
Okay Fine Whatever
The Year I Went from Being Afraid of Everything to Only Being Afraid of Most Things
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $19.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Courtenay Hameister
About this listen
The "hilarious and poignant" story of one chronically anxious woman's year-long quest to become braver by seeking out the kinds of experiences she's spent her life avoiding. (Cheryl Strayed)
For most of her life (and even during her years as the host of a popular radio show), Courtenay Hameister lived in a state of near-constant dread and anxiety. She fretted about everything. Her age. Her size. Her romantic prospects. How likely it was that she would get hit by a bus on the way home.
Until a couple years ago, when, in her mid-forties, she decided to fight back against her debilitating anxieties by spending a year doing little things that scared her - things that the average person might consider doing for a half second before deciding: "nope."
Things like: attending a fellatio class. She did that. She also spent an afternoon in a sensory deprivation tank, got (legally) high in the middle of a workday, had a session with a professional cuddler, braved 28 first dates, and (perhaps scariest of all) actually met someone who might possibly appreciate her for who she is.
Refreshing, relatable, and pee-your-pants funny, Okay Fine Whatever is Courtenay's hold-nothing-back account of her adventures on the front lines of Mere Human Woman vs. Fear, reminding us that even the tiniest amount of bravery is still bravery, and that no matter who you are, it's possible to fight complacency and become bold, or at least bold-ish, a little at a time.
©2018 Courtenay Hameister (P)2018 Hachette AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
Lit
- A Memoir
- By: Mary Karr
- Narrated by: Mary Karr
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lit follows Mary Karr's descent into the inferno of alcoholism and madness - and her astonishing resurrection. Karr's longing for a solid family seems secure when her marriage to a handsome, Shakespeare-quoting poet produces a son they adore. But she can't outrun her apocalyptic past. She drinks herself into the same numbness that nearly devoured her charismatic but troubled mother, reaching the brink of suicide. A hair-raising stint in "The Mental Marriott" awakens her to the possibility of joy, and leads her to an unlikely faith.
-
-
Finally! One for the "Win" column
- By Kim on 03-22-10
By: Mary Karr
-
Tiny Habits
- The Small Changes That Change Everything
- By: BJ Fogg PhD
- Narrated by: BJ Fogg PhD
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A habit expert from Stanford University shares his breakthrough method for building habits quickly and easily. With Tiny Habits you’ll increase productivity by tapping into positive emotions to create a happier and healthier life. Dr. Fogg’s new and extremely practical method picks up where Atomic Habits left off.
-
-
Downloadable PDF access
- By Kevin L. on 01-17-20
By: BJ Fogg PhD
-
Insight
- Why We're Not as Self-Aware as We Think, and How Seeing Ourselves Clearly Helps Us Succeed at Work and in Life
- By: Tasha Eurich
- Narrated by: Tasha Eurich
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Integrating hundreds of studies with her own research and work in the Fortune 500 world, organizational psychologist Tasha Eurich shatters conventional assumptions about what it takes to truly know ourselves - like why introspection isn't a bullet train to insight, how experience is the enemy of self-knowledge, and just how far others will go to avoid telling us the truth about ourselves. At a time when self-awareness matters more than ever, Insight is the essential playbook for surviving and thriving in an unaware world.
-
-
Chicken noodle soup for the faux-llectual
- By Peter Hudson on 08-29-17
By: Tasha Eurich
-
Single on Purpose
- Redefine Everything. Find Yourself First.
- By: John Kim
- Narrated by: John Kim
- Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The author of I Used to Be a Miserable F*ck, The Angry Therapist, now teaches you how to prioritize your relationship with yourself and live a more meaningful life, whether you’re alone, dating, or with a partner. Single. On Purpose. is for people who have never been involved, people who have jumped from partner to partner, and those who have lost themselves in their current relationship - anyone who needs to learn that there’s more to life than who we choose to love.
-
-
Relationship junky!
- By Emily Braun on 01-27-21
By: John Kim
-
This Is Me
- Loving the Person You are Today
- By: Chrissy Metz
- Narrated by: Chrissy Metz
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In This Is Me, Chrissy Metz shares her story with a raw honesty that will leave listeners both surprised but also inspired. Infused with the same authenticity she brings to her starring role, Chrissy's This Is Me is so much more than your standard Hollywood memoir or collection of personal essays. She embraces the spirit of Shonda Rhimes' Year of Yes and shares how she has applied the lessons she learned from both setbacks and successes. A born entertainer, Chrissy finds light in even her darkest moments and leaves the listener feeling they are spending time with a friend who gets it.
-
-
Excellent - 1 million stars
- By Baldhead Baddi on 03-28-18
By: Chrissy Metz
-
Heavy
- By: Kiese Laymon
- Narrated by: Kiese Laymon
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kiese Laymon is a fearless writer. In his essays, personal stories combine with piercing intellect to reflect both on the state of American society and on his experiences with abuse, which conjure conflicted feelings of shame, joy, confusion, and humiliation. Laymon invites us to consider the consequences of growing up in a nation wholly obsessed with progress yet wholly disinterested in the messy work of reckoning with where we’ve been.
-
-
Be prepared
- By Amy Eberle on 10-30-18
By: Kiese Laymon
-
Lit
- A Memoir
- By: Mary Karr
- Narrated by: Mary Karr
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lit follows Mary Karr's descent into the inferno of alcoholism and madness - and her astonishing resurrection. Karr's longing for a solid family seems secure when her marriage to a handsome, Shakespeare-quoting poet produces a son they adore. But she can't outrun her apocalyptic past. She drinks herself into the same numbness that nearly devoured her charismatic but troubled mother, reaching the brink of suicide. A hair-raising stint in "The Mental Marriott" awakens her to the possibility of joy, and leads her to an unlikely faith.
-
-
Finally! One for the "Win" column
- By Kim on 03-22-10
By: Mary Karr
-
Tiny Habits
- The Small Changes That Change Everything
- By: BJ Fogg PhD
- Narrated by: BJ Fogg PhD
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A habit expert from Stanford University shares his breakthrough method for building habits quickly and easily. With Tiny Habits you’ll increase productivity by tapping into positive emotions to create a happier and healthier life. Dr. Fogg’s new and extremely practical method picks up where Atomic Habits left off.
-
-
Downloadable PDF access
- By Kevin L. on 01-17-20
By: BJ Fogg PhD
-
Insight
- Why We're Not as Self-Aware as We Think, and How Seeing Ourselves Clearly Helps Us Succeed at Work and in Life
- By: Tasha Eurich
- Narrated by: Tasha Eurich
- Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Integrating hundreds of studies with her own research and work in the Fortune 500 world, organizational psychologist Tasha Eurich shatters conventional assumptions about what it takes to truly know ourselves - like why introspection isn't a bullet train to insight, how experience is the enemy of self-knowledge, and just how far others will go to avoid telling us the truth about ourselves. At a time when self-awareness matters more than ever, Insight is the essential playbook for surviving and thriving in an unaware world.
-
-
Chicken noodle soup for the faux-llectual
- By Peter Hudson on 08-29-17
By: Tasha Eurich
-
Single on Purpose
- Redefine Everything. Find Yourself First.
- By: John Kim
- Narrated by: John Kim
- Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The author of I Used to Be a Miserable F*ck, The Angry Therapist, now teaches you how to prioritize your relationship with yourself and live a more meaningful life, whether you’re alone, dating, or with a partner. Single. On Purpose. is for people who have never been involved, people who have jumped from partner to partner, and those who have lost themselves in their current relationship - anyone who needs to learn that there’s more to life than who we choose to love.
-
-
Relationship junky!
- By Emily Braun on 01-27-21
By: John Kim
-
This Is Me
- Loving the Person You are Today
- By: Chrissy Metz
- Narrated by: Chrissy Metz
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In This Is Me, Chrissy Metz shares her story with a raw honesty that will leave listeners both surprised but also inspired. Infused with the same authenticity she brings to her starring role, Chrissy's This Is Me is so much more than your standard Hollywood memoir or collection of personal essays. She embraces the spirit of Shonda Rhimes' Year of Yes and shares how she has applied the lessons she learned from both setbacks and successes. A born entertainer, Chrissy finds light in even her darkest moments and leaves the listener feeling they are spending time with a friend who gets it.
