Homeroom with Sal & Mayim Bialik - Friday, February 12

Hi everyone! Sal Khan here from Khan Academy. Welcome to the, uh, the homeroom live stream. Uh, you might notice I've upgraded my equipment at Felipe's request, and so this is like now in HD, so this is a very, very, very exciting day.

So, we have a very exciting guest today! We have Mayim Bialik, who is an actress, a neuroscientist, now an author, and a podcast creator, and we'll talk a lot about that. But before we jump into that conversation, I will give my standard announcements. A reminder that, uh, we are Khan Academy is a not-for-profit, so if you're in a position to do so, please think about, uh, going to khanacademy.org/donate and making a donation.

I want to also give a special shout out to several organizations that stepped up, especially when they realized that during the pandemic, more people than ever were relying on Khan Academy. And that's awesome! But it was also driving our costs up, our server cost. We wanted to accelerate a bunch of content, so special thanks to Bank of America, AT&T, google.org, Novartis, Fastly, and General Motors. And last but not least, I want to give everyone a reminder that there's a version of this live stream that is available in podcast form, wherever you get your podcasts: Homeroom with Sal, the podcast.

So, with that, I am very excited to introduce Maya! Mayim, welcome!

Thank you! I hope I'm not late to homeroom. We need to get a bell so that people, like, you know they’re in mentally the right place.

Yeah, so there's so much, uh, that we can chat about! I'm trying to level it so that our shoulders are around this. I appreciated it! I felt like I was looking down at you, which you can do.

Um, so there's so much to talk about. You know, we've gotten to know each other virtually over several— we were on a panel together a couple of months ago, and then I was on your podcast yesterday. Um, and there's a lot of stuff to overlap but I did, I did tell you when I first met you, and I'm not normally like into this whole celebrity thing, uh, but there's something about growing up watching Blossom. And I know you've done other things in your life since then, and you know you've gotten PhDs, you're a neuroscientist! But, um, as I said yesterday, I try to play it cool when I'm around you.

Well, I think I told you the first time we met when we were on that panel together, you are the celebrity to me. Um, my kids have been using Khan Academy for years, and it's an enormous— it's an enormously important part of our lives. And when I told my kids that I was gonna be on a panel with you, we all freaked out! So it is really my honor to be in homeroom with you.

Well, sounds like a win-win then! Well, there's so much to talk about, and I encourage anyone watching to put your questions in. We have team members who can surface the questions to myself and Mayim. But, you know, you have an eclectic background; there are not a lot of neuroscientist, author, uh, actresses in the world. How do you like it? Like, what do you do? Do you connect with all of those identities? Are you more one than the other? And, and then, like, did you think you would have this hodgepodge of things to do?

No, I mean, I identify as, you know, the grandchild of immigrants. Like, when I think of who I am, you know, my grandparents came to this country, um, during the pogroms leading up to, you know, the Holocaust. So, um, that’s, you know, I’m my parents' daughter, and I’m my grandparents' grandchild. And, um, you know, everything that happened once they hit Ellis Island, you know, is really my story. Everybody's got a story.

Um, for me, I was raised in a very colorful, you know, first-generation American household. And my native language is Yiddish; that's the language of Eastern European Jews. You know, I was raised really spanning several cultures, and I was a very, uh, problem-solving kind of child. And I felt very comfortable on a stage, and I became an actor, you know, as a young person. But truly, I'm, you know, I'm a thinker, and I found math and science late in life and fought really hard to be able to be a scientist when it doesn’t come naturally to you and you're told that if it doesn't come naturally, it's not for you. It's very hard to try and break into that at 15 and 16, which is what I did. So I became a neuroscientist. It took, you know, 12 years between undergrad and grad school, and I had my first son in grad school. He's now 15, and I have a 12-year-old. So I'm a mom! You know, like, that's really what my life is. I'm a mom. And yes, I have written books; I do a lot of things, um, not to make ends meet, but to sort of satisfy the different parts of my brain and my life. And, um, yeah, I guess I'm all of those hyphenates. You know, I'm also a lactation educator counselor; I've been that for about 13 years. And so I speak to women about breastfeeding and labor. Like, I do a lot of different things because I just feel like that's my human experience.

Well, it's fascinating! So, I mean, take us on your journey a little bit. Uh, you know, a lot of people watching are young people trying to figure out what to do with their lives. You, at a very young age, I mean, how did you get into acting?

No, my parents were public school teachers and documentary filmmakers. My parents were both English teachers; my mother was a preschool, you know, early childhood educator. Um, I didn’t grow up in a Hollywood house! You know, I grew up in a kind of a crummy rental house in Hollywood and, you know, was part of the busing program of the 70s and 80s that took kids from, uh, rougher neighborhoods and took us to neighborhoods where, uh, there were more educational opportunities. So I grew up just like a normal kid! You know, um, you know, just living, um, you know, with parents who were teachers. Like, and I was in school plays in elementary school and really liked it, felt safe on a stage. I wasn't one of those, like, super hammy kids like, "Look at me! I'm amazing!" Like, I didn't think that; I just knew that there was a safety for me that I felt when— you know, honestly— when making other people happy. Like, there's a very interesting psychology to why some actors really do act because we want other people to feel something. And that was kind of what it was like for me.

And I knew that there were kid actors. It didn't occur to me that no one looked like me in 1986 and that maybe I wouldn't have success. Um, I indeed did not have success in traditional things that kid actors do, like commercials, because back then there was something called all-American, and I didn't look like it.

And how, so how did you fall into that? Did someone just discover you? Was there a—?

Ah, no! It's literally like the like the 1986 story is that, um, my parents typed a letter on a typewriter and took a picture of me like just in the backyard, a cute headshot. And they mailed it— there was no computers that we had then. Um, you know, there wasn’t anything to email. They looked in the yellow pages and just found kids' agents and literally sent my picture on this letter to nine different kids’ agents. And I ended up picking an agent who, um, happened to have a lot of quite— I mean, quite famous kids have come out of her agency: Neil Patrick Harris and Johnny Galecki, who I was with, um, the Big Bang Theory and, um, Mario Lopez was with her. So I ended up just going on auditions, and I was in a lot of sitcoms from the 80s and, you know, things like Webster, MacGyver, Facts of Life. And then I was cast to play the young Bette Midler in Beaches when I was 12, and it came out when I was 13, and then after that, I did Blossom from 14 to 19.

I have to find these clips! You've just like, my entire childhood just came back to me in that one! And my head didn’t change size; I had this enormous head and a little twig body, and then I just sort of grew into my head.

I have a similar experience, actually! I'm three inches taller than my wife, but our shoulders are at the same height, so I'm all head! And I've always— I've always been, and I see it in my children! Like, when they're born, they can't touch the top of their heads because their heads are the same size as mine!

So, I mean, but your parents, you know, they must have seen something in you at that age to kind of go through the trouble of taking your head shot and sending—

Yeah, I mean, yeah! I think, look, I definitely, um, I was raised in a traditional Jewish house, and there is a lot of, uh, performance, you know, to a lot of aspects of our culture, meaning, you know, when we read the Torah, which is the Old Testament, it's chanted! And, you know, a bar mitzvah is a very presentational kind of, you know, we sing our bible; like, we are a presentation! You know, Passover involves reciting the four questions and, you know, being able to do that. So I definitely had a lot of opportunities, and I was in dance, as a lot of, you know, young kids are, young girls. So I was a ballerina from the time I was four; I was in classical English ballet. And, um, you know, I danced, and sure, I was charismatic, but I think a lot of parents think their kids are, you know, cute and charismatic. I don't know; they said they always, you know, felt like I had something, but I really don't know because, like, my mom still is like, "You’re prettier than any woman in the world," and it's like, I know that’s not true! So you don’t know if you can trust your parents.

And what was it like? I mean, you know, there’s this stereotype of, of people who are child actors, you know? They hit notoriety early in their lives. Maybe their identity gets caught up in it, and you're kind of clinging on to it, and life throws interesting things at you. How did you deal? Were you conscientious of that when you were 10, 11, 12, 13 years old?

