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 keeps creeping into our bodies no matter what routines we try. 

From there, we move into the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE agents. We talk about the footage, the shifting excuses, and the dangerous idea that brutality equals strength. Flawed or not, people are still owed due process. Shooting someone who’s already subdued is a failure of policy and a failure of basic humanity. We also share the concrete actions we’re taking — calling senators, pushing back on Trump supporters excuses, and staying engaged without letting outrage take over our nights. 

Then we pivot to media literacy. A glossy Melania‑focused film is making the rounds, and we break down how it avoids facts while selling a carefully controlled narrative. We talk about why propaganda thrives when people are exhausted, and why clarity and community matter more than ever. And because we all need a place to breathe, we shout out the documentaries and PBS gems that actually inform instead of inflame.

If you’ve been wired, worn down, or trying to balance rest with responsibility, this conversation holds space for both. We’re building boundaries, choosing better stories, and turning that restless energy into steady, meaningful action.

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.

Chapters

• 0:00 Checking In And Sleep Struggles
• 2:45 Learning To Sleep Better
• 5:30 The Weight Of The News
• 9:30 Alex Prudi, ICE, And Outrage
• 18:20 Courage, Cowardice, And Accountability
• 24:00 Propaganda And The Melania Film

Transcript

Carmen Lezeth: 0:00

Hey everyone, welcome to All About the Joy. This is Culture and Consequence with Carmen and Andrea. But it keeps popping up all these things, and I don't know what they all mean. You know what he means? Yeah. So I'm sorry.

Andrea: 0:11

So how you doing? Yeah. I'm actually really tired and I don't I don't feel that well. So and I haven't I was thinking, I was like, okay, we need to talk about how Carmen's sleep is.

Carmen Lezeth: 0:24

You know what? It's getting better. I honestly feel like I think sleep is the most important thing you can do for your health. And it's not that I ever um thought that wasn't important. It's just not something I could ever grasp. So I'm really working on it and it's getting better. I'm still having issues with my hands. I think I told you maybe I haven't, but I'll just say it for anybody who might be watching for the first time. Welcome, all my new LinkedIn people who are watching. So usually I sleep probably maybe four, maybe five hours a night. Like, and it's never through like throughout the whole night, right? I wake up throughout the night, which has always been I wake up at any noise, any movement anywhere on the planet, clearly. And so I've been really working on it. But now that I'm sleeping through the night, even for the five hours, like, and I I don't move. Like I put the covers on me, they have not moved. Like, so I'm dead asleep. I'm like not moving. Um because I wake up and it's like perfect. You know what I mean? Like just but I'm sleeping, I clearly sleep in almost a fetal position and with my hands curled, and it's called dinosaur hands. Um yeah, and so you sleep with them curled, but what ends up happening is the pain is yeah, really because it's you know, that's not a normal. So I don't know why that's happening, but now like trying to like I'm now trying to be aware of it, which is now keeping me up again. Like Jazz hands. So it's like do you notice how everything in my life goes back to dancing?

Andrea: 2:17

I'm just like well, I was gonna say, like, for me, when I sleep like that, and I don't do it often, but when I sleep so hard that I don't move, I always wake up with some, I mean, something hurts. Right. Your body just I think needs to move, you know.

Carmen Lezeth: 2:36

Yeah. So I'm just, you know, look at I'm I'm excited that I'm even at this place where I'm sleeping through the night. Like I'm yeah, you know, like even to the point, and sorry if this is too much information, but whatever, we're here. Uh like I now have to stop drinking water like at eight o'clock. You know what I mean? So that I don't get up. Like now I'm all all about like, you know, no, no screens for like three hours before I go to sleep. I try to read a book, like I'm trying to do all these things because I I realize how much better I feel when I sleep, which sounds so stupid. Like that should be like normal. I know, I don't know. So, but yeah, I don't know. Um, but of course, I think also just to, you know, I I think the heaviness of what's happening in the world doesn't help.

Andrea: 3:25

Um and yet I'm still getting I haven't been sleeping through the night. And I really I was thinking about it this morning because I really like last night was bad. I think I woke up at like one and I went back to sleep at like six. Wow. Which was really irritating um for all kinds of reasons. Um and I realized like I haven't slept through the night since last Friday. What happened last Saturday, right?

Carmen Lezeth: 3:52

Like, oh yeah. So you're talking about Alex's uh Yeah.

Andrea: 3:55

So I'm just kind of doom scrolling and you know, all like I don't sleep with my phone outside my room because I just don't do that. But um does anyone do that? Like that's a thing that apparently you're supposed to do if you're trying to get good sleep. But I'm like, we don't have home phones anymore. I need to have my phone in case there's an emergency. Oh, I yeah.

