Podcast
Proxy with Yowei Shaw
Hosted by Yowei Shaw · EN
It’s the knot you can’t untangle — a problem so specific, it makes you feel alone. But what if you could talk to someone who gets it? On Proxy, we find someone with the closest possible experience to your problem — and follow the conversation that unfolds. It’s not therapy. It’s emotional investigative journalism. Hosted by Yowei Shaw, former co-host of Invisibilia.
Proxy is back with new cases every other Tuesday. Follow the show so you don’t miss the next one.
Follow us on Instagram: @proxypodcast @yoweishaw
Get in touch at proxythepod@gmail.com
If you’re new, try: Bisexual Wife Guy, Mic Chooses the Wrong Life, or Nicole Can't Stop Being Aggro.
51episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Alex's Husband Is Too Straight
3d ago00:51:13Summary readyThe case of the person who worries their husband still sees them as his wife. Alex is nonbinary, and their husband Henry is a straight cis man. Henry has been supportive through every step of Alex’s transition — pronouns, testosterone, top surgery — but Alex worries: if Henry is straight, does that mean he still sees Alex as a woman?In this episode, we find Alex two proxies: Elvis, a trans man who transitioned inside his long-term relationship, and Ryan, Elvis’s straight cis husband. Together, they talk about labels, desire, dysphoric sex, and the tender, terrifying question underneath it all: will you still want me if I change?New to Proxy? Try Bisexual Wife Guy for another story about identity changing inside a relationship, or Yowei Can't Speak Bro, about the emotional rules of people who say “that’s cool."For episode liner notes, show gossip, and dispatches from the emotions beat, get our free newsletter File Under Feelings at proxyhq.org.Proxy is an independent show, supported mostly by listeners. Paid members get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, live Proxy hangs, and the satisfaction of keeping emotional investigative journalism alive 🍏Follow us on Instagram — @proxypodcast @yoweishawVisit — proxypodcast.comGet in touch — proxythepod@gmail.com
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Yowei Can't Speak Bro
2w ago00:51:36Summary readyThe case of the podcast host who can't speak bro.For the past twelve years, Yowei has been trying — and failing — to have a normal conversation with her husband's best friend. It's not for lack of goodwill. But somehow, every time, they can''t find a rhythm. Yowei's theory: he speaks bro, and she doesn't know how. In this episode, Yowei finds a proxy bro and gets a crash course in bro banter — the hidden rules and emotional logic behind the joking, shit-talking, and conversations that can last for hours without a single life update. From the episode:— Jason Stewart — podcaster, DJ, and co-host of How Long Gone. Follow him on Instagram and X @themjeans.— Scott Kiesling — professor of linguistics at the University of Pittsburgh, whose work explores masculinity and how men use talk to build relationships and their identities. Learn more at sfkiesling.com.New to Proxy?— Try Bisexual Wife Guy — one of the clearest examples of what this show does— Or try The First Ever Extrovert-Introvert Cage Match — another case about what happens when friends have different ideas of what connection looks likeFor episode liner notes, show gossip, and dispatches from the emotions beat, get our free newsletter File Under Feelings at proxyhq.org.Proxy is an independent show, supported mostly by listeners. Paid members get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, live Proxy hangs, and the satisfaction of keeping emotional investigative journalism alive 🍏Follow us on Instagram — @proxypodcast @yoweishawVisit — proxypodcast.comGet in touch — proxythepod@gmail.com
SummaryJane Doesn't Like Her Dogs
May 500:49:40Summary readyThe case of the dog trainer who loves her dogs, but doesn't feel close tothem anymore. Proxy is back with new cases every other Tuesday. Follow the show so you don’t miss the next one.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.From the episode: — Jen Blough, LPC — therapist, compassion fatigue educator, and author of To Save a Starfish: A Compassion Fatigue Workbook for the Animal Welfare Warrior — learn about her compassion fatigue certification program and more: www.animalwelfarewellness.comResources on compassion fatigue, pet caregiving, and pet loss:—Compassion fatigue resources from ASPCApro—Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOl) — a free self-assessment tool for compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress—Pet caregiver burden resources from Insight Animal Behavior Services—Cornell Pet Loss Support HotlineNew to Proxy?