francesca Hogi to talk about flirting as a way of life and rejection as a path to growth. Plus, Franny grades Nayeema’s Flirting Skills (and Diplo’s). Is anyone getting an A?!  We get into the 8 types of flirting, how A.I. can or can’t help you in your rel
Are Prediction Markets Destroying Society? I Asked the Kalshi CEO
Are Prediction Markets Destroying Society? I Asked the Kalshi CEO Aug 11, 2026 3728 Nayeema gets direct with Tarek Mansour, the 30-year-old CEO and Co-Founder of Kalshi. The prediction market hit $30 billion in trade volume this June as users put money on everything from the World Cup to Strait of Hormuz opening dates and the reality show Love Island. So is this gambling with a better brand, a peril to young people, ripe for insider trading, or a path to more accurate information
Has There Ever Been a Worse Time for Journalism?
Has There Ever Been a Worse Time for Journalism? Aug 4, 2026 3920 David McCraw has gone to battle with Harvey Weinstein, Sarah Palin, Justin Baldoni and Presidents from Bush and Obama to Biden and Trump. Today, Nayeema asks the lead newsroom lawyer for the New York Times what he’s learned fighting powerful people … what’s normal (or not) when it comes to tension between the government and a free press … and why the recent appearance of federal agents with subpoe
He Drives 200 MPH. What Scares Him? with NASCAR Star Carson Hocevar
He Drives 200 MPH. What Scares Him? with NASCAR Star Carson Hocevar Jul 28, 2026 3112 Nayeema’s learning all about NASCAR today with rising star Carson Hocevar, who’s constantly compared to the legend Dale Earnhardt Sr.  So: what’s the difference between NASCAR and F1? What’s Hocevar’s risk-reward analysis on aggression? Does he have a safe word with the dude who’s in his ear? And when you go 200 mph most days, what’s it like to be stuck in traffic with the rest of us? Most o
Birth Rates Are Low. Can A “Fertility President” Fix That?
Birth Rates Are Low. Can A “Fertility President” Fix That? Jul 21, 2026 3727 And does it even need to be fixed? In this episode Nayeema tries to understand whether demographic collapse is a crisis or a con job. She sits down with Malcolm and Simone Collins, a New Right pronatalist couple with ties to the Heritage Foundation and Elon Musk and policy drafts being submitted for White House consideration. They have 5 kids, 30 embryos on ice and aspirations to keep going til Si
Is Everything a Cult?
Is Everything a Cult? Jul 14, 2026 3339 Nayeema and cult expert Amanda Montell unpack why cults are everywhere now, why we’re obsessed with them and what all of that has to do with modern loneliness and capitalism. Montell — the bestselling author of Cultish and host of the podcast Sounds Like A Cult breaks down the innocuous language that will suck you in and how to help someone you love get OUT.   Oh, and naturally they try
What Does Love Hurt? with Dr. Justin Garcia
What Does Love Hurt? with Dr. Justin Garcia Jul 7, 2026 3781 Nayeema sits down with evolutionary biologist Dr. Justin Garcia, Director of the world-famous Kinsey Institute, to unpack the science of love, sex and attraction. Why are there more single peoplethan ever? Are we still having sex? Why do breakups … feel like withdrawal? And what do pandas, penguins and pigs have to teach us about modern relationships? Also on the agenda: is kissing is “normal,” s
When Do We Move to Mars? (or the Moon)
When Do We Move to Mars? (or the Moon) Jun 30, 2026 3508 Nayeema sits down with space architect Ariel Ekblaw to ask: will my kids commute to the Moon? Why are we privatizing everything in outer space? And did SpaceX just turn space travel into … FedEx? Ariel is a Yale and MIT-trained founder and CEO of Aurelia Institute focused on space technologies including autonomously self-assembling space stations and future space habitats. And if all of this so
Can the NBA Fix the USA? with Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert
Can the NBA Fix the USA? with Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Jun 23, 2026 4191 It’s NBA Draft Day and Nayeema’s sitting down with Cleveland Cavaliers owner, Rocket Companies founder and Detroit mega-booster Dan Gilbert to ask: How do you make up with LeBron James? Can a billion bucks buy happiness? Is the NBA socialist? And what can it teach the USA about fairness? Dan opens up about the infamous LeBron letter, what it’s really like sitting at a table with 30 billionaire NBA

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