Mayim Bialik's Breakdown

By Mayim Bialik

Society & Culture Comedy

What's Mayim Bialik's Breakdown about?

Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown is a quirky, informative, and interactive podcast breaking down the myths and misunderstandings about mental health and emotional well-being. Neuroscientist Mayim Bialik combines her academic background with vast personal experience to provide listeners with valuable practical advice focusing on removing the stigma surrounding mental health and encouraging an understanding of the mind-body connection. Nothing is off limits as Mayim breaks it down with an amazing collection of guests.

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LAST EPISODE

Vanessa Bayer & Jonah Bayer...

09.19.2023

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, ...

Mayim Bialik's Breakdown episodes:

09.19.2023 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, ...
09.14.2023 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 ...
09.12.2023 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 ...
09.07.2023 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 ...
09.05.2023 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 ...
08.31.2023 Positive News Recap #2: Syncing Brains, Ayahuasca Clarity, & God as a Drug Mayim and Jonathan sit down for another positive news stories recap! They cover a study suggesting our brains sync as we interact with one another, breaking down how mirror neurons wire us to fit in and the positive and negative ...
08.29.2023 Gabriel Iglesias: Fluffy Returns! feat. Emergency Plane Landings, Aliens, & A.I. Gabriel Iglesias (stand-up comedian) returns to MBB, but this time he’s in the studio for a chill summer fun episode! He describes his super fun birthday party and Mayim and Jonathan give him birthday presents. He also opens up about ...
08.22.2023 Dr. David Richo: Don’t Bring Childhood Wounds into Adult Relationships David Richo PhD, MFT (psychotherapist, teacher, writer, and workshop leader) shows us how to become the best we can be at loving as he dispels the myths of what love actually is, explains how our relationships with our parents may ...
08.17.2023 The Mind-Body Path to Mental Wellness Sadhguru (yogi, mystic, visionary, and New York Times bestselling author) shares his perspectives on mindfulness, why mental health is such a widespread issue today, where we should find joy, and holistic ways to take charge of our mental health.
08.15.2023 Jinger Duggar Vuolo: Disentangling Faith from Fear Jinger Duggar Vuolo ( 19 Kids and Counting , author of Becoming Free Indeed ) opens up about the evolution of her views on Bill Gothard’s extreme religious teachings, how it feels to deal with her family’s struggles as someone ...
08.08.2023 Christy Carlson Romano: Love Addiction Brought Me To My Knees Christy Carlson Romano (Disney actress, activist, entrepreneur, content creator) breaks down her career pivot from Disney icon to child star advocate, the mechanisms of dissociation, and her struggles with love addiction. She details the juxtaposition between her typecasted acting roles ...
08.01.2023 Melissa Joan Hart Teaches Mayim About Clam Breeding & Christmas! Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Clarissa Explains It All, What Women Binge podcast) explains how she got her starts on her iconic television series, her Blossom audition, what it’s like to have your mom as your manager, and ...
07.25.2023 Dr. Susan David: Build Emotional Agility, Avoid Burnout, & The Dangers of Toxic Positivity Susan David, Ph.D. (award-winning Harvard Medical School psychologist) breaks down emotional agility, explaining how navigating our emotions can impact every area of our lives, why emotional labor can lead to burnout, the importance of not allowing emotions to guide us, ...
07.18.2023 Melissa Rauch: Amy Farrah Fowler & Bernadette Rostenkowski Reunite! Melissa Rauch (The Big Bang Theory, Night Court, True Blood) joins us for a TBBT reunion! She and Mayim reminisce about the series, from their bond at joining the cast together at the same time and the origins of Melissa’s ...
07.13.2023 Revisit: Trauma, Depression & Self-Discovery, with Wil Wheaton We're revisiting another episode from the MBB vault! Wil Wheaton helps us break down the importance of setting boundaries, getting to the root of emotional pain instead of self-medicating, and the beauty of becoming the parent you never had. He ...
07.11.2023 R.K. Russell: Debunking the Myths of Bisexuality R.K. Russell (former professional NFL football player, author, advocate) breaks down what it was like to be the first active NFL player to come out of the closet, the complexity around bisexuality, and compartmentalization as a survival mechanism. He reflects ...
07.06.2023 Ask Mayim Anything #4: Oversharing, Highly Sensitive People, & The Dangers of Self-Diagnoses It’s another episode of Ask Mayim Anything! Mayim answers your questions about her ear piercings, the dangers of self-diagnosis, why we overshare with strangers, advice for sending your adult children into the world, and ways to navigate a relationship with ...
