Molly Ringwald: Avoid Absorbing Too Much Pain 

I went to junior high with Molly and she was the real deal. She really loved & wore pink every day. 💕

I am an old woman, and a teacher. Please follow your instincts about not wanting your kids on screen time. They don't know how to not want that, but believe me, they WANT us to pull them away and do things with them in the "real" world. My students delight in the silly handmade games I bring in for them, where we have to interact with each other. They so so need this.

The fact that her mom validated her is probably why she's one of the success stories. I'm glad her mom has enough empathy to admit that what her daughter went through was difficult. The world needs more parents like her.

She looks so good! Natural too. So good to witness someone aging gracefully.

Great episode. Mayim did the same thing that Molly did for her generation. Blossom was an example of many people that needed to see themselves represented.

Even at 42, single and never married, i still feel the pain of being picked last in my childhood. I have a wonderful life now. I'm so thankful your daughter is so strong to go against the grain on the soccer field!

My ex husband was diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder and he was like a bomb that went off in our lives. "Co-parenting" is a nightmare when the other parent lacks empathy, and all protective parental instincts. I used to envy single moms who were raising their kids on their own. From my vantage point, both of you come from enviable situations. Good for you and your kids!

"When you're pointing at someone else; remember, three fingers are pointing back at you." GOLDEN ADVICE! Thank you, MAYIM.

Love how Molly's daughter pick a winning team by picking first players who usually get picked last. It would have been great even if they lost but so cool that they won.

The breakfast club was amazing. Every character sounded like the voices in my head

I described a panic attack to my therapist as "being totally convinced that reality is in the process of killing you....any second." I didn't know that a human being could feel that level of terror. Oh, and you can't breathe for some reason. Great interview! Both of you are so insightful!

The story Molly told about her daughter and being picked last is an example of how something bad can always have a good light to it and turn around. Had she not been picked last, she may not have gone early, which in turn gave her a positive experience. She was also able to choose her team based on experience and her empathy and that won them the game. There is nothing else like self validation.

Molly was my muse in the ‘80s. This is my first podcast that I’ve seen with Mayim. Such a great interview. I’ll be back.

Joan Cusak was in 16 Candles, too. She was the student with the scoliosis brace.

I'm so glad Molly pointed out the thing about men having expectations and pressure to look a certain way now. I was thinking the exact same thing. It's everywhere and applies to everyone now. Social media has made it so much worse.

Personally, I don't think we should go back and criticize movies through a modern lens. Yes, they can be cringey and make us uncomfortable, but they are also capture that moment in time. What we felt was acceptable. Generational differences, I've heard it called, and I like that because it's not judgmental. Someday people will probably find things objectionable in the movies being made today because societal mores continue to change.

Loved Molly's soccer team story. Wish I could have heard a bit more of Molly herself tbh.

Please please pkease get John Cusack on the breakdown!!! I think it would be amazing

Charles M Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, was too shy and insecure to go to art school. So he submitted his work by mail. He said he feared criticism ans rejection. I, for one, was very comforted by that brave revelation. It's normal to avoid the pain of rejection. Sometimes you have to slip into life by the side door, wait in the back, behind the crowd, and then work up the courage to try.

She looks so good!!! I remember seeing her in Breakfast club then Secret Life such a class act!! ❤️

Screen time- we do not have phones when we eat. I am a single mother ( widow) of a 17 year old. We look each other in the face and have a conversation daily. She does not game. I think I am lucky in that sense. We have been through a lot of trauma together, so I think that adds to the need to talk to each other,

Life gave me a gift of chatting with Molly back when she was in Raleigh for a show. Fantastic convo about neighborhoods in Paris and her daughter (now 18!!! holy wow) who was still a little kiddo. We had ZERO talk about show biz and I was floored by what a wonderful human she is! Mayim you’re a wonderful human too, and thank you for the time and passion you put into your show here!

