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!
All About The Joy
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.
Friday Night Live: The week didn’t go as planned: too-early holiday decorations, energy at zero, and a funeral that brought everything into focus. That’s where our conversation starts—at the messy edge of real life—before opening into a thoughtful, myth-busting look at cosmetic care, modern healthcare, and a practice of joy that actually holds up.
The Private Lounge: We’re joined by a cosmetic dermatology pro who reframes “Botox” as wrinkle relaxer treatment and walks us through natural results that preserve expression, not erase identity. We talk candidly about safety for immunocompromised folks, when to get physician clearance, and how neuromodulators began as medical tools for migraines, movement disorders, and excessive sweating. The difference between ethical, individualized care and fast-talking upsell culture becomes stark: tailored injections by region, attention to anatomy, and transparency make all the difference. If you’ve ever worried about looking “done,” this segment will calm your nerves and give you smarter questions to ask any provider.
Culture and Consequence: From there, the lens widens to healthcare itself. A simple request for help with sleep turns into a quick pivot toward weight-loss meds, highlighting how billing codes, short appointments, and fragmented referrals undermine whole-person care. We unpack the policy whiplash around insurance, coverage, and political strategy that leaves patients feeling like afterthoughts.
Carmen Talk: And then we ground it all with a deeper idea: happiness is fleeting, sadness is fleeting, but joy is a skill you can build. Joy becomes the throughline—from grief and rain-soaked days to better skincare choices and the courage to advocate for yourself at the doctor’s office.
If you’re craving conversations with good friends, from gossipy fun to politics and just good insights, please join and follow along! Share this with a friend who needs encouragement, subscribe for more grounded conversations, and leave a review to tell us where you’re finding joy this week.
Thank you for stopping by. Please visit our website: All About The Joy and add, like and share. You can also support us by shopping at our STORE - We'd appreciate that greatly. Also, if you want to find us anywhere on social media, please check out the link in bio page.
Music By Geovane Bruno, Moments, 3481
Editing by Team A-J
Host, Carmen Lezeth
DISCLAIMER: As always, please do your own research and understand that the opinions in this podcast and livestream are meant for entertainment purposes only. States and other areas may have different rules and regulations governing certain aspects discussed in this podcast. Nothing in our podcast or livestream is meant to be medical or legal advice. Please use common sense, and when in doubt, ask a professional for advice, assistance, help and guidance.
So where do you go to where do you go? Where do you go? So how do you do? How do you do? How do you be your food? How do you go to where do you go? Where do you go to? How do you go?
Carmen Lezeth:Hi everyone. Welcome to All About the Joy. Hey Rick Costa.
Rick Costa:What's up?
Carmen Lezeth:What's up? Okay, so we're we're totally going on early because we we we are showing Cynthia what it feels like when she forces me to make us go live when you're not even here yet. So we're having our time. No, I'm just kidding. How you doing, Rick?
Rick Costa:Doing all right. I'm glad the weekend is not to be here, be here. So yeah.
Carmen Lezeth:Wait, say that again.
Rick Costa:I'm glad the weekend is finally gonna be here. I needed it.
Carmen Lezeth:Child, this has been one week. I'll wait till Cynthia gets here so we can talk about the week. But before Cynthia, damn it, here she is, she just ruined it. We're trying to have our conversation without you. We're having we're having our Rick Carmen time showing you what it feels like when you I said when you force me to go thoroughly. I force you, you do. You you're like Carmen now and never, yeah. And then you use the B word. Let's be honest, you like to use the B word a lot. How you doing, girl? What's up?
Cynthia :I know you see what's behind me. What's behind you?
Rick Costa:I see nothing.
Carmen Lezeth:I I'm in denial. It's not even Thanksgiving yet. Thanksgiving's next week. You're supposed to do it. The official Christmas time is a day after Thanksgiving.
Rick Costa:Don't don't you know that Black Friday.
Carmen Lezeth:Wait, what's that over there?
Cynthia :What's Black Friday? Wait, is he? I'm agreeing with you. I usually have it up November 1st, and the kids were like, um, what's going on? It it's like the day after Halloween?
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah. No, that's wrong. I'm sorry. That's all that's that's all Saints Day, and that's just not that's wrong. That's wrong. Um, wait, Rick, when do you, if you were to put up your Christmas stuff, when would you put your don't don't mind her? It's just me and you, baby, just me and you talking.
Rick Costa:I mean, definitely after Christmas. Um after Thanksgiving is done. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Probably wait till December, to be honest with you.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah, I just don't ever remember it being up this okay, Cynthia, but we love it, it looks beautiful. Is that the Christmas tree behind you? I can't really tell. I have two of them.
