Proxy with Yowei Shaw

Kyle Thinks MAGA Supporters Are Stupid

Georgia Is Terrified of the Titanic

Specific phobias often stem from complex, sometimes untraceable, associations between physical sensations and external stimuli. Georgia Hampton’s visceral terror of the Titanic wreck—which she experiences as a confrontation with a mutilated corpse—highlights how modern media consumption can inadvertently reinforce irra...

Yowei Cares Too Much

Balancing deep professional commitment with the need to avoid self-sabotage requires shifting focus from external outcomes to the process itself. Yowei Shaw explores this tension with journalist Jay Caspian Kang, whose "low investment" persona—characterized by a relaxed, seemingly detached demeanor—serves as a counterp...

Ellie and the Other Woman

Infidelity often casts clear villains and victims, yet the reality for those involved in affairs is far more nuanced and marked by enduring shame. Ellie, who began a relationship with her married boss during the pandemic, struggles with the stigma of being "the other woman" even years after the affair led to a stable, ...

Ryan Jay Keeps Falling For His Friends

Men often struggle with romanticizing platonic friendships due to a lack of diverse emotional outlets, leading to a recurring, painful pattern of falling for female friends. This dynamic stems from societal conditioning that encourages men to treat romantic partners as their sole emotional sanctuary. Shifting from an i...

Chloe Is Starting to Drink Too Much

Chloe, a 22-year-old Australian healthcare student, grapples with a mounting alcohol dependency while fearing that seeking professional help could trigger mandatory reporting laws and jeopardize her medical career. Her daily consumption of nearly a bottle of wine functions as a habitual "wind down" mechanism, yet she l...

State of the Show: Comcast Says We're Gonna Make It

The podcast Proxy is navigating the challenges of indie production as it enters its third year. Despite a 50% growth in audience size over the spring, membership numbers have stagnated at 869, necessitating a strategic shift to ensure financial sustainability. To reach a goal of 1,500 paid members, the show is increasi...

Carrie Doesn't Know If She Can Afford a Baby (This Is Uncomfortable)

Carrie and Natalia struggle to reconcile their conflicting approaches to financial readiness for parenthood. While Carrie, the primary earner, is haunted by childhood poverty and insists on a $115,000 annual income threshold to ensure security, Natalia prioritizes emotional connection and family support over specific m...

How to Stop Your Inner Voice From Spiraling (A Slight Change of Plans)

Chatter—the repetitive, negative inner monologue—often traps individuals in unproductive thought loops that consume attention, impair performance, and exacerbate chronic stress. Successfully managing this mental state requires shifting from emotional immersion to cognitive distancing. Techniques such as using the "univ...

Heather Knows What Happens After You Die (What's It Like To Be... with Dan Heath)

Funeral directing functions as a complex intersection of event planning, logistical management, and emotional support for grieving families. Heather Hill, a funeral director in Raleigh, North Carolina, navigates the demanding nature of this profession, which requires everything from coordinating military honors and sty...

Kaitlin Lost Her Ambition (The Heart)

Kaitlin Prest navigates an existential shift, moving away from traditional professional ambition toward a simpler, more humble creative practice. Living with her parents in suburban Ontario, she explores the intersection of art and the divine, finding beauty in everyday observations and soundscapes. Central to this tra...

Taelor Doesn't Want to Have Sex

Asexual individuals frequently face intense societal pressure to conform to allosexual norms, often resulting in coerced sexual experiences and profound emotional distress. Taelor, a 29-year-old asexual woman, struggles to maintain romantic relationships while upholding her boundaries against partners who perceive her ...

Sam Doesn't Know How to Be Rich

Sudden wealth creates a profound identity crisis for those holding progressive values, as the transition from middle-class life to the 1% often triggers feelings of guilt, isolation, and moral discomfort. Sam, a tech entrepreneur who recently sold his company, grapples with the fear that his newfound financial status w...

Alex's Husband Is Too Straight

Navigating a romantic relationship during a gender transition often triggers profound insecurities regarding partner attraction and the validity of one's identity. Alex, a non-binary person assigned female at birth, struggles with the fear that their husband’s self-identification as straight implies a lack of genuine r...

Yowei Can't Speak Bro

Navigating the communication divide between emotional, detail-oriented conversation and "bro speak" requires understanding the underlying social mechanics of male intimacy. Sociologist Scott Kiesling identifies this friction as "complementary schismogenesis," where opposing attempts to bridge a conversational gap inadv...

Jane Doesn't Like Her Dogs

The struggle to maintain an emotional bond with companion animals often stems from compassion fatigue, a condition characterized by physical, mental, and emotional depletion. For dedicated caregivers, constant exposure to animal suffering and the pressure of high-stakes decision-making can trigger a survival-based "fig...

Caitlin Lost Her Voice

The loss of creative identity and the search for purpose following life-altering health crises take center stage through the experiences of writer Caitlin Myer and musician Greta Morgan. After a concussion silenced Myer’s internal narrator and COVID-19 decimated Morgan’s singing voice, both artists faced the "dissoluti...

Yowei Used to Hide Her Husband (from Love Letters)

The podcast explores the theme of embracing one's identity and overcoming embarrassment in relationships. Yowei Shaw recounts her journey of coming to terms with her queerness while in a relationship with her husband, Kyle. This led to her "hiding" Kyle from her new queer friends, driven by a desire to fit in and a fea...

Presenting: Sisters (with No One Should Believe Me)

Live Proxy: Ben Doesn't Know His Neighbors (March 31, 1pm ET)