Mayim Bialik brings message of mental health, resilience to Sacramento Speakers Series
EXPLORING THE INTERSECTION OF INTELLECT AND IDENTITY THIS SEASON OF SACRAMENTO SPEAKER SERIES IS ENDING WITH A BANG. NO PUN INTENDED. THE FINAL SPEAKER IS OFFERING A VERY UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON MENTAL HEALTH, RESILIENCE, AND WHAT IT MEANS TO STAY GROUNDED IN AN INCREASINGLY COMPLEX WORLD. JOINING ME LIVE NOW IS MAYIM BIALIK. AND GOOD MORNING TO YOU. YOU’VE HAD A VERY UNIQUE PATH. CHILD ACTOR TO NEUROSCIENTIST RETURNING TO TELEVISION. AND WHAT’S REALLY GUIDED YOUR DECISIONS ALONG THE WAY? YOUR AUDIO IS CUTTING IN AND OUT, SO CAN YOU JUST REPEAT THAT? YES. I SAID YOU’VE HAD A VERY UNIQUE PATH FROM CHILD ACTOR TO NEUROSCIENTIST TO RETURNING TO TELEVISION. WHAT’S KIND OF GUIDING YOU ALONG THE WAY? OH MY GOSH. GREAT QUESTION. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF SPONTANEITY, A LOT OF LUCK. AND YEAH, I GUESS I HAVE A STRONG CONNECTION TO FAMILY. AND BEING A MOM IS KIND OF AN IMPORTANT GUIDING PRINCIPLE FOR ME, AT LEAST FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS OR SO. AND YOUR BACKGROUND IS SO UNIQUE AND HOW IS NEUROSCIENCE HELPED TO SHAPE HOW YOU HANDLE STRESS AND THE DECISIONS THAT YOU MAKE? AND EVEN DEALING WITH SOMETHING LIKE FAILURE? YEAH. I MEAN, I ACTUALLY HAVE A PODCAST CALLED BIALIK’S BREAKDOWN WHERE WE TALK ABOUT KIND OF THE INTERSECTION OF SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALITY WITH A VERY STRONG EMPHASIS ON SORT OF MY NEUROSCIENCE BACKGROUND AND HOW IT IMPACTS THE WAY WE CAN MAKE A LOT OF EVEN SMALL CHANGES. YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MANY THAT WE TALK ABOUT. WE TALK ABOUT THINGS LIKE MEDITATION. WE TALK ABOUT THINGS LIKE HAVING A RELATIONSHIP WITH A POWER GREATER THAN YOURSELF. THERE’S MANY, MANY THINGS THAT THAT WE HOPE THAT WE’RE EDUCATING PEOPLE ABOUT ON OUR PODCAST FOR SURE. WHAT WAS THAT MOMENT WHERE YOU WENT FROM ACTOR TO SAYING, THERE’S MORE FOR ME OUT THERE. I WANT TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL. WELL, I WAS, YOU KNOW, I HAD OBVIOUSLY THIS TIME ON BLOSSOM, WHICH WAS A VERY UNIQUE TIME. I WAS 14 TO 19, BUT I’M THE GRANDCHILD OF IMMIGRANTS. AND I WAS TAUGHT TO GO TO COLLEGE NO MATTER WHAT. SO THAT’S SORT OF WHAT PROPELLED ME. AND I HAD FALLEN IN LOVE WITH SCIENCE IN, IN HIGH SCHOOL. SO I WENT ON TO DO AN UNDERGRAD AND A PHD. I HAD TWO KIDS WHILE I WAS IN GRAD SCHOOL AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WENT BACK TO ACTING, DID NOT EXPECT TO BE ON THE BIG BANG THEORY, BUT THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER TEN YEARS OF MY LIFE THAT I WAS BACK IN THE PUBLIC EYE, AS IT WERE. AND YOU WERE A SPECIAL GUEST FOR THE SACRAMENTO SPEAKER SERIES, AND YOU’RE NO STRANGER TO THE CAPITAL CITY. I HEAR THAT IS TRUE. I’M I WAS ACTUALLY BORN IN SAN DIEGO, RAISED IN LOS ANGELES, BUT A BIG PERCENTAGE OF MY FAMILY LIVES IN THE BAY. SO THAT’S VERY EXCITING. I’M ACTUALLY, I’M GOING TO BE SPENDING THE DAY WITH MY COUSIN WHO LIVES IN SACRAMENTO, AND I’M A HUGE WARRIORS FAN. SO ANYTHING FROM THAT REGION OF THE STATE IS, IS VERY EXCITING. BUT YEAH, VERY, VERY EXCITED TO BE PART OF THE SACRAMENTO COMMUNITY THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT. ABSOLUTELY. AND WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS THAT YOU HOPE THAT PEOPLE WILL WALK AWAY WITH AFTER HEARING YOU SPEAK, AS WELL AS OTHERS ON WEDNESDAY? WELL, IT’S REALLY FUN. IT’S, YOU KNOW, IT’S A MODERATED CONVERSATION. SO IT’S ACTUALLY CATERED VERY SPECIFICALLY TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO BE COMING. I DO TALK A LOT ABOUT RESILIENCE. I TALK A LOT ABOUT STRESS, BUT I ALSO SPEAK FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SOMEONE WHO IS KIND OF DOING MY BEST TO FIGURE IT OUT AS I GO. AND THAT’S HONESTLY A LOT OF WHAT WE DO HERE ON, ON OUR PODCAST IS TRY AND FIGURE OUT THE THINGS THAT PRACTICALLY WORK AND OFTEN DON’T, YOU