Rick Costa:Yeah, a pink one and a lit one.
Carmen Lezeth:Why can't I figure out what's happening?
Cynthia :So this one is a skinny one, this green skinny light, and then this one's a pink pop-up one. Oh, why do you have the pink pop-up one? Because it goes with my theme of little like Candyland theme. I love that.
Carmen Lezeth:So we can't hear you on. Tell him to come on, he's gonna talk to him.
Rick Costa:Because we can't hear him.
Cynthia :He said if it was up to me, it'd be after the week after 4th of July.
Carmen Lezeth:Wait, so you're really like you would like Christmas all the time?
Cynthia :I love Christmas.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay, wait, that wasn't the question. Clearly, we know you love Christmas, but are you one of those people who's like, oh my god, Hallmark is starting their Christmas movies June 1st? Yay! Are you one of those people? Like, yeah, because they do he's like, yeah, right.
Rick Costa:Yeah, that's just wrong.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah, no, no.
Cynthia :Uh that's funny. I I even I even have my little holiday mug.
Carmen Lezeth:I don't even know what it says, but it says Cynthia. What does it say at the top? It's it's backwards. This holiday mug belongs to Cynthia. Oh my god. Okay, all right. I'm not gonna I'm not gonna poo-poo your holiday festivities, it's just hilarious.
Rick Costa:I hear Mariah Carey music in the background. Just kidding.
Carmen Lezeth:What is that song? Oh, yeah, no, I can't. I don't know, like not that there's anything wrong with Mariah Carey, but okay, we won't be negative. We're gonna be positive. All about the joy, all about the joy, okay. Rick, how was your week?
Rick Costa:Uh, work was surprisingly slow, and I didn't mind at all because for some reason I just felt I didn't feel sick, like sick symptoms or running nose or nothing. I just felt totally run down, no energy. I just want to sleep, but I didn't feel sick, so I was like, thank god it's low because I got no energy to do nothing.
Carmen Lezeth:So maybe it's because it's going into the holiday, you know what I mean? Um, Cynthia, how was your week? Like crappy.
Cynthia :Well, I ended up I did get sick on Friday. Like I was so run down um after the show and everything. And I woke up on Saturday, stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing up all kinds of stuff.
Carmen Lezeth:And too much info, but we got you.
Cynthia :I'm it's just been crazy busy, that's all.
Carmen Lezeth:But I well, I mean, you had to put up all your Christmas stuff, so yes, very, very busy. No, but I mean, like, so but you're feeling better now, or yeah, yeah.
Cynthia :I'm getting over the cold and stuff.
Carmen Lezeth:So I had a really good week. Thank you for asking. Uh I had a uh so I I've been working out, Rick, right? I told you whatever that I got back on it or whatever, and I stopped eating sugar in the morning. What I mean by that is I have two cups of coffee in the morning before 6 a.m. I don't drink coffee after that, I don't drink soda, I don't really, you know what I mean? Like I drink sparkling water once in a while, but um, but I have to tell you, not having my sugar in the morning, that changes everything. I was like, I'm like, oh my god, it's like nine o'clock. What's wrong with me? Like, what like what's wrong with me? Not the caffeine, it's not the caffeine, clearly it's the sugar, but I got through it. I mean, it was fine. It was just it was a weird reaction, you know.
Cynthia :Wait, did you have coffee without sugar?
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah, coffee without sugar. Oh, okay, and only oat milk, yeah. So usually I have coffee with two sugars, but I have two cups. And when I say cups, I mean mugs because I drink like so it's probably four or eight ounces, you know what I mean? Like, I don't know. Yeah, but I make it at home. I don't, you know what I mean? And I well, you've you've been you know, Cynthia. I'm like trying not to wake up people while I get up at my 4:30 to have my coffee ready.
Rick Costa:Um, as hardcore drugs, it is, and then sugar's in everything.