I love you Mayim but I am totally geeking out that you had Molly Ringwald on today. I was born in '76. Grew up watching her movies. I too, am a redhead who felt like the underdog...all the time. I still watch her movies today. I am so happy she's doing so well xoxo Take care

I still love those John Hughes movies and I'm old

Mayim doing her thesis on OCD made my day, as someone that has it, it made me happy, just the fact people talk about it and bring light and studies on it makes me really glad people like you exists, thank you❤

Mayim, when you talk about Blossom, the theme song (and you dancing to it) gets stuck in my head! "In my opinionation, the sun is gonna surely shine" 🎶💖

Absorbing too much pain of others: the true condemn of the too sensitive/empathetic persons as me. It’s difficult to set boundaries when you’re aware & connected to others emotions/suffering in “detriment” of oneself. Thanks Jonathan for asking this. And thank you Mayim for the knowledge you gave us. And the tip here. I’m still trying and learning. Looking for “my basket”! May I ask you to do a full episode about how to cope with too much sensitivity in empathetic persons with some proffessional in the matter? It’s a true side effect of Mental Health issues? Or a trigger to Mental Helth issues itself instead? Great episode! As always! Thank you Mayim and Jonathan! 🙏🏼

I am of the Molly Ringwall generation. This interview gave me chills!!! Thank you 🙏 so much Molly!! You were the best actress on Facts of Life. It should have been your show!!!

Glorious episode. Wow. Highlights for me: the story about getting picked last for teams. As a kid, I had a then-unknown and -undetected let neurological difference which was finally diagnosed when I was about 60 y.o. An invisible one. Among other things, I was always picked last for teams. ALWAYS. Even after the girl who was visibly divergent. For years, week after week in gym class, if we were doing a team activity. I’m pretty shocked that this is still going on. The shame never leaves you. Thanks to Jonathan for that “Feeling is believing.” That’s so awesome.

So happy Molly was strong enough to walk away from the Hollywood creep show!! I pray she gets the strength to write a book on the struggles and injustices she faced as a young female in Hollywood. Speaking out is so powerful! Showing other females they are not alone. If we stay silent the abuse will continue!

Yelling and cussing at your kids that we are having family fun is the most relatable thing I've ever heard here LOL

Her honest interpretation of the problem areas in John Hughes' work was interesting. The understanding that his depiction of the world came from the small, privileged, monied suburban bubble in which he lived, yet it resonated with people outside of that world. The reason I think it resonated with people outside of his bubble was due to those people having been told that bubble was the dream. So, it resonated on an aspirational level rather than a relational level. As if to say, "in a perfect world, I'd be on the inside of the bubble as well, therefore none of those negatives would apply to me." While it doesn't excuse some of the problematic aspects of his work, it helps to explain why those aspects were overlooked -- at the time.

Excellent interview!! Yes many children have been abused in Hollyweird but let's hope these two ladies had honest, loving parents who didn't sell out their daughters.💯

The problem I find with most people today that want to put the ideology and the woke movement and apply it to things that were made 30 and 40 years ago is the world was different. People weren't offended by everything, people weren't hypersensitive and candy asses. I watched sixteen candles last night which just brought me to this interview. The scene she's describing with the character of Jake Ryan bartering the girlfriend, not at one time did I think of that as rape. Not at one time did I think of that as sex trafficking. The movie is so light-hearted that I think you still have to keep perspective in this woke culture and understand that it was a different time. Molly Ringwald herself uses the word fag, She doesn't seem upset about that when she calls Andrew Michael Hall a homophobic slur? Ultimately you can't cancel people for what they did 30-40 years ago if society deemed it okay That's my feeling. I remember as a child my grandfather hating Asian people because he was in world war II. They attacked Pearl harbor, not many Americans liked Asian people. Is that okay no but at the time was it understandable and acceptable Yes. Too many people want to change the past because it doesn't conform to what they believe today or they want to just erase it but it's there to educate us and to remind us where we've been and where we need to be. I think inclusion is great I think progress is wonderful but Molly ringwald slamming sixteen candles as a way to save face seems very hypocritical and makes me like her less.

Molly Ringwald is one of my favourite actresses. She is fantastic and she’s very worldly

Omg! That having a child pick there team brought back a flood of memories. I was like the last 2 standing there and it felt so embarrassing

Awwwwww, Molly looks so wonderful! So beautiful and I recognized her voice! Thank you Mayim for the "show"! And Mayim, you are such the coolest, most wonderful inspiration to women, especially young people. I love YOU!

