From Reality TV to Real Life: Katie Thurston’s Journey

Summary

Barely Famous Podcast – Episode Summary

Podcast: Barely Famous
Host: Kail Lowry
Guest: Katie Thurston
Episode: From Reality TV to Real Life: Katie Thurston’s Journey
Original Air Date: August 22, 2025

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Overview

This powerful episode brings together host Kail Lowry and guest Katie Thurston—former Bachelor/Bachelorette contestant, stand-up comic, and current cancer warrior—for a raw and honest conversation about transitioning from reality TV fame to real life. The discussion explores Katie’s journey through sex positivity and consent advocacy, her experiences on The Bachelor franchise, her foray into comedy, finding true love, and facing a life-altering breast cancer diagnosis in her mid-30s.

Nothing is off limits: Kail and Katie mix humor and vulnerability as they touch on adult friendships, trauma, medical advocacy, body image, and how Katie’s new normal is reshaping her outlook.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Adjusting to New Beginnings (02:35)

• Katie recently moved from LA to NYC with her comedian husband, Jeff Arcary.
• She shares the challenges of making friends as an adult, settling into new routines, and the sense of vulnerability in starting over.
  • Quote: “Just trying to, like, you know, make friends as an adult and figure out, like, my new hair salon, my new neighborhood, and restaurants.” – Katie (02:48)

2. Sex Positivity and Consent Advocacy (03:45, 10:06)

• Katie discusses how her open attitude toward sex became public on The Bachelor (notably, bringing a vibrator on night one).
• Origin of her advocacy traced back to progressive Washington roots and candid TikTok content during COVID.
• Despite it not being her sole identity, Katie continues to engage in partnerships that align with her values and provides advice to women (and men) via DMs.
• Consent remains a topic close to her heart, although current life events have moved it slightly to the back burner.
  • Quote: “You don’t have to have them with your kids right now…But maybe mute my post then. It’s not for you.” – Kail (04:41)
  • Quote: “Right now, the chapter of my life is very different, unfortunately.” – Katie (10:08)

3. Navigating Reality TV: The Bachelor/Bachelorette Experience (06:39, 13:38)

• Katie originally applied to The Bachelor at age 29, expecting not to be chosen, and was shocked to become The Bachelorette after a mid-season exit.
  • Quote: “I was 11th place—like, so like middle of the season, got the boot…never thought The Bachelorette.” – Katie (21:30)
• She reflects on the "trauma bond" among contestants and how, over time, true connections are revealed as seasons (both on and off the show) change.
• There’s a divide: audiences either celebrate or condemn her sex positivity.
  • Quote: “You can’t support this show, but then have a double standard.” – Katie (13:52)

4. Fame, Social Media, and Comedy (16:11, 17:13)

• Katie shares insights into leveraging reality TV fame: many join such shows for both love and social media exposure.
  • Quote: “Best case scenario, I get both in love and I have a million follow[ers].” – Katie (16:11)
• Her transition into stand-up comedy: Katie was cautious not to jump ahead without putting in the work; she preferred to earn shows rather than be booked solely for her following.
• She collaborated with more experienced comics, sharing audiences and opportunities.
  • Quote: “Comedy’s not the place to be taking shortcuts. Like, you really gotta take your time and work your way up.” – Katie (17:34)

5. Love After Reality TV & Her Relationship with Jeff (25:40, 26:43)

• After a public and short-lived engagement post-Bachelorette, Katie dated privately, ultimately meeting comedian Jeff Arcary online by following him for comedic inspiration, not romance.
• Their connection was fast and deep: DM exchanges, meeting in person, engagement within months, and an elopement tied to her cancer diagnosis.
  • Quote: “I manifested so hard on accident—worked out!” – Katie (27:16)

6. Cancer Diagnosis and Advocacy (29:07, 30:39)

• Katie candidly details her breast cancer journey: incidental early scan results, a missed opportunity to flag cancer, the gradual appearance of symptoms, and eventual diagnosis at age 34—without any family history.
• She spotlights the alarming trend of breast cancer diagnoses in women’s 30s and urges systemic changes, including earlier mammograms.
  • Quote: “Breast cancer in your 30s is not rare. It’s very common, unfortunately, and has been a thing, a trend in the last 10 years.” – Katie (30:39)
• The emotional biopsy and diagnosis sequence, all handled alone, is recounted with raw emotion.
• She stresses patient self-advocacy and pressure on providers to document any delays or denials in care.

