Is anxiety the internet’s fault, your mom’s fault, or your food’s fault? Why does there seem to be a greater mental health crisis in the USA than other countries? Is therapy the answer … or is functional medicine? And is all other medicine … dysfunctional? Also where did MAHA come from? Nayeema asks the most direct (and dumb) health questions she could think of to the most pragmatic, open-minded, and research-based doctor she could find: Dr. Ellen Vora, board-certified psychiatrist and author of...
Jul 11, 2025•1 hr 17 min
What do Iranians think? Are they more or less into the Ayatollah (and nukes) after the last two weeks? Did the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites … take out the nuclear targets? How would we know? Also: why do all Iran’s proxies start with “H”? Nayeema asks the dumbest questions she can think of to the foremost Iran expert she could identify: Dr. Vali Nasr, a professor and former dean at John Hopkins SAIS, former senior advisor to the US State Department, and the author of several books on fore...
Jun 27, 2025•1 hr 15 min
Will having kids make my life or ruin it? How can two independent, career-minded people navigate marriage? What is a contraction? And is childbirth hellish … or like an MDMA high? Nayeema asks the dumbest questions she can think of to her most grown-uppest friends, New York Times bestselling cookbook author Alison Roman and Emmy-nominated director Max Cantor to understand if you’re ever going to feel ready for kids, and how you go from a thirst-trap or a DM slide to love, marriage and a baby car...
Jun 20, 2025•59 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Is anything real about reality tv? And does going on it boost your business? Also: when it comes to fashion, why are buttons on one side for dudes and another for chicks? Are clothes sexist? And what will tariffs do to the price of a T-shirt? Nayeema asks reality TV, fashion and Scientology questions to the freshly transparent designer and RHONY personality Rebecca Minkoff. Check out Rebecca’s podcast, Superwomen and her book Fearless. Follow @smartgirldumbquestions on IG, TikTok & YouTube. ...
Jun 06, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 13
With recent crashes, close calls and control center outages: is it getting more dangerous to fly, or are we just paying more attention? Also: do pilots have walkie-talkies? What’s on their cockpit screens? Do these 30-90 second blackouts at Newark Airport matter? And how few air traffic controllers are … too few? Nayeema asks the dumbest questions she could think of to the best-sourced reporter she could find: New York Times investigative journalist Kate Kelly. On the agenda: How does seeing how...
May 30, 2025•57 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Are we in a trade war with China? Will BTC replace USD? What’s the latest on tariffs? And are millennials the most screwed generation? Also: can I blame the economy for my difficult dating life? Nayeema asks the dumbest Qs she could think of to the most famous economist she could find: Nobel Laureate and former New York Times columnist Paul Krugman. For more of Paul’s wisdom after the episode, head to his Substack, where he breaks down economic news daily. And for more Smart Girl Dumb Questions ...
May 16, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Is TSA PreCheck faster than Clear? Who pays for all these “free” miles? And is it ever okay to take off your socks on a plane? Nayeema asks the dumbest questions she could find to the savviest travellers she knows: Brian Kelly (a.k.a. The Points Guy) and Nicky Kelvin, the aviation geek who is a senior director of content at The Points Guy. Also in this episode: child vandalism, T5 small claims court and secrets of, per the title Brian’s book, “How to Win At Travel.” Follow on IG, TikTok & Yo...
May 10, 2025•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 10
Is beauty in the eyes of the beholder, or in the eye of the Kardashian industrial complex? What is Instagram face? How do we all agree what’s in or out? And why oh why are thin brows back in?! Nayeema asks the dumbest questions she could think of to Brooke DeVard, a beauty insider who worked at Ford Models, Vogue, Ralph Lauren and Instagram before leaving it all to pursue her Naked Beauty podcast and business full time. On the agenda: What products you need and which are scammy. Why (and if) gen...
May 02, 2025•57 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Nayeema puts on a hard hat and visits a building site where she finds Brandon Hernandez, a construction worker who’s able to fill in some blanks for astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. It’s another episode of “CSI: Dumb Questions,” where everybody has stuff they don’t know – even the guy that runs Hayden Planetarium! Check out the full episode with Neil deGrasse Tyson in this feed or wherever you get your SGDQ fix to learn so much stuff Neil does know about from space-time, dimensions and wormho...
Apr 25, 2025•11 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Why are food memories so hard to recreate? Are eggs actually underpriced? Is brunch a scam? And does owning a rice-cooker make Nayeema a bad Asian? Nayeema asks the dumbest food and dining questions she could think of to J. Kenji Lopez Alt, the James Beard award-winning chef, cookbook author and recipe developer who came to fame for his scientific understanding of food. Kenji dispels cooking myths, unpacks the reality of restaurant economics, explains if anyone needs 18 knives and shares insight...
Apr 18, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Last time I saw Mark Cuban this mad is when the Mavs were down in the fourth quarter. Now, it’s about his “ultimate pet peeve”: open mouth chewing. In this first drop of the "CSI: Dumb Questions" miniseries, Nayeema ventures out to address this billionaire’s dumb Q – why do people chew with their mouths open? The investigation takes her across the pond to Oxford University, where she meets Dr. Charles Spence, an experimental psychologist/gastrophysicist with an English accent and quite un-Englis...
Apr 11, 2025•12 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Don’t worry, this episode is for women AND men. How do we age well? Avert mid-life crisis? Why does love feel harder as we get older? Is marriage better the second time around? And can you explain to my mom why *I’m* not married yet? We’ve reached peak singledom: 51% of American women aged 18-40 are not paired up. Nayeema is part of that demo, and asks the dumbest (and most vulnerable) questions she could think of to Tamsen Fadal, a journalist and former matchmaker turned healthcare advocate, an...
Apr 04, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Are kids more chronically online than adults? Why do they feel more connected on FaceTime than IRL? And since when was recess cancelled? Also - do they drink coffee? And fall in love? What is Roblox? Why are Pokemon cards worth anything? 11 is a wild age - where you have newfound independence, privacy and a sense of yourself. So Nayeema asked the smartest and dumbest questions she could think of to the most interesting kids she could find. She and 11 year old Sophie & Dilan tackle Roblox, th...
Mar 21, 2025•56 min•Season 1Ep. 4
And what happened before the Big Bang? Would wormholes save us from ever going to the airport again? Do aliens exist? And, oh yes, are horoscopes real? Nayeema asks the dumbest questions she could think of to the geekiest astrophysicist she could find. She and Neil deGrasse Tyson tackle stars, the universe, the multiverse, time travel and more. Neil explains how math is the language of the universe. And Nayeema discovers she can date outside the Cancer/Aries zodiac. Send me your dumb questions! ...
Mar 14, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Is the world terrible, or does the news just make it feel that way? And what does the future look like? Will robots take my job? Will AI replace me? Will artificial wombs carry my kids? Nayeema talks to Cleo Abram, a YouTuber who peers into the future in her show "Huge If True." They discuss babymaking in a world where fertility rates are plummeting and where over millennials and Gen Z increasingly cite climate change and the state of the world as reasons they're not having kids. Also on the age...
Mar 07, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Can we join the billionaire group chat? Can Mark Cuban fix healthcare? Can the NBA fix America? And post Luigi, do rich people need more henchmen? This week Nayeema asks the dumbest questions she could think of to the richest dude she could find. They tackle money, the broken healthcare system, what the U.S. government could learn from the NBA when it comes to keeping billionaires in check. Oh, and find out what Mark Cuban is dumb about. I want your dumb questions – Email nayeemaraza101@gmail.co...
Feb 28, 2025•59 min•Season 1Ep. 1
A new show to answer the dumb questions we’re all thinking, but don’t want to ask out loud. It’s a curiosity party, and you know you’re curious. Oh, and the party starts in February. Hit follow and stay tuned! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 03, 2025•1 min
