All About The Joy
All About The Joy is a weekly hang-out with friends in the neighborhood! We share insight, advice, funny-isms and we choose to always try and find the positive, the silver lining, the "light" in all of it. AATJ comes from the simple concept that at the end of the day we all want to have more JOY than not. So, this is a cool place to unwind, have a laugh and share some time with friends!
Watch the livestream version of the show on YouTube at @CarmenLezeth.
Episodes
261 episodes
Frederick Douglass: Legacy, Truth, and Liberation - A Conversation with Kenneth B. Morris Jr.
In this episode of Culture & Consequence, Carmen and Andrea sit down with Kenneth B. Morris Jr., a direct descendant of Frederick Douglass, for a powerful conversation about legacy, truth, and the ongoing fight for liberation. Morris shares...
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Episode 263
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49:46
Know Thyself: The Three Truths That Change Everything
“Love yourself” is everywhere — but most people don’t actually know what it means. In this Carmen Talk, I break down why the real work isn’t about loving yourself first… it’s about knowing yourself. Because when you truly know who you are, the ...
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Episode 262
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25:58
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Military Action, Moral Outrage, and the Texas Primary
This week, Carmen and Andrea dig into a chaotic stretch of news: U.S. military action in Iran and Ecuador, the limits of the 25th Amendment, and the growing sense that the country is being run by people wildly unprepared for the power they hold...
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Episode 261
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40:11
Why Joel Lava Is Running for Congress: Accountability, Community, and Real Leadership
In this Private Lounge conversation, Carmen sits down with Joel Lava, who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in California’s 30th District. Joel talks openly about why he decided to run, what pushed him from activism into a congre...
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Episode 260
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41:52
Billionaires, Broken Politics, and the SOTU We Couldn’t Watch
Carmen and guest co‑host Billy take the State of the Union as a starting point to examine the deeper fractures in American politics. They dig into the outsized influence of billionaires, the fallout of Citizens United, Fox News distortion, medi...
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Episode 259
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50:00
The Lost Art of Manners: Dignity, Decency, and Why It Still Matters
In this episode, Carmen explores what manners truly represent — not as rigid rules or performative politeness, but as everyday acts of dignity, awareness, and human connection. Through personal stories and real‑world examples, she reflects on h...
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Episode 258
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32:27
The Truths We Weren’t Taught
On this episode of Culture and Consequence, Andrea and I sit down for a wide‑open conversation about the state of American life — from healthcare and wealth to history, race, and the stories we were never taught. What starts with a sim...
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Episode 257
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48:22
Kelly Quinn on Craft, Courage, and Building a Life in Acting
In this episode of The Private Lounge, Carmen sits down with actor Kelly Quinn for a candid, funny, and deeply honest conversation about the realities of building an acting career outside of Hollywood. Kelly opens up about her unexpected path f...
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Episode 256
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47:16
Bad Bunny, Pam Bondi and the Fight for the Real America
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show wasn’t just entertainment; it was a cultural shift. We break down why a Spanish‑language performance with Afro‑Latino dancers and Charm La’Donna’s choreography felt like a love letter to the real America — a...
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Episode 255
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42:56
When the World Tells You How to Feel — Choose Your Own Story
What if the loudest voices in your feed don’t get to tell you how to feel? Carmen opens up about growing up without a father, losing her mother young, and refusing the tidy TV script that says a missing parent means a missing self. Instead of i...
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Episode 254
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28:34
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Bad Bunny, Belonging, and the American Story We Keep Forgetting
A sore back, a sleepless night, and a headline you can’t unsee - sometimes that’s all it takes to reveal what we’re really wrestling with. We open by talking honestly about pain and rest, then follow that thread into how exhaustion shapes our e...
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Episode 253
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47:53
Learning Differently: A Mother’s Journey to Understanding and Real Support
A small on-air shuffle turns into a masterclass in advocacy as we sit down with Nikki, a mom who refused to let stigma define her son’s path. From the first red flags in kindergarten to a game-changing IEP, she lays out the exact steps she took...
