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Mayim Bialik's Breakdown

Mayim Bialik's Breakdown

By: Mayim Bialik
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 Consciousness. Spontaneous healing. UAPs. Near Death Experiences. Manifestation. Psychic phenomena. Angels. Nothing is off limits if it can be approached with curiosity and rigor. MBB started as a conversation about mental health — and quickly became something much bigger. Because the deeper you go into what it means to be human, the faster you run into questions science hasn’t fully answered yet. Hosted by neuroscientist and cultural icon Mayim Bialik and spiritual explorer Jonathan Cohen, MBB is a multi-award-winning podcast where science and spirituality meet. Together they break down the assumptions, the misperceptions, and the boundaries between disciplines — and every breakdown is a breakthrough. This is where the biggest questions get taken seriously — and where you realize you’ve never been alone in asking them. Can the mind actually heal the body? Can quantum physics explain psychic phenomena? What do Near Death Experiences reveal about the nature of consciousness and the seat of the human soul? What if the only thing separating you from your own intuition - or even God - is the assumption that it’s out of reach? And if governments are publicly acknowledging the existence of UFOs, what does that mean for the future of humanity? These are the questions Mayim Bialik's Breakdown asks every week. Subscribe on Substack for ad-free episodes and bonus content, and check us out on YouTube (@MayimBialik) for video versions of our episodes! Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Sciences
Episodes
  • She Spent 20 Years Inside Cartels, Scam Factories & Black Markets. Investigative Journalist Mariana van Zeller On The $12 Billion Industry Stealing From Americans & Why Everybody Is Scammable

    She Spent 20 Years Inside Cartels, Scam Factories & Black Markets. Investigative Journalist Mariana van Zeller On The $12 Billion Industry Stealing From Americans & Why Everybody Is Scammable
    May 1 2026
    What really happens inside the world’s most dangerous underground economies? And why do the people running them trust a journalist enough to talk? Mariana van Zeller — Emmy- and Peabody Award–winning investigative journalist, host and executive producer of Trafficked on National Geographic, and host of The Hidden Third podcast — has spent years embedded with scammers, smugglers, cartel members, assassins, and black-market power brokers. In this episode of Mayim Bialik's Breakdown, she pulls back the curtain on the shadow systems that quietly shape the global economy. Mariana breaks down the difference between the black market vs. the grey market, why understanding these hidden economies is the only way to create real change, and how she manages to gain access to some of the most secretive and dangerous players in the world. She explains how empathy, not judgment, is often the key to getting people labeled “the worst of the worst” to open up, and why many of them speak with her because of something surprisingly simple: a deep human need to be heard and understood. She also addresses critics who say she shouldn’t give criminals a platform, revealing why listening to these voices is essential to exposing the systems behind global crime. We dive into her most harrowing experiences in the field — including the terrifying moment she and her team weren’t sure they would make it out alive, and the time they had to escape a country in the middle of a life-threatening military coup while filming. Mariana also unpacks the current climate in Mexico’s drug war, explaining why violence often escalates when major cartel kingpins are taken down, and the troubling implications of the fact that many of the weapons used by cartels originate in the United States. We get into one of the fastest-growing criminal industries in the world: scams. She breaks down everything you’ve ever wanted to know about romance scams and “pig butchering” operations, including: - Psychological tactics scammers use - Who scammers typically target and why - Massive infrastructure behind modern scam compounds - Why many scammers are actually victims of forced labor themselves - Why victims often stay silent due to shame and stigma Mariana explains why advancing technology, crypto, and AI are making financial scams easier than ever, and why anyone can fall victim — no matter how smart or cautious they are, including the shocking case of a bank CEO who was successfully defrauded. We also explore medical black markets, from organ trafficking to international surrogacy scams, and discuss some of her most intense interviews, from conversations with a suspected Russian sex spy to Anna Delvey, the infamous socialite scammer. Despite spending her career face-to-face with some of the darkest corners of humanity, Mariana reveals something surprising: she still believes deeply in people. In fact, she sometimes finds more hope, honesty, and equality in underground markets than in global governments or legal capitalism. This conversation will change how you think about crime, power, empathy, and the hidden systems shaping our world! Head to https://www.Superpower.com and use code BREAK at checkout for $20 off your membership. After you sign up, they’ll ask how you heard about them, so make sure to mention this podcast to support the show. Mariana van Zeller’s podcast, THE HIDDEN THIRD: https://www.youtube.com/@marianavanzeller Follow us on Substack for Exclusive Bonus Content: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bialikbreakdown.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BialikBreakdown.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube.com/mayimbialik⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • Part Two: NASA Physicist Takes UFOs Seriously: Dr. Kevin Knuth on Aliens Already Living on Earth, Nuclear Missile Shutdowns, and the Government Cover-Up

