In this episode, I catch up with Rahim Thawer about envy and its impacts in our social and sexual lives.

Rahim is a racialized, queer social worker who works as an instructor, psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, consultant, public speaker, podcast host, and writer. He calls Toronto home and currently teaches at The University of Alabama. His work explores the intersection of mental health and systemic oppression. He has a particular interest in examining innovation in queer relationships and exploring how anti-racist, queer-affirming psychoanalytic frameworks can support social workers, training therapists, and organizational leaders.

Episode content
0:00 - Introduction
1:16 - Rahim's background and focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

6:21 - How Rahim got interested in envy

11:48 - The difference between envy and jealousy

17:09 - Queer experiences of envy

20:07 - Envy and systemic oppression

20:53 - How to manage envy

25:49 - Has social media made envy worse?

29:46 - Online content creators and envy

31:22 - Can envy be managed through CBT?

34:39 - Why are some people not impacted by envy?

40:19 - How to keep up to date with Rahim’s work

 

Thawer, R. (2022, June 9). The Matrix of Envy in Our Social and Sexual Lives. Medium.

Thawer, R. (2025). The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys: Skills to Cope and Thrive as Your Authentic Self. Publisher: New Harbinger Publications. [Pre-Order]

To see more of Rahim's work, check out ladyativan.com

 

MacDonald, J. B. & Thawer, R. (2025, Jan 15). Envy in our social and sexual lives (No. 24) [Audio podcast episode]. In Psych Attack. www.psychattack.com

 

Transcript
The transcript for this episode was developed using transcription software. There may be some errors in the content as I do not have capacity to review for accuracy.

 

Psych Attack is created and hosted by Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald. The video and audio for this episode was edited by Morgan McRae. Special thanks to Rahim Thawer for sharing your time and expertise.