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  Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive 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 here: www.npr.org/podcasts/510311/embedded Follow Zach Mack's work: www.zachmack.org Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  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:  Nichole Hill is an audio show-runner, writer, and the host and creator of Our Ancestors Were Messy and The Secret Adventures of Black People. Find out more about Nichole here: www.nicholelhill.com Listen to Our Ancestors Were Messy wherever you get your podcasts You can support the show by becoming a member: ourancestorsweremessy.supercast.com Follow Nichole Hill on Instagram @nicholewthanh Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  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) You can listen to Basket Case on all podcast platforms: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-basket-case-217055280/  Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  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 the full season of Little Devils on all platforms: https://pod.link/1783097137 Support their Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/littledevils  Follow @littledevilsshow and @jasminbauomy on Instagram and BlueSky  Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  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 Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  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  Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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 Rhododendrums: A Memoir with Appearances by Virginia Wolf. It's available for preorder in all the usual places. You can follow Heather on  Twitter and Instagram @heatherchristle.  The Thai Life insurance commerical from our crying experiment Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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 where organizational psychologist Adam Grant has lively discussions and debates with people about new thoughts and new ways of thinking. In the interview, Adam talks to comedian Mae Martin about the value of vulnerability in connection and life lessons from the art of improvisation. Listen to more episodes of ReThinking, here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rethinking/id1554567118

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 independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Ritual-Effect/Michael-Norton/9781982153021 Yowei's unhinged grieving ritual for her layoff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHHQK9ooNqc   Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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:  Dr. Scott Giacomucci is an expert in psychodrama and the director of the Phoenix Center for Experiential Trauma Therapy: www.phoenixtraumacenter.com Download Scott's textbook about psychodrama for free: www.phoenixtraumacenter.com/social-work-sociometry-psychodrama-book/ Follow Scott on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@PhoenixTraumaCenter Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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?  In this episode, Yowei gets advice from actor, comedian, and proxy conversation expert Connor Ratliff. Over 20 years ago, Tom Hanks fired Connor from a small role in the HBO mini-series Band of Brothers - apparently for having "dead eyes." But is that really what happened? Connor made a podcast to investigate, and had 30 episodes worth of proxy conversations before talking to Tom Hanks himself.   Check out Connor Ratliff's work: Dead Eyes podcast: https://headgum.com/dead-eyes Tiny Dinos podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tiny-dinos/id1742662792 The George Lucas Show: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH1XwfxXB--rl_Nqxvun8zQ Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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 a 4-part quest to solve the mystery of proxy conversations. Yowei learns about a proxy conversation happening in a completely different context: restorative justice with proxy survivors and offenders.  From the episode:  Alissa Ackerman is a criminal justice professor at California State University and the co-founder of Ampersands Restorative Justice: www.ampersandsrj.org  Alissa Ackerman's book Healing from Sexual Violence: https://safersociety.org/bridging-divides-dr-alissa-ackerman-honored-with-the-2024-gail-burns-smith-award/  Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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:Ofer Sharone's book The Stigma Trap: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-stigma-trap-9780190239244?cc=us&lang=en& Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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: Gold Star: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHHQK9ooNqc Thank you to Catie Maillard for being our proxy HR professional. You can find out more about Catie's work at somehowimanagehr.com and  https://www.linkedin.com/in/catiemaillard  Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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:  https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-stigma-trap-9780190239244?cc=us&lang=en&  Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

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: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-stigma-trap-9780190239244?cc=us&lang=en& Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com

Proxy is an independent podcast that relies on listeners. To support emotional investigative journalism™️ and help the show keep going, consider joining our Patreon: patreon.com/proxypodcast. You’ll get our newsletter and exclusive bonus episodes.  Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com