-
-
Excellent - 1 million stars
- By Baldhead Baddi on 03-28-18
By: Chrissy Metz
-
Heavy
- By: Kiese Laymon
- Narrated by: Kiese Laymon
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kiese Laymon is a fearless writer. In his essays, personal stories combine with piercing intellect to reflect both on the state of American society and on his experiences with abuse, which conjure conflicted feelings of shame, joy, confusion, and humiliation. Laymon invites us to consider the consequences of growing up in a nation wholly obsessed with progress yet wholly disinterested in the messy work of reckoning with where we’ve been.
-
-
Be prepared
- By Amy Eberle on 10-30-18
By: Kiese Laymon
-
Letters to a Young Therapist
- By: Mary Pipher
- Narrated by: Eliza Foss
- Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mary Pipher's groundbreaking investigation of America's "girl-poisoning culture," Reviving Ophelia, has sold nearly two million copies and established its author as one of the nation's foremost authorities on family issues. In Letters to a Young Therapist, Dr. Pipher shares what she has learned in 30 years as a therapist, helping warring families, alienated adolescents, and harried professionals restore peace and beauty to their lives. Letters to a Young Therapist gives voice to her practice with an exhilarating mix of storytelling and sharp-eyed observation.
-
-
Has much to offer, however..
- By Meghan on 10-18-21
By: Mary Pipher
-
Why We Can't Sleep
- Women's New Midlife Crisis
- By: Ada Calhoun
- Narrated by: Ada Calhoun
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Ada Calhoun found herself in the throes of a midlife crisis, she thought that she had no right to complain. She was married with children and a good career. So why did she feel miserable? And why did it seem that other Generation X women were miserable, too? Calhoun decided to find some answers. She looked into housing costs, HR trends, credit card debt averages, and divorce data. At every turn, she saw a pattern: sandwiched between the Boomers and Millennials, Gen X women were facing new problems as they entered middle age, problems that were being largely overlooked.
-
-
Generation X Chick
- By Kristina on 01-25-20
By: Ada Calhoun
-
This Is Just My Face
- Try Not to Stare
- By: Gabourey Sidibe
- Narrated by: Gabourey Sidibe
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gabourey Sidibe - "Gabby" to her legion of fans - skyrocketed to international fame in 2009 when she played the leading role in Lee Daniels' acclaimed movie Precious. In This Is Just My Face, she shares a one-of-a-kind life story in a voice as fresh and challenging as many of the unique characters she's played onscreen. With full-throttle honesty, Sidibe paints her Bed-Stuy/Harlem family life with a polygamous father and a gifted mother who supports her two children by singing in the subway.
-
-
I love that face!
- By Pamela J on 05-08-17
By: Gabourey Sidibe
-
I'm Fine...and Other Lies
- By: Whitney Cummings
- Narrated by: Whitney Cummings
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A hilarious and emotional personal account of the life, times, mistakes, and crippling codependence of comedian, producer, director, actress, and writer Whitney Cummings. Full of intellect, pathos, and profundity, I'm Fine...and Other Lies is, in Whitney's words, her first book, which means her last date. With her signature incendiary edge and self-deprecation, Whitney comes clean about what has shaped her into the trailblazing comic that she is today.
-
-
I've been waiting for this woman to write a book!
- By Giggle Pants on 10-09-17
By: Whitney Cummings
-
What the F
- What Swearing Reveals About Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves
- By: Benjamin K. Bergen
- Narrated by: Benjamin K. Bergen
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nearly everyone swears - whether it's over a few too many drinks, in reaction to a stubbed toe, or in flagrante delicto. And yet we sit idly by as words are banned from television and censored in books. We insist that people excise profanity from their vocabularies, and we punish children for yelling the very same dirty words that we'll mutter in relief seconds after they fall asleep. Swearing, it seems, is an intimate part of us that we have decided to selectively deny.
