Proxy with Yowei Shaw
Episodes
Caitlin Lost Her Voice
21 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The case of Caitlin Myer, a writer who relied on her internal narrator, until one day it disappeared. From the episode: Read Caitlin Myer's memoir ...
Yowei Used to Hide Her Husband (from Love Letters)
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
New season starts April 21.In the meantime, here’s a story about a time Yowei found having a boyfriend… embarrassing. Not because of him—because...
Presenting: Sisters (with No One Should Believe Me)
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When Andrea Dunlop's sister was investigated for Munchausen by proxy abuse, it tore apart her family. In this episode of No One Should Believe Me, And...
Live Proxy: Ben Doesn't Know His Neighbors (March 31, 1pm ET)
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ben's neighbors are right there. So... why is it so hard to actually know them?We're tackling that question live—by finding him a proxy who's figure...
Presenting: P.E. Moskowitz on Whether Your Mind is Broken or the World Is (with Depresh Mode)
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The new season of Proxy returns in mid-April. In the meantime, we're sharing something we loved, an episode from the podcast Depresh Mode digging into...
Presenting: The Staircase (with The Longest Shortest Time)
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
New episodes of Proxy return in April. In the meantime, we're sharing something we love — an episode from The Longest Shortest Time that digs into a...
Presenting: Babies Not Having Babies (with The Dream)
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week, while Proxy is busy investigating new cases, we're sharing something we loved. One of our favorite episodes from The Dream, a show about th...
A Niche Conundrum Called Capitalism
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Proxy will be back soon with new cases. In the meantime, we're sharing an investigation into arguably the most consequential social force shaping life...
Is Manifesting Legit? Plus, Our First Proxy Processing Session
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re sharing something we loved and found useful, just in time for the new year. A rigorous look by the show Science Vs into whether ther...
Nicole Can't Stop Being Aggro
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nicole is an organizer who's good at channeling her anger. The problem is she can't always downshift. From the episode: Learn more about Deborah Go...
Proxy x Heavyweight
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we're presenting an episode of one of our favorite podcasts. Heavyweight, hosted by Jonathan Goldstein, creates space for difficult conver...
Bob and the Forgiveness Spell
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Erin wants to forgive the person she's holding a grudge against, but doesn't know how. Is it possible to just disappear resentment?From the episode: ...
A Halloween Campaign Voice Memo (Last Day To Sign Up!)
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Yowei and bedraggled podcast spouse Kyle broadcast (sorta) live from their car about where the campaign is at. Today Oct. 31st is the last day of our...
Yaroslava Can't Go Home
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Yaroslava’s town in Ukraine was taken by Russians. She's now safe in the US. But how do you make a new life when you feel guilty about not being hom...
How This Introvert Ally Gets Along with Introverts (Plus Campaign Update)
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How close are we to getting to 1000 paying Patreon members so we can cover the costs of making a year two?!Plus, a conversation with introvert ally (a...
The First Ever Extrovert-Introvert Cage Match
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A historic step in extrovert-introvert relations i.e. a proxy bloodbath roundtable with 2 extroverts and 2 introverts airing our grievances about each...
An Estrangement Mystery
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At the heart of many family estrangements lies a mystery. Adult kids insist they’ve told their parents why they’re walking away, while parents say...
JC's Kids Won't Talk To Her
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The case of the mom who doesn’t understand, and the daughter who’s done explaining.From the episode: Learn more about Chess Dugas, subscribe to...
Alex and the Impossible Ask
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex used to host a huge podcast (Reply All). He now makes a new independent show called Hyperfixed. He loves making it. Only problem is, Alex now has...
Sandy and the Silence
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
How to Cope with Now
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 wha...
Proxy Conversations with Sexual Offenders?
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A conversation with Dr. Alissa Ackerman about her restorative justice work on the frontlines of Me Too, using proxy-like conversations. This is a Pat...
Zakiya Used to Be So Fun
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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_s...
How to Break Out of 'Narrative Autopilot' [TEASER]
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Amanda and the Nonstop Narrator
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 Aman...
Decoding the Feelings of People with Alzheimer's [TEASER]
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 appro...
Brian Can't Stop Fact-checking His Mother-In-Law
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 l...
Is It Time To Break Up the Band?
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Aparna and the Self-Loathing Introvert
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ho...
Mic Chooses the Wrong Life
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 l...
Bisexual Wife Guy
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 l...
The Utility of Self-Delusion (and Big Show Update)
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 f...
The Group That Gets It
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Is there anything we can actually do about polarization?
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 shoul...
So many tears but what do they say?
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Did we make our goal???
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Mechanics and Magic of Ritual
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 explainin...
Psychodrama: The 2nd Oldest Psychotherapy You've Never Heard Of, But Have Definitely Tried
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Part 3 of Yowei's extremely meta quest to solve the mystery of proxy conversations. In this episode, Yowei learns about psychodrama, a psychotherapy t...
Connor Ratliff's Dead Eyes
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 w...
The Incredible Healing Powers of Vicarious Restorative Justice
24 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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? Part 1 of ...
Exploding the Myth of Meritocracy with Ofer Sharone [TEASER]
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Layoff Trilogy 3: HR by Proxy
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 p...
The Layoff Trilogy 2: Danger Day
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Please note: This story contains brief mention of suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the 988 Suicide &a...
The Layoff Trilogy 1: Layoff Girl
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Welcome to Proxy
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the knot you can’t untangle - a problem so unique, it makes you feel alone. But what if you could talk to someone who’s been through the ex...