Welcome to Podcrushed

Podcrushed—the podcast where Penn Badgley reads your middle school story —explores the heartbreak, anxiety and self-discovery of being a teen. Hosts Penn, Nava, and Sophie 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. 


New episodes of Podcrushed will be available weekly, beginning Wednesday, May 18. 

Team

Penn Badgley | Host, EP, Narrator | Penn never finished middle school, but at twelve years old, began playing characters in movies and TV who did. Having spent the last two decades being rewarded for acting like someone he's not, he still feels pretty ill-equipped for the perils of high school.

Nava Kavelin | Host, EP, Writer | Nava is the co-founder and CEO of Ninth Mode, a production company dedicated to developing content that shines a light on the brighter side of human nature. In middle school you could find her in Puerto Rico reading Sweet Valley High, listening to Maná, while pining over a pretty boy.

Sophie Ansari | Host, Producer, Artist | Sophie is an illustrator and video-ator based in LA. Having lived her gawkiest years in countries like The Philippines and China, Sophie can confirm that the experience of early-tween dweebiness is truly universal, and that the cathartic effect of a shared cringe transcends barriers of language and culture.

David Ansari | Producer, Editor, Music | David is a music producer based in LA, who splits his time between Podcrushed, his band Vallis Alps, and his solo venture Davey. When asked to be part of Podcrushed, he begrudgingly accepted, knowing full well it meant opening the pandora's box of memories from junior high that he spent more than a decade blocking out. 

SHARE YOUR STORY FOR SEASON 2

Want Penn to narrate your middle school story on Season 2? We're looking for true stories of hilarious, heartbreaking, awkward, or meaningful moments that you experienced in middle school. By submitting your story, you grant us creative license to punch up your submission for drama, humor and overall effect. Since the people you're writing about haven't necessarily given you permission, we change all names referenced in the story, except yours (unless you want us to!) 

SUBMIT HERE

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