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Superwomen with Rebecca Minkoff

Smart Enough to Ask Dumb Questions with Nayeema Raza, Journalist, Filmmaker and Host of Smart Girl Dumb Questions

Superwomen with Rebecca Minkoff

Rebecca Minkoff

Society & Culture

4.8543 Ratings

🗓️ 29 May 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week on SUPERWOMEN, I’m joined by Nayeema Raza, creator and host of the newly launched podcast Smart Girl, Dumb Questions. With a background spanning global consulting, documentary storytelling and top-charting podcasts, Nayeema decided it was time to create something entirely her own. In this episode, she shares how a childhood shaped by constant change made her comfortable with reinvention, and why staying still has always felt more foreign than starting over.  For Nayeema, comfort has never been the goal. It’s the cue that it’s time to move on. Her path has been guided less by long-term plans and more by instinct: when something starts feeling too safe, that’s her “clue to unlock the next thing.” She opens up about what drew her to launch a show built on curiosity, and why asking the “dumb” questions out loud matters more than ever. We talk about what it means to redefine ambition on your own terms, the pressure of being both the business and the brand, and the surprising freedom that can come from a failed milestone. Whether it was ending a long-term relationship, starting over in New York at 31, or launching a podcast from scratch, Nayeema’s path proves that reinvention isn’t just possible, it can be joyful, curious and entirely your own. From navigating the realities of running her own show to reshaping what mastery looks like, Nayeema is creating a space where not knowing isn’t a weakness, it’s the starting point. This episode is a reminder that sometimes the smartest thing you can do is ask the question everyone else is too afraid to say out loud.  Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to order my book, “Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success.” Follow SUPERWOMEN (@rmsuperwomen) and Nayeema (@nayeemaraza) on Instagram. Support this podcast: https://bit.ly/rmsuperwomen  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Do you ever see a successful woman on your feed or in a magazine and think, wow, it must be

0:05.6

nice to have it so easy. Well, think again. Behind that glossy cover or smiling face is a ton of hard work,

0:12.8

countless failures, and endless learning experiences. I'm Rebecca Minkoff and I'm here to tell you

0:17.8

that success isn't a walk in the park. It takes grit, resilience,

0:22.4

and a willingness to take risks. That's why I created Superwoman, a podcast that peels back to

0:27.9

varnish and gets into the nitty gritty of what it takes to make it as a woman in today's world.

0:32.6

From luminaries and game changers to women you've never heard of but should, this podcast is here to inspire you to take your next leap, no matter how daunting it may seem.

0:42.3

We'll explore the sacrifices these women have made, the highs and loaves they've experienced, and the lessons they've learned along the way.

0:49.5

So if you're ready to be inspired and learn from some of the most successful women out there. Join me on Superwomen.

0:55.5

Together, we'll uncover the stories behind the successes and prove that with hard work,

1:00.7

determination, and a little bit of luck, anything is possible.

1:05.6

Hey, everyone, you are listening to Superwomen.

1:08.4

Today's guest is the incredible Naima Raza formerly at the New York Times.

1:13.7

She also had been show running an incredible podcast, then became the co-host of it. You've heard of many of the show she's worked on.

1:21.6

She's a documentary filmmaker and she just recently left a month ago to start her own podcast,

1:28.4

Smart Girl, Dumb Questions,

1:30.4

where she explores with full curiosity all the things that maybe we've been too scared to ask

1:34.6

or have consulted our phone first.

1:36.9

From people like Mark Cuban to these adorable little kids who are way too worried about their careers at 11,

1:42.7

she asked the questions that we are all dying to know.

1:46.3

Take a listen as we talk through career invention, what it was like to leave a very

1:51.1

comfortable relationship at age 30 and move to New York City and how she views what's a dumb

...

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