We want to have deep and meaningful conversations at Grok Nation. That’s why we recently launched a recurring feature called “5 Deep Questions.” We pick a woman we love and ask her…you guessed it: five deep questions. The first three will always be the same, and the last two are special for our subjects. These questions should make them think—and hopefully we’ll get answers that make us think as well.

This week we’re quizzing Melissa Rauch, who plays Bernadette on The Big Bang Theory and who wrote, starred in, and produced the film The Bronze. Here she tells us about her awkward years as a teenager, her passions, and being a new mom.

1. Do you believe in God?
   I do. I think that can take on different forms. I don’t see G-d as a bearded dude in the sky, but I believe there is something bigger than us. Well, pretty much everything is bigger than me, but you know what I mean.
2. What do you think happens when we die?
   I like to think we get to float around and watch over the people we love while also getting to reunite with our loved ones who have already passed. And I’m hoping there’s cake…lots and lots of cake.
3. What were you like as a teenager?
   I was weird and pretty awkward. Total theater nerd. I marched to the beat of my own drummer for the most part, but I grew up in Jersey so I also tried to be tough…however the closest I got to my tough goal was some dark brown lipstick (the classic ’90s Revlon Coffee Bean) and large hoop earrings from Claire’s Boutique.
4. What are you passionate about right now?
   I am determined to let women know they are not alone in the incredibly difficult struggles and heartbreak many of us go through on the way to motherhood (miscarriage, fertility issues, etc.). I strongly feel it’s something that is not discussed nearly as much as it should be considering it is so common.
5. How was being a new mom changed your sense of comedy?
   Well, my baby thinks the bit I do where I shake my keys in front of her is absolute brilliant comedy gold, so it’s made me overconfident about just how hilarious I am.