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!
Episodes
247 episodes
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
Politics Without Rage | Blake Fischer on Trust, Congress, and The Homeless Conservative
A candid conversation with Blake Fischer on rebuilding trust, cutting through outrage, and restoring self‑government.Politics shouldn’t feel like a loyalty test, but for a lot of people it does. We invited Blake Fischer, creator...
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Episode 231
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45:08
War Crimes at Sea, Teen Social Media Crackdown & Hallmark Comforts
Part 1 - Politics USA cabinet official leaks sensitive strike details on a personal Signal account, a suspected war crime at sea ignites bipartisan scrutiny, and Trump drops 158 posts to flood the news cycle. We connect the...
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Episode 230
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54:18
Show Rewind: Christmas, Healthcare, Botox & Finding Joy
This week we’re taking a pause for the holiday and bringing you something different: a rewind across all four shows under the All About The Joy umbrella — Friday Night Live, The Private Lounge, Culture and Consequence, and Carmen Talk.
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Episode 229
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41:51
Joy vs. Happiness: Why Chasing Sparks Isn’t Enough
What if the feeling you’re chasing isn’t meant to be chased at all? Carmen shares why happiness is a spark and joy is a lighthouse, and how learning the difference changed her life. From a tender childhood memory - horseback riding boots - ...
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Episode 228
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24:34
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Accountability, Authoritarians, and the Hallmark Escape
A political pivot is easy to post but hard to prove. We open with Marjorie Taylor Greene’s sudden distance from Trump, then ask the harder question: what does real accountability look like for anyone who cheered harmful policies and no...
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Episode 227
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46:55
From Kindergarten Laughs to Netflix Credits: Jack Seavor McDonald on Improv, Ethics, and Set Life
A kindergartener chasing laughs becomes a Netflix‑credited actor with a thriving improv trio - that’s the arc Jack Seavor McDonald shares as we explore what it really takes to build a creative life. From landing the Mad Hatter in a community mu...
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Episode 226
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50:15
Shutdowns, Side Effects, and the Cost of Not Listening
A rushed doctor visit, a push for weight loss meds, and a simple question about sleep spiral into a bigger truth: our healthcare system is built for billing codes, not people. We share what it feels like to chase rest through a maze of referral...
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Episode 225
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43:30
Directing Dignity: Joel Lava on AI, Leadership, and the Politics of Conviction
Ever wonder why some leaders pull us toward our better selves while others license the worst in us? I sit down with director and activist Joel Lava for a candid, funny, and sometimes fiery conversation that moves from election reactions to what...
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Episode 224
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51:50
Blue Wave, Real Talk: Media Literacy, Coalition Politics, and the Cost of Power
In this episode of All About The Joy, Culture and Consequence: The lines wrapped around buildings, the speeches were unapologetic, and for a moment the air felt lighter. We dive into why this week’s blue wave hit so hard, not as a f...
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Episode 223
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41:24
What Wealth Really Buys and What It Doesn’t
Two alarms go off across the same city, and the day splits: one morning sprints through breakfast prep, school runs, and budget math; the other flows with nannies, a chef, and a tennis lesson on the calendar. We use these parallel routines to e...
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Episode 222
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25:12
Shutdowns, SNAP Myths, and the Cost of Cowardice
The episode starts with shine - literal shine - as we trade retinol tips, laugh about mic placement, and compare notes on simple routines that actually work. Then the tone shifts. We walk through the government shutdown, what a “clean” continui...
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Episode 221
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45:42
Hybrid Homeschooling: A New Blueprint for Real Learning
What if the best education for your child isn’t a yes-or-no choice between homeschooling and traditional school? We sit down with education reform advocate and author Chris Linder to explore a flexible path that blends the strengths of both. Th...
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Episode 220
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50:58
White House Demolition, Missing Guardrails & Who Really Pays
A historic wing falls under the wrecking ball while the government sits frozen and the real story isn’t the rubble, it’s the missing guardrails. We dig into how a fast-tracked White House East Wing demolition bypassed the usual preservation pro...
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Episode 219
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48:36
The Indie Artist’s Playbook: Jesse Flores on Scaling, Streaming, and Team Building
What if the difference between “out now” and “taking off” was simply three weeks of planning and the right people answering your email? We sit with Jesse Flores, VP of Artists and Label Partnerships at Intercept Music, to map the modern indie p...
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Episode 218
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37:18