-
-
Take A Deep Breath, Hold Your Nose, Dive Right In
- By Gillian on 04-12-17
-
Unstoppable
- A 90-Day Plan to Biohack Your Mind and Body for Success
- By: Ben Angel
- Narrated by: Gary Tiedemann
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Unable to overcome debilitating fatigue and depression, best-selling author and personal development expert Ben Angel set out on a 90-day mission to find and conquer the root of his rut. The result of his journey is Unstoppable, a highly revealing audiobook where Ben gives you a look into the world of nootropics, wearable devices, and nutrition, and delivers a guide to help you reduce stress, increase focus, improve physical performance, and eliminate your fears.
-
-
Advertising instead of thinking
- By Ksenia Koster on 11-29-19
By: Ben Angel
-
You'll Grow Out of It
- By: Jessi Klein
- Narrated by: Jessi Klein
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In You'll Grow Out of It, Jessi Klein offers - through an incisive collection of real-life stories - a relentlessly funny yet poignant take on a variety of topics she has experienced along her strange journey to womanhood and beyond. These include her "transformation from Pippi Longstocking-esque tomboy to are-you-a-lesbian-or-what tom man", attempting to find watchable porn, and identifying the difference between being called "ma'am" and "miss" (" miss sounds like you weigh 99 pounds").
-
-
I like this woman so much!
- By Sarah F. on 07-24-16
By: Jessi Klein
-
Stress Less, Accomplish More
- Meditation for Extraordinary Performance
- By: Emily Fletcher
- Narrated by: Emily Fletcher, Sean Pratt, Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is not just another meditation guide. In Stress Less, Accomplish More, Emily teaches a powerful trifecta of mindfulness, meditation, and manifesting to improve your personal and professional performance, clarity, health, and sleep. You’ll learn how to cultivate mindfulness through brief but powerful exercises that will help you stop wasting time stressing. Plus, you’ll get manifesting tools to help you get crystal clear on your personal and professional goals for the future.
-
-
Conflicted
- By zachg on 03-02-19
By: Emily Fletcher
-
The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo
- By: Amy Schumer
- Narrated by: Amy Schumer
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, Amy mines her past for stories about her teenage years, her family, relationships, and sex and shares the experiences that have shaped who she is - a woman with the courage to bare her soul to stand up for what she believes in, all while making us laugh. Down to earth and relatable, frank and unapologetic, Amy Schumer is one of us: She relies on her sister for advice, still hangs out with her high school pals, and continues to navigate the ever-changing boundaries in love, work, and life.
-
-
mind numbing
- By katrina on 09-17-16
By: Amy Schumer
-
She's Still There
- Rescuing the Girl in You
- By: Priscilla Shirer - foreword, Chrystal Evans Hurst
- Narrated by: Chrystal Evans Hurst
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What happens when a woman looks at herself in the mirror, lingering just a little longer than usual and realizes that she no longer recognizes the person staring back at her? What does she do when she sees that, somehow, her life has drifted away from all her original hopes, dreams, or plans? Speaker, blogger, and writer Chrystal Evans Hurst wrote this book because she was that woman. One day she realized that she had somehow wandered from the life she was meant to live.
-
-
life changing experience
- By L. Pearson on 08-12-17
By: Priscilla Shirer - foreword, and others
-
No Happy Endings
- A Memoir
- By: Nora McInerny
- Narrated by: Nora McInerny
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No Happy Endings is an audiobook for people living life after life has fallen apart. It’s an audiobook for people who know they’re moving forward, not moving on. It’s an audiobook for people who know life isn’t always happy, but it isn’t the end: There will be unimaginable joy and incomprehensible tragedy. As Nora reminds us, there will be no happy endings - but there will be new beginnings.
-
-
Puts it together
- By Amazon Customer on 04-30-19
By: Nora McInerny
-
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
- A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
- By: Lori Gottlieb
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose office she suddenly lands. With his balding head, cardigan, and khakis, he seems to have come straight from Therapist Central Casting. Yet he will turn out to be anything but.