Carmen Lezeth: 4:15

I haven't read that that far down into the sleeping.

Andrea: 4:19

Yeah. But it's I mean, my point is that like, yes, I agree. The heaviness, I think, has just made it hard to like deactivate or like, you know, reduce your adrenaline or whatever it is that, you know.

Carmen Lezeth: 4:34

Well, you're always on guard now, too, because you know the minute you do wake up, you're gonna see whatever, even if you're trying not to look at the news, you can't get away from we're talking about Alex Predi uh being killed by ICE agents. Um, and the date was uh he was killed on Saturday, January 24th. And I think that along with Renee Good, but just everything that's happening with ICE, I think it's just been really heavy and painful, and it's disrupting everyone's livelihood, even people's sleep. It seems to be unfortunately just where we're at, you know. Yeah. And I have no advice. Um, I'm trying not to look at the news at night, like for three. That's it's really hard to look at your not to look at your phone for three hours before you go to bed, but I am being vigilant about it to the extent that I got like one of those emergency texts, which is like from one of your family members, and I didn't even see it or get it. That's how dead asleep I was. That has never happened to me. It was Baata, and I was like, and I in the morning I called her, she's like, No, it was a mistake. I'm so sorry. I was like, what's going on? I didn't believe her. Because you know me. Anybody calls them like hello, you know, like who's on the list, you know. So yeah, but um, well, let's just talk about Alex, uh pretty. I'm acting like I know him, but I just feel like he's a neighbor, he's a person, he's a human being, and it's just more emblematic.

Andrea: 6:14

Caring man. But even if he wasn't, like that was the even if he wasn't.

Carmen Lezeth: 6:22

Even if he wasn't, let's say he was a shit guy who was just mean to people and gruff and whatever, but still out there, you know, trying to do his protesting or his thing or whatever. We we don't assassinate people in this country for protesting.

Andrea: 6:39

I well, he wasn't even protesting. That's not, I mean, like they're not even protesting, they're out there protecting their neighbors and their neighborhoods. Right. It's not like they're up there with signs or whatever. They're you know, there are masked thugs coming through the streets of our cities. Yeah, yeah, kidnapping people.

Carmen Lezeth: 7:00

I um so there's another video that's come out uh that was 10 days before. I don't know if you've seen this yet. You probably haven't. I don't know. Of course I did. You have seen it?

Andrea: 7:10

Two o'clock in the morning. What? What no? I was just joking that I probably saw it last night while I was doom scrolling, but yes, I have seen it.

Carmen Lezeth: 7:18

All right, right. So on January 13th, there was an altercation with um Alex Predi and ICE agents, and he actually kicked one of their cars, and the light of the like the back light or whatever came off, and the agent comes running out, and there's an altercation between them. And so now, you know, uh people like Donald Trump uh are reposting things like, oh, pretty aggressive guy. We we still don't kill people in the United States for we this idea that you guys need just, and I say you guys, you guys who keep um supporting this fucktard is in this whole situation. Um yeah, and I know, I know I shouldn't have said fucktard, but I'm saying it because I'm so tired of the bullshittery. I you know, like you keep seeing these polls, they're like he's really underwater, 30% approved. I'm like, the 30, 30? Like, what are you talking about? Like, I want people. Yeah, I'm like, why is anyone still supporting this bullshittery?

Andrea: 8:25

Yeah. Yeah, no, I mean, I think you make a really good point, you know, what you were saying before. Like, it doesn't matter, like, yes, it's it's nice to hear what a good person he was, and we should honor that, and you know, all the work that he did and all of those things, right? Truly, he could have just finished robbing a liquor store, right? Like, you know, you you still don't like assassinate or you know, execute a man down on the ground, already subdued, and shoot him in the back. You just don't do it. Can we talk about that part too?

Carmen Lezeth: 8:56

Here's my thing. Again, let's just pretend he is this crazed person or whatever. There was five other guys on him. I don't understand. Like, if you want to know the definition of a fucking wuss, I am confused. There are five people on one guy, and you still think it's important for to take out a gun. I I think this is what's killing me about the whole thing. Is it's this pretend bravado and this pretend strength and this pretend I am in charge, I'm a man, I'm a this, I'm and it's this whole administration, Stephen Miller, all of them. Marco Ruby, all the day I was watching something. I swear to God, if I could have jumped through the screen and slapped the shit out of him, I would have done it myself. You know what I mean? Like I was like, stop it. And Jaya, all of these people are fucking losers, and they've gotten the opportunity to be in charge, and they're fucking crazy.

