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Author: Mayim Bialik

  • Justine Bateman: Your Age is Being Weaponized

    Justine Bateman: Your Age is Being Weaponized
    Justine Bateman: Your Age is Being Weaponized

    Justine Bateman (writer, director, producer, author) joins us to address society’s fears about aging especially when it comes to females, how she unpacks her irrational fears in order to get to the root problem, and concerns about the implementation of artificial intelligence into film and television projects. She breaks down the nuances of wearing makeup, differences between society’s views toward aging between men and women, and her foolproof method for combating fears rooted in our physical insecurities. Mayim breaks down choice feminism and Justine shares what our fears of being an outlier may be rooted in and why she thinks mainstream audiences are one step away from accepting generative A.I. 

    NOTE: This episode was recorded before the Israel-Hamas conflict. Our hope is that MBB can be a positive distraction from what’s going on in the world.

    Justine Bateman’s book, Face: One Square Foot of Skin: https://a.co/d/g6TTg70

  • Bob Odenkirk: Don’t Give Up Hope

    Bob Odenkirk: Don’t Give Up Hope
    Bob Odenkirk: Don’t Give Up Hope

    Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Mr. Show) opens up about his recent near-death heart attack and the perspective it gave him, how he channels his fear, anxiety, and anger into his comedy, and how imposter syndrome has fit into the arc of his career. He breaks down the shame instilled into him throughout his Catholic upbringing, what it was like to watch his friends find fame before he did, and navigating his work ethic while still being around for his kids. Bob discusses the significance of the Hollywood strikes and the origins of his new book of poems he made with his kids. Bob’s daughter Erin joins the Breakdown to describe the creative process of working with her dad.

    NOTE: This episode was recorded before the Israel-Hamas conflict. Our hope is that MBB can be a positive distraction from what’s going on in the world.

    Bob Odenkirk’s new book, Zilot & Other Important Rhymes: https://a.co/d/7fDttFa

  • Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell-Horner: Death Energy, Self-Worth, & Lessons from America

    Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell-Horner: Death Energy, Self-Worth, & Lessons from America
    Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell-Horner: Death Energy, Self-Worth, & Lessons from America

    Geri Halliwell-Horner (Ginger Spice herself!) discusses what drew her to the Spice Girls from the very beginning, her foray into literature and writing, and the life lessons she has learned from American culture. She shares her thoughts on what it has meant to be Ginger Spice, the connotations associated with being a redhead, and how her intuition guided her to stand up for Spice Girls’ biggest hit, “Wannabe.” Mayim serenades Geri with Yiddish songs and Geri explains how she incorporates songwriting into her books, why she resonates with Sylvester Stallone, how becoming a mom changed her persona and why self-worth can be our best defense.

    Geri Halliwell-Horner’s new book, Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen:  https://a.co/d/0co48Sh

  • Manti Te’o: God Has Two Answers – Yes & Not Now

    Manti Te’o: God Has Two Answers – Yes & Not Now
    Manti Te’o: God Has Two Answers – Yes & Not Now

    Manti Te’o (former NFL player) opens up about enduring his very public catfishing scandal, the spiritual and familial strength he drew on to overcome it, and how it brought him to a journey of self-discovery. He explains his connection to his Samoan heritage, the giving nature of his culture, and the expectations that were placed on him as the oldest child in a large Polynesian family. Manti discusses the double-edged sword of having a public persona, using football as a means to help his family, and the nature of faith when life isn’t turning out the way you want it to. He considers how the devastating fires in Hawaii have impacted the people and culture there, and how he thinks people can best support the population through it.

  • Ben Stiller: Family Legacy, Workaholism, & Saving his Marriage

    Ben Stiller: Family Legacy, Workaholism, & Saving his Marriage
    Ben Stiller: Family Legacy, Workaholism, & Saving his Marriage

    Ben Stiller joins us in the studio to discuss his parents’ influence, his mental health journey as a child, how the pandemic brought him and his wife Christine Taylor back together again, his workaholic tendencies, and what’s next for his career. He and Mayim share the nightmares they had the night prior, Ben shares his favorite Yiddish words and Mayim teaches him a new one during an impromptu Yiddish Word of the Day segment! Ben opens up about what it’s been like to make a documentary about his parents, how his marriage echoes his parents’ relationship, and his mother’s struggles with alcoholism. He recounts his feelings of separation anxiety as a child, the interesting forms of therapies his family tried, and his experience with transcendental meditation. Mayim details her digital detox and inspires Ben to consider giving it a try, and they discuss how creativity can add something incredible to or get in the way of a romantic relationship.

  • Vanessa Bayer & Jonah Bayer: Transcendental Meditation & Confronting Cancer with Humor

    Vanessa Bayer & Jonah Bayer: Transcendental Meditation & Confronting Cancer with Humor
    Vanessa Bayer & Jonah Bayer: Transcendental Meditation & Confronting Cancer with Humor

    Vanessa Bayer (SNL, I Love That for You) joins us in the MBB studio to discuss using humor to cope with her cancer diagnosis as a teenager, her tenure as one of longest-running female cast members of Saturday Night Live, and her transcendental meditation practice. She opens up about her Make-A-Wish experience, landing SNL and the resiliency working on the show entails. Vanessa’s brother Jonah Bayer (writer, podcaster, musician) joins in virtually to discuss his current studies in a Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, what inspired him to enter into the mental health field, and why he’s interested in the mental health of creatives in particular. He opens up about his experience navigating Vanessa’s illness, his own battle with leukemia, and how he uses yoga to maintain his mental wellness. Vanessa and Jonah profess their deep love of Blossom, explain their working relationship as siblings, and consider the difficulties around getting started with any mental health treatment.