Carmen Lezeth:I'm not getting rid of all sugar, but I was shook as like just not just changing that one thing in the morning um was weird to me. You know what I mean? It was a little bit, yeah, whatever. So uh, but then it was also a really hard week. I I don't know if I told you guys, but I went to a funeral this morning. It's been raining. Oh, it's nobody that I mean, it's one of my clients' family member died unexpectedly, uh, October 31st. And uh so I went out of respect, you know what I mean? Like out of uh, but I have to say, when you meet people, when you meet people's other family, when you see the people that you it's like I have a whole new other level of respect for this family and the and the young girls, because it was their mom who passed away, uh, they're in their 20s, you know, like young, 21, 24, maybe, you know, the two of them got up there and spoke so eloquently, so be this is about their mama. I mean, it was just it was beautiful, it was, but it was heavy, you know, like, and I'm like, I didn't even know her or anything, but you you know, when you sense like the love, and I'm like, that is that's family. Like, that was family today, you know, and I was like, that's something that I I wish I had more of a sense of in my life on a regular basis. I think that's what was also kind of, you know, uh, but so yeah, but the whole week was kind of just hard. It's been raining here and it's been really cold. Now I hand nothing. I don't want to hand nothing from people on other coasts. But when you live here, it does you acclimate. And so, I mean, it has been so cold. I've had the heat on, and then it's just too hot, and then it's not because I don't have like a like that's the heater. So when the heat comes out, it's like boom, and you're like sweating. You turn it down and it's like off, and you're like so. I haven't been feeling great. It's just been one of those weird weeks, but I am grateful. Um, I realized today how grateful I am for friends and um even like uh some of the people that came out from work. Oh my god, like one of the people that came out from work, I was like, she just was brilliant. Like, I don't know how to explain it when you see people in a different environment and how they react and how they're you know what I mean. Not I don't know how to explain it. It was just, I was like, I am so proud we hired you. Oh my god, you're on point right now. Yeah, it was really cool. So I know it sounds a little weird, but it's just like the little things I just noticed about people, and you know what? Life is short, man. Like true, it really is.
Cynthia :My boss, my boss um a couple weeks ago lost his grandmother, and then yesterday came in in the morning, and then all of a sudden rushed out of the office, had to leave because his brother passed away just unexpectedly.
Carmen Lezeth:No, yeah, yes, I don't know when he'll be back, but it's a tough, it's a tough one, and you know, it this isn't like the first time I've gone to a funeral or whatever, and I it's not that I go to all my clients' funerals. This client in particular, I just think they are um like I do, I complain a lot about my client, but we all complain about work. It's not like I think Rick's boss is great. I don't even think the people you work with are great, you know what I mean? Maybe one or two of the doctors who you don't really talk to a lot, but you know what I mean? Like, but because we complain, whatever, but this, you know, I don't know how to explain it. Out of all my clients, these people are at least the most authentic. You know what I mean? Like I think all my other clients, no disrespect, but it's kind of the same, like you know, you work for them. Like they might pull the you work for me card once in a while. These people would never do that, they don't, they're not like that. You know what I mean? Don't get they're crazy. I told them they're cray cray, they're crazy, but they're but they're just really good people. And then when I saw their family and his nieces and all, I was like, oh, that makes sense. I got it. Yeah, it totally was weird.
Cynthia :That's so funny. I used to work with the girl who was cray cray, but she had the biggest heart in the world. Like she would, you know, be a little ghetto, be a little crazy and stuff like that, but she definitely had the biggest heart, and like she was awesome.
Carmen Lezeth:This is kind of cool. I I think what I've learned today was a few things, but one of them was like, you know, we see people only in the environment we know them in, you know, but we all have different sides of who we are. That doesn't, I'm not saying that we're fake or whatever, but we have different that makes us more whole. So when you only see somebody at work all the time, even if you go out to like dinner or lunch with them out, that doesn't change it. You're still in work mode, you know what I mean? Um and they didn't know I was coming, you know. I it's not like I'm gonna be like, hey, just so let you know I'm gonna be there today. You know what I mean? That's not like I just wanted to go out of respect, you know. So um he was he was totally shocked. He came over and he gave me a kiss. He's like, Oh my god, thank you for being here. And I was like, Oh my god, I'm gonna cry, stop. Well, because he I think he was just a little bit shook, you know. So it's just, yeah, I think I want to be better about getting to know people in a bigger way or being open to the possibility that even though I'm having this interaction with you, that there are other sides of you I don't know. Well, I mean Rick. Uh Cynthia, I know everything about. So hey everyone, welcome to All About the Joy. I'm so glad to have everyone here, Cynthia. No laughing, but I'm glad that you're here today. Mario is in the house, and maybe we'll see Alma a little bit later. Thank you. And Rick Costa, as always, so glad you're here. We have my friend Neilu here. Hi, and I'm gonna try again to say your name. It's Rust Tom G, right? Neilu Rust Tom G. Yep, that's it. Okay, and as I said a little bit earlier to you, I can't believe I didn't know your last name up until this moment, but um, you actually do all my Botox, and I'm sorry I'm repeating that again. Um, we're not supposed to call it Botox. It's I always mess up anti-wrinkle, what is it?
