Zane and Heath: Unfiltered – Episode 309

Title: Annie Lederman Gets Us Canceled
Date: November 24, 2025
Special Guest: Annie Lederman

Episode Overview

In this lively and wide-ranging episode, Zane and Heath welcome comedian Annie Lederman for a typically unfiltered, hilarious, and sometimes surprisingly deep conversation. The crew discusses everything from wild party stories and reality TV betrayals to personal growth, stand-up comedy, meditation, and the bizarre world of marathon running. True to form, Annie brings an edgy, candid energy, sharing jaw-dropping anecdotes, riffing on wellness and self-help, and explaining how she “pokes at the shadow.” The crew and Annie are at their best, exploring embarrassing DMs, reality show politics, meditation-induced “brain orgasms,” and plenty of stand-up comedy inside baseball.

Key Discussion Points

1. Catch-up & Party Stories

(01:05–07:00)

• Matt brags about getting Wordle in one guess, prompting a debate over optimal starting words.
• Zane recounts a wild story about his roommate Danielle coming home drunk—leading to a “pinball” hallway scene as he helps her to bed.
  • “She is on the floor like a pretzel.” —Zane (03:55)
• The group recaps their recent viewing of “Squid Game: The Challenge” in search of a Vine friend, only to realize how reality TV edits some people out entirely.

2. Games, Competition & Disney Drinking Olympics

(07:00–14:10)

• Matt describes auditioning for “Pop Culture Jeopardy!” and reveals his teammates.
• The group swaps stories of epic party games, including Matt’s experience at a Disney-themed drinking games party.
• They argue about the popularity and athleticism required for new party games like “Beard Eye” (Snappa) vs. classics like beer pong.
• History of “Beard Eye”: originated in 1972 at University of Maine.

3. Comedy, Embarrassing DMs, & Social Mishaps

(22:01–29:00)

• Zane recounts seeing Annie perform years ago and DMing her a fan message—awkwardly rediscovered when booking her for the podcast.
• Annie and the crew share stories of embarrassing accidental DMs, including times friends trolled them with burner accounts.
  • "I wish I could remember the exact message, but...it was really strange." —Matt (26:34)
• Annie describes confronting a videographer who texted his wife behind her back, and how such moments instantly end friendships.

4. Early Internet Days & Survival Reality TV

(29:02–34:00)

• Annie talks about making a real-life lifelong friend via MySpace, and the evolution of discovering and sharing viral content.
• She discusses her fiancé’s work on the reality survival show “Outlast,” and contemplates learning survival skills on her own channel.
• The group debates game-show psychology, alliances, and the “integrity vs. $4.5 million” dilemma on competitive reality shows like “Squid Game: The Challenge” and “Survivor.”
  • “You’re not gonna make money off integrity.” —Annie (32:07)

5. The Reality TV Rabbit Hole

(34:00–41:00)

• Annie breaks down the madness of “Married at First Sight,” including cruel matchups (“her name was Noi, they married her to a guy named Moy—should be in prison for that”).
• Discussion of reality TV motives—do people want love or just Instagram followers?
• Hilarious breakdown of reality TV experts and naming conventions (“Dr. Pepper Schwartz”).

6. School Days & Troubled Teachers

(41:00–46:00)

• Annie reflects on her unique education: Quaker elementary school (“Friends School”) with silent meetings where anyone could speak, and later a juvenile delinquent high school with just 17 classmates.
• The crew reacts as she opens up about taking her art teacher to court for inappropriate behavior disguised as mentorship. She explores the dark reality that troubled schools can attract problematic adults.

7. Stand-up, Touring, and Writing

(69:25–75:55)

• Annie shares her touring schedule and what she finds rewarding about meeting fans across the country.
• The group probes her writing process—she calls it “getting hit by lightning,” rarely sitting and writing, instead developing material from kernels and onstage experimentation.
  • “Everything I resist is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.” —Annie (72:05)
• She discusses the paradox of posting crowd work online: it's great for virality, but she wants fans to know she also writes strong material.

8. Spirituality, Meditation, and Psychedelics

(93:59–108:47)

• Annie identifies as a “spiritual girly,” discussing her experiences with meditation (including Transcendental Meditation and Joe Dispenza retreats), ayahuasca (seven times, usually over weekends with an LA-based shaman), and microdosing mushrooms.
• She and Matt discuss the role of psychedelics in building self-confidence and moving through life chapters.
• Annie explains complex Joe Dispenza breathwork—“brain orgasms” via energetic techniques (103:20).
  • “People were having these, like, brain orgasms, basically. It was so weird.” —Annie (102:52)
• The group gets practical about starting a morning routine, dopamine detox, and writing morning pages (ref: “The Artist’s Way”).