Andrea: 10:01

Yeah, well, I mean, it just it really shows what cowards they actually are, and how you know how little courage they they truly have. I mean, sure, before any of this, before any of this, when you would see those uh videos or pictures of you know the dudes walking around in like a Walmart with their long guns and you know, you just look at that and you're like, what are you so fucking scared of? Why are you such a scared little bitch that you have to walk around with a fucking long gun to go get you know a head of lettuce?

Carmen Lezeth: 10:43

Like a head of lettuce, right? Or order your McDonald's.

unknown: 10:48

Right.

Andrea: 10:49

And this is just that, but you know, exponentially more and now targeting and actually murdering us in the streets.

Carmen Lezeth: 11:00

It's just such a weird, it's not even a weird time. I guess if you could look back, you could see the trajectory of how this would go, and the hope would be that Americans were better than this and would be smarter than this, but clearly we're not, so here we are, you know.

Andrea: 11:18

Um yeah, I mean, some of us are. I know, but it's not enough of us. I mean, well, I know. What I'm saying is, you know, going back to a couple of episodes, maybe it was last week, I don't know. You know, you asked me what's giving me hope, and I said, the people of of Minneapolis, of the Twin Cities, you know, what they've put together. And I think, you know, it's I I stand by that, right? It's still, it's not enough people, but it is something that shows that, you know, this they are showing us what the promise of America, what the promise of the United States actually is. It's us coming together, it's us fighting for each other, it's us honoring the diversity of our of our neighbors and and things like that. And, you know, yeah, you're right. It's not enough people. Like it's it's still shocking to me that millions.

Carmen Lezeth: 12:14

I mean, like I I've said this before, and it's not like I just I'm just shook at how we've taken all of this for granted, and that's why we're here, right? Because if everybody who is eligible to vote, even if like 80% of people voted, we wouldn't be in this situation because most people would not have voted for this asshole. But that's not what happened. And I I know, I listen, you can send me as many motherfucking emails as you want. I'm gonna call him whatever the fuck I want because I'm sick and tired of this shit. I've gotten a couple emails of people being like, you need to respect the press. No, I don't. He is not respecting the people of this country, he is not respecting human beings and life.

Andrea: 12:54

No, there is no universe in which that man deserves even a milligram of respect for and all of his cronies, all of his dumbass motherfucking cronies and enablers or whatever.

Carmen Lezeth: 13:07

So, yeah, I don't care. Again, you do not need to watch this show. This is there, you're not being forced to watch a show like some people are being forced to go see the movie Melania. You like that segue. What a segue. So, did did did you buy your ticket? Because I know you were excited.

Andrea: 13:30

That's my family outing on the a Friday night. We're gonna be first in line.

Carmen Lezeth: 13:35

So I okay, I just want to say a couple things. I was like, you know what? If it's gonna be a movie about who she is or something, I ain't gonna be mad about that. You know what I mean? Like, okay, whatever. It's not, it's a movie about the the 20 days before this inauguration. I'm like, no, honey, I wanted information on you in the Epstein files. Like, you know what I mean? I wanted to hear about your modeling career.

Andrea: 14:06

Yeah, let's talk about how you immigrated to the United States.

Carmen Lezeth: 14:10

How did you get to the United States, girl? Talk about them naked pictures. What that's about. Is that really you? You know what I mean? Or or here's the other thing, and and and this one is really one that I know this sounds weird, and I'm not even trying to be sarcastic. I was like, maybe she's going to finally talk about all of the languages she speaks. So let me just give you guys a list of all the languages we have been told she has said that she speaks. Slovenian, Slovanian? Slovenian, I think. Slovenian, English, barely, French, Italian, German, Serbian. Okay. So I scoured the internet to find anything of verifiable information of her speaking any of these other languages. She only speaks um Slovenian. I hope I'm saying that right. Um, and there's recorded speaking with her family in English. There is no public evidence at all that she speaks French, Italian, German, and Serbian. Now, the reason why I bring this up is because then I put in Pete Buttig, right? Pete Budej, whether you like him or not, he is a remarkable human being. He speaks, and there's evidence. You can just go and Google Spanish, Norwegian, Italian, French, Maltese, Arabic, Dari. I don't even know what Dari is. I don't either. And he speaks them, you know, like he he talks about how he speaks some of them conversationally and some of them how he just he can get by. And I'm like, Lord, even Ben Affleck, you can find Ben Affleck speaking fluent Spanish.

Andrea: 15:56

Ben Affleck is a whole new man when he is speaking Spanish. Also, I'm like, oh Ben. Oh, now I see.

