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 SGDQ “What Even Is Work?!” series, Nayeema asks: Why are we working more and getting less done? Why does everyone feel so busy ALL THE TIME? And, should that meeting be an email, or that email be a meeting? Also: should my employer be finding some cognitive fitness … for my brain?

Cal explains why modern knowledge work has created what he calls the “hyperactive hive mind” — a constant stream of Slack messages, emails, meetings, and notifications that keeps us reacting instead of thinking. And it’s not just annoying: our brains are actually TERRIBLE at constantly switching between different tasks and contexts. So how do we stay productive and cognitively fit?? 

Stay tuned for more of the SGDQ “What Even Is Work?!” series presented by @Zoom. Learn more about how Zoom can help you catch a break (and a chill first day back) zoommate.com. Nayeema thinks of it as vacation-maxxing for adults who want to holiday good and do other stuff good too!

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And, obvi: if you liked this episode, send it to your friends, your group chat, your mom... and your COWORKER.

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

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 Nayeema’s results, which rank love and voice higher than, um, work. They also talk about trends from hustle culture, work as identity, “bringing your whole self” to work,  job hugging, and resume botoxing?? Yeah, Nayeema didn’t know what those were either. 

This episode and the "What Even is Work?!" series are presented by @Zoom. Learn more about how Zoom can help you catch a break (and a chill first day back) at zoommate.com. Nayeema thinks of it as vacation-maxxing for adults who want to holiday good and do other stuff good too.

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MY-DUMB-Q 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And, obvi: if you liked this episode, send it to your friends, your group chat, your mom... and the co-worker you're crushing on.

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

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 relationships, and other nuggets from Franny’s book. Plus: can you actually LEARN how to flirt? Is it just improv on steroids? What is HR-approved flirting? And are some people just TOO good at dating to ever be vulnerable? 

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And, obvi: if you liked this episode, send it to your friends, your group chat, your mom... and your CRUSH.

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

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? What does the company NOT allow? And, um, what's the best advice he ever got from Donald Trump, Jr. who serves as an advisor to Kalshi and its top competitor: Polymarket?

NOTE: We'll be off next week for some smart girl dumb vacation. See you on 8/25 for a brand new episode.

What do you want answers to?!?! Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And, obvi: if you liked this episode, send it to your group chat, your mom... or that one friend who's always convinced they can predict the future.

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

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 subpoenas at the homes of New York Times journalists should shock the conscience of every American. 

Nayeema gets David to give grades to each President (um, does anyone get an A on press freedom?). They talk about The New York Times’ unique role in protecting the first amendment (is David basically Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard?). Plus: the Nerdy Legal 101 you didn’t know you needed.

**ps: even if you hate the news these days, this episode is worth listening to. It will make you smarter.

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and YOUR LAWYER.

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

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 of all: what is “Hurricane Hocevar” afraid of?

Plus: we dive into Carson’s (one-sided?) feud with Zane Smith and break some news about his relationship with one of the leading TikTokers of our time. 

Send us your "dumb questions" on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. Make sure you're following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR DAD, and anyone who thinks NASCAR is "just left turns."

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.  And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and YOUR UBER DRIVER.

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

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 Simone’s uterus “falls out”.

On the agenda: why aren’t people having kids (is it a modern marriage crisis, does picking embryos based on IQ make you a eugenicist, and in a movement that intersects with racist overtones are the Collins interested in drawing a line in the sand or in co-opting controversy in their aspirations of fame? Also: how does one afford five to twelve kids anyway?

Whether you think they're visionaries or completely off the rails, this is one conversation you won't forget.

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.  And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and YOUR PREGNANT FRIEND. 

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

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 to build a cult around Smart Girl Dumb Questions. We’re not above that.

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.  And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and YOUR CULT LEADER. 

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

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,” short kings and what makes someone a great long-term partner. For more from Justin check out his awesome book, The Intimate Animal.

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.  And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM AND THE EX YOU KEEP GOING BACK TO. 

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

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 sounds trippy … we agree. Check out the episode!

Also on the agenda: space hotels, moon vacations, AI data centers in orbit, whether Elon Musk might secretly be an alien and why astronauts cry when they see Earth from space.

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.  And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and your ideal planet to call home..

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