9. Self-Help, Goals, and Productivity

(110:03–114:54)

• Annie credits writing positive, present-tense goals (“I am…”) as a key to her career progress, citing the book “Goals” by Brian Tracy.
• They talk about balancing multiple self-help systems and coping with “analysis paralysis”—the overwhelm of having too many techniques and opinions thrown at you.
• “Anything that’s going wrong in your life is just…it’s your subconscious that’s planted that.” —Annie (106:27)

10. Comedy Culture, Corporate Gigs, and Reality of Showbiz

(78:43–82:51)

• Annie offers insight into the sometimes competitive, sometimes sisterly world of women comics.
• She shares tales of awkward corporate gigs, roasting old rich men at golf clubs, and the challenge of being asked to work “clean.”
• T-shirt merchandise tales: Annie’s collaboration with designer Meth Syndicate (“microwave” on shirts, shrimp as ‘666’).

11. Hobbies and Wrapping Up

(114:54–End)

• The discussion winds down with favorite slot machines, Matt’s joy at winning a TV on “Let’s Make a Deal,” and wild tangents about marathon running and wellness.
• Annie shouts out her tour dates and plugs her podcast, AnnieWood.
• Final note of gratitude and encouragement to check out Annie’s live shows.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Zane, on Danielle’s drunken return:
  “She is on the floor like a pretzel.” (03:55)
• Matt, on embarrassing burner accounts:
  “I catch him just red-handed with the screenshot that he sends me with this whole correspondence and his YouTube page.” (26:55)
• Annie, on surviving high school:
  “If you put a kid towards juvenile delinquents, they shall become one.” (44:44)
• Annie, on meditation and self-improvement:
  “Everything I resist is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. It is actually crazy. It’s like the exact thing I need to do.” (72:05)
• Zane, on writing goals:
  "I try not to write my goals cuz I just know I'll never accomplish them." (109:45)
• Annie (on The Artist's Way):
  "You’re supposed to every morning do morning pages...you just stream of consciousness write for three pages and you get all this gunk out." (108:57)
• Matt, on the trippy side of breathwork:
  “People were having these, like, brain orgasms, basically…you squeeze your taint—your perineum—he’s like, squeeze your perineum…” (102:51)
• Annie, on motivational speakers:
  “I definitely like, maybe not Tony Robbins is good… but you have to create your own. Pick and choose.” (115:23)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------|-------------------| | Wordle & Danielle's wild night | 01:05–05:45 | | Disney Drinking Games & Party Cheating | 09:00–14:10 | | Squid Game and Reality TV | 05:39–08:09, 34:00–34:49| | Annie’s Comedy Origins/DM Story | 22:01–23:05 | | Burner accounts & DM Embarrassments | 24:25–29:00 | | Quaker/Educational Upbringing | 41:00–46:43 | | Survival TV/Backstabbing Ethics | 29:46–34:49 | | Stand-up Comedy Process | 69:25–75:55 | | Psychedelics & Meditation | 93:59–108:47 | | Productivity, Self-Help & Goals | 110:03–115:23 | | Annie’s Tour Dates, Outtro | 122:11–End |

Tone & Atmosphere

The episode is a dynamic blend of party energy, raunchy humor, earnest soul-searching, and classic oversharing. Annie’s irreverent, self-aware comedy meshes perfectly with Zane and Heath’s vibe, while Matt and Heath keep the conversation moving sharply between the absurd and the insightful. There’s lots of gentle (and not-so-gentle) ribbing, laughter at awkward memories, and an underlying message that most people are just trying to figure life out, one botched DM or half-finished goal at a time.

Where to Find Annie Lederman

• Podcast: AnnieWood (new episodes Thursdays)
• Instagram: @AnnieLederman
• Live Shows: See AnnieLetterman.com for tour dates (includes Houston, IL, PA, Austin, Dallas, and more).

Final Word:
If you like hilarious, unfiltered talk with a side of hard truths and weirdo wellness, this episode is a must.
“You just gotta poke the shadow.” — Annie Lederman

Check out Zane & Heath: Unfiltered every Monday (audio) and Tuesday (video) for more wild conversations.