Proxy with Yowei Shaw
In life, sometimes we have a unique experience that leaves us with big emotional questions. And sometimes, there’s no one around us who can answer our questions. Each episode, host Yowei Shaw (formerly of NPR's Invisibilia) connects a guest with the “proxies” they need - experts and strangers with shared experience. Not an advice show and definitely not therapy, Proxy offers something different: a space for people to confront, commiserate and even find the comedy (or cringe) through frank conversation. Proxy is a completely independent production. To support the show and get exclusive bonus episodes and other goodies, go to patreon.com/proxypodcast. Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw
Episodes
When Yowei heard about the new podcast Little Devils, she was like: finally, someone being honest about a thing we all do. On Little Devils, Jasmin Bauomy interrogates the snap judgments she makes of other people, to find the story behind that annoying thing they do.
In this episode, we share a story from Little Devils and we toast 2024 with a year-end recap.
From the episode:
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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:
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Fidget Podcast - Jason Yu's support group in podcast form for people who compulsively pic...
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 is a social psychologist at New York University and the author of The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperat...
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 is a poet and professor at Emory University. She has a new book coming out in March called In the R...
Recently, Yowei noticed a pattern among new friends she's making. These friends all make her feel lighter, more playful, and listened to... and they all have a background in improv comedy.
Today, we're sharing an interview that gets inside the head of an improv comedian to see how they connect with other people.
This episode comes from ReThinking, a podcast wher...
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.
Episode credits:
- Produced by Yowei Shaw and Kim Nederveen Pieterse
- Mixed by Kyle Pulley
Proxy is a completely independent production. To support the show and get exclusive bonus episodes and other goodies, go to patreon.com/proxypodcast.
Other ways you can support:
- Rate and...
The final installment of Yowei's quest to solve the mystery of proxy converations.
In this episode, Yowei talks to a ritual expert and tries explaining what she's learned about proxy conversations to her mom.
From the episode:
- Michael Norton is a behavior scientist, Harvard Business School professor, and the author of The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions.
- Yowei's unh...
Part 3 of Yowei's extremely meta quest to solve the mystery of proxy conversations.
In this episode, Yowei learns about psychodrama, a psychotherapy that has similarities to proxy conversations and used to be a dominant modality in the U.S. and then died. Dr. Scott Giacomucci breaks down the mechanics of proxy conversations and tries his psychodrama techniques on Yowei.
From the episode:
Part 2 of Yowei's quest to solve the mystery of proxy conversations. Why do they work? How? Can Yowei figure out how to explain the show to people who don't get it?
Read more
Yowei has a problem. She's having trouble explaining the show to people who don't get it. She knows proxy conversations work. But why? How?
Read more
Teaser for full-length exclusive bonus episode on Patreon. An in-depth interview with UMass Amherst sociologist and professor Ofer Sharone about the stigma trap that laid off workers can fall into and how the myth of meritocracy impacts even people who don't think they believe in it. For the full bonus episode, go to patreon.com/proxypodcast.
From the episode:
With every layoff, there's the blackbox of what's really going on behind the scenes. Why did it go down the way it did? Was it really not about your performance, like they told you? How does the layoff list get made anyway?
In our inaugural proxy conversation, we connect Miles and Elliot with a proxy HR professional to answer their layoff questions.
From the episode:
- You can listen to original layoff song Gold Star on Tidal an...
Please note: This story contains brief mention of suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 9-8-8, or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.
Elliot and Miles loved working at the same company, until the spectre of layoffs came to haunt them.
From the episode:
- Ofer Sharone's book The Stigma Trap
Episode credits:
Produced by Yowei...
When Yowei Shaw got laid off from NPR, she didn't just feel bad. She was confused by how bad she felt and how long the bad lasted. So Yowei does what she usually does in a situation like this - she reported on her feelings. Then things go left.
From the episode:
- Ofer Sharone's book The Stigma Trap
Episode credits:
Produced by Yowei Shaw.
Edited by John DeLore.
Mixed by Kyle Pulley.
Research and reporting support by Kim N...
Sometimes in life, you have an emotional question that no one in your life can relate to. Maybe you’re an introvert who wants to stop feeling resentful of the extroverts in your life? Maybe you’ve survived prostate cancer and have questions around sex?
That’s where Proxy comes in. Host Yowei Shaw (formerly of NPR's Invisibilia) connects you for a frank conversation with experts and strangers who have shared experience. In other wor...
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