Melanie Bazile is joined by Zach Anner—writer, comedian, disability advocate, and storyteller—who shares his journey with humor, heart, and deep insight. From the mountain hike where friends carried him on their backs, to the quiet guilt and later clarity that followed, Zach’s reflections remind us that presence is powerful—and sometimes, just showing up is enough.
The conversation explores the tension between labels and humanity, the often-overlooked wisdom of asking someone what kind of life they want to live, and the urgency of authentic disability representation in media. Zach doesn’t just talk about inclusion—he lives it. His message is clear: if we want better stories, we need to stop hosting panels and start hiring disabled people to tell them.
This episode is a call to action and a quiet celebration of what it means to be fully seen.
Show Notes
Zach Anner is a comedian, author, television writer, public speaker, and YouTube personality. He grew up in Buffalo, NY, and somehow remained an optimist despite enduring seven-month winters and watching the Buffalo Bills lose four straight Super Bowls. Zach's YouTube videos have amassed over 100 million views and have helped change the conversation around disability. He is an ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and has worked with United Cerebral Palsy’s Wheels for Humanity program to distribute wheelchairs to disadvantaged communities in Nicaragua. He published his memoir If At Birth You Don’t Succeed in 2016, and his work writing for television has been honored with 2017 and 2023 Sentinel Awards for outstanding depictions of people with disabilities on screen. Zach spends most of his spare time in his underwear, thinking about how he can change the world.
https://www.zachanner.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Birth-You-Dont-Succeed-Adventures/dp/1250116546/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1U20DOZO2LG2Y&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.vqSGtNqeqeKCeYP16oDhSYUFfSC_MRBslZmYbkSCxjexb65fl8ziazDgwsVIOtAair9kpf57zqtqYctXmr7DN8pYxIN7cd0Mrb8Z6FzlKtw.hyX43nWnHnUaT0dypuIHw-v8UTrsuNbC2qq-yJ2icdY&dib_tag=se&keywords=zach+anner&qid=1749075644&sprefix=zach+anner%2Caps%2C192&sr=8-1