Nilu Rustomji:Like wrinkle relaxer treatment, yeah. Um, it's like a broad term for all the different types of wrinkle relaxers that are on the market.
Carmen Lezeth:That are on the market. So instead of saying Botox, which is like saying Coca-Cola instead of like Pepsi, for people who don't know, because most of our audience, I don't think, is really big on, I'm sure Rick's audience huge on Botox and But you do a lot of skincare, and the reason why you and I connect so well, and it's you know, one of the reasons why I want to tell people how I have guests on the show, how I meet them, is I actually went to a place where you used to work. Um, and I had a person that I would work with, and she would do my stuff, but then she went on vacation. I met you, and that was the end. It was just after that. Um, but why don't you tell us a little bit how you got into doing skincare?
Nilu Rustomji:Yeah, so of course, so I um didn't think I would be in this role at all growing up. My parents are like immigrant Indian people, and they have no idea what Botox or any of this is. But I studied psychology in undergrad and went on to PA school where I was doing different rotations and landed a rotation in dermatology and kind of you know fell in love with it. I really liked the procedural hands-on aspect and being able to relate with patients, spend more one-on-one time with them in like a more intimate setting. So I actually ended up doing medical, surgical, and cosmetic dermatology for a few years in Santa Barbara before coming back to LA and focusing just on cosmetic injectables and skincare.
Carmen Lezeth:What's the so there's a huge psychological aspect to how you do skincare as opposed to the idea that, you know, because I've always, and we can talk about this later. I think other people have questions, but whenever I tell people I've had Botox done, like whenever they say, Oh my god, your skin looks so good, I'm like, yeah, it's Botox or whatever. Um because when you notice Botox or when you notice it, that's when it's badly done. But most people who get it done, you would never, no one would ever know I'd had it done. No one.
Nilu Rustomji:Exactly. You always think about the people that you see out on the street or in Hollywood, and like, oh my gosh, they look terrifying and they they do they do Botox or they do too much. But yeah, exactly. You don't think about all the people that are walking around that you wouldn't otherwise think twice about that do, you know, do have for work done. But it kind of goes to show that it can be done very naturally, very elegantly. My whole approach is, you know, I don't like cookie-cutter approaches. I think that we're all unique and beautiful in our own ways, and we all come from different backgrounds. And so I just really try to highlight that and like each patient's unique anatomy and what what are their goals? Like, what are their concerns? Like someone that's an actor doesn't need to have no movement at all, versus somebody that might want to have, you know, that has like really deep lines or inkles, you know. So you have to always cater to the patient, ask about their lifestyle, ask what they're doing at home.
Carmen Lezeth:Um Mario, would you ever get it done?
Maurio Dawson:My wife wouldn't let me. And also, I have questions because for me, like for most people, for most listeners and viewers, they know that I have kidney transplants, so I'm immunocompromised. So there's certain things that I cannot do. Like I always wanted to get a tattooed, but I can't do it. Um, so I always my wife has you know always wondered what that looks like for someone like me. Could I ever do something like that? Even though because I've had a major weight loss. I've lost like 130 pounds so far. So now I have a lot of wrinkles and because a lot of loose skin in my face. So that's something I always have a question about if I can do that or not.
Nilu Rustomji:Of course. No, that's very valid, and and that actually is a good thing to bring thing to bring up because a lot of people might think that, oh, it's Botox, whatever, it's nothing. But it is still a medical procedure. And to your point, um, it's really important for us to screen patients um for these things. But I always defer to your your you know, rheumatologist, your PCP, um, your regular physician to get clearance. But in your case, I'm not providing medical advice, but if they clear it, which they probably would because it's a very um not like it's pretty non-invasive. Um and we do treat a lot of immunocompromised patients. Um, in fact, you know, patients that are undergoing chemotherapy or have, you know, have cancer, like sometimes they come in just to feel good and they are oncologists, you know, tell like go get go get whatever you need done to feel better, to feel happier. Um, so yeah, we do treat patients with you know that are have immunosuppression or immunocompromise, but we always will, yeah, just recommend getting clearance from a physician. Um, yeah.
Maurio Dawson:See, that's a question a lot of people wouldn't know.
Nilu Rustomji:Yeah, no, that's a fabulous question. Yeah, and a lot of these homework today.
Carmen Lezeth:You earned your salary, Mario. A plus.
Cynthia :I've also heard of people using it to um get rid of migraines. Exactly. Yep, yeah, yeah.
Nilu Rustomji:So that thank you. Yeah, so I was gonna say a lot of these medicines that are you know now aesthetic treatments were first indicated for medical use. So migraines, nerve disorders, like movement disorders, urinary incontinence, excessive sweating. Um I didn't know that.
Rick Costa:Yeah, yeah. So I was today years old.
Maurio Dawson:How about that?
Nilu Rustomji:Now you did extra homework.
Maurio Dawson:More homework.
Carmen Lezeth:Let me just write this down. Rick, do you have any questions? You're falling behind on the homework part of this.
Rick Costa:I was just wondering like the difference between all the technology we have now compared to like 25 years ago. Is it like really, really different or pretty much the same?
Nilu Rustomji:That's a good question. I mean, a little bit of both. You know, Botox, I think, first got its aesthetic indication, at least in like 1989. But these, again, medications have been studied for like decades now at this point. I would say newer formulations of, let's say, like Botox or certain fillers are still being developed. I would say more importantly, we're learning as practitioners or healthcare providers how to do it more properly. We're learning a lot more about facial anatomy, um, about you know, which plane to inject in without going into too much detail. So it's really actually about, I think, like finessing our expertise, um, which makes it so it's we're constantly learning, which is so cool. And so, yes, there's always new products like coming out or in the pipeline, but um a lot of these have been very well studied for a long time and are are pretty safe for use.
Carmen Lezeth:I I think one of the things I found interesting that you do that I didn't have done before. So I used to go to a man who's a surgeon, a surgeon, but he does plastic surgery, whatever, and I went why's Mario laughing?
Maurio Dawson:Because we're talking about derm and I keep looking at my wrinkles on my forehead.
Carmen Lezeth:Baby, you're beautiful. No, don't say a very prominent place because the way I ended up learning about Botox was I had this friend who I met getting my nails done. This woman, she was next next to me getting her nails done. We were I was having a conversation, she interjected and and we started talking afterwards, and then we went out to dinner and we became friends. And a year into our friendship, we were having dinner, and I was like, Oh, I really, really have to get something done. You know, like you kid around with your friend, you like, oh, I gotta get something done here. And she was like, Oh no, what you need is like some Botox here and here. And I was like, I was like laughing because I was like, Yeah, girl, whatever, you know, because I knew nothing about it. And she's like, No, for real, if you ever want to go with me, you know, I've had everything done. And I'm like, What? She had had her nose done when she was 18, she'd had her boobs done, she'd had a facelift. She and I'm telling you, here's how naive I was. I honestly can tell you before that day, if someone had told me that they had had all this stuff done, I'd be like, I can't be friends with her. Because I had a judgment about it. Yeah, yeah. And here I was hanging out with this woman for over a year, having dinner once a month, like we'd always get together. You know what I mean? We went to yoga class. I wanted to shoot myself because I hate yoga. But she tried to get me into yoga class and whatever. But she was a good friend. And when I realized all the work she had had done and how beautiful I would have never guessed. I would have it never dawned on me. So I went with her. I went to a very, I know you would know who I think I we've already talked about this, but I know you would know who it is, a surgeon or whatever. And when I went in there, he was. I mean, I left there. I went in thinking, okay, well, yeah, maybe I could get, I left that visit being like so broken. Like I was ugly, I needed everything done, you know, like you need filler here, you need this there, you need all this stuff. And he obviously didn't take any psychology classes.
Nilu Rustomji:All right, exactly. Or I don't want to generalize a lot of a lot of male surgeons.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah, I mean, and look at here's the thing, he's very prominent, he's worked on a lot of Hollywood celebrities, and and I know Neilo, you know who it is, but it's just I think he just knows like he was just cut into the chase. Like, here's all the stuff you can get done, it'll cost like $28,000 and whatever. You know what I mean? Like, well, he didn't say that. He sent me to the next room, which was somebody else to say right, the whole budgeting person who can send you over a credit card and the payment plan. And I remember being like, Yeah, no, I mean, I felt I have never had bad self-esteem. But the difference with you and where I met you is it's is it all women there? It was all women at one point, it's all women, and that was the first thing I noticed, and it's just a whole different nurturing thing. And then you were just, you know, I think you said to me, Wow, you have such great skin. And I was like, But I I think it's that nurturing aspect. It there is a difference between, and and this is not to be judgmental of men in this field, but there is a difference between women helping other women through this because I think I'm not saying all women, but it's a you're more about how you go about it. Like you use different things on different parts of my face, yes, for the injectables where that never happened before, it was just all Botox.
Nilu Rustomji:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Carmen Lezeth:But you use and you explained it to me. You were like, for this area, we're gonna use this, and for here, so I get Botox just so people who because I don't think anyone in this room besides well, Rick, you get a lot of it done, I can tell. We're almost saying they're frozen.