    Vanessa & Jonah’s Podcast, How Did We Get Weird?: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-did-we-get-weird-with-vanessa-bayer-and-jonah-bayer/id1586365658

     

  • Dr. Richard Davidson: What We’re Getting Wrong with Meditation

    Dr. Richard Davidson: What We’re Getting Wrong with Meditation
    Dr. Richard Davidson: What We’re Getting Wrong with Meditation

    Dr. Richard Davidson (Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, Founder & Director of the Center for Healthy Minds) shows us what it truly means to be well in your emotional self by harnessing our trauma mechanisms into well-being! He breaks down the scientific data he’s gathered on long-term meditators (including monks!) to show the efficacy of meditation, the parts of the brain most affected by meditation, and what all of that means for how we self-regulate and cope with trauma. Dr. Davidson explains how meditation can help parenting, how our expectations and narratives influence our perception of the world, and what our “emotional fingerprints” are. He and Mayim discuss how his framework of awareness, connection, insight, and purpose lead us to understand the science of well-being, the notion that love and kindness are innate and hate is learned, and the importance of teaching forms of meditation to our kids.

    Check out the Center for Healthy Minds:  https://centerhealthyminds.org/give/overview

    For well-being tools, visit: https://hminnovations.org

    Download the free Healthy Minds meditation app:  https://hminnovations.org/meditation-app

     

     

  • Matt Gutman: My Rituals Primed Me for Panic

    Matt Gutman: My Rituals Primed Me for Panic
    Matt Gutman: My Rituals Primed Me for Panic

    Matt Gutman (ABC News’s chief national correspondent, author of No Time to Panic) opens up about the panic attack he had while reporting on the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash, which led him to pursue every remedy under the sun to treat his panic disorder. He breaks down the difference between panic and anxiety attacks, their biological purpose, why they present so uniquely in each individual, and how they physically manifest for him. Matt explains the shame that comes with panic disorder, how his ”safety behaviors” actually primed him for panic, and shares alarming statistics about panic disorders. He discusses the impact of losing his father at an early age, his family’s intergenerational trauma, his fears of imperfection and social rejection, and how his own trauma aids his journalistic career. Mayim opens up about her own personal experiences with panic attacks and she and Matt unpack all of the traditional and unconventional remedies he has explored, from traditional talk therapy to holotropic breathwork, reiki, and even toad venom. He discusses his immunity to ayahuasca, why crying needs a cultural rebrand, and how his recovery journey has made him a better father.

    Matt Gutman’s new book, No Time to Panic: How I Curbed My Anxiety And Conquered A Lifetime Of Panic Attacks: https://a.co/d/feAfPmW

  • Kim Kelly: The People United will Never Be Defeated

    Kim Kelly: The People United will Never Be Defeated
    Kim Kelly: The People United will Never Be Defeated

    Kim Kelly (independent journalist, author, organizer) breaks down why unions matter, what exactly is at stake with the current Hollywood strikes, and how her experience in sideshow school informed her passion for the labor movement. She discusses the diversity of the labor movement and how she navigates the emotional component, from child labor laws and fast fashion to the nail industry and instances of increased cancers in flight attendants. Kim opens up about being born with ectrodactyly, a rare congenital disorder, how that led her to join a sideshow school, and describes the fascinating history of sideshow and hierarchy of sideshow performers. She explains why prisoners deserve rights and how her career as a heavy metal journalist translates to the labor world, and Mayim explains radical veganism.

    Kim Kelly’s Book, Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Fight-Like-Hell/Kim-Kelly/9781982171056

  • Sharon Salzberg: Treat Your Anger with Lovingkindness

    Sharon Salzberg: Treat Your Anger with Lovingkindness
    Sharon Salzberg: Treat Your Anger with Lovingkindness

    Sharon Salzberg (meditation pioneer, NYT bestselling author) breaks down what successful meditation looks like, how to extend lovingkindness to ourselves in the social media age, and what it really means to have compassion for our enemies while standing firm in our fight for others. She opens up about how her traumatic childhood and studying philosophy brought her to her career path today, why her first reaction to meditation was anger, the truth she has personally found in meditation, and how she managed to not allow early meditation critics to stand in her way. Sharon explains ways to combine introspection with lovingkindness, how balance and presence can lead to self-compassion, and the positives and negatives of anger. She and Mayim discuss the differences between meditation and prayer, the commercialization of meditation vs the foundation of mindfulness, the importance of slowing down to enjoy moments of happiness, and why we are more connected than we realize. Sharon reveals the role love and relationships has played in her life and shares her own personal meditation practice.

    Sharon Salzberg’s latest book, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom: https://www.sharonsalzberg.com/reallife/

    Thank you to BetterHelp for sponsoring the show and to Haesue Jo, Licensed Therapist and Head of Clinical Operations at BetterHelp. #ad