*Honestly, if you’re easily triggered – and a Trump fanatic – this is not the episode for you.*

Some weeks, the news cycle feels like a test of endurance. This was one of them. Billy stepped in as co‑host on this episode of All About The Joy: Culture and Consequence. And what started as a simple “Did you watch the State of the Union?” unraveled into something bigger: a conversation about power, wealth, and the slow erosion of the country we thought we lived in.

We talked about the billionaires who now shape everything from media to elections. The collapse of political decorum. Citizens United and the way it cracked the door open for money to swallow democracy whole. The illusion of wealth in places like California and Miami, where even people living in million‑dollar homes aren’t anywhere near the top 2 percent. And the healthcare system that forces families into GoFundMe campaigns just to survive.

It was a lot…

It wasn’t a conversation about policy. It was a conversation about reality — the one most Americans are living in, and the one too many refuse to see.

If you’ve ever felt like the country is slipping into something darker, or wondered why logic doesn’t land with certain people anymore, this episode will feel familiar. Not comforting, but honest. And sometimes honesty is the only place to start.

Watch or listen when you can. It’s a lot, but it’s real – real. And, as always, we do end in JOY.

All About the Joy is the larger umbrella for all our work — a space that includes several different shows, each with its own tone and purpose. Culture & Consequence is just one of them.

Until next time,

Carmen