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Episode 252
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36:18
Sleep, Violence, and the Cost of Staying Awake
Some weeks, the hardest part isn’t the work — it’s trying to rest while the world keeps shaking. We start with a real check‑in on sleep: one of us finally getting a full night, the other staring at the ceiling at 2 a.m., and how the news cycle ...
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Episode 251
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26:59
Gen Z, Big Decisions, and the Myth of the ‘Right Path’
What if the “right path” isn’t a single lane but a series of smart experiments? Carmen sits down with Juliana, her 17‑year‑old goddaughter, for a candid Gen X–Gen Z conversation about big choices, bigger pressures, and the real work of growing ...
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Episode 250
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41:29
Davos, Power, and the Cracks in America’s Story
Heads of state, hedge fund titans, and cameras converged on Davos - and we watched a different story unfold: how performative power can’t hide the cracks in America’s credibility. We start with the Greenland fixation and a simple truth most hea...
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Episode 249
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48:02
Money Stress, Policy Choices, and Real Relief with Dana Miranda
Prices keep climbing, headlines keep blaring, and the advice too often boils down to “budget harder.” We take a different route. Together with writer and author Dana Miranda (You Don’t Need a Budget), we unpack the real drivers of everyday mone...
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Episode 248
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51:50
How Language Hides Power: Orwell, Policing, and the Week’s Headlines
This week, we look at how language shapes power — from the words we use in our own routines to the phrases officials use to blur responsibility. We break down a single news clip to show how euphemisms sanitize state violence, how “plain speakin...
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Episode 248
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48:15
A Life Across an Ocean: Music, Migration, and the Courage to Begin Again
What if the most radical thing you could offer a friend was a plane ticket out of danger? That one gesture - sent during California’s wildfires - anchors a wider story about music, belonging, and building a life across an ocean. We sit down wit...
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Episode 247
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40:23
Outrage Is Easy. Accountability Isn’t.
Outrage is easy. Accountability is harder. We open with the relief of weekly check-ins and step straight into the hard question: how did a country that once sold hope end up normalizing personality cults and cruelty? We revisit the Obama years ...
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Episode 246
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50:24
20 Don’ts for a Saner, Kinder 2026: Media Literacy, Culture, and Real Joy
Ready for a cleaner feed, clearer mind, and a steadier heart in 2026? Carmen opens the year with twenty unapologetic don’ts that cut through noise and nudge us toward a saner, kinder way to live. We move from civic basics you should know by hea...
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Episode 245
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15:26
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All About The Joy: A New Year’s Message
Joy gets treated like a soft word online, but we use it like a backbone. We open with gratitude for the people who made this community real, then map how our small show grew into four connected formats that serve different needs without losing ...
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Episode 244
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6:54
Life Built on Art, Mentorship, and Love: My Conversation with William Jurberg
What happens when you sit down with the person who helped shape who you became — the friend who turned into family long before either of you had the language for it? That’s the heart of this conversation with my “brother from another mother,” W...
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Episode 243
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51:51
Naming the Petty, Protecting the Vulnerable
What if the loudest stories in politics are really about insecurity, not strength? We start with the whiplash of overnight headlines and a White House obsessed with optics, then trace how petty theater bleeds into policy with life-or-death stak...
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Episode 242
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56:33
How Learning Differences, Confidence, and One Tiny Daily Ritual Can Change Everything
What if the story you tell yourself about being “not smart enough” is just a bad fit between your brain and a test format? We open up about growing up with the quiet fear of not measuring up, the panic of multiple-choice exams, and the surprisi...
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Episode 241
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23:41
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Respect, Accountability, and the Politics of Fear: From U.S. Elections to Honduras
What if respect isn’t something we owe to power, but something power owes to us? We start with a listener’s challenge - “say one nice thing about Trump” - and follow the thread through the messy intersection of office, behavior, and accountabil...
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Episode 241
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52:42
