Proxy with Yowei Shaw

The case of the woman who's scared of a shipwreck. 
Georgia knows the Titanic can't hurt her. So why does just looking at a picture fill her with dread? And can she make the fear go away? 
We find her a proxy who has spent decades helping people overcome their most irrational fears. 
In this episode: how strange fears develop and what it actually takes to overcome a phobia. 

From the episode:
— Learn more about Georgia Hampton and her work at www.georgia-hampton.com. Follow her on Instagram @real.tony.soprano and Tiktok @ realtonysoprano
— Explore psychologist Martin Antony's free books and resources on overcoming fears, from public speaking to spiders at www.martinantony.com. 
— Want to go down a rabbit hole? Get Georgia's internet-y recommendations and links to Martin's free books on overcoming fear of everything from needles to spiders in our free newsletter File Under Feelings. Sign up at proxyhq.org — just click "Join for free."
— Join us for a spooky live edition of Bad Hang on November 5, where Yowei will confront her fear of the basement with the help of listeners. Available to paid Proxy HQ members at proxyhq.org.

New to Proxy? Try Bisexual Wife Guy for a classic case, or Jane Doesn't Like Her Dogs, another story about the gap between what you want to feel and what you actually do.  

Proxy is an independent show, supported mostly by listeners. Become a paid member at proxyhq.org to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, live Proxy hangs, and the satisfaction of keeping emotional investigative journalism alive 🍏
Follow us on Instagram — @proxypodcast @yoweishaw
Visit — proxypodcast.com
Get in touch — proxythepod@gmail.com

The case of the tryhard who wants to care less.
Yowei has a problem. She overprepares, overthinks, and worries so much about doing a good job that sometimes it makes her worse at her job. Can you care deeply about your work without being consumed by whether it succeeds?
Yowei finds a proxy who manages to do serious, thoughtful work while seemingly not caring what anyone thinks. 
In this episode: ambition, rejection, the surprising costs and benefits of caring less, and the art of low investment.

From the episode: 

Listen to Time to Say Goodbye, Jay's weekly podcast about politics, culture, fishing, surfing and some other stuff.

See the photo hanging in Yowei's recording booth and get the low-investment reading list and the photo of Jay in Yowei's recording booth in our free newsletter File Under Feelings. Sign up at proxyhq.org — just click "Join for free." 

Hear more of Jay's advice on speaking bro in a bonus episode of Bad Hang, available to paid members at proxyhq.org.

New to Proxy? Try Bisexual Wife Guy for a classic case, or Yowei Can't Speak Bro, about what happens when friends have different ways of talking and connecting. 

Follow us on Instagram — @proxypodcast @yoweishaw
Get in touch — proxythepod@gmail.com

The case of the other woman. 
Ellie never thought she’d be the other woman. Then she fell in love with a married man. 
We find Ellie a proxy: another woman who knows what it's like to fall in love with someone else's husband. 
In this episode: shame, responsibility, the messy morality of affairs, and what happens when you get the happy ending you weren't supposed to have.

New to Proxy? Try Bisexual Wife Guy for a classic case, or Alex's Husband Is Too Straight, about a nonbinary person married to a man who still identifies as straight. 

For episode liner notes, show gossip, and dispatches from the emotions beat, get our free newsletter File Under Feelings at proxyhq.org — just click "Join for free." 
Proxy is an independent show, supported mostly by listeners. Become a paid member at proxyhq.org to get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, live Proxy hangs, and the satisfaction of keeping emotional investigative journalism alive 🍏

Follow us on Instagram — @proxypodcast @yoweishaw
Visit — proxypodcast.com
Get in touch — proxythepod@gmail.com

The case of the guy who keeps falling for his female friends.
Ryan Jay has a problem. He makes friends with women. They get close. Then he falls for them. It’s happened enough times that Ryan Jay is starting to question whether he actually knows how to be friends with women without wanting to date them. 
So we bring in a proxy to help Ryan Jay figure out why friendship keeps turning into romance for him — and whether there’s another way to do this. 
In this episode: the blurry line between friendship and romance, why we fall for our friends, and whether it's possible to change who we fall for.

From the episode:
—  Andrew Smiler, a licensed therapist and the author of Clinical Work with Men: Understanding Masculinity in Psychotherapy. Find out more about his work at www.andrewsmiler.com.

New to Proxy? Try Bisexual Wife Guy for a classic case, or Taelor Doesn't Want to Have Sex, about an asexual woman trying to figure out how to find the kind of intimacy she wants, without the part she doesn’t.

For episode liner notes, show gossip, and dispatches from the emotions beat, get our free newsletter File Under Feelings at proxyhq.org — just click "Join for free." 
Proxy is an independent show, supported mostly by listeners. Become a paid member at proxyhq.org for bonus episodes, ad-free listening, live Proxy hangs, and the satisfaction of keeping emotional investigative journalism alive 🍏

Follow us on Instagram — @proxypodcast @yoweishaw
Visit — proxypodcast.com
Get in touch — proxythepod@gmail.com

The case of the future doctor who's scared to ask for help with her drinking. 
Chloe loves her life. There's just one problem: she's drinking more than she wants to, and she doesn't understand why. She's about to start medical school, but she's scared that asking for help could jeopardize her future career. So how do you deal with a drinking problem before your life falls apart? 
We find her a proxy who struggled with drinking at Chloe's age and went on to become an addiction psychiatrist. 
In this episode: the blurry line between drinking too much and having a drinking problem, why asking for help can be so scary, and what actually helps people change.

Learn about alcohol treatment:
— National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism — evidence-based information about medications, behavioral treatment, and mutual-support options
— NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator — finding quality treatment in the U.S.
— Healthdirect Australia — alcohol treatment and support in Australia
Resources for doctors and medical students:
— Drs4Drs — confidential support for doctors and medical students across Australia
— Australian Doctors in Recovery — confidential peer support for healthcare professionals in recovery
— Federation of State Physician Health Programs — directory of U.S. physician heath programs

New to Proxy? Try Bisexual Wife Guy for a classic case, or Sam Doesn’t Know How to Be Rich, another story about trying to understand a troubling pattern before it turns into an emergency.

For episode liner notes, show gossip, and dispatches from the emotions beat, get our free newsletter File Under Feelings at proxyhq.org — just click "Join for free." 
Proxy is an independent show, supported mostly by listeners. Become a paid member at proxyhq.org for bonus episodes, ad-free listening, live Proxy hangs, and the satisfaction of keeping emotional investigative journalism alive 🍏

Follow us on Instagram — @proxypodcast @yoweishaw
Visit — proxypodcast.com
Get in touch — proxythepod@gmail.com