-
-
It was like a hallmark movie being waterboarded into my ears for 15 hours
- By Amazon Customer on 10-01-19
By: Lori Gottlieb
Critic reviews
"Inspiring from the first pages. Courtenay fearlessly lets us into her head; she didn't clean up in there before company came over, and I am so glad. Her risk-taking adventures in career and love are more stirring to me than any daring physical feat." (Jen Kirkman, New York Times best-selling author of I Can Barely Take Care of Myself)
"Courtenay Hameister is one of the funniest, sharpest writers I know. Her work is confessional, witty, and laugh-out-loud hilarious. I love her."(Chelsea Cain, New York Times best-selling author of Heartsick and One Kick)
"The author not only chronicles how she faced her inner demons and won; she also offers a reminder that doing even the smallest thing to conquer fear 'is enough to change a lot.' A fresh, intelligent memoir." (Kirkus Reviews)
What listeners say about Okay Fine Whatever
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- James Anderbard
- 02-25-21
Entertaining
Fun to listen to and a great narrative performance! Was hoping for a bit more exploration on "how" to get through the fear other than take tiny steps and just do it, but maybe that's all there really is for an answer to how to get braver. :)
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Chrysta
- 10-17-18
Worth it!
Made me laugh and think. Not the typical book I would go for but don't regret it even a little bit. Refreshing and human! 10/10 would read again.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Scrappy67
- 11-02-18
Fun book!
I enjoyed the humor a bluntness of the author. She really put it all out there. I'm sure many women will relate to this author's point of view.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- lovit or leavit
- 10-05-18
So entertaining!
This book was a generational shift for me but one I really enjoyed! Excellent writing!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kyleen King
- 01-15-25
Candid humor is the best
I love books narrated by the author, first of all. And second, this vulnerable and hilarious accounting of Courtenay’s trial run with new experiences provided me with some helpful insights and delightful reframes of social messaging. And it acts as a helpful warning against engaging in things like bikini waxes. Thank you for writing it, Courtenay! I loved it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Anonymous User
- 08-11-18
Clever, genuine, and uplifting
not quite what I expected, but I fell in love with this woman. anyone with anxiety will gain something from this book. she gives amazing perspective and makes you laugh along the way. a real treat.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- K D Gosline
- 03-04-20
A hilarious, unusual and inspiring journey to self betterment
Courtenay’s story is so relatable because we all have insecurities, fears and a lizard brain that sometimes tells us there are sharks in the deep end of the pool. But we also all have the choice to let those things dictate our lives, or push past them - and hopefully end up a better version of ourselves.
Courtenay had the bravery to kick anxiety and self doubt to the curb through some unusual and interesting ways. A few of her adventures were definitely out of my own comfort zone but still fascinated to listen to and I even learned a thing or two — like who knew that “poly guy” is not how you describe Bill Paxton’s character in “Big Love” but actually an “average Joe” walking around Portland, Oregon?
The best part is how Courtenay shares her experiences with honesty and a large helping of humor. This whole book is absolutely hilarious. Laugh-out-loud-while-running-on-the-treadmill-at-the-gym hilarious (hopefully fellow gym goers think , “I’ll have what she’s having,” and not “wonder what’s wrong with that person”). Definitely worth a listen!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kelsie Stoner
- 09-30-18
It's okay. It's fine. It's whatever.
I'm a person with anxiety and this was too much secondhand embarrassment even for me.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- April Jones
- 01-25-19
Candid, relatable, but unique
I loved the honesty and felt I could relate on many levels although we are in completely different careers and our lives look very different. I could feel myself living vicariously through her stories and wondering what it would have been like to be in such situations. It made me evaluate what I am afraid of, and pushed me to consider what I could learn or accomplish by saying Ok, fine, whatever to. Well told.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Meg Bender
- 04-12-22
A zillion stars!
I picked this title randomly. I listened to a sample and decided I liked the reader (which is also the author). I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS HIGHLY ENOUGH! If you’ve had an anxious thought about anything, this book is for you. If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable and out of place, this book is for you. If you like funny, this book is for you.
Courtenay takes you on a journey as she finds her way through an experiment she creates to push herself out of her comfort zones. She’s funny and real and she seems like someone I’d be best friends with. Her story is relatable - I’ve had plenty of the same thoughts and similar experiences.
And did I mention it’s funny?? Love love love this book !
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!