— Try Bisexual Wife Guy — one of the clearest examples of what this show does— Or Brian Can't Stop Fact-Checking His Mother-In-Law — when love, duty, and resentment get tangled upFor episode liner notes, show gossip, and dispatches from the emotions beat, get File Under Feelings, our free newsletter, at proxyhq.org.Proxy is an independent show, supported mostly by listeners. Paid members get bonus episodes, ad-free listening, live Proxy hangs, and the satisfaction of keeping emotional investigative journalism alive 🍏Follow us on Instagram — @proxypodcast @yoweishawVisit — proxypodcast.comGet in touch — proxythepod@gmail.com
SummaryYowei Used to Hide Her Husband Kyle (from Love Letters)
Apr 700:40:21Summary readyNew to Proxy? Start with Bisexual Wife Guy — it’s one of the clearest examples of what this show does.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 of what it said about her. This story comes from the Love Letters podcast. Listen to other episodes here.
SummaryPresenting: Sisters (with No One Should Believe Me)
Mar 3100:29:50Summary readyWhen 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, Andrea tries to understand what happened in her family by talking to a proxy family who went through something similar. Listen to No One Should Believe Me and the latest season here. Stay tuned for new Proxy cases coming April.
SummaryLive Proxy: Ben Doesn't Know His Neighbors (March 31, 1pm ET)
Mar 2700:01:55Summary readyBen'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 figured out how to turn a block of strangers into something more... neighbors.Come watch us try something a little experimental. Tuesday, March 31st at 1pm EST (on Zoom)Patreon members will get the link that morning. If you're not one yet, you can join us here.
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Presenting: P.E. Moskowitz on Whether Your Mind is Broken or the World Is (with Depresh Mode)
Mar 1000:58:05Summary readyThe 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 the question: when your mind feels broken, is it you — or the world?Find Depresh Mode with John Moe wherever you get your podcasts.Read P.E. Moskowitz' book Breaking Awake and their newsletter Mental Hellth.
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Presenting: The Staircase (with The Longest Shortest Time)
Feb 2400:30:06Summary readyNew 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 conundrum so many of us deal with: guys being creeps. After a troubling incident involving her daughter, Hillary Frank sets out to understand how her daughter's middle school is teaching consent... and what she discovers throws her for a loop. Find The Longest Shortest wherever you get your podcasts. Hillary put together this list of organizations and individuals doing innovative work on sex ed: SafeBAE Scarleteen SIECUS (Sex Ed for Social Change): Sex Ed Profiles by State Sex, Teens, and Everything in Between by Shafia Zaloom You Know, Sex by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth Mr. Health Teacher
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Presenting: Babies Not Having Babies (with The Dream)
Feb 1001:35:04Summary readyThis 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 the "American Dream" and all the systems (and assholes) that make it harder to achieve. In this episode, a once popular teen anti-abortion activist find herself switching sides in this national debate.
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A Niche Conundrum Called Capitalism
Jan 2700:41:33Summary readyProxy will be back soon with new cases. In the meantime, we're sharing an investigation into arguably the most consequential social force shaping life on this planet: capitalism. Scene On Radio isn't afraid to tackle the big questions about who we are and how we got that way. In this series on capitalism, they try to understand how capitalism became our dominant economic system, what is it really, and how to make our economy work for people and living beings, not the other way around. By the way, if you'd like a 2025 special edition Proxy magnet puzzle, just sign up for an annual Patreon membership or upgrade here by February 3. Some resources for fighting fascism: https://indivisible.org/ https://www.standwithminnesota.com/ A newsletter from my friend Joanna on how to help her hometown of Minneapolis https://iceoutforgood.org/
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