    Part Two: NASA Physicist Takes UFOs Seriously: Dr. Kevin Knuth on Aliens Already Living on Earth, Nuclear Missile Shutdowns, and the Government Cover-Up
    Apr 29 2026
    SHOCKING REVELATIONS: NASA Scientist Breaks Silence on Nonhuman Intelligence, UAPs, and the Evidence They Don’t Want You to See What if the truth about nonhuman intelligence is already here on Earth - hidden in our oceans, interfering with our technology, and operating beyond the laws of physics we thought were unbreakable? In this episode of Mayim Bialik's Breakdown, Dr. Kevin Knuth (former NASA research scientist & Professor of Physics at the University at Albany) reveals jaw-dropping, real-world evidence that will completely change how you think about UAPs, aliens, and reality itself. Dr. Knuth breaks down: - Nonhuman Intelligence Already Living on Earth? Why advanced UAP capabilities suggest they may have underwater bases and a vested interest in our planet - Nuclear Missiles SHUT DOWN by Unknown Craft: Verified incidents that stunned military officials - UAPs That DEFY Physics: Instant acceleration, silent movement, & impossible flight characteristics explained - Burned Humans, Scorched Trees & Disabled Cars: Close encounters with real physical effects - Abduction accounts that will disturb you, Including cases where humans reportedly interacted with extraterrestrial beings…and even held alien infants - “Angel Hair” Phenomenon: Strange material falling from the sky witnessed by thousands and analyzed by scientists - UAP Crash Debris Analysis: What researchers are uncovering from mysterious recovered materials - 3I Atlas Mystery: New observations & anomalies that strongly suggest it’s NOT a comet - The Water World Hypothesis: Why oceans may be the perfect hiding place for advanced nonhuman intelligence (and the growing number of sightings of objects entering and exiting the water!) - Why many scientists are afraid to speak publicly about UAPs - The lack of “smoking gun” evidence, and why that might be misleading - Patterns across thousands of sightings that suggest something real is happening - Beyond UAPs: Consciousness & the Unknown -Telepathy, remote viewing, and why accuracy drops the harder you try - Savant abilities that continue to defy scientific explanation - Dr. Knuth’s own paranormal & precognitive experiences - How being near cattle mutilation cases first led Dr. Knuth to question everything—and begin his search for answers - Signs to look for if nonhuman intelligence exists within just one light-day of Earth This isn’t science fiction. These are real accounts, real data, and real questions that challenge everything we think we know about our place in the universe! If you’re able, please consider donating to the research efforts of UAlbany Project X (UAPx): ⁠http://www.albany.edu/giving/UAPx⁠ Follow us on Substack for Exclusive Bonus Content: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bialikbreakdown.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BialikBreakdown.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube.com/mayimbialik⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • NASA Physicist Takes UFOs Seriously: Dr. Kevin Knuth on Aliens Already Living on Earth, Nuclear Missile Shutdowns, and the Government Cover-Up

    NASA Physicist Takes UFOs Seriously: Dr. Kevin Knuth on Aliens Already Living on Earth, Nuclear Missile Shutdowns, and the Government Cover-Up
    Apr 28 2026
    SHOCKING REVELATIONS: NASA Scientist Breaks Silence on Nonhuman Intelligence, UAPs, and the Evidence They Don’t Want You to See What if the truth about nonhuman intelligence is already here on Earth - hidden in our oceans, interfering with our technology, and operating beyond the laws of physics we thought were unbreakable? In this episode of Mayim Bialik's Breakdown, Dr. Kevin Knuth (former NASA research scientist & Professor of Physics at the University at Albany) reveals jaw-dropping, real-world evidence that will completely change how you think about UAPs, aliens, and reality itself. Dr. Knuth breaks down: - Nonhuman Intelligence Already Living on Earth? Why advanced UAP capabilities suggest they may have underwater bases and a vested interest in our planet - Nuclear Missiles SHUT DOWN by Unknown Craft: Verified incidents that stunned military officials - UAPs That DEFY Physics: Instant acceleration, silent movement, & impossible flight characteristics explained - Burned Humans, Scorched Trees & Disabled Cars: Close encounters with real physical effects - Abduction accounts that will disturb you, Including cases where humans reportedly interacted with extraterrestrial beings…and even held alien infants - “Angel Hair” Phenomenon: Strange material falling from the sky witnessed by thousands and analyzed by scientists - UAP Crash Debris Analysis: What researchers are uncovering from mysterious recovered materials - 3I Atlas Mystery: New observations & anomalies that strongly suggest it’s NOT a comet - The Water World Hypothesis: Why oceans may be the perfect hiding place for advanced nonhuman intelligence (and the growing number of sightings of objects entering and exiting the water!) - Why many scientists are afraid to speak publicly about UAPs - The lack of “smoking gun” evidence, and why that might be misleading - Patterns across thousands of sightings that suggest something real is happening - Beyond UAPs: Consciousness & the Unknown -Telepathy, remote viewing, and why accuracy drops the harder you try - Savant abilities that continue to defy scientific explanation - Dr. Knuth’s own paranormal & precognitive experiences - How being near cattle mutilation cases first led Dr. Knuth to question everything—and begin his search for answers - Signs to look for if nonhuman intelligence exists within just one light-day of Earth This isn’t science fiction. These are real accounts, real data, and real questions that challenge everything we think we know about our place in the universe! For an exclusive offer go to https://bioptimizers.com/breaker and use promo code BREAKER during checkout to save 15 %. If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/BREAK Get 20% off all IQ Bar products - plus free shipping by texting BREAKDOWN to 64000. If you’re able, please consider donating to the research efforts of UAlbany Project X (UAPx): http://www.albany.edu/giving/UAPx Follow us on Substack for Exclusive Bonus Content: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bialikbreakdown.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BialikBreakdown.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube.com/mayimbialik⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    48 mins
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You guys are super helpful and funny. I love the dynamic and how well research are your topics. How comfortable your guests feel and to listen to their stories. To learn of you all. Your breakdown(s) have definitely helped me better understand life and keep moving forward. Thank you 😍🌻

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