About Ditch the Ick with Katie Carson: Dating Tips, Single Life, Career Advice, and more for Millennials and Gen X
Welcome to Ditch the Ick, the podcast for anyone who’s over settling for less.
Hosted by Katie Carson (your new favorite hype girl), this show dives deep into what it means to be a whole-a$$ person, worthy of love and success—partner or no partner required. Relationships? Sure, they come up—whether they’re romantic, platonic, or the one you have with yourself (because, let’s be honest, the ick never truly dies). But we’re also here to talk about leveling up your life, chasing your dreams, and living boldly on your own terms.
So if you’re tired of waiting for someone else to make your life exciting, stick around. Every week, we’ll talk through what it means to design a life that feels like yours. No fluff, no clichés, no nonsense—just real conversations and a lot of laughs.
86: Love, Lost in Translation - Dating in Your Third Language (and a Big Announcement)
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: coming soon
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!
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9 Jan 2026
85: Not Yo Average Dry January
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/
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12 Dec 2025
84: From Machismo to Mamma Mia, and Why Italian Stallions are Actually Ponies
Buckle up, party people, because we're diving deep into the absolute chaos that is dating in Italy as a plus-size woman. And I mean chaos. I thought I'd seen it all with dating in America and the UK (God, I miss dating in the UK), but Italian men have brought a whole new level of wild to my life. We're talking about a culture where men won't be seen with you in public but will absolutely beg to be pegged in private. The machismo is real, the Madonna-whore complex is alive and well, and apparently being over 135 pounds makes you "plus-size" here. It's been eye-opening, honestly, in ways both hilarious and frustrating. The apps have been a disaster (looking at you, mommy guy), and I've officially deleted them all. But you know what? Despite the dating horror show, I'm genuinely the happiest I've ever been. I'm making incredible friends, saying yes to amazing experiences, and living the life I always dreamed about.
In this episode:
Why Italian men's concept of "plus-size" made me laugh out loud
The truth about Italian stallions (spoiler: mostly false)
My visceral reaction to being called "mommy" by a 27-year-old
The wild disconnect between public machismo and private requests
Why I've ditched the apps and I'm focusing on organic connections instead
If you've been putting off your big move or that thing you've always wanted to do... stop. I promise you it's more possible and more worth it than you think. Even with the dating disasters, this is still the best decision I've ever made.
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
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
12 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
10 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 69 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
89
Social presence
94
YouTube
0
Engagement
77
Contact Ditch the Ick with Katie Carson: Dating Tips, Single Life, Career Advice, and more for Millennials and Gen X
Guest appearances
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Questions about Ditch the Ick with Katie Carson: Dating Tips, Single Life, Career Advice, and more for Millennials and Gen X
Who hosts Ditch the Ick with Katie Carson: Dating Tips, Single Life, Career Advice, and more for Millennials and Gen X?
Katie Carson host the show. Published by Katie Carson.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes monthly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Ditch the Ick with Katie Carson: Dating Tips, Single Life, Career Advice, and more for Millennials and Gen X take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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