07.04.2023 Joel McHale: Conquering Dyslexia & Imposter Syndrome Joel McHale (Community, The Soup, Animal Control) joins us in studio to discuss his struggles with dyslexia, ADHD, and imposter syndrome. He shares his experiences working on The Soup and Community, opens up about what it was like to work ...
06.27.2023 Dr. Neil Theise: Overcome the Illusion of Separation Dr. Neil Theise (professor of pathology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine) joins us to discuss how his adult stem cell and interstitium research led him to his "theory of everything", how complexity actually helps simplify our understanding of ...
06.20.2023 Eric Hutchinson: We Inherit What’s in the Air Eric Hutchinson (singer/songwriter), one of Mayim’s favorite musicians, stops by for an impromptu jam session with Mayim! He discusses harnessing depression to influence his musical creativity, the effects of his father’s muscular dystrophy on his family, and what he admires ...
06.15.2023 The Holistic Approach to Living Drs. Alona Pulde & Matthew Lederman (WeHeal Co-Founders) break down practical ways to combine eastern & western medicine, lifestyle medicine, and nonviolent communication into a holistic approach to improve mental and overall wellness. They take us through their personal evolution ...
06.13.2023 Jenna von Oy (Blossom's Best Friend!): Don't Live in Your Own Shadow Jenna von Oy (“Six” from Blossom!) reunites with Mayim to discuss coming of age on television, their mixed feelings about 90’s nostalgia, and the evolution of Jenna’s sexuality. They reminisce about all things Blossom - the origins of its “hat ...
06.08.2023 [Revisit] Reframe Your Anxiety, with Glennon Doyle We're revisiting another episode from the MBB vault! Glennon Doyle helps us break down the emotional toll it takes to share authentically, the evolution of love in her life, how to improve communication when both parts of a couple are ...
06.06.2023 Atsuko Okatsuka: I Was Kidnapped and Brought to the U.S. Atsuko Okatsuka (stand-up comedian) joins us in studio to discuss her “Scooby-Doo” brand of comedy, her parents meeting on a Japanese dating show, and how her mom’s schizophrenia impacted her childhood. She opens up about why it’s difficult for her ...
06.01.2023 Is There a Science of Belief? We're recapping the best moments from Mayim's appearance on Rabbi David Kasher's "Best Book Ever" podcast! Mayim and Rabbi Kasher discuss how and why the human brain is wired for belief, how we can function in a world gone mad, ...
05.30.2023 Jesse Tyler Ferguson: I Was the Puzzle Piece That Didn’t Fit Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family, Dinner’s On Me Podcast) discusses why Modern Family was a pop culture touchstone, being bullied as a child and typecast as an adult, and the importance of having well-rounded gay characters. Jesse reveals he used ...
05.23.2023 David Lascher & Christine Taylor: Blossom, Brady Bunch, & 90’s Nostalgia David Lascher (Blossom, Hey Dude) & Christine Taylor (Zoolander, Hey Dude) discuss David’s experience playing Mayim’s boyfriend on Blossom, how the pandemic brought Christine and husband Ben Stiller back together, and they help us break down the deeper psychological layers ...
05.18.2023 [Revisit]: Stay Present & Know Yourself, with Kunal Nayyar Revisiting one of our most popular episodes from the early days of the podcast - an oldie but a goodie with Kunal Nayyar! Kunal and Mayim had a little Big Bang Theory reunion. Kunal shares the dangers of overidentifying with ...
05.16.2023 Dr. Theresa Larson: Stop Pain - The Most Common Myths Dr. Theresa Larson (movement health & inclusive wellness expert, Movement RX founder) joins us to discuss her work with adaptive athletes, what it was like to join the U.S. military after 9/11 and as a woman, and what you need ...
05.11.2023 [Revisit] I'm Glad My Mom Died, with Jennette McCurdy A collection of the best moments from our conversation with writer, director, actor, and singer Jennette McCurdy! Join us as we revisit all of Jennette's empowering nuggets of wisdom, from disordered eating and her enmeshed relationship with her mother to ...
05.09.2023 Rosie O’Donnell: Love People Back to Life Rosie O’Donnell (The Rosie O’Donnell Show, A League of Their Own, Onward podcast) discusses the ripple effects of her mom passing when Rosie was a child, the emergence of the first LGBTQ movement, and the emotional highs and lows of ...
05.04.2023 Stop Ignoring What Your Body is Telling You Are you ignoring your true desires, and is your body paying the price? Mayim and Jonathan break down how stress can cause frequent infections, what our bodies are trying to tell us with physical pain & muscle aches, and the ...
05.02.2023 Kyla Pratt & Julian Gant: Call Me Kat, Grieving Leslie Jordan, & Exploring Empathic Energy Kyla Pratt (The Proud Family, One on One) & Julian Gant (As They Made Us, Oddballs) join us in the studio to discuss working with Mayim on Call Me Kat, their shared grief journeys after losing their friend and co-star ...
04.25.2023 Carla Naumburg: Your Parenting Wakeup Call Carla Naumburg, PhD, LICSW (clinical social worker & bestselling author) helps us break down "sh*tty parent syndrome", the evolution in parenting methods from generation to generation, and practical ways to practice self-care. Mayim and Carla discuss the unusual origin story ...