7. Facing Stage 4, Treatment, and Family Planning (41:09, 42:25)

• Katie was diagnosed with stage 4, hormone-positive breast cancer (metastatic to the liver).
• She completed emergency IVF prior to treatment; two embryos are now her hope for future children, to be carried by a surrogate due to medical necessity.
• Katie describes the harsh realities of induced menopause at 34, the importance of making personal and medical decisions, and the emotional complexity of choosing mastectomy.
  • Quote: “When you’re diagnosed with cancer…anything I can to improve my mental health, my physical health, I’m going to do.” – Katie (45:08)

8. Mental Health, Support, and Resilience (50:44, 64:53)

• Katie is open about the cyclical challenges to mental health: guilt, survivor's guilt, comparison among patients, and the ongoing process of accepting a new normal.
• She emphasizes the critical value of both therapy (finding the right fit is key) and community, especially from other survivors.
• On support: small, concrete acts (dinner, coffee, removing daily burdens) are invaluable. Actions surpass words when helping friends with cancer.
  • Quote: “Words are better than nothing, but actions are better than words.” – Katie (65:00)
• Self-compassion and “indulging in the art of nothing” are her advice for tough days.

9. The New Normal: Daily Life, Relationship, and Looking Forward (66:10)

• Katie and Jeff maintain a supportive partnership, even across continents and Jeff’s career demands.
• They recently adopted a puppy, further complicating but also adding joy to their new NYC life.
• Katie is awaiting her first rescan to check treatment progress and learning to balance hope, fear, and the reality of living with stage 4 cancer.
• She advocates for herself and others—she strives to make sure future generations don’t go through what she is experiencing.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “I was kind of like, like a Hail Mary. Like, whatever happens, happens.”
  — Katie, on applying to The Bachelor (06:45)
• “You have to kind of balance what feels best for you. Because if you live every day in fear and restrictions… there’s not a point of living.”
  — Katie, on post-diagnosis life choices (51:56)
• “You can’t compare… anyone in, like, the club of cancer sucks… It’s not a competition. Like, we’re all just, like, you know, for sure.”
  — Katie, on cancer solidarity (49:09)
• “PCP arguing for mammograms. Put it in your chart… They will change their mind so fast.”
  — Katie, on patient advocacy (55:56)
• “If I gain 30 pounds, but I’m alive, so be it.”
  — Katie, on body changes and shifting priorities (63:10)
• “Words are better than nothing, but actions are better than words… anything you can do to help remove a responsibility… is going to make such a big impact.”
  — Katie, on supporting loved ones with cancer (65:00)

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Important Timestamps

• Starting Over in NYC – 02:35
• Sex Positivity Public & Private – 03:45
• Consent and Early Education – 10:06
• Bachelor/Bachelorette Entry & Impact – 06:39 / 13:38
• Criticism After TV – 13:38
• Comedy Origins and Social Media – 17:13
• Post-Show Relationships & Meeting Jeff – 25:40 / 26:43
• Cancer Diagnosis (detailed) – 29:07 / 30:39 / 34:45
• IVF & Family Planning – 41:09
• Emotional/Mental Health After Diagnosis – 50:44
• Medical Advocacy Advice – 54:55
• Life with Stage 4 – 52:25 / 53:10
• Relationship and Support – 63:37 / 64:53
• Future, Puppy & Partnership – 66:10

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Final Thoughts

From reality TV “villain” and comic to passionate advocate and cancer survivor, Katie’s journey is full of insight, grit, and empathy. She strips away the gloss of social media to share what real transition—and real vulnerability—looks like. The episode is essential listening for anyone interested in the realities behind reality TV, the evolving conversation around sex positivity, fiercely self-advocating for medical care, and the challenges and choices of living—and loving—in the face of illness.

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Find Katie on Instagram: @thekatiethurston
Host: Kail Lowry

(End of Summary)

Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Commercial Announcer]

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[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Welcome to the show. Things are going to get weird. It's your fave Villain K, and you're listening to Barely Famous. All right, y', all, if you are a Bachelor Nation fan, you do not need an introduction for my next guest. In case you are not a Bachelor fan, Katie Thurston is here on Barely Famous podcast. So she's made a lasting impression by showing herself as herself, being honest, open sex positive, and bringing a vibrator to night one on the Bachelor. Since then, she's continued to connect with people through humor and honesty and her ability to say things that most of us are thinking. She's a girl's girl, a standup comic, and recently she's been navigating a cancer diagnosis with the same openness and strength that has always set her apart from everybody else. So I'm really looking forward to this conversation with Katie. Katie, thank you so much for coming on Fairly Famous Podcast.

[Katie Thurston]

Thanks for having me.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Of course. We were just joking about Recording Over Zoom. I'm not a huge fan of Recording Over Zoom. I think the chemistry is different and I'm able to just have a better conversation in person.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, no, I agree totally. This is great.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Where are you From.

[Katie Thurston]

Well, I'm from Washington, but I just recently moved from LA to New York, so I'm fresh here in New York City.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Do you like it?

[Katie Thurston]

It's been an adjustment. Obviously I came here under some crazy circumstances.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

But new was always the plan with my now husband. So just trying to, like, you know, make friends as an adult and figure out, like, my new hair salon, my new neighborhood and restaurants.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah. Which I. It's always harder as adults. I feel like, oh, yeah. I don't know. When I moved, I moved to Delaware as an adult and I was just like, where do I even go? Like, what do I do? I don't. I didn't know anything.

[Katie Thurston]

And truly there's this app and I won't name it out, but that you can, like, sign up and then it's assigns you to meet with four other strangers for. For restaurant, dinner. Like a dinner restaurant at restaurant. Sorry, I will mention my medicine gives me a little bit of a brain fog. So if you hear me, like, stutter or whatever, that's what that is.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay.

[Katie Thurston]

But yeah, so it's a cool way that you can, like, meet strangers. I haven't signed up for it yet, but I was like, that's kind of where I'm at, where I'm like, I'm ready to go on a blind date with strangers with friends and make friends.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Well, it's like the Real World from mtv. Remember when they put seven strangers in a house and they all live together? Sort of like that. That's kind of cool. Like modern day.

[Katie Thurston]

Yes.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So you're very known for being like, sex positive, talking about all of that kind of thing. And I absolutely love it. And I think because maybe you brought the vibrator on the Bachelor, that people sort of connect your sex positivity with the Bachelor. Would you agree? Or do you think that you were always like that before if you've known me before?

[Katie Thurston]

Well. And also I think it just depends where you're from. I'm from Washington. It's a very progressive state. So, like, a lot of people would DM me like, you're not sex positive. You're just like a woman in 2020 at the time. And it was like, very normal for a lot of us, you know, Whereas, like, certain areas, like, oh, my God, a vibrator, you know.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

And so, yeah, I'm sex positive, but so are so many other women. So it was just kind of a cool way to start conversations about just like self love, self care.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

And the amount of women who messaged me Being like, I spoke my first vibrator because of you. I'm like, you're welcome, you're welcome.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

I'm cracking up. I remember I. I was partner one of the vibrating companies and my like, little cousins, they were like teenagers and their mom messaged me and was like, kayl, can you not do that? And I was like, but we need to have these conversations. Like, you don't have to have them with your kids right now. But maybe mute my post then. It's not for you, like, right? I don't know. I just feel like we should continue to have those conversations. Do you still talk about being sex positive and just being like self love, self self care?

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. I mean, it's not like my, like, focus or identity.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course, you know.

[Katie Thurston]

But I'll partner with a vibrator brand and talk about it, no problem. Whereas I think some people do shy away from it. And then I'll get DMS a lot of times from people I'm happy to, to totally dissect, you know, how to use a vibrator. Like, why it's okay or why it's okay to incorporate with your partner. Like, it's not a bad thing and it's not a sin.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

So, yeah, I don't see myself ever shying away from that.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

When you were growing up in Washington, did you have conversations surrounding that or did you sort of get that, get to that point as a young adult or an adult?

