How actress Mayim Bialik is rethinking her worth after a lifetime in the spotlight

Mayim Bialik has seemingly done it all: she became a beloved teen star on Blossom, earned a PhD in neuroscience, then returned to TV to play a neuroscientist on The Big Bang Theory. She’s written books, hosts a popular podcast, and is a mother of two. But after a lifetime of slipping in and out of different roles since the time she was 11, Mayim is taking a step back and asking herself a fundamental question: When you strip away all the identities you’ve performed, who are you really?

In this episode, Mayim shares the soundtrack behind her complicated family history, the angst that shaped her teen years in Hollywood, and the significance of her latest role in the upcoming film Father Mother Sister Brother. It’s a wide-ranging conversation about finding love, loss, reinvention, and finding what grounds you. Here are her songs.

1. Bob Dylan, “Abandoned Love”
2. Bing Crosby, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”
3. Violent Femmes, “Kiss Off”
4. Elvis Costello, “Suit of Lights”
5. Neko Case, “Hold On, Hold On”
6. Jay-Z and Kanye West, “No Church in the Wild, featuring Frank Ocean and The-Dream”
7. MC Yogi, “Heaven Is Here, featuring Matisyahu”