Mayim Bialik is someone who started her acting career when she was a child. She spent her college years earning a degree in neuroscience. She made a return to acting and found great success on The Big Bang Theory.
Bialik currently stars in the sitcom Call Me Kat and has also taken on another project. In addition to her acting career, Bialik is also hosting a podcast called Mayim Bialik's Breakdown. The show features discussions about mental health. Bialik has expressed her passion for the subject on many occasions.
Why Mayim Bialik Decided To Start A Podcast
Bialik's podcast opens the door for its guests to discuss their mental health journeys. The podcast is meant to look at the topic of mental health through a lens that will reach people and educate them.
Bialik jokingly told CNET's I'm So Obsessed interview series that she chose the name so she could begin each episode by saying, "Welcome to my breakdown."
"It's been a real exploration of each person's approach to mental health, with an eye towards educating people," she said.
"The main concept is that it is a human right for us to know about mental health, to even know what we're experiencing, what to call it, what it means, what to expect if you do get help, how to get help, why it's hard to get help."
Bialik also shared that her own background in neuroscience has impacted her approach to the series.
"We’re going to see the mental health impact of what’s been going on in the world for quite some time," she told eTalk.
"The idea is for me as a scientist to breakdown the science behind a lot of things that we may not know about, about mental health or why do people keep telling me to meditate? Is there any science to that?"
Mayim Bialik's Co-Creator Helped Motivate Her To Start The Podcast
Bialik's podcast also has a connection to Canada that she is very proud of. She recently spoke about her partner Jonathan Cohen, with whom she co-created the podcast.
"We have a website called BialikBreakdown.com and there’s actually a really beautiful Canadian tie-in. My partner and the person I started this with is Canadian, and he’s from Toronto," she said.
"It’s a human right to have access to mental health information, so me and my Canadian are doing our part."
Bialik added that it was Cohen's encouragement and vision that motivated her to start the podcast.
"I didn’t know how really to go about it. It took a spunky Canadian to say 'I can picture this, and I can visualize what we can do.' It’s been a really, really wonderful journey, and it is a lot of work."
"You don’t start a podcast to get spontaneously rich. That’s not our motivation. This is an act of love and devotion because I’m learning. With everyone we speak to, I’m learning."
Mayim Bialik Shares Advice For Those Struggling With Their Mental Health
While the podcast features a lot of celebrity interviews, it will also feature experts in their respective fields and those who are experts with their own struggles. However, Bialik asserts that the goal of the podcast isn't to give listeners all the answers.
"The idea is not to have celebrities tell you what they figured out with their trainer and their chef and their expensive therapy," she said. "The idea is to talk to people who are still struggling, meaning we’re all still struggling and anyone who tells you they’re not is probably not being honest with you or themselves."
"We’re all kind of in it and what’s going on in particular in this country and the city I live in, it’s extremely anxiety-provoking."
Another important point Bialik made when discussing her podcast is that there isn't a "one size fits all" treatment to mental health issues.
"I don’t advocate for one particular way of treating mental health challenges," Bialik said. "Some people take medication, some people don’t but here’s what medication does in case you didn’t know. That’s kind of the way that we’re talking about it. It is a very old fashion notion that we should talk about things."
Bialik discussed what advice she would give those who are just beginning their own mental health journey. She said that therapy can be the right tool for people, as it has helped her in her own life.
"I’m not a mental health expert. I worked in neuropsychiatry as part of my thesis training and I’m a person who struggles all the time. I’m a firm believer in therapy. It has become just something that I’ve accepted needs to be part of my self care."
When asked about how technology and social media has impacted our mental health, Bialik said "turning down the volume on what you take in" is a good idea. She said this could include stepping away from devices, taking a break from the news, or even skipping discussions with anybody "who make you feel agitated or yucky."
She also said that getting fresh air and going for walks is another benefit for one's mental health.