Um, yeah! I mean, because I come from—you know, I mean at least for us—like, I come from an immigrant mentality where like you go to school, you get an education, and I always had this notion that like everything is fleeting. You know, success is fleeting! Like everything, you know, it's very—it's a very Zen Buddhist philosophy. Um, you know, this too shall pass. And so my education was very important to me; it was very important to my parents who were both teachers. They didn't want me being on a set, you know, for many months of the year to take the place of the education that I still needed. So, you know, they went to a lot of work. There was a woman named Janie Teller who was in charge of my education and hired me different, um, tutors for every subject, and, you know, got me some incredible, really, really amazing tutors, especially for my science subjects. And that's how I fell in love with science.

So, um, I really— I was never really taken with like the fame and the money parts of show business. Um, I was raised, you know, as a kind of, you know, small intellectual; that's just how my dad and my mom raised me. So I knew I wanted to be around people who were thinking deeply. And while there are many intelligent people in the industry, I really thrived in in a public university system. You know, I went to UCLA, and yes, it was intimidating to be in large classes; for, you know, for a lot of our core classes, we were often with 300 people in a class. But I made the most of the, you know, you're then divided into sections and so, you know, I made use of office hours, and I loved that environment! I'm a very organized person when it comes to schoolwork, so I, you know, everything was color-coded and my assignment notebooks and all those things. And I really just—I wanted more of a normal life than I think the industry could provide me with.

And there's questions— a ton of questions are coming in off of YouTube and Facebook, and this is related. You know, Crystal Gross writes from YouTube, "What is your advice for kids who want to become scientists or have careers in math but they struggle with courses geared towards that? They have the dream but not the grades." And you had mentioned, and you just mentioned that at least initially you were struggling a little bit or maybe you felt a little bit of an imposter syndrome. How do you navigate that?

Um, you know, I think part of it is, um, you know, there's two components for me. You know, there's two components. One was the skill set, and the other was the confidence. And for me, kind of the confidence had to come first, meaning believing that I had the right to learn these kind of subjects and that there’s not just one way to learn them. So for me, um, working with a tutor was extremely helpful! Having more of a, you know, an intimate kind of one-on-one experience was a real help for me. Um, in the time that I grew up, there were not a lot of women, um, in, in STEM! You know, at least in ways that I had access to. So, having a female tutor was also very empowering because I could see someone else who had been working at it.

She was 19 when I met her, and I was like, yeah, 15. Um, but, you know, she was in college, and she came from a family— an immigrant family from Iran, and education was very important to her family, and all her sisters got to go to either med school or dental school. So she's now an oral surgeon! But having, um, that relationship where someone was teaching me the way I learned was really helpful. And I think also the pacing of how classes were traditionally taught didn't always work for me in those subjects. You know, English, I could get like that! Like, that wasn't a problem. Sociology, anthropology, like psychology, all that stuff; that wasn’t the issue. You know, numbers and formulas was hard for me at the pacing that things were set at, so I did need to work harder. And honestly, I had to work harder all the way through my undergrad and all the way into grad school, meaning there were certain things that came a lot easier to me.

But, you know, I worked in a genetics lab. Conversions were always hard for me, even working in a genetics lab! So there were still things that I had to always keep up on.

And what was it, you know, what was the moment that you said neuroscience? I want to be a neuroscientist even though it might have some of these speed bumps along the way that you might not have felt are like you're—you know, what wasn’t the easiest thing for you?

So the first thing that really, you know, kind of captivated me in science was, um, really cell biology! You know, uh, DNA. Like, once I got to understand and, like, once it clicked, like, "Oh, it's this," and then the histones and the things, and, you know, like, I hope that's still true! I mean, I haven't studied DNA, so— um, that's—I was interested in nature versus nurture, which was a popular, you know, kind of a popular science topic in the 90s! Like, what makes us who we are? I know for young people, it's like "Duh!" But back then there was a lot of discussion about it. And the God's honest truth is that, um, I wanted to study biology when I got, you know, to UCLA. But because my, um, calculus and my chemistry were not, um, at an appropriately high level, I had to take really remedial— I mean, it was remedial chemistry and remedial calculus. And so until I did those things, I couldn't register for biology! So I was so frustrated! I was so embarrassed that, like, here I was wanting to be a scientist, and I couldn't even start the core curriculum!