KNOW, COST A LOT OF MONEY, WHICH I THINK MANY OF US HAVE BEEN TOLD THE WAY TO MENTAL HEALTH IS BUY THIS AND GO TO THIS SPECIAL THERAPY AND ALL THESE THINGS. BUT WE ACTUALLY HAVE A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, CAPABILITY TO, TO GENERATE A LOT OF SOLUTIONS OURSELVES. SO HOPEFULLY THAT WILL COME UP AS WELL. ABSOLUTELY. LOOKS LIKE YOU’RE HAVING A LOT OF FUN WITH YOUR PODCAST. WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU FOR YOUR CAREER? DO YOU THINK YOU’LL BE BACK ON TELEVISION? I DON’T KNOW, I’VE BEEN ON THREE SITCOMS IN MY LIFE, AND THAT FEELS LIKE JUST ABOUT ENOUGH. BUT I WAS RECENTLY IN THE JIM JARMUSCH MOVIE FATHER, MOTHER, SISTER, BROTHER, WHICH CAME OUT EARLIER THIS YEAR. THERE’S DEFINITELY THINGS I’M INTERESTED IN, BUT I STILL HAVE A 17 YEAR OLD AT HOME AND I HAVE AN OLDER ONE IN THE BAY IN COLLEGE, SO A LOT OF MOM STUFF IS STILL GOING ON. WHAT AN HONOR TO TALK TO YOU TODAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME, AND WE LOO
Mayim Bialik brings message of mental health, resilience to Sacramento Speakers Series
Updated: 4:09 PM PDT Apr 27, 2026
The Sacramento Speakers Series is wrapping up its season with actor, neuroscientist and mental health advocate Mayim Bialik.Bialik, best known for her roles in “Blossom” and “The Big Bang Theory,” will appear on Wednesday at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center in downtown Sacramento at 7:30 p.m.In a conversation with KCRA 3, Bialik discussed her unusual path from child actor to neuroscientist and back to television, and how that journey shaped the way she thinks about identity, stress and resilience.Bialik earned a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA and now hosts the mental health podcast Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown, which explores health, well-being and the science behind emotional resilience.During the interview, Bialik shared practical ways people can better manage anxiety in a fast-paced world, including staying grounded, understanding how the brain responds to stress and making space for honest conversations about mental health.Bialik said she looks forward to visiting Sacramento because her cousin also lives in the Capitol City. She also has family in the Bay Area.The Sacramento appearance is the final event of the 2025-26 Sacramento Speakers Series season. Tickets are available until noon on Wednesday.Listen to the full interview with Bialik in the video above. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
The Sacramento Speakers Series is wrapping up its season with actor, neuroscientist and mental health advocate Mayim Bialik.
Bialik, best known for her roles in “Blossom” and “The Big Bang Theory,” will appear on Wednesday at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center in downtown Sacramento at 7:30 p.m.
In a conversation with KCRA 3, Bialik discussed her unusual path from child actor to neuroscientist and back to television, and how that journey shaped the way she thinks about identity, stress and resilience.
Bialik earned a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA and now hosts the mental health podcast Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown, which explores health, well-being and the science behind emotional resilience.
During the interview, Bialik shared practical ways people can better manage anxiety in a fast-paced world, including staying grounded, understanding how the brain responds to stress and making space for honest conversations about mental health.
Bialik said she looks forward to visiting Sacramento because her cousin also lives in the Capitol City. She also has family in the Bay Area.
The Sacramento appearance is the final event of the 2025-26 Sacramento Speakers Series season. Tickets are available until noon on Wednesday.
Listen to the full interview with Bialik in the video above.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel