Smart Girl Dumb Questions

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Latest Episodes:

Is the Iran War Over … or On Pause? with Vali Nasr Jun 27, 2025

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? Why do all Iran’s proxies start with “H”? Oh, and should I roll my eyes when someone says Eye-ran?

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 foreign policy and Iran including Iran’s Grand Strategy.

Follow Dr. Nasr on X @vali_nasr. Follow Nayeema onIG or X too – and you can find the show on IG, TikTok & YouTube @smartgirldumbquestions.

Finally: YOU could be on a future episode – send your dumbest questions to nayeemaraza101@gmail.com

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How Do Kids Change Your Life? with Alison Roman & Max Cantor Jun 20, 2025

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 carriage.

Alison Roman is a writer, chef and Bon Apetit/New York Times Cooking alum behind the books Dining In, Nothing Fancy, and Something Sweet. Max Cantor is an Emmy-nominated TV and commercial Director.

Finally: YOU could be on a future episode of “CSI: Dumb Questions” – send your dumb questions to nayeemaraza101@gmail.com

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Why Go On Reality TV? with Rebecca Minkoff Jun 06, 2025

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. You can find Nayeema onIG or X too.

Finally: send YOUR dumb questions to nayeemaraza101@gmail.com. You might end up in a future episode!

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Is It Safe to Fly Right Now? with Kate Kelly May 30, 2025

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 the sausage is made (or control towers are staffed) change Kate’s own travel plans? Who’s to blame for all this: Joe Biden, Donald Trump ... Ronald Reagan …the pandemic … or just: the system? And who’s gonna fix it?

Check out Kate’s reporting here. And thanks to LiveATC for helping us dig up that pilot-air traffic controller audio!

Follow @smartgirldumbquestions on IG, TikTok & YouTube. You can find Nayeema onIG or X too.

Finally: send YOUR dumb questions to nayeemaraza101@gmail.com. You might end up in a future episode!

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Wait… What’s The Deal With This Economy? with Paul Krugman May 16, 2025

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 on money matters, scroll to our episode with Mark Cuban and the one with The Points Guy(s)!

Follow on IG, TikTok & YouTube @smartgirldumbquestions. And you can find Nayeema onIG or X too

Finally: YOU could be on a future episode — send your dumb questions to nayeemaraza101@gmail.com

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Is It Better To Buy Flights On A Tuesday? with The Points Guy(s) May 10, 2025

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 & YouTube @smartgirldumbquestions. And you can find Nayeema onIG or X too

Finally: YOU could be on a future episode of “CSI: Dumb Questions” – send your dumb questions to nayeemaraza101@gmail.com

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Is It Self-Care … or Capitalism? with Brooke DeVard May 02, 2025

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 z looks older than millennials. Oh, and salmon sperm.

Finally: YOU could be on a future episode of “CSI: Dumb Questions” – send your dumb questions to nayeemaraza101@gmail.com

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How Do Cranes Get Up There? An Astrophysicist & Construction Worker Walk Into a Bar Apr 25, 2025

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 wormholes to the search for extraterrestrial life.

Finally: YOU could be on a future episode of “CSI: Dumb Questions” – send your dumb questions to nayeemaraza101@gmail.com

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Is Cooking Art or Science? with Kenji Lopez-Alt Apr 18, 2025

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 insights from a fascinating background that fuses Asian and Western culture, East and West coast and science and music. Oh, and we learn what he’s cooking up in his kitchen (it involves rotten eggs, if you’d like a literal spoiler alert).

Thanks to my partners at Noom, the perfect companion for feeling good in your body as you age. Check out Noom.com today.

And you can find Kenji on YouTube or find his books, podcast and more here.

Send us your dumb questions! nayeemaraza101@gmail.com

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Why Chew With Your Mouth Open? A Billionaire & Oxford Gastrophysicist Walk Into SGDQ Apr 11, 2025

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-English dining sensibilities.

Hear the full, fun Mark Cuban convo on Smart Girl Dumb Questions and hit follow or subscribe.

Trigger warning: this episode contains chewing sounds. It’s definitely one to share with the open mouth chewers in your life … or, if you chew openly, you might feel validated sending it to anyone who’s ever complained!

Follow us on IG, TikTok & YouTube @smartgirldumbquestions. You can find Nayeema onInstagram or X, and you can find Mark on IG, X or Bluesky. Both will be chewing with their mouths closed.

For more crackle and crunch, check out Dr. Charles Spence’s work in Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating and Sensehacking.

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When Is A Woman’s Prime? with Tamsen Fadal Apr 04, 2025

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, and someone who has redefined aging in the modern world. They tackle dating, aging, catfighting and why everyone is talking about menopause, the subject of Tamsen’s latest book.

Thanks to my partners at Noom, the perfect companion for feeling good in your body as you age. Check out Noom.com today.

And send me your dumb questions! nayeemaraza101@gmail.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Do 11 Year Olds Do All Day? with Sophie and Dilan Mar 21, 2025

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, the pressures of friend groups, what they wish they learned in school, and more. Also Sophie & Dilan explain why they care about… taxes?! And Nayeema discovers what kids are texting about.

Send me your dumb questions! nayeemaraza101@gmail.com

Thanks to my partners at Omidyar Network. To learn more about the Kids Online Safety Act and other initiatives to protect kids online visit http://omidyar.com/kidsonlinesafety

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Are We Living In A Simulation? with Neil deGrasse Tyson Mar 14, 2025

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! nayeemaraza101@gmail.com

And you can findNayeema or Neil on Instagram too. For more mind-bending astrophysics Q&A, check out Neil’s latest book, Merlin’s Tour of the Universe.

Thanks to my brand partners at Tinder, where you can date people in and outside your zodiac. Explore all of the possibilities for yourself on Tinder.

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Is the Future Too Bleak to Have Babies? with Cleo Abram Mar 07, 2025

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 agenda: aliens and quantum computers.

Send me your dumb questions! nayeemaraza101@gmail.com

And you can findNayeema or Cleo on Instagram too. And subscribe to Cleo's YouTube channel, Huge If True.

Thanks to my brand partners at Duckbill. You'll get 50% off your first two months if you click this link or go to www.duckbill.com and enter the code DUMBQUESTIONS

References:

Pew Research on Reasons U.S. Adults Don't Have Kids

“Huge Conversations” with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang

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Can Billionaires Save Us? with Mark Cuban Feb 28, 2025

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.com

And you can find Nayeema or Mark on Instagram too!

Thanks to my brand partners at Noom. If you liked the sponsored question, check out Noom.com today.

References: 

Cost Plus Drugs

New York Times “Is It Basketball or Socialism?”

New York Times “Who Will Care for ‘Kinless’ Seniors”

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