Ditch the Ick with Katie Carson: Redefining Relationships, Self-Worth, and Building Your Dream Life as Millennial and Gen X Women

Psst — this is from my new show, I Thought I Wanted This. Ditch the Ick grew up. I Thought I Wanted This is about what happens when the life you planned and the life you actually want stop being the same thing: careers, relationships, money, moving across the world and changing your mind out loud. There’ll still be the occasional dating story, but mostly it’s honest conversations with women who’ve been there (or are in the messy middle right now). If you liked hanging out here, come find us. Follow along on Instagram: @ithoughtiwantedthis. ----------------------------------- Do you actually like the work, or do you just like being good at it? If you were the gifted kid, the eldest daughter or the one who always gets voluntold, this one’s for you. We dig into how being good at something turns into an identity you never asked for, and why praise and promotions can keep you in a role you don’t enjoy. We also talk about how to tell the difference between liking the work and liking the recognition that comes with it. In this episode: How “the responsible one” becomes who you are, not just what you do Liking the work vs. liking the praise, money or security Would you still do it if you were only mediocre at it? Why the job you’re good at can pay for the space to experiment This week’s exercise: make three lists (good at and like, good at but don’t like, not good at yet but curious) Connect with us: Apply to be a guest: https://forms.gle/aumPddFB33yvBUxB6 Email: [email protected] Instagram: @ithoughtiwantedthis / Katie: @ladykatieabroad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Psst — this is from my new show, I Thought I Wanted This. Ditch the Ick grew up. I Thought I Wanted This is about what happens when the life you planned and the life you actually want stop being the same thing: careers, relationships, money, moving across the world and changing your mind out loud. There’ll still be the occasional dating story, but mostly it’s honest conversations with women who’ve been there (or are in the messy middle right now). If you liked hanging out here, come find us. Follow along on Instagram: @ithoughtiwantedthis. ----------------------------------- Ellie Kime thought she’d be a copywriter forever. Then the business she built for freedom started to feel like a trap. So she threw her copywriting offers a retirement party and started over with everyone watching. We get into how she knew it was time to go and why changing direction publicly can feel like letting people down. We also talk about what the messy middle actually looks like almost a year later: more joy, less income and a lot of experimenting. In this episode: Throwing your old offers a retirement party instead of quietly pivoting Telling intuition apart from anxiety when you have OCD Being happy in your business but not with it Why a part-time job alongside your business isn’t a failure Finding the through line in a career that looks all over the place About Ellie:Ellie Kime is a business personality strategist and the founder of Eleanor Mollie, where she helps small business owners put more of their personality forward to stand out from competitors (and robots alike). She’s the host of the Front & Centre podcast, an event MC, and has worked with businesses like [noths] and Pinterest. She doesn’t believe in the phrase “long story short,” and her absolute favourite thing in the world is 0.5 zoom photos. Website: eleanormollie.co.uk Instagram: @eleanor_mollie Podcast: Front & Centre Connect with us: Apply to be a guest: https://forms.gle/aumPddFB33yvBUxB6 Email: [email protected] Instagram: @ithoughtiwantedthis / Katie: @ladykatieabroad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Psst — this is from my new show, I Thought I Wanted This. Ditch the Ick grew up. I Thought I Wanted This is about what happens when the life you planned and the life you actually want stop being the same thing: careers, relationships, money, moving across the world and changing your mind out loud. There’ll still be the occasional dating story, but mostly it’s honest conversations with women who’ve been there (or are in the messy middle right now). If you liked hanging out here, come find us. Follow along on Instagram: @ithoughtiwantedthis. ----------------------------------- What happens when you finally get the thing you wanted, and it’s not terrible, just fine? We’re kicking off the show with the job I was sure would fix everything, why “fine” can be harder to leave than a disaster, and why we so often need a villain before we let ourselves change our minds. We also walk through the five questions we’ll come back to all season, and what this show is (and isn’t). In this episode: Why “fine” isn’t the same as content Inflating the story to justify changing your mind Running my own career change through the five questions This week’s exercise: finish the sentence “I thought I wanted ___” Is “Same girl. Different plan.” the right tagline? Tell us. Connect with us: Apply to be a guest: ⁠https://forms.gle/aumPddFB33yvBUxB6⁠ Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠ Instagram: @ithoughtiwantedthis / Katie: @ladykatieabroad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been a year, party people! In this long-overdue episode, I share big news: Ditch the Ick is evolving into a new podcast, I Thought I Wanted This, launching in October. The new show is about pivots, big life changes, and realizing that the thing you thought you wanted isn't always the right fit. Then I catch you up on life in Italy: immigration headaches, building community, a long-awaited first catcall, and some new experiences (family, you've been warned). I also talk about the guy I've been seeing for a couple of months. We met on Facebook Dating, our first date lasted nine hours, and the whole thing was in Italian. In this episode: Why Ditch the Ick is becoming I Thought I Wanted This How dating across cultures differs from dating someone who shares your background Trying to build secure attachment and communicate your feelings in a language that isn't your own American directness vs. the Italian "we'll see," and why I won't hold my calendar open for a maybe Why American anxiety and our need to define things seem so foreign here Getting sick early in a relationship, ending up in the hospital, and feeling truly cared for What the "I moved to Italy and found my person" TikToks leave out Subscribe to I Thought I Wanted This: Spotify Apple podcasts Amazon podcasts Want to be a guest? Apply here: https://forms.gle/FMLN6B7SubnosWMaA The first few episodes of I Thought I Wanted This will also drop on this feed, so stay subscribed! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm kicking off 2026 with some real talk about the Scotsman's chaotic holiday visit and why I had to draw some hard boundaries after watching him turn into someone I barely recognized. After that mess and some honest feedback from my Italian crew, I've decided to do a "Dry Hoo-ha January" – no dating, no apps, just focusing on hobbies and expanding my community here in Florence. Of course, the universe immediately threw me a curveball with a cute guy at the café. In this episode: The Scotsman's disaster of a visit and why I had to kick him out Dating in Italy as a plus-size woman and the wild disconnect between apps and real life Announcing Dry Hoo-ha January and what that actually means The beautiful community I've built here in Florence Why the universe always tests you the second you make a decision I'm ready to make 2026 about actually living the life I moved here for instead of just filling the time. Connect with Katie: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/ladykatieabroad/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join the Patreon Party! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/DitchtheIck⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join the Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/ditchtheick/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices