Podcast Summary: Unsupervised with Syd & TP

Episode: Fully Invested in People We Don’t Know
Date: March 19, 2026
Hosts: Syd Colson & Theresa Plaisance (TP)

Episode Overview

In this lively and unfiltered episode, best friends and former teammates Syd and TP (Theresa Plaisance) continue their irreverent tradition of barely staying on topic. The duo riff on everything from personal growth, stand-up comedy ambitions, and reality TV, to playful people-watching games, social dynamics, and happy headlines. The conversation meanders by design, blending humor with sharp observations and relatable stories about ambition, friendship, and everyday absurdities.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Books, Goals, and Friendly Competition

[01:42–06:35]

• Syd’s Reading Challenge: Syd revisits her public promise from a previous episode to read two books per month, admitting she fell behind but recently finished a book—a point of pride despite some playful skepticism from TP.
  • “I think I failed on that task so far. But I did finally finish this book…” —Syd [01:42]
• TP’s Teasing & Accountability: TP good-naturedly calls out Syd for procrastination, referencing old competitive dynamics between them—like not getting proper celebration for a putt-putt hole-in-one.
  • "That energy felt very familiar...like that energy when we were at putt-putt and I got my hole in one and you were watching people celebrate me, but salty for some reason." —Syd [01:54]
• Both reflect on the importance of self-discipline (“You gotta adjust...you gotta be disciplined,” Syd [05:13]) and using friendly rivalry as motivation.

2. Creativity, Ambition, and Putting Friends On

[06:37–07:09]

• On Creative Discipline: Syd discusses finishing “A Thousand Words: A Writer's Guide...” and how it motivates her to pursue scriptwriting and stand-up seriously.
  • “It's making me want to...start taking time to sit down and write out my thoughts and ideas.” —Syd [05:18]
• Expanding Their Brand: The duo dreams aloud about building an “Adam Sandler or Issa Rae” type creative circle, putting their friends on and making “good stuff every time.” —TP [07:00]

3. Stand-Up Comedy, Stage Fright & Tandem Sets

[07:10–11:46]

• Comedy Encounters: Syd shares attending a D.L. Hughley show, underscoring how great comedians make it look easy and re-energize her own stand-up ambitions.
  • “I was just like, yeah, I need to...start working on my craft because this is...it’s hard to make people laugh consistently.” —Syd [08:37]
• Apologies & Promises: TP apologizes to Aaliyah Nye for not following through on a promise to do stand-up, recommits, and floats the idea of a “tandem stand-up” set.
• Bombing with Style: They discuss the inevitability of bombing onstage and their unconventional strategies:
  • “Honestly, I don't think that I'll ever bomb humbly...Any joke that people don't understand, I'm just gonna be like, this just wasn’t the crowd tonight.” —Syd [10:47]

4. Friendship, Sports, and Culturally Funny Moments

[11:46–15:15]

• Celebrating Diversity: Syd and TP reflect on their experiences with younger AU players, such as Caitlyn Chen, highlighting her sense of humor during Black History Month.
  • “Caitlyn gave me a hug every time she saw me during Black History Month and would say, ‘Happy Black History Month.’” —Syd [12:36]
• Playful Banter About Race: The hosts navigate sensitive jokes with warmth, reminding listeners about the importance of context and real rapport.

5. New Segment: “People Watching” — The Art of Inventing Strangers’ Stories

[15:18–25:33]

• The Asian Mask Lesbian Narrative: Syd sees a video of an “Asian dyke” with braids and a durag, leading to a hilariously elaborate, improvised backstory for the mystery woman—complete with fake names, imagined upbringings, and career moves.
  • “I've never seen a grown Asian masc lesbian...Where were you as a child? Are you just appearing as adults?” —Syd [17:03]
• Invented Life Trajectories: The pair weave a story from the woman’s possible upbringing in a diverse neighborhood, to corporate life, to running a shoe reselling business in D.C. or Portland, finally settling on names ("Ruth" or "Ebony").
  • “Shout out to you, Ruth. You look like you’re doing well.” —TP [24:49]
• The Game’s Evolution: TP recalls an old game where the goal was to guess strangers’ names at a bar, sparking fun attempts and amusing failures.
  • “Never got one right. But it was really funny to assume people’s names.” —TP [26:16]

6. Pop Culture & Celebrity Authenticity: Cardi B’s Concert

[27:09–31:06]

• Cardi B Show Recap: Syd gushes over the production and authenticity at Cardi B’s concert, drawing comparisons to Beyoncé-level performances.
  • “Once you've seen a Beyoncé concert, other concerts pale in comparison...Cardi had over five outfit changes. She had dancers that were phenomenal.” —Syd [27:25]
• The Power of Realness: Cardi’s habit of addressing personal controversies live on stage is celebrated as a hallmark of her relatability and resilience.
  • “Cardi seems like a real person...She laughs and jokes about whatever it is y’all talking shit about on social media.” —Syd [28:53]
• Challenging Double Standards: Discussion turns to the different standards for male and female rappers and the importance of women being unapologetically themselves in music.

