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 Read Anya's newsletter The Golden Hour Listen to We Are the Great Turning, a podcast Anya produced with eco-spiritual teacher Joanna Macy about love, courage, and connection in the climate crisis 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 access to our free newsletter, ad-free episodes and exclusive bonus interviews, like this extended conversation with Anya Kamenetz. Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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 Times bestseller "It's Not You."  From the episode:  Subscribe to the Magical Overthinkers podcast Follow Amanda Montell on Instagram @amanda_montell Follow Dr. Ramani Durvasula on Instagram @doctorramani and read her New York Times best seller "It's Not You" Join the "Magical Overthinkers Club" by following the pod on Instagram ⁠@magicaloverthinkers To access early, ad-free episodes and more, subscribe to the Magical Overthinkers ⁠Substack⁠ Pick up a hard copy of Amanda's book ⁠The Age of Magical Overthinking⁠, or listen to the ⁠audiobook⁠

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 book Healing from Sexual Violence: The Case for Vicarious Restorative Justice Sign up for our free newsletter Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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 @scienceofhappinesspod Subscribe to the podcast: https://pod.link/1340505607 Learn more about Zakiya Gibbons Follow Zakiya on Instagram @zak_sauce

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 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. Sign up for our free newsletter Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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 interviews, and other goodies. From the episode:  Learn more about Jonathan Adler's work Follow Jonathan on X @JonathanMAdler, Bluesky @jadler.bsky.social, and LinkedIn Sign up for our free newsletter Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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, Bluesky @jadler.bsky.social, and LinkedIn 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. Sign up for our free newsletter Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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 episode, sign up to become a Patreon member. You’ll get ad-free episodes, monthly exclusive bonus interviews, and other goodies. From the episode:  Learn more about Claudia Drossel's work at Eastern Michigan University Caregiving resources from Claudia Sign up for our free newsletter.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

The case of Brian, a journalist whose mother-in-law has Alzheimers. 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 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. Sign up for our free newsletter.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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 Superweekly Supercast episode where Yowei stumbles into the case Follow them on Instagram @thesuperweaks Read Ryan Dusick's memoir Harder to Breathe: A Memoir of Making Maroon, Losing It All, and Finding Recovery Learn more about Ryan and follow him on Instagram @ryan_michael_dusick Listen to The Harder To Breathe Podcast  The Music Industry Therapist Collective 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. Sign up for our free newsletter.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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 Upcoming shows: Amphibian Theater in Fort Worth, TX on May 22-23 and French Broad River Brewery in Asheville, NC on June 14 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. Sign up for our free newsletter.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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: https://pod.link/1356303465 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 emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get ad-free episodes and exclusive bonus interviews. Sign up for our free newsletter: proxypodcast.substack.com Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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 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. Sign up for our free newsletter.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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: www.hiddenbrain.org/books Radiotopia from PRX: www.radiotopia.fm Episode credits:  Produced by Yowei Shaw Edited by John DeLore Mixed by Kyle Pulley   To help this independent show exist, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive monthly bonus episodes.   Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw   Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

Conspiracy theories have been gaining traction all the way to the highest seats of power. So, are there emotional dynamics at play that we could understand to be able to do something about it?  Last year, Zach Mack’s dad sent him a strange email, asking to bet $10,000 to settle once and for all who was correct and who was the brainwashed one.   From NPR’s Embedded podcast, this is episode 2 of the Alternate Realities series: Down the Rabbit Hole.    From the episode:  Listen to the rest of the Alternate Realities series from NPR's Embedded Follow Zach Mack's work 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. Sign up for our free newsletter.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

For as long as she can remember, Nichole Hill has had a complicated relationship with Black history. Then in 2020, she stumbled on a digital archive of pre Civil Rights era Black newspapers and got obsessed with the scandalous stories she found. Our Ancestors Were Messy is her new podcast that explores Black history through the lens of gossip and drama. In this episode, Nichole tells the story of a Victorian era love triangle that rocked the elites of DC.    From the episode:  Listen to Our Ancestors Were Messy Support the show by becoming a member Learn more about Nichole and follow her on Instagram @nicholewthanh 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. Sign up for our free newsletter.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

Basket Case is a new show about mental health. In this episode, host Nicole Kelly (NK) takes on perfectionism, an issue that Yowei has personally struggled with. Plus, some breaking news about Proxy.   From the episode:  Basket Case is a show from Molten Heart and iHeart Podcasts, created and executive produced by Jasmine (JT) Green, and hosted by Nicole Kelly (NK) Listen to Basket Case podcast Learn more about NK 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. Sign up for our free newsletter.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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:  Listen to Little Devils Support the show Follow @littledevilsshow and @jasminbauomy on Instagram and BlueSky 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. Sign up for our free newsletter.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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:  Fidget Podcast - Jason Yu's support group in podcast form for people who compulsively pick their skin, pull their hair, bite their nails Follow the Fidget Podcast on Instagram The TLC Foundation - an organization for body-focused repetitive behaviors The Art of Gathering and How We Show Up: Jason’s book recs for learning how to build community and gather   Episode credits:  Produced by Yowei Shaw Edited by John DeLore Mixed by Kyle Pulley   To help this independent show exist, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get access to our newsletter and exclusive monthly bonus episodes.   This month, Yowei talks to Jason about the lessons from support groups that he's applied to other parts of his life.    Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw   Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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 Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony: https://www.powerofus.online/ The paper on political sectarianism Jay co-wrote:  https://www.jayvanbavel.com/_files/ugd/9c6579_b289e58eb65b461aa67c03f4cc5d4804.pdf Follow Jay on X and Instagram: @jayvanbavel   Episode credits: Produced by Yowei Shaw, with help from Anakaren Santana Edited by Tim Howard Mixed by Kyle Pulley   Proxy is a completely independent production. To support the show and get exclusive bonus episodes and our newsletter, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast.    Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw   Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts! That stuff matters apparently.