Stay ConnectedPodcrushed — the podcast where Penn Badgley reads your middle school story — explores the heartbreak, anxiety and self-discovery of being a teenager. Hosts Penn Badgley, Nava Kavelin, and Sophie Ansari bring you stories and conversations about middle school – from childhood crushes, to battles with body hair, to schoolyard scuffles. The results are sometimes awkward, sometimes heartwarming, and always relatable.
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Copyright: © 2025 Penn Badgley, Nava Kavelin, Sophie Ansari
Come join us as Penn falls in love with our guest, Ramy Youssef (award-winning actor, producer, and stand-up comic). Ramy shares what it was like to be a Muslim kid in New Jersey the day after 9/11, why he loves Jesus but won't eff with Santa, and why in middle school he literally would have rather shit his pants than miss out on a good time. **This episode was recorded prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike.**
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Join us this week for the launch of our first ever extra credit YOUR STORY episode, where we devote an entire episode to a conversation with a listener. Today we talk to Simran Jeet Singh, a professor, activist, and author, about his first memorable encounter with religious discrimination on a soccer field, and in a boys' locker room, in Texas.
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This week we are joined by the sensational Jada Pinkett Smith. Jada shares about her tumultuous adolescence in Baltimore, how her time in a metal band helped her learn how to shield her heart from bitterness, what she’s learned about healing and forgiveness in family relationships, and why love is only possible when we sacrifice our ego.
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World-renowned expert on the science of happiness, Dr. Laurie Santos (host of The Happiness Lab; professor of Yale University’s most popular class in history!) takes the time to answer YOUR most submitted questions on happiness this week. From sharing about the most misunderstood ideas on happiness (hello money!) and the most overlooked aspects of happiness, to whether single people can actually be as happy as married couples, to the fastest way to lift yourself up out of sadness (the answer might surprise you), this episode of Podcrushed will leave you armed with new insights to improve your happiness, in the short and long term.
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Today we have not one, but two guests -- Bob Odenkirk, the award-winning actor, writer, and comedic trailblazer whose career has spanned decades, and his daughter Erin Odenkirk, an accomplished multimedia artist and illustrator. Together they co-authored a book of children’s poems and illustrations called ‘Zilot & Other Important Rhymes”, which manages to entertain while also encouraging children to write their own poems. Bob tells us why he still sometimes feels like a fourteen-year-old, Erin tells stories of growing up in the uber-creative Odenkirk household, and the hosts finally discover what exactly a "zilot" is.
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Geri Halliwell-Horner — the singer you may know best as *the* Ginger Spice from the Spice Girls — joins us to talk about her first experiences navigating fame as a Spice Girl, her lifelong journey with spirituality, and her NYT best-selling fantasy novel for young readers “Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen."
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**This episode of Podcrushed was recorded prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike.** Today we're joined by James Scully, the actor you may know from shows like Titans and Heathers, or from characters like Forty Quinn from Penn's show You. Coincidentally, James just so happened to be taught by Nava when he was in ninth grade. Yes, that's right -- Nava was James Scully's teacher when he was in high school. James shares his favorite memories from Nava's class, gets candid about growing up as a theater kid in Texas, and recalls his favorite moments working alongside Penn on set.
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This week we get to experience Kevin Bacon in the first degree! Kevin tells us all about his new podcast, Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon, how his mother influenced his passion for philanthropy, and how he came out of the womb seeking attention. Kevin shares why fame doesn't bother him (too much), how he draws inspiration for his spirited Tik Tok account, and most significantly, finally agrees to share a piece of marriage advice.
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If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Who is the most charming man alive?” and come up with Matthew McConaughey, you are correct. This week, the hosts bask in the light of Matthew’s infectious spirit as he regales them with stories from his adolescence in Texas, important lessons on love and patience, why a little bullshitting is vital, and shares the inspiration behind his new children’s book, Just Because.
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Our guest this week is the one and only Bobby Berk (Queer Eye, Nailed It!). Bobby shares about his road to self discovery, from coming out to his family and church community as a teen, to finding his passion for art and design. He shares about how he manifested the Fab 5 with a group chat before final casting of Queer Eye, the time he almost punched a fan by accident, the principles of design that his new book Right at Home, explores, and why making your bed every morning can make or break the rest of your day.
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