Good episode. I'm 43 and my son started Kindergarten this year, he is on the spectrum and has an IEP. One of the central points for his IEP is delayed speech, he knows all these words/letters/numbers but he's just not vocal about it. It was surprising to me that each kid uses and gets sent home with a school iPad, with various activities and such on it. In addition he has a separate ipad for speech assistance, with words and such on it to help him communicate. So now he has two ipads from school, and the family ipad. Technology definitely is integrating more into society. It's definitely something we will be looking at moving forward as he gets older to more readily restrict electronic device usage at certain times. What I have noticed is that the devices are just another toy/piece of equipment to him; I mean he will be watching a video/playing a game on the ipad then stop and go play with blocks, or fan out cards from the periodic table of elements set or magnets of the solar system. The technology isn't the be all and end all of his time, it's just there. Hopefully that makes sense.

so excited for this! Molly Ringwald is such an interesting person.

Molly is the best! I never had a female or male role model. So listening to Molly and remembering what of an amazing actor she is really encourages never to give up on acting. Thank you Molly for demonstrating everything it makes a huge difference. Keep being you. Don't change anything! You're amazing!

I've been meditating while listening to Sanskrit rhythmic chanting for years. My favorite is Deva Premal and her partner Miten. Its very soothing. Search on RU-vid for gayatri mantra around the world. She is chanting the gayatri mantra in locations all around the world. You can see she's in her own present and is not bothered by any commotion around her.

When I was 16, back in the 80's, I did some hair modelling. The stylist that I was working for asked me if I could come into the salon on the Sunday, when it was closed, to do some practice work. I arrive at the salon and I notice that he's acting a little odd... and then he asks me to go around to the color area of the salon and get myself a seat. I walk around the corner and Molly Ringwald is sitting there getting her hair coloured !!!!! Let me just say that I was a HUGE fan of Molly. Like, big time. I LOVED her movies. I could recite the Breakfast Club by heart. And did. And she's sitting right there! The stylist I was modelling for KNEW I was a big fan and he wanted to surprise me. He certainly did! She was in town filming a movie and needed to match a hairpiece that she wore in the film. At one point, she asked me if I had any makeup with me as she came there without any on and needed a little bit... I handed her what little I had with me... thinking.. holy hell, Molly freaking Ringwald is using my makeup??! LOL! It was so surreal for me. She was so sweet and normal and there was zero pretence, no ego. It was such an awesome surprise that I will never forget. :)

She seems so well adjusted! Love your show! Molly is a treasure, so glad she is doing so well. I was 20 when breakfast club came out so I remember her other movies and how big she was in the 80's.

First time of caught your podcast and you spoke directly to my soul! It is wonderful to hear how a fellow empath manages the constant barrage of emotions from everyone around you. I’ve had a vast respect for you for many years - now, beautiful Mayim, you’re a hero to me. Truly a rare and shining example of a talented actress who didn’t let Hollywood destroy the beauty within you!

This is a great podcast. I was an aspiring, or hopeful, professional child. Being in French Canada, there wasn't too much I could do to foster this. Listening to Mayim and Molly makes me grateful that my parents shut it down. I teach Theater now at a big university, and I guess the little bits of work I did when younger balances life out :) Thanks for great insights!

I love Molly Ringwald so much! Learned a lot from this. Thank you!

I was a child musician starting piano at 4. Alot of this resonated with my experience of being on the stage in the spotlight. I am still trying to process alot of my experiences ...thank you for your breakdown.

Thanks so much to Molly and Mayim for sharing! Thanks also for all of the great TV & movies you've given us. Also, thanks for making "different" feel real and even cool! Inspiring!

This is so good! We all deal with hard life issues growing up. It is so important to learn resilience and the only way I know to become resilient is to be in situations that require it.

This Molly Episode was SO impressive to me. I found THIS one hit all my favorite characteristics you possess. Love genuine talk!

I found this conversation fascinating. The discussion surrounding therapy really resonated with me as I too had a therapist that I connected with and can hear some of the things that I learned 30 years ago still impact me today. I admire and look up to both you and Molly (even though I am a few years older than Molly and ten older than you). Her movies are timeless and yes, I even found Blossom entertaining when I was able to watch it.

We raised our kids to be as different as they arre. I cannot understand parents saying how different life is for kids now. I am HAPPY they are living a more honest life.

Hi Mayim! After you mentioned Juliette Lewis and seeing her recent show yellow jackets where she’s fresh out of rehab- I planted seeds on her FB & insta to go on your show😜🤘🏼 (who knows if she’ll ever see it, but worth a shot) Would love to see you interview her!!

I just love this podcast! I could listen to it all day everyday.

Love your show and interviews, Mayim! Thank you. ☺️

Molly is an OG...OOOG She is amazing and to this day when I see a movie that she is in I make a point to watch it. She will always be an American ICON

Molly Ringwald was everything to me in the 80’s. As a young red headed gay boy I saw her as beautiful, strong, charismatic and simply amazing. She made being a redhead something special. Her feeling of otherness was something I could relate to. Thank you Molly, you did more for a variety of people than you’ll ever know.

May very well be my favorite episode 💚 Thank you for sharing, and thank you for helping me feel less alien on this crazy planet

I did extra work on Townies. Jenna Elfman and Lauren Graham were (wannabe) divas. Molly Ringwald was cool. The producers announced the show was cancelled. Lauren Graham said, "How am I going to make my BMW payment?" I had some good conversations with Conchata Ferrell on that show.

Mayim Bialik you are so awesome. Thank you for creating the Breakdown.

This episode is so good and really spoke to the issue and mystery of resilience. Having it, building it and how vital it is in determining the course of your life . The increase in suicide, particularly in young people , is the tragic example of what happens when you don’t have it. Great interview, Mayim …

I had panic attacks when I was in college. Once I was riding the train home and freaked out so much I had to get off the train in a weird part of town and wait there for the next one to come.

The end of this installment provided me with an unanticipated Lightbulb Moment! Johnathan and Mayim's answer to the question from Robin P. described something I've been experiencing and only now do I understand what's been happening for me - feeling overwhelmed by another person's energy as Too Much which upsets me so that I want to disengage. Seriously, I just thought the other person was too loud and annoying (even though I love them). Now I might be able to mitigate the issue by visualizing The Bowl or something bigger like A Moat, a holding space in between! I'll need to give this method a try, because...if I can get it to work, WOW that would help So Much!

For the record both of you ladies deserve nothing but the best.

Love Molly! So proud of your success in growing up, being grounded and so real. Love you even more after this interview! 🥰

I’m a software engineer and part time actress. I have worked on huge games (horizon zero dawn is one of my prides) and was on an Emmy award winning tv show (hit record on tv directed by Joseph Gordon levitt) but the notion of getting up on stage in front of a huge crowd and having it be a shield and feeling safety on stage lives within me. I love being a programmer especially for games but… if I had the chance to be a full time actress and have that be a stable job (ironically game development is just as tumultuous) I’d do it in a heartbeat. I love developing games but my heart lives on stage.

I like the example Jonathan gave of the bowl between two people. I’ve found myself overwhelmed by others’ hurts and sadness.

What a lovely daughter you have Molly - what a great story. The gift of sitting with your child and acknowledging there discomfort.

Felt like I was hanging out with these 2 women from my past, the good times. Loved it!🌼💚 I understand the empath thing. I have to stop sms ask myself if it's something I need to do, want to do, the other wants me to do, or something I shouldn't be doing, to figure out why I am about to do it or if I need to back off from it. 🙂

I'll always be a huge fan! I will still watch those movies a million times. So cool she has all those achievements other than those movies. She's amazing person

Wow. Unexpected source for great parenting advice but so appreciated. Thanks to you both for a great discussion.

I got compared to Molly constantly when I was a teenager in the 80’s and 90’s. My mom had me in community theater from a very young age, and she only WISHED I was Molly or you. 🙃 I’m so glad we never moved to California, because I was so shy and got my feelings hurt so often. Now I’m tripping because I didn’t know Molly had three teenagers or twins. I have an older teen and 13yr old twins. That’s kinda Rad.

It’s funny Molly felt so viscerally about the story Mayim told about having to dance during an audition, because it’s not like Molly couldn’t dance in her young acting career. Anyone who has seen The Breakfast Club knows Molly could dance.

Hey mayam just wanna say your videos make my day

I love your podcasts Mayim. You are a terrific interviewer who really drives at the heart of your guests.

I graduated HS in 1983, and really enjoyed her movies! Especially Breakfast Club! We could all relate! ♥️

I totally love to meditate as I garden but living in BC Canada it is so hard when there are only 100 days growing season! Love seeing Molly Ringwald! Thank you Mayim and Jonathan for bringing all this information to us.

Redhead and freckles. Both attributes are fantastic. Together, they're out of this world.

Yay! Another video just for us!

My favorite movie with Molly Ringwald is the breakfast club i didn't know she was going through all this anxiety while she was a teenager

Yes! I just got on the bus for a 1.5 hour drive and will listen to this. Yeeessss

So, as I was born at the ass end of the 60's I was a child and preteen of the 1970's and, a Teenager of the 1980's! I LOVED MY CHILDHOOD AND TEEN YEARS! I grew up in Denver, Colorado. One of my high school classmates is Joy Ann Reid who currently has her own show on MSNBC "The Reidout" Mon-Fri. I first noticed Molly Ringwald on "The Facts of Life" where I developed a crush on Kim Fields (Whom I would later learn she and I share the same birthday and to this day I believe she's my soulmate I never met) I couldn't believe how they just all of a sudden got rid of all the girls on that show. I found it hard to watch after that. Pretty in Pink was by far my favorite Molly movie! It was great. I'm a huge Jon Cryer fan! He killed it in molly's friends record shop! LOL!

Thanks for having molly on I loved her in the breakfast club and in pretty in pink 🤗😃💝

Yay! What a fantastic surprise to see Molly Ringwald! Great episode.

This was such a great interview! I was born in 1974 and 16 Candles was also my favorite movie in 8th grade. I did see the article and thought about what messages my 12 year old self received via the movie, especially the Caroline story.

The story of the auditions for commercials is still so relevant. Those audition directions are so awkward. Thank you for sharing.

Brilliant 🤩 episode Mayim you are amazing your podcast is growing and it’s the best show I love it , keep them coming love u 😘 xxx

This flew by for me, totally engaged from start to finish - could also relate to the post-interview chat very specifically. Thanks for this! Now off to IG to Follow you!

Thank you Molly for all you did. You’re amazing. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Yes I grew up during the " Children should be seen and not heard Era " However when I was 18 I made the conscious decision that my past will not decide my future and you'd never see me on Oprah bitching about my parents . I took my emotional well being Into to my own hands and forgave my parents . Forgiveness is the most Liberating thing you can do

You're great. Thanks for all the quality content :)

Oh and you are amazing ms Bialik. You are a bit younger than me, but I admire you greatly. What a terrific service you are doing on your great show.

I love Molly Ringwald. So nice to see and hear from her.

Mayim I myself was a nerdy geek back in high school when I was a teen back in the 80s I myself am 52 and Im still a nerdy geek but Im so happy that your there for me Mayim Im glad that for eight years Ive facebooked you i feel your my soul mate for the longest time youve always been in my life and i never knew it thank you Mayim i love you and you and miles and Fred take care and stay mentally healthy and I will watch Jeopardy and the second season of Call me Kat and watch your pod cast next Tuesday and ill catch up with you on facebook everyday like I have been for the last eight years bless you Mayim I love you so much your my heart and soul

Yes! Gardening is a wonderful form of meditation.

I really enjoyed this Breakdown with Molly. Thank You for creating a healthy way to spend time on my phone. Which I Never carry with me. Ahh the freedom.

Good for her sending her and family some love from the southwest.

Thank you very much for your show today I find that this is very informative and I relate to a lot of it and I'm glad you're doing it and God bless

Molly is awesome in everything she has ever been in. I have enjoyed her movies time and time again. Thank you for everything you have ever given and will give us in the entertainment industry. 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹💖💖💖💖💖💖

So glad I found this ❤️ Feel like these two women are childhood friends 🥰💕