Maurio Dawson:So we listen and we don't judge.
Carmen Lezeth:So so everyone knows I don't mind sharing. So I have a line that goes here, right? It's a pretty deep one that goes through here that bothers me. And you can't see it now because though she thinks, yeah. No, no, no, Nilo does it. Nilu does it. But there is a line here that I have that you can't see now.
Maurio Dawson:It's so you're saying you look like a Vulcan without Nilo. Neilu.
Carmen Lezeth:That's right, that's right. I look horrible without her, but it's uh what's it's called the 11s, right? Yes, yeah. But why do I only have one line? It's weird.
Nilu Rustomji:Ah, it's not weird. This is what it is. I have one line. So sometimes actually our so and that's again, we're all very unique. Somebody's muscle here can be distributing in various different ways. So the line there might look different than your neighbor's line, you know.
Carmen Lezeth:So we put a lot here, and then I get this area here done, whatever that's called. What's the uh uh uh outside eyes? The cross feet, the crossy, I don't like that term. I think we need to change that to some right. This sounds nasty, cross be. We need to call it something else, like I don't know, some whatever, like kitten whispers or something. Something like that. Yeah, I'm just saying we can be more positive about it, but anyway, and I get those done and I get uh the forehead done. But you do it lightly, so I can still move my eyebrows, so I don't have that thing where you can't move your eyebrows and stuff. Yeah, or you're too heavy.
Nilu Rustomji:We don't want that. What's too heavy? Oh, when it's like you feel like that, yeah, your brows are way down, your lids are yeah, lower. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, you're licensed lifted and awake.
Carmen Lezeth:Yes, yes, so um, but what else do you enjoy about doing the work that you do?
Nilu Rustomji:What what don't I love? No, I think you actually kind of mentioned it a little bit earlier, mostly women, you know, mostly female patients. We do definitely have a good number of male patients coming in, but I just love and I'm so inspired by my female patients that are hustlers, they're moms, they're they have 10 different roles, and they, you know, this it for me, it's my opportunity as a healthcare provider to take care of them and for them to like get in that chair, just let go of everything, relax, and like take care of themselves. And I feel like, you know, as women, we're oftentimes in a nurturing role or whatever, but what but now like at least in our our generation stuff, we're we're full-time employees a lot of the times as well. And so being able to navigate all those things, being a mom, being you know, working full-time, whatever it is, we might not often give ourselves grace or time to like take care of ourselves. And so being able to provide that for patients is really rewarding. Um, yeah, and I learned a lot. I learned so much from my patients. I learned a lot from you, Carmen.
Carmen Lezeth:We had a great conversation last time. That was just too funny. Um, but hey everyone, welcome to All About the Joy. This is Culture and Consequence with Carmen and Andrea. Hey, what's up, Andrea? How are you doing? I'm good, I'm good. How are you? Because normally in our conversations, I would say what I anyway, it doesn't matter. Okay, let's start that over.
unknown:Okay.
Carmen Lezeth:And I love this doctor, I really do. Um, but they're all pushing those weight loss things. Oh, the uh the GLP ones or whatever, you know, and they're pushing it. I don't know if she's pushing it, but I like so I was like, you know what? I'm just I'm so stressed out because I really want to get back to that place of running or whatever, you know, because you have that little kind of conversation, but you can't talk to them about anything other than what the visit is for, because then you have to it's such aren't sure. Like, I want to go back to the day where you can go to the doctors. Like, I remember Dr. Unger, who is my favorite doctor, he's since retired. But I would go get my GYN from him. I would, you know, and it would be one visit, and he would you'd go in early, you'd get your blood work from somebody else in the office. He would have you sit in his actual office, not in the room, but in his office, and he would be like, So what's going on? Okay, let's go do the exam. Like, and that feels like it was so long ago.
Andrea:It's so different from I mean, I don't think I've ever had that exactly, but I have had doctors that spend a little more time with you. But yeah, if there's you know, a lot of times what I do throughout the year I started doing is like I keep a list of all of my, you know, what you know, my shoulder's doing this, and waking up at this time every night, you know, I have all of my things, right? Like my ear hurts sometimes, you know. Um, and so I go in with my list and they're like, Oh, well, that's you'd have to see somebody else for that, and we'd have to schedule another appointment for this.
Carmen Lezeth:It's like Yeah, yeah, because they they won't talk to you about like all I said to her was I was having issues sleeping. And I mean, not that I meant for this to be the conversation, but it's gonna be the conversation. I don't care. And and you had mentioned something that you've been doing, and so I was like, Oh. Maybe I can try that. And that's like, you know what? Let's set up a different com uh a different appointment for that. And I'm like, you know, so yeah, so I I had mentioned, I'm like, I can't sleep. And when I can't sleep very well, and it's really changed a lot. I've always been a light sleeper, but this is a little bit beyond. Um, and so when I don't sleep well, I can't, I don't eat well because then I don't work out well. You know what I mean? And I'm in that weird cycle, yeah, you know? Um, and then I'm so tired by the end of the whatever, let's say the week of not sleeping, that then I sleep really well. I wake up the next morning, I'm like, yes, and then it just deteriorates. So, but it was so she was just like, Well, you know, there's a lot of um uh weight loss drugs now available. And I'm like, I'm I'm not taking, I'm not gonna take weight loss. Like, that's not the first answer I want to hear. Well, and how's that like how is it related? I don't know. Well, because I because I am she's trying to say without saying because we can't have the conversation, right? You know what I mean? Like I'm 25, I've already admitted this, so I don't care. I'm like 25, 30 pounds overweight. Um, and so I need to lose that weight. And that's fair. I mean, I feel like I've been in that struggle with the thyroid medication, and I've just been, and I'm I'm not, I'm still not settled. And after the surgery, I swear to God, they everyone keeps telling me that that surgery did not mess up my thyroid, but I didn't have a problem with my thyroid before then.
Andrea:Yeah, you have no, they don't know that.
Carmen Lezeth:Nobody has nobody knows that. But not none of them will, they're like, no, no, those are two separate things. I'm like, nobody invaded my body before.
Andrea:Like Dr. Gary had with metal in your body now, right? Like, I'm sorry, you have metal in your body now, like something's different.
Carmen Lezeth:I don't know. I mean, again, I'm not trying, but I'm just saying all of this went like my hip is great, but everything else feels like whatever. Anyway, so I'm just so I said to her, said I don't wanna, I don't wanna take any medication because I have a sleep problem. Like I'm not trying to be me. And I honestly, and again, I'm not against it. I don't know if you saw the show. We Cynthia talked about it because she's been on it, and I'm I'm all for people doing it, but I don't think that should be my first. I don't think I I don't think being 25 pounds overweight is the reason why I'm not sleeping. I think it's something else. And anyways, I just was kind of like I left there kind of sad, you know. Like, I'm so tired of our health insurance in this country. I'm tired the way in which we we are patients, you know. And she's a great doctor. My doctor is an amazing doctor, and even I was just like disappointed.
Andrea:Well, yeah, I mean, they're they're they're bound by the system that they're in, right? Like they have like the billing is like we have to put this code in for your visit, you know what I mean? Like, that's why you have to have another visit for something else, or else they literally can't get paid. I mean, it's just it's such a fucking mess.
Carmen Lezeth:It's our health insurance situation is problematic, which leads us into our first topic of conversation, which is that, you know, the Democrats caved, right? They so we so we're not gonna probably have Obamacare after this year. I mean, what do you think? What do you how do you feel about what happened with the shutdown?
Andrea:Um, well, how do I feel about it? I'm gonna try to be really measured. Um you don't have to be. I think look, I think number one, I will say not a lot of good options were there, right? Um, however, if this is where we were gonna end up, what was the fucking point?
Carmen Lezeth:Exactly. I don't even need to be here. You could just have the show on your own. That's what I was gonna say. What was the point?
Andrea:Yeah, and it's like I I know what the point was. I understand that they had a strategy in terms of the timing of it all, right? Um the strategy fucking blows, and Chuck Schumer is a weed dipshit. We need to go. Should have been gone years ago, but I agree, I agree, uh, but it it's just I don't know, you know what I mean? Like, whatever we just did a show last week where it was like this was a good week, okay. You know, and it's like you just knew, I knew, you knew, like, we're gonna come back next week, and some fucked up shit is gonna have happened. At least four fucked up things are gonna have happened, and it's gonna just be completely deflating. And you know, like I said, I we may have ended up here anyway. I don't really think that Republicans would have been like, okay, okay, you got us, you know, but uh I don't know. Uh it just seems like if this is where you were gonna go, then why did you know uh people end up with without two whole paychecks? Why did you know SNAP benefits go away, which I don't think even have been restored yet? Nope. You know what I mean? Like it's just you put people through all of this pain for absolutely nothing and to look so fucking weak that people want your head on a platter now. Right. Good job.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah, exactly. And you know, this idea that somehow they're playing chess. I'm like, can I just say politicians don't know how to play chess? I'm just gonna tell you right now, they don't. I don't care who it is. There's no chess game being played here, you know. Um, I feel the same way. I feel really deflated. I'm really sad because I think it's not just my insurance policy, whatever, I don't care. I'm just kind of like, in general, the I don't want to say this word because it sounds so old-fashioned even to me, but I don't know what other word encompasses it, but like shenanigans between both parties. Like, like the fact that the Republicans want to shut down Obamacare and have nothing to motherfucking replace it, and have never had even concepts of a plan for Obamacare or anything to help people have insurance in this country, is just be like the hatred of Barack Obama is so deep. Someone wrote on Facebook was like, you know what? Just change it to Trump care. Obama's not gonna give a fuck. Just change it to Trump care and he'll be happy and we can all keep it and we can move on. And I was like, you know what? It's true. The amount of hatred.