04.20.2023 [Revisit] Who Gets Sick and How to Prevent it, with Dr. Gabor Maté The Dangers of Being Too Nice: Dr. Gabor Maté (renowned speaker and bestselling author) on another Thursday Bite-Sized Breakdown. Revisit the powerful nuggets of wisdom from our episode with Dr. Gabor that could literally change how you understand health and ...
04.18.2023 Danny Trejo: I Was As Sick As My Secrets Danny Trejo (actor, Machete, Breaking Bad, Boba Fett & author) joins us in-studio to discuss how the culture he was raised in contributed to his early drug and alcohol use, the evolution of his relationship with a higher power from ...
04.13.2023 [Revisit] Turn Your Life Around One Thought at a Time, with Jewel Welcome to our very first Thursday Bite-Sized Breakdown with Jewel (multi-platinum recording artist & mental health advocate)! We wanted to make it easy to revisit the enlightening moments and inspiring words of wisdom from our episode with Jewel. From her ...
04.11.2023 Ask Mayim Anything #3: Sex & Love Addiction, Repressed Memories, ADHD and Imposter Syndrome It’s another episode of Ask Mayim Anything! This time, Mayim answers your questions about ADHD, hoarding, and what it really means to be triggered. She breaks down misophonia, Borderline Personality Disorder, and the importance of taking news breaks. Mayim shares ...
04.06.2023 Mayim & Jonathan React to: Marc Maron Mayim and Jonathan react to our recent episode with Marc Maron! They reflect on Maron’s vulnerability as he shared how his relationship with his parents set a daunting standard for what his future relationships would look like, how he turned ...
04.04.2023 Dr. Sarah Schewitz: How Your Childhood Wounds Are Affecting Your Relationships Mayim and Jonathan do therapy with Dr. Sarah Schewitz, licensed psychologist specializing in love & relationships! Dr. Schewitz leads a real time Imago workshop with Mayim and Jonathan to illustrate the benefits of Imago dialogue. She helps them get to ...
03.28.2023 DaRa Williams: Integrate Your Mind, Body, Heart & Soul DaRa Williams (meditation teacher, psychotherapist) helps us break down the importance of unpacking past personal and intergenerational trauma, misdiagnoses that come from cultural misunderstandings, and her integrative meditation practice. She opens up about why she chose a path that set ...
03.21.2023 Eric Kaplan: Does Everything Happen for a Reason? Eric Kaplan (EP on The Big Bang Theory, Co-EP on Young Sheldon, M.A. in philosophy) joins us to break down the funniest moments from The Big Bang Theory, philosophy as it relates to mental health, and practical ways to avoid ...
03.14.2023 Marc Maron: Humor Gave Relief from Grief Marc Maron (stand-up comedian, host of WTF with Marc Maron podcast, actor, author) joins us to break down the arc of grief, the effects of growing up with detached parents, and his journey toward sobriety and defining himself. We discuss ...
03.07.2023 Bari Weiss: Age of Rising Conspiracy Bari Weiss (founder and editor of The Free Press, host of the Honestly podcast) opens up about her very public resignation from The New York Times, how the polarized mainstream media and negative newscycle can impact our wellness as a ...
02.28.2023 Amber Tamblyn: Intuition Not Anxiety Amber Tamblyn (actress, director, and writer) joins us to discuss all things intuition, from its biological importance and practical ways to be in touch with it, to how modern society has taught us to ignore our intuition and our mind-body ...
02.21.2023 Max Greenfield: Recovery Led Me to a God of My Understanding Max Greenfield (New Girl, The Neighborhood, Veronica Mars, Ugly Betty) stops by for a spontaneous chat with Mayim and Jonathan! He opens up about how feeling alone led to addiction, connecting with others brought him to recovery, and how getting ...
02.14.2023 Timber Hawkeye: Every Breakthrough Starts With a Breakdown Timber Hawkeye (bestselling author of the new book The Opposite of Namaste) rejoins Mayim to discuss the real life friendship they’ve developed after his first appearance on the podcast, why mindfulness can feel intimidating, and the positives and negatives of ...
02.07.2023 Anjelah Johnson-Reyes: Trauma Brought The Gift of Help Anjelah Johnson-Reyes (stand-up comedian, actress, author) discusses her journey from professional cheerleader to stand up comedy, the benefits of aligning with your intuition, and how she was able to work through physical and emotional trauma with her dad. She opens ...
01.31.2023 Joel Kim Booster: I Knew I Was Gay Before I Knew I Was Asian Joel Kim Booster (stand-up comedian, writer, actor) opens up about bipolar disorder, his early sexual identity realizations, and the challenges of living at the intersection of a variety of cultures. He discusses the complexities of being adopted as a baby ...
01.24.2023 Corey Feldman: They Abused Me, I Learned to Forgive Corey Feldman (The Goonies, Stand By Me, The Lost Boys) opens up about his abusive childhood, grappling with the deaths of so many of his friends, and his spirituality. He discusses what he remembers from his early days of acting, ...

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