Carmen Lezeth: 16:02

Now I see what everyone sees. But in English, I'm like, you're such a dud, Ben. I say this because the movie is getting panned. I mean, there's no ticket sales, whatever. Um, I think there was a post. I was trying to verify if it was true because I don't know, but it was on the truth social thing, and it was Donald Trump saying that it's going to be required history watching for all students. And I was like, are you out of your mind?

Andrea: 16:32

This was in a propaganda class. Yeah.

unknown: 16:35

Propaganda class.

Andrea: 16:38

The same way we watched uh, what's her name? Lenny, the propaganda lady for Hitler.

Carmen Lezeth: 16:44

Oh, yeah, yeah. And what's so sad is that she was a remarkable filmmaker. You know, she was an actor beforehand, and then voila. So let me just give you some of the criticism because I'm sure you're gonna be surprised and shocked. So you're sitting, right? You're sitting. Bland, filtered, overpolished, a struggle to watch. Um I'm sorry. I just like the film became a lightning rod because of its release moment and the political climate. Some critics argue the backlash is also a symbol, it's much about the symbolism as the filmmaking. I think one of the biggest things is that reports from the crew describe a chaotic production. A lot of them are regretting that their names are on it.

Andrea: 17:30

I was like, Yeah, I read that, but people asked for their names not to be on the well, and it was directed by Brett Ratner, who is very credibly uh accused of sexual assault by two well-known actresses.

Carmen Lezeth: 17:46

Oh, I thought you were gonna talk about all the other movies he's done. I was like, oh my god, yeah, he's been accused of that. Well, that here's the thing. I know this sounds like I'm that doesn't surprise me because everyone in this administration I mean, well, I know, like it's the it's the MO. Put all the predators together, right? But and and that's probably why we're never gonna hear anything about the Epstein Files. And when I say never, I mean um in this administration, because I think eventually it will come out. Don't you think so? The Epstein Files will eventually all come out. I don't know, probably when we're all dead. Anyways, yeah. So I'm not gonna go see the Melania film, but I do want to the reason why I want to talk about it is uh a couple things. This really was not about a movie. Anybody, so I live here in Hollywood, so does an Andrea. We know Hollywood people, we've worked in this industry, we get it inside out. There is nobody of any credibility would actually believe this is an actual film being made to make any money anywhere. This was all about funneling money to people in that world. That's what this was about. Amazon gave, I think, 75 million just to make this documentary bullshit, which I bet could have been better with an iPhone and somebody just following her dumbass around. And then another 40 million was spent in advertising, and there are no ticket sales. There's like one in Australia during the premium.

Andrea: 19:11

Yeah, I was watching something, I can't remember what it was, but I saw and I hadn't even heard about it. I truly had not even heard about it, and I saw uh, you know, a T a commercial on TV, and I was like, I first I thought it was like a joke. Like, is this like a Saturday Night Live thing? Like, right.

Carmen Lezeth: 19:29

It did look like a joke because she's like, everybody wants to know. I'm like, bitch, we want to know the everything files. That is what she says in the thing in the trailer.

Andrea: 19:42

Okay, look, you know what? This may be controversial, but like honestly, like I really don't care about almost any first lady or spot. Like, I don't need to hear your story. I don't. I don't. I like you know, maybe if you've done some things, okay, sure. But if you haven't, that's fine too. Like, go do your thing. Like, I don't want to necessarily hear about any of them. That's not a need that I have, I guess is what I should say.

Carmen Lezeth: 20:07

Well, definitely not the first the 10, 20 days before the inauguration. Like exactly.

Andrea: 20:14

Like, what? Why why would anyone care about that? Everybody wants to know.

Carmen Lezeth: 20:20

Everybody wants to know what she says. I was like, bitch, please. Yeah. Yeah. Listen, it it could have been an interesting thing, but it's not.

Andrea: 20:33

Yeah, it could have been an interesting thing if there was any actual like you know, story to it. If it wasn't necessarily, you know, like you know, a propaganda piece, but that's not but can you imagine?

Carmen Lezeth: 20:47

Like, I mean, uh if you if if she was talking about like how she came to this country, or if she's talking about her modeling, I'm doing quotes, uh, modeling career, or she talked about her relationship with the Donald. Like, it would have been amazing. But you know, Donald right now has a different relationship with Nicki Minaj. So yeah, I don't know if you heard about that, right? I did, yeah. She, I think she paid for that to to have a um to have a visa, right? She's now like a US, she paid the golden ticket or whatever that is. I don't know enough about it. I'll put it at the bottom, but yeah, that's what that was about.

Andrea: 21:30

So weird.