7. Internet Oddities: NPCs Among Us

[31:18–36:29]

• What’s an NPC?: TP learns about the online slang "NPC" (non-player character), standing for people who seem to lack independent thought or are just “background characters."
  • “...describes a person who seems to lack independent thought, behaves predictably, follows trends blindly…” —TP [31:26]
• NPC Conspiracies: Syd recounts internet rumors about people getting paid to act as “NPCs” or slow down traffic, joking about wanting to sign up for such jobs.
  • “I would also like to sign up to get paid to do some of that stuff sometimes when I don’t have anything going on.” —Syd [33:49]

8. Uplifting News (“Happy Headlines”)

[37:18–44:54]

• Women-Only Buses in South Korea: TP highlights a new initiative in Seoul for women-only night buses with extra security measures for post-dark commutes.
  • “Shout out to South Korea for being so progressive in this...” —TP [38:36]
  • The discussion pivots to why such security is sadly necessary (“The fact that this is needed…is alarming.” —Syd [38:47])
• Feel-Good Story: An 80-year-old man enrolling in beauty school to help his visually impaired wife with her daily routines wins the hosts’ hearts.
  • “That’s what marriage should be...That’s an awesome headline to me.” —Syd [44:23]

9. DM Shoutouts & Celebrating Friendships

[45:20–48:53]

• Birthday Wishes: The episode closes with a heartfelt birthday DM to listener Ange, orchestrated by several of her friends.
  • “[Multiple DMs]...not one, not two, but three of your friends reached out and asked if we can say happy birthday to you.” —TP [45:21]
  • “If you have a great friend, and you want to DM ‘Unsupervised’, tell us about your friend…something they've done for you lately...” —B [48:05]
• The hosts encourage listeners to share stories of friendship for future shoutouts and advice segments.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Syd, on friendly skepticism: "What's that energy? That felt very familiar..." [01:54]
• On their creative dreams:
  “I want us to be like an Adam Sandler type of situation...just Issa Rae. People who put their friends on. People that make good stuff every time.” —TP [07:00]
• On stand-up comedy bomb insurance:
  “Any joke that people don't understand, I'm just gonna be like, this just wasn’t the crowd tonight. Like, they're not that smart.” —Syd [10:47]
• On Cardi B’s authenticity:
  “She's, like, addressing it in the show, you know, about me having failed relationships...You talking about my BBL. I'm gonna make jokes about everything too.” —Syd [28:53]
• On people-watching:
  “It's just always been in my DNA to people watch. It's like one of the best things about New Orleans, but also just so fun to create stories about strangers that you have no idea.” —TP [24:54]
• Encouraging friendship appreciation:
  “If y'all have really endearing stories about your friends, something they've done for you lately...please DM us. We want to know about it.” —B [48:05]

Highlight Timestamps

• Book talk & friendly rivalry: [01:42–06:35]
• Creativity and “putting people on”: [06:37–07:09]
• Comedy ambitions & “bombing”: [07:10–11:46]
• AU player shoutouts (Caitlyn Chen, Aaliyah Nye): [11:46–15:15]
• People Watching Segment (Inventing ‘Ruth’/‘Ebony’): [15:18–25:33]
• Cardi B concert & pop culture commentary: [27:09–31:06]
• NPCs & simulation humor: [31:18–36:29]
• Happy Headlines (Women’s bus, loving husband): [37:18–44:54]
• Ange’s birthday and friendship DMs: [45:20–48:53]

Tone and Style

True to its title, “Unsupervised” thrives on organic, off-the-cuff, and at-times wildly off-topic banter. Syd and TP’s conversational style combines insider sports humor, raw vulnerability, pointed observations, and generous dashes of irreverence. Listeners are kept engaged by both the surprising turns in discussion and the comforting sense of being in an ongoing group chat with quick-witted best friends.

For New Listeners

This episode is a perfect entry point to Syd & TP’s world: expect unpredictable shifts in conversation, playful roasting, and honest reflections—plus earnest appreciation for community, creativity, and the absurdities of daily life.