But one of the classes that didn't require my chemistry and calculus to be completed was a class called Psychobiology. And the first half of the class was taught by a psychology professor who specialized in things like, uh, you know, conditioned response— like Pavlovian stuff— very interesting, very important! You know, attachment theory— great! The second half of the course was taught by Professor Eran Zeidel, and he was in the psychology department, but he taught the neurophysiology of the nervous system and, in particular, electrophysiology. And when I saw— this is my moment— when I saw that action potential chart and I saw that electrical impulses are what allow for the release of sodium and potassium and all of these ions that lead to a chain reaction that cause further electrical responses, and that's how we perceive the world, I literally said, "That's the level I want to understand the universe at." That level! And that is when I decided to become a neuroscientist.

I am so excited to hear you say that! I think we're going to take that clip of what you just said, and on Khan Academy where we introduce action potential, sodium-potassium pump, I will teach that class with joy! I've done it before; I would love to! And even just your answer right now— you know, the number one thing is people— there's, you know, I always tell folks that you get to learn all of this stuff that, you know, the what's in the textbook is hundreds of years of human knowledge! And the people who dedicate their lives to discovering what's in that textbook would have killed to have that textbook! But so many kids are like, "Oh, I got a little about the sodium-potassium pump." But when they hear you out of all of what— see, you were on MacGyver! That sounds exciting! But I heard more excitement in your voice about the sodium-potassium action potentials and neurons than MacGyver!

Well, and also, like, I had the opportunity— I taught neuroscience; I designed a curriculum for junior high and high school students in our homeschool community, and I taught for about five years before Big Bang Theory. Um, I taught in our community, and you know, to be able to be a science communicator is a very special, and, you know, obviously, it's one thing to know the material, but to be to be either gifted or taught the skills to communicate it to other people and to explain it until you see that they get it, it is an exceptional— it's an exceptional moment of like a microcosm of creation! You know, you're creating an inspired thought in someone who previously didn't understand it. And when I think of the concepts that were hardest for me, I remember learning the optical system and the way the ganglion neurons and the American neurons and all those things line up. It is so difficult, and how it's like a constantly generating system that needs to have a negative feedback loop. And I remember how hard it was, but when you get it, that feeling— it's better than applause! It's better than an Emmy! Like, I've never won an Emmy; I've only been nominated four times! But that satisfaction of the human mind grasping something of that enormity— there literally is nothing like it! I mean, giving birth was enormously significant, but it's on that level of like, “Wow!”

Well, now you've made me feel better because, you know, I haven't given birth! I've modeled it in my mind! But I have had that experience, which you have, which is when something clicks and you understand the universe in another way! Like, that is what it means to be human; that is what it means to experience life. And, uh, you know, I know you—you might be, you know, saying that you would love to teach. I—we will talk later! We’re doing a big push on science on Khan Academy. I don’t know where to— don’t know where to find you for sure!

So, all sorts of questions coming in! Actually, before I get to more questions, I am curious— you know, when you were at UCLA or in grad school and you’re learning the neuroscience, you’re thinking about becoming a neuroscientist. What was in the back of your mind? Like, education's important; it's a safety net. That's my backup in case, you know, Hollywood isn't what I hope it could be? Or is it the other way around? Is it like, "No! I want to be a neuroscientist; yeah, on the side I’ll do a couple of cameos or be in a couple of shows here and there"?

No! When I left the industry, I was 19; I was two years out of high school. I went to a very, um, you know, college prep style, honestly, junior high and high school, um, here in Los Angeles. And, um, you know, I was—I was geared to go to college. And to be honest, when I left the industry, I didn’t have active plans to return to it! Um, I wanted to, you know, live in an apartment and, you know, walk to campus and meet other students. I was very active in the Jewish Student Union and, um, you know, I studied Japanese history, and I studied philosophy! Like, I had the best time there! And I, you know, met the person that I then, you know, married and had children. We met in calculus class! Like, I was living a totally different life. I would go to school in pajamas like most science students did. Like, I loved my life!

And, um, I originally wanted to go to med school; I wanted to, um, I wanted to study psychiatry! God’s honest truth, I could not get higher than a B minus in organic chemistry! And, um, that really was the wider class for med school. And, you know, I hate to say those who can't go to med school go to grad school, but, um, I did! I made the decision to be a more of a research academic. I was not planning on going back to the industry. Um, you know, like I said, I taught after getting my doctorate. Acting is a very interesting world, but it's not intellectually stimulating the way being a scientist was.

And, to be perfectly honest, you know, having my first son, which I did after my data collection for my thesis project, and I essentially wrote my thesis while laying down breastfeeding, um, it was the decision to leave academia because I was choosing to be home with my son that actually shifted kind of the trajectory of my life. And that's a very difficult decision! I can't say it was the right decision for everyone, uh, but for me, it was the decision! And for my husband at the time, that was the decision we made! And so I tutored, you know, and I also taught piano; I taught Hebrew! I did a lot of things while also being, you know, the primary caregiver for my, my son; um, and then had another one, uh, right after I got my doctorate. So my life really shifted in terms of the academic track, but I was still teaching.

And because of the United States healthcare system, I did, um, return to acting to literally do enough work so that I could get my insurance back through Screen Actors Guild, which is excellent insurance!

For insurance that’s the most pragmatic reason I've ever heard!

Well, someone said, like, we literally got Mayim Bialik on the Big Bang Theory because of the failure of our healthcare system.

You always have better health care than I imagined as the Screen Actors Guild! That's good! I'm happy to hear that!

I mean, and I mean, you know, when talking— it was fascinating because I listed three things: author, actress, neuroscientist. But clearly, mother; very important! Very large role of your life. Now you are also doing this podcast, Bialik Breakdown, which is about mental health. Um, I mean, it sounds like you are this polymath type person; you're taking on a lot of different projects. Why the podcast now, and why this focus on mental health?

You know, my interest has really always hovered around mental health challenges. I grew up in a home that had mental illness, as many homes do! And, you know, I think many families have it, but we don't really call it that or, you know, even when I listen to stories of my grandparents' generation, you know, "Oh, this one was like this," and it's like that was schizophrenia! You know, we didn't know to call it that, but someone who hears voices, like, that's actually a clinical diagnosis, you know? So, um, I've always had an interest in the way we react to those environments and what's genetic and what's environmental. I do have my share of challenges, and I've been very open about it, but it was really last year, you know, when the world got very small in many ways, as many of us were home, that so many people that I knew started experiencing, in particular, anxiety and panic. And they honestly didn’t even know what to call it!

And I was thinking how many people are experiencing challenges that are lacking just the basic information about what's going on. Um, so my partner, Jonathan, and I, we started Mayim Bialik's Breakdown really to start breaking down some of the terms and, um, some of the misconceptions also that people have about mental health. And this isn't like I've figured it all out; come and listen to how I'm going to tell you to make your life better! This is—I still live with anxiety; I have struggled with depression; I am on the OCD spectrum. Those are just true things about me, and I still get to figure out what works and what doesn't. And the notion of, you know, mind-body syndrome and the things that Eastern medicine and Eastern cultures have known about for thousands of years that we're finally catching on to is also something that Jonathan and I are looking to explore! Meaning there is science to acupuncture; there is science to why certain smells do certain things to your brain! Those are real things, and if there are things that we can do before we get to, let's say, medication and diagnosis and DSM this, we should all know about those things!

I think it should be a human right, you know, for us to be educated about how our mind is connected to our body and how that impacts our mental health! So we talk to experts in the field every episode, or people who are experts in their own journey and their own struggles, and sometimes those are famous celebrities. Um, but it is available, um, on Spotify or wherever you get podcasts. And we also do broadcast on my YouTube channel, which has almost a million followers, so we encourage people also to sign up if you'd like to see me and Jonathan. We wear matching outfits every episode!

I didn't catch that they were matching episodes! That's, uh, matching outfits! I mean, it's a very important thing! And you know, I have to say that I was one of these people, you know, we grew up in a culture where you know, you, you can, you kind of take pride on, "I'm functional; I'm, I'm saying, et cetera, et cetera." And then you're like, "Oh, you know, these are other people's problems." Uh, and yeah, I think as, you know, every family has a lot in it that, you know, usually you try to hide and, and not have transparent to the rest of the world. Uh, but I, and I mentioned it on your podcast, and I think I mentioned it here too, is, you know, my first real glimpse personally was about five years ago where I think frankly because of stress at work and other things, I started getting incredibly claustrophobic. I wasn't sleeping as much as, you know, I found myself going for runs at three in the morning because that's all I could do to get rid of some of my, my energy. Um, and, and that was the first time that I realized that I shouldn't just like identify myself as a functional person, that we all have—and it creeps up on you; it creeps up on you! It's like a frog in boiling water. And so it's really important, you know, for me, and I mentioned yesterday, for me, meditation—when I meditated almost out of desperation to not get claustrophobic in planes, which clearly had to travel a lot for my job— it opened up a whole new world for me! So not only did it help solve the claustrophobia and the anxiety and the panic I would get in small spaces, but it helped open my, my life in other really powerful, beautiful ways that I would never have done had I not experienced that!

So, so happy that you are taking this mantle! Like, you know, people should be talking about this because it, you know, when we talk about mental health, people always talk about from the deficit side of things, but it can also add, uh, and, and gives us base for it! So, so in the time we have left, and there's so much— so many questions that are, that are coming up about all sorts of things— maybe, you know, from nish786, "What are some challenges you face becoming a neuroscientist? What advice do you have for people who want to follow a path like yours?" You mentioned a few of them, but I'm sure there are others.

Yeah, I mean, you know, honestly, being a woman in a field that is typically male can have its challenges. Um, you know, there are there are women in situations far, far, far, far more challenging than what I experienced, and that what many women experience. But I think it is definitely, you know, something to acknowledge that the standards for women, um, tend to be very, um, um, very limited in terms of, um, there’s there’s a few ways that people are often comfortable with women being in the sciences! And so that's something just to kind of, you know, that you have to keep in mind.

Um, I think also, you know, deciding when and how to have children was particularly challenging. And not every woman wants to have children, or there are a lot of ways to to be a mom without, you know, physically giving birth. But it's definitely, you know, a set of, um, challenges that I had to kind of plan and time the best that I could. And, you know, I'm not a great test taker, and there are exams required. Um, there was the GRE, which was very challenging, um, to get into grad school, and then we had qualifying exams; um, our first year, two of which I needed to do remediation on, which was humiliating but also just part of the process! You know, I, um, I was called into the, uh, the head of the department's office after my first year, and she said, "We, you know, all of neuroscience were kind of surprised and disappointed because you were an A student, and yet you did not do well on your exams."

And, you know, I kind of hung my head, and, um, you know, it was definitely, um, hard! And I think that's also just because it— it wasn't something that came naturally to me, you know, that kind of thinking. Um, so those were, you know, I cried in her office; it was not a pretty moment! Um, but I, I made it through.

I mean, were there moments where you thought you were going to just give up? Or, or did was there—

Yeah, I mean, I think anyone who's done a PhD, it's like literally people forget also I did a PhD when there wasn't really computer access to articles or information. We had to physically go to the library, which at UCLA we call it the stacks, and it's like a 10-story building! And you would get a little card that you would have to put cash on so that you could make the copies! And you'd be in the middle of some article, and then you'd run out of money on your card! And by the time you got back, someone shelved the book that you were working on! So it was a lot of physical labor! And also formatting a 300-page thesis is also no small feat! We-- we also didn't have all the tools that are now available to do that! The formatting alone made me want to not get my doctorate! Like, that was the level of proficiency I felt I had with that aspect! So I know those sound silly, but when you've been doing research for six years and you're just trying to finish and you have a newborn, the last thing you want to be told by the office where you submit is that, you know, your margins are off on page three and you have to start all over with your formatting!

I just can imagine the thoughts! I mean, I actually can't imagine because, you know, one of my friends from college—actually, I've known him from childhood! He, he was— you know, I got to know him; he beat me at a math competition! So I'm like I'm going to hang out with this guy; he beat me in 10th grade! And then he actually ended up being the first president— like the CEO and president of Khan Academy when we started! So very close friend of mine.

