2. Mayim Bialik: “I Started Crying When I Realized How Beautiful the Universe Is”
People I (Mostly) Admire
Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
4.6 • 2K Ratings
🗓️ 10 January 2026
⏱️ 46 minutes
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| 0:00.0 | I struggled all the way through undergrad, and I struggled all the way through grad school as well, |
| 0:07.0 | because I'm not a natural science learner. |
| 0:09.0 | I'm a person who wants to understand deeply the mysteries of the universe, |
| 0:13.0 | and even if you're a stay-at-home mom after that, even if you become an actor on a TV show, |
| 0:18.0 | the knowledge that I have as a scientist has transformed my |
| 0:21.4 | understanding of my religious life, my parenting life, and really everything about the |
| 0:26.4 | world that I live in. |
| 0:30.1 | I'm so excited to get to speak with my own biolic today. I've never talked to her before. |
| 0:35.8 | This would be the first time we've met. |
| 0:43.7 | But in a strange way, I kind of feel like I know we're having watched her on Big Bang Theory for so many years. |
| 0:50.3 | Welcome to people I mostly admire with Steve Levitt. |
| 0:56.3 | I'll be totally honest with you. I'm not sure that I have much to talk about with a typical Hollywood star, but I'm hoping that Mayam's going to be different. She's got a PhD |
| 1:01.8 | in neuroscience, and she really seems to play by her own rules, and I just can't wait to |
| 1:07.7 | get to know her a little bit, and let's hope I'm right and she's interesting. |
| 1:11.6 | We'll find out. |
| 1:15.5 | Such a pleasure today to talk with Myambiolic, renowned actress, neuroscience PhD, a best-selling |
| 1:21.9 | author, a mother of two teenage boys, a producer and a director. And all of that's |
| 1:27.0 | incredibly impressive. But the real |
| 1:28.9 | reason that I wanted so badly to talk to you is because it seems like you've managed to succeed |
| 1:35.3 | by breaking all the rules, by being true to yourself and by being authentic. And I don't see very many |
| 1:40.8 | people who have the courage to be him or herself and to make their way in the world. |
| 1:46.4 | So I'm just really excited to talk to you today, Maia. |
... |
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