Proxy with Yowei Shaw

Ever since the election, Sandy Ernest Allen has been clocking a strange silence from cis people about trans rights. So Sandy reached into the void to hear what the silence had to say.

From the episode: 

• Learn more about Sandy Ernest Allen and his work
• Sandy's newsletter What's Helping Today
• For suggestions on how to support trans people, read"To Cis People Who Feel Despair"
• Follow Sandy on Bluesky @sandyernestalle...

Anya Kamenetz was having trouble coping with the state of the world. So she decided to report on those feelings. In this conversation, Anya shares what she learned from talking to scientists, activists, and thinkers about our collective emotions - why we feel the things we do, the limits of those feelings, and how to move through them to take action. 

From the episode: 

• Learn more about Anya Kamenetz and her work
• Re...

Is it just us, or does American culture have narcissism fever? Are we becoming more narcissistic? Or are we now over-using and misusing this term to the point of meaninglessness? Wait, is obsessing about other people's narcissism its own kind of narcissism? 

In this Magical Overthinkers episode, host Amanda Montell settles in for an illuminating chat with psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula, author of the New York Tim...

A conversation with Dr. Alissa Ackerman about her restorative justice work on the frontlines of Me Too, using proxy-like conversations. 

This is a Patreon exclusive bonus episode we're releasing on the main feed. If you want to hear more conversations like this, consider joining our Patreon. 

From the episode: 

• Learn more about Dr. Alissa Ackerman and her organization Ampersands Restorative Justice
• Read Alissa's...

We'll be back with a new episode in two weeks. In the meantime, enjoy this episode from our friends at Science of Happiness. 

When we’re deep in burnout, even the simplest decisions can feel overwhelming.  A conversation about slowing down, listening inward, and what it takes to rebuild trust in your inner knowing on the other side of exhaustion. 

From the episode:

• Follow Science of Happiness on Instagram @scienc...

The case of the people person who fell out of love with people. 

From the episode: 

• Learn more about Zakiya Gibbons
• Follow Zakiya on Instagram @zak_sauce
• Learn more about Dr. William Chopik and his research
• Follow Bill on Bluesky @Chops310 or X @Chops310

To hear Zakiya get more help on her conundrum and learn about the science of intuition, check out her Science of Happiness podcast episode coming this Th...

Yowei doesn't have an internal narrator telling stories about her life - at least a voice she can hear in her head. She talks to psychology professor Jonathan Adler about what this means and what anyone can do to strengthen their self-narrator, if they wanted to. 

To listen to the full bonus episode, sign up to become a Patreon member starting at $5 per month. You’ll get ad-free episodes, monthly exclusive bonus intervi...

The case of Amanda, a writer whose internal monologue won't stop narrating her life, instead of just letting her live it.

From the episode: 

• Read Amanda Montell's books The Age of Magical Overthinking, Cultish, and Wordslut
• Listen to Amanda's podcasts Magical Overthinkers and Sounds Like a Cult
• Follow Amanda on Instagram @amanda_montell
• Learn more about Jonathan Adler's work
• Follow Jonathan on X @JonathanMAdler,...

When someone with Alzheimer's gets upset about something that isn't actually happening, it can be easy to dismiss their feelings. But what if we approached those feelings not as problems to get rid of, but mysteries to solve? 

In this bonus episode, psychologist Claudia Drossel unpacks the feelings of people with Alzheimer's and how to decode them to use as a guide to give better care.

To listen to the full bonus epi...

The case of Brian, a journalist whose mother-in-law has Alzheimer's. Even though Brian knows she can’t help misremembering things, he can’t stop losing his patience with her, and with himself. 

From the episode: 

• Listen to Brian Reed's podcast Question Everything
• Follow Brian on Instagram @brihreed and X @BriHReed
• Caregiving resources from Claudia Drossel

Proxy is an independent podcast and we rely on lis...

The case of Evan and Chris, best friends who love playing music together. But after the band suffers a terrible tragedy, they find themselves unable to regain their momentum. We pair them up with another musician who’s all too familiar with the neverending drama that comes with being in a band with friends. 

From the episode: 

• Listen to The Superweaks and the single "Blindside" from their new record
• The Superweaks ...

For a long time, Yowei saw her introversion as a character flaw to fix. She gets advice from comedian (and fellow introvert) Aparna Nancherla about how to stop wishing for personality puberty to hit.

From the episode: 

• Read Aparna's book Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Imposter Syndrome
• Learn more about Aparna
• Follow her on Instagram @aparnapkin
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talk...

The case of Mic, who feels like he defied his fate and now has no purpose in life. We find someone uniquely able to help him break out of his regret loop. 

From the episode: 

• Follow Mic Nguyen on Instagram @nicepantsbro and subscribe to his podcast Asian Not Asian
• Read Amy Summerville's paper, one of the most cited articles on regret

Proxy is an independent podcast and we rely on listeners. To support emot...

The case of George, the bisexual wife guy who got dumped. In this episode, we find a proxy to stand in for a listener's ex - another queer woman who left her straight relationship. 

From the episode: 

• Listen to Hanna’s podcasts Radio Atlantic and Chutzpod!
• Follow her on X @hannarosin and Instagram @hannarosin
• Our Path, a listener-recommended support group for for straight partners of LGBTQ+ folks

Proxy is an...

Yowei shares exciting show news and goes on a self-delusion bender with the team at Proxy HQ. Is she being delusional? Or is delusion just necessary for starting any new project?

From the episode: 

• Useful Delusions: The Power & Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain, by Shankar Vedantam
• Radiotopia from PRX

Proxy is an independent podcast and we rely on listeners. To support emotional investigative journal...

The story of someone who suffered alone in secret for 8 years with a problem he was too afraid to Google -  and then he stumbled into a support group. In this episode, we dive into the emotional dynamics of support groups with Jason Yu. Why did support groups help him, when nothing else did?

From the episode: 

• Listen to Jason Yu's podcast Fidget
• Follow Fidget on Instagram @fidgetpodcast
• The TLC Foundation, an organi...

Whoever wins the election, Americans will still want to rip each other's heads off. Social psychologist Jay Van Bavel helps us understand why we should care about polarization, how we got here, and what, if anything, we can do about it. 

From the episode: 

• Jay Van Bavel's book The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony
• The paper on politi...

We all know that moment - when you feel like you need to cry in front of other people, but don't want to cry. In this episode, Yowei talks to Heather Christle, the author of The Crying Book, to parse what’s happening in that moment, what tears are saying and how we should respond to them. 

From the episode:

• Heather Christle's The Crying Book
• Heather's new book In the Rhododendrums: A Memoir with Appearances by Virgini...

Finally, a campaign reveal. Did we get additional funding to hire Kim for more hours? Plus, some updates for what’s in store for Proxy. 

Proxy is an independent podcast and we rely on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon. You’ll get ad-free episodes and exclusive bonus interviews.

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