Um, but I remember when— and he, you know, super, super smart guy! Uh, and but I remember he, he had his first child a year before I had mine, or we had ours. And I remember one day he was just like, you know, his hair's all the style; he's like, "Sal, I don't know, you know, everything else has been kind of easy! You know, I, I can, I can crush tests!" I mean, he is a good test taker! You know, he's like, "It's just been easy! He's a triple major at MIT! He's easy! he's like, 'With this, this child rearing, it's hard! And everyone does it! How come everyone does it? Like, if it's so hard for me, how can everyone else?'"

And he's right! But the fact that you were doing that while getting a PhD, he's a total nerd by first— they're both kind of nerdy! But my first born, he was literally, he was raised on thesis! There might be something to that! You know people like play Mozart while their kids are like, you know, if you do a thesis, if you're at the copying machine while they're getting the radiation, it might, might do something! You know, just a— as a maybe!

Maybe to finish off, you know, a lot of people ask a lot of questions—your views of the future 2021! What are you looking forward to? You have so many projects, so many interests.

Yeah, what do you kind of see as the next phase of your life, next few— you know, next 10 years, say?

Um, gosh! You know, I hope to retire by then! I'm just so tired! You know, I'm 45, and my kids are 12 and 15. So in many ways, you know, my entire life is kind of centered around, you know, where they are in their academics and in their life. Like, my younger one’s preparing for his bar mitzvah, so I’m tutoring him for that. And, um, you know, my older son will likely be starting, you know, online community college courses; that's what a lot of homeschool high schoolers do.

Um, so, you know, I think of where they will be, you know, in the next 10 years! Um, I definitely— I'm working on a new show; it's called Call Me Cat, and it's, it's fun! I'm having a really great time doing it! So I'm hoping that we get a second season of that! And honestly, this podcast is really, it's really my passion! You know, it sounds so like pretentious, but it is— it is my passion to talk about mental health and to be able to, you know, maybe one day be able to advocate on a larger, you know, um, DC level for mental health access! That's something I would really, really love to see as, as what I get to work on!

Um, but, you know, honestly, I miss traveling! And it's, you know, I'm very conservative, I guess, when it comes to, um, COVID, as many scientists tend to be. So I’m also really just kind of cautious about what this year is going to look like. And I think a lot of people don’t understand the importance of the vaccine! I think a lot of people don’t understand the implications of not getting the vaccine! I've been very vocal about that; I put out a YouTube video about the importance of that. So I'm kind of cautious about what this year will look like because it’s been a long time since I’ve been to a supermarket, you know? And I’m ready to get back out there, but just waiting.

No, I definitely hear you! My—I live with my, obviously my wife and my mother-in-law! My wife’s a doctor, and so she's gotten her vaccine now; my mother-in-law just got her booster! So I am now the major risk factor in the house! I'm going to see how much care about me they were careful before!

The first time you've been the most dangerous person in your house!

That's right! That's right! I like that! I'm glad you see that in me! Um, so Mayim, thank you! So, you know, this was a, this was a… a suit! I could talk for hours! I know everyone listening could could hear and and listen to your, your wisdom for hours, uh, but you know, thank you so much for joining! And I hope in that ten years, and I'm serious, we should explore a little bit of science education, uh, one way or the other!

I would absolutely love that! And again, my children would lose their mind!

Let's do it!

All right! Well, Mayim Bialik, thank you so much for joining us; this was a blast!

Thank you so much!

Thank— thanks everyone for joining! Hopefully you found that— I, you know, I've only had a few times I've got the privilege of hanging out with Mayim, but she just has incredible energy! And I think it's very powerful when you can see someone who can throw across so many genres and break so many different types of stereotypes! So hopefully you enjoyed that as much as I did!

So, um, thank you for joining! Uh, I know I'm doing these a little bit more sporadically than I was doing, uh, earlier this year, uh, but, uh, we look forward to see you soon! I'm gonna go on a little bit of a vacation next week, and then, uh, the week after we will be back on this live stream! So thanks everyone for joining, and have a— have a good weekend!