Okay Fine Whatever

The Year I Went from Being Afraid of Everything to Only Being Afraid of Most Things

By: Courtenay Hameister

Narrated by: Courtenay Hameister

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 Audio

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)

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. :)

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.

So entertaining!

This book was a generational shift for me but one I really enjoyed! Excellent writing!

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.

Stories you actually want to listen to...

This book is entertaining as hell and beautifully written. Courtenay invites the reader into intimate and entertaining moments that are surprisingly relatable.

Very enjoyable and entertaining!

I really enjoyed listening to this book. She had a lot of interesting experiences and was really funny. It is very rare that I laugh out loud by myself while listening to a book, but she had me burst out in laughter many times.

Genuine, Funny, Real. I Feel Seen.

Are you a fat, anxious fat girl? Have you ever wondered if other people went through the same fears and tortures as you in sex, dating, careers, friend groups, and life in general? This book is for you. Hameister delivers a quality performance and shows people like us that we’re not alone while reminding us to take more risks even when there might not be a reward other than learning something new. The layout of the book is kind of jumbled and the message gets lost at times, but there were parts that had me cracking up and moments where I wanted to reach through my phone and hug the author.

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.

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!

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.