Carmen Lezeth: 21:31

Yeah, her and Snoop have been like just completely everything.

Andrea: 21:35

Is so gross right now. Everything is so gross, right? Like everywhere you turn, you're like, Ew. Ew.

Carmen Lezeth: 21:43

Ew. It's gross and and or or heartbreaking. Yeah. Yeah. All right. How can we end on an up note? What you got? What you got from me? Oh my god, what do I have? You were supposed to come up with it because you don't want to talk about Hallmark no more.

Andrea: 22:01

I know. I've been okay. I'll just tell you what I've been watching a lot of uh history documentaries. No, that's not fun. Who cares? By who? Well, just kind of whatever it can, you know. Like they have the American Revolution one that's on PBS.

Carmen Lezeth: 22:22

It's good. I'm sure look at I wish more people would watch actual documentaries by what's his name? You know who I'm talking about.

Andrea: 22:32

Ken Burns. Yes, he did the American Revolution. That's his, that's one of his.

Carmen Lezeth: 22:36

Right. I'm just saying, when I say wait, when I said fun, I don't think anyone's gonna think that's fun.

Andrea: 22:42

It's fun for me. I watched one on Henry VIII yesterday and I learned a lot.

Carmen Lezeth: 22:48

I'm not a period peace person, although these are documentaries, so it's very different.

Andrea: 22:54

I am a period peace person. That's my other comfort thing, is like British period pieces. I know. But uh, but I've been in my documentary phase these days.

Carmen Lezeth: 23:04

But you know what? The reason why I don't like American period pieces, I'm just gonna say it that way. Can you guess why I don't like them? Uh yeah. Do you want to show there's no people of color? Even that there's no people of color, it's I know where I would be if I was in like I can't relate. I can't relate to it because I'm like, I wouldn't be on the prairie on a horse and lifting my husband and children, and you know what I mean? I'd be the house slave, probably, because I have light skin, you know what I mean? Like, I'm just saying that's that's oh my god, that's depressing. Yeah, yeah. I know it's everyone's always like Jane Austen and all these things, and I'm like, yeah, I can't relate, can't relate at all. Yeah, and then when I think it was Shandra Rhyme, she came out with Bridgerton, and people like it because it's kind of like I can see the whole like kind of like the Hamilton thing, right? Lynn Manuel Murray, who did Hamilton, and it's all people of color, and it kind of changes it. I still couldn't get into Bridgerton, though I I did watch the first season and understood the brilliance of it, you know. But uh, but but I think that's what it is, yeah. So but even um I I mean I like watching history because it makes you know, history channel Ken Burns documentaries because it's so much easier to understand. And he is brilliant. Ken Burns is one of the most brilliant filmmakers of our time, but you know, it's it's not my joy. I love that you're doing it just for fun. You know what I mean? Like, I love it.

Andrea: 24:42

I do, yeah. I mean, and they're kind of hard to find. So I have kind of come, I haven't done it yet, but I may have to get like the pay for the PBS extract.

Carmen Lezeth: 24:52

Oh, I have it. You can have a um, I I because I donated to PBAS. Yes, I did, and when you donate, you get an automatic membership. Okay, we'll talk afterwards. I'll give you the thing. Because I don't I don't really watch it at all. Because all of their stuff is either British or um period pieces stuff or history stuff. Well, and they have all the cooking shows, which I which you know how much I love those.

Andrea: 25:18

But their their cooking shows are actually very good, high-quality cooking shows.

Carmen Lezeth: 25:23

I'm I'm sure they are. So look at we can end on that note. It's a short show today, but we are both in that space, and I think this is good. Do you have any hopes for the upcoming week? Maybe we can do I have any hopes for you doing anything great this week, you know. I don't know.

Andrea: 25:45

No, girl, I am not. Uh I got nothing for you. Sorry. I mean, I have I have hopes that uh, you know, Democrats don't blow it and use some of this momentum to get some real uh restrictions on DHS funding. That's my big hope, but I won't, you know, I just made calls to both my senators right before this. So we'll see what happens. Yeah.

Carmen Lezeth: 26:07

By the way, Ted Lou, my congressman, had a town hall. And I did make the phone call. And you're right, we should be doing everything we can from the comfort of our home and also make sure you register to vote. All of these things are very important. And get other people who haven't voted, registered, get other people involved. Unless they're die hard Trump supporters who come to fuck alone. That's all. You know, so with that said, everyone, thank you so much for hanging out with us. We'll see you again next week. And remember, at the end of the day, it really is all about the joy. Bye, everyone. Bye. Thanks for stopping by, All About the Joy. Be better and stay beautiful, folks. Have a sweet day.