Andrea:It's not just the hatred of Obama, it's the hatred of poor people. They they want you to die. I mean, it's not even like they don't care, they actually actively want you to die. And I believe that wholeheartedly.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay, I don't believe that wholeheartedly, but I can see where you're going with it. But I think that makes me sad on the Republican side. Like, what I don't understand why you guys are being so evil to accept what you just said, and then the other part of it is the Democrats, you know, I don't know where along the line they thought that it was going to be easy. Do you know what I mean? Like, so why get into the fight to begin with? And you know what's worse? As people went out and voted in droves last week and said, We want the fight, we believe in you, we're gonna do this, we're in it to win it, you know, and and they caved. So that's why they waited.
Andrea:They waited until after the election. Yay and then and then you know uh flights started getting canceled, right? And with money started to be affected by it, and here we are. Here we are, and laugh like I'm not a full-fledged conspiracy theorist, I'm really not. I'm not, yeah, uh, but it does more than I am. I am definitely not a conspiracy. I mean, it's just like you hear all of this stuff like both parties are the same, and I don't believe that. I really don't. But you do have to wonder at the upper echelons, it's like what are you doing? Who are you serving? Because it's not us, it's not us, and if this is the decision making, if this is the strategy, even the way you know, I mean, it's it's been talked about a lot, like who actually ended up voting yes, and right people who are not going to be re-elected in the next term, right?
Carmen Lezeth:They're already right, or I I couldn't believe Tim Kane. I'm like you're Hillary Clinton's running mate. What are you doing? I couldn't believe that.
Andrea:I couldn't believe that. Well, I mean, yeah, he's uh I would not to excuse at all because I don't, but like Virginia is trackful of federal workers, so he had like a you know, an out, I guess, right? To say, like, I all, you know, most of my state works for the federal government and has just missed two paychecks. So he was.
Carmen Lezeth:But again, they all have excuses.
Andrea:I mean, that's kind of what we're saying. Why get into the fight then? Why that's what I'm saying is like the they chose people to say yes, to vote yes for specific reasons. Right. The people who are retiring, the people who weren't up for election, people had who had an easy way to say, well, this is why, you know. Um, well, but on the on the bright side of things, we're the thing about happiness.
Carmen Lezeth:Once you know what happiness is, you don't invest in it too much. Like, okay, I got a bonus, great. Woohoo, I'm so excited, that's wonderful, and I move on, right? Because happiness is fleeting. You start to realize, and then what you learn, sadness is also fleeting. You understand, like, oh my God, I'm so heartbroken right now, I'm sad, whatever. This was a terrible thing that happened, but it doesn't eat at you. It doesn't take the rest of your being to understand it. You're like, this also, you've heard the term, this too shall pass. That's what that's about. But it also happens with happiness. But joy, joy is a skill. Joy is a thing you can access, you can learn to get so good at it that no matter what is happening in your life, you can take a real breath. You can turn around and find the light in it, you can find the possibility in it, you can find the joy in all of the darkness that you're going through to pull yourself out and to move forward anyway. And that's kind of what I wish I could help so many people with. It's what I wish most people would understand. I think that's been my superpower my entire life. It's not, I don't have a lot of money. I don't have a ridiculous amount of friends, I don't have what everyone, there's so many people make assumptions about who I am, but what you're actually seeing is a person who lives by joy. So that's the gift I would want to give everyone. If I could wrap it up in a package and hand it out, I would. I think it's probably one of the greatest things that I have ever learned or that I ever understood about life. It's one of the things I'm solid about. And I just wish everyone else would figure out how to access joy more often. I really do. Thanks for stopping by, All About the Joy. Be better and stay beautiful, folks. Have a sweet day.
Podcasts we love
Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.
