The Wonders of the Universe, and Other Things, with Mayim Bialik

Mayim Hoya Bialik, PhD, is an Emmy award-nominated actress, New York Times bestselling author, UCLA-trained neuroscientist, and mother of two sons. She currently stars on the The Big Bang Theory, where she plays the role of Amy Farrah Fowler (a role for which she received four Emmy nominations and one Screen Actors Guild nomination). She is a certified lactation educator counselor and is devoted to a lifestyle of attachment parenting, homeschooling, natural family living, and vegan cooking.

1. What do you think is the secret to longevity?

Health-educated choices and keeping a very open mind.

2. Do you have any daily rituals?

I try and be consciously aware of the wonders of the universe at least once a day, if not many.

3. What are your five favorite foods?

Avocado, pickled tomatoes, miso soup, kale, and rice cakes.

4. Do you belong to any communities?

I’m part of a large Jewish community in Los Angeles. As a lactation educator counselor, I’m part of an extended breastfeeding community of moms.

[Editor’s note: Bialik has written two parenting books with pediatrician Jay Gordon and two by herself.]

5. What book are you reading right now?

My Bright Abyss by Christian Wiman.

6. What is your favorite recipe?

Vegan mac and cheese casserole, which happens to be in my cookbook that comes out next month!

7. What makes you happy?

Cuddling with my sons, gardening, running, making lists, checking things off lists, cleaning, and sloths.

8. What qualities do you look for in friends?

Honesty, shared world view, and sense of humor.

9. If you could give one piece of advice, what would it be?

This is from the Talmud: “We are told to carry two pieces of paper and keep one in each of our pockets. One should read, ‘For my sake, the world was created.’ The other should read, ‘I am but dust and ashes.'” I seek in my life to live in a way that reconciles this tension. It was advice given to me by my rabbi in college.

Visit Mayim Bialik online or on groknation, a lifestyle website she founded.

Updated 3.2019 for Bialik’s bio and to add links.