Trendsetter: Mayim Bialik

"Much as I feel that the green bar has been lowered, there's still a way to go in terms of tolerance and understanding."
--Mayim Bialik

You may remember her as Blossom from that eponymous sitcom. But since the series ended in 1995, Mayim Bialik, now 33, has truly blossomed. She's earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA, married her college sweetheart, taken on more acting roles, and had two sons. She's the celebrity spokesperson for the nonprofit Holistic Moms Network, which promotes mothering practices she'd already espoused: a vegetarian diet, Waldorf-inspired education, a mostly media-free environment, bed sharing, slings instead of strollers, and homemade hygiene products. When Sierra interviewed her by phone, it was over happy background noises made by kids and cats.

Q: Many child actors succumb to materialism. Why not you?

A: I come from a very poor background. My grandparents were immigrants from eastern Europe, so I always identified with a modest lifestyle.

Q: Cloth or disposable diapers?

A: Cloth when we're out. At home we use "elimination communication," which is common in many parts of the world. When I first learned about it, I thought it was the craziest thing. It's a diaper-free movement that's based on the fact that children give signals. It's a really profound level of communicating. It's not for everyone, that's for sure. You need to be with your child all the time to learn the signals. Our second son was dry by 11 months.

Q: Many think this type of parenting is reserved for the privileged. Is it?

A: Most holistic parents are stay-at-home moms and not by any means living a life of luxury. It comes down to what you feel is important. I know people all over this country who'd rather live in a less expensive house and work at home in order to be their child's primary caregiver.