[Katie Thurston]

I think the part where it started to stand out for me was actually during COVID I went on TikTok pre reality TV.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay.

[Katie Thurston]

And so we're all like, locked inside and bored at home. And I was kind of like doing like, little skits almost or having these like, conversations with people. And I was like, oh, I'm so horny, I could fuck a ghost right now. You know, not the ghost mutt. Look, it was like a crazy time, right? And I was single and I was just like, what am I? What's happening with the world? You know, and. And so a lot of people, like, enjoyed those conversations, you know, and yeah, I never really thought it would go anywhere. And then when I had the opportunity to be on the Bachelor, I'm talking to the producer and I'm like, you know, what do we do this? It became like a whole thing. And then my tagline for the Bachelorette was like, see what the buzz is all about. Okay. We might be a little bit of an overkill now, you know?

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So wait, you said you were talking to about the Producers at that time. How did you get on the Bachelor? If you're willing to talk about it, of course.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, ye. I applied. Like, I. I was 29 at the time, and I remember being like, oh, I'm about to be, like, too old for reality tv.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Really? That's what you thought?

[Katie Thurston]

Well, for the Bachelor, they tend to, at least at the time, felt like a younger crowd. 29 felt old to be on the Bachelor, you know, and so I kind of did it. Like, not actually. Like, I was kind of like, like a Hail Mary. Like, whatever happens, happens. And then I remember getting the call, it was 2:22. And I'm a big, like, numbers person. I was like. And it was like an LA number. And I'm in Washington at the time. And anyway, just like one interview after the other after the other. I'm like, okay, I don't know, like, are they gonna keep calling? And then, like, sure enough, they're like, all right, like, you're in. So then it was like two weeks later, I think. And then I was in a Covid bubble season. But yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Any regrets?

[Katie Thurston]

I don't think so. Cause every, you know, everything has like, an impact and it leads you to, like, where you are. And I, despite all things, I'm very happy with, like, all the things I've experienced. You know, would I go back and redo reality TV a little different? Possibly, but you just never know. The grass is always sometimes greener on the other side. And you think, you know, what if? And it's like, it still could have been the same outcome or who knows?

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Would you go on another reality show if they asked for you?

[Katie Thurston]

I want to go on Traders so bad. So much saying, okay, whoever's listening, can you put us both on Traders same season?

[Commercial Announcer]

No, I'm just kidding.

[Katie Thurston]

Yes, I. So definitely. Obviously I'm retired now from dating reality shows.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

But competition shows, like, Bring It On. I'm a new fan of Traitors. I'm obsessed. I watch it from like a analytical eye of like, if I was on it, what would I do?

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah. Or what's the masked singer competition show?

[Katie Thurston]

Please don't put me on anything. Singing or dancing. That's not.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Oh, dancing is not for me, but just for the experience. I would try to do Dancing with the Stars, but I'm not a dancer by any stretch of the imagination.

[Katie Thurston]

With Dancing with the Stars, I almost wish they brought on more non dancing type of people.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

But a lot of times the people who are on it are like, professionally trained in their past. Or were a cheerleader or, like, whatever. And I'm like, that's not fun. You want to see, like, an underdog come up and do it.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

Although, to be fair, Joey, who is the past Bachelor, he just won, and he didn't have any background in dancing.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And did you maintain any relationships with people from the Bachelor or the Bachelorette?

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. I mean, it's interesting because off the show, right away, everyone has one thing in common, and that's the trauma bond of reality tv, you know? But then, like, once the dust settles and it's kind of like old news, there's new seasons, whatever, you kind of realize, like, who do you have stuff in common with? You know, who. Who do you vibe with?

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

So overall, yeah, there's people who I'm, like, closer with, and there's some people I've, like, I haven't talked to in years, but overall, I'd say yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

But I think that's. That's also true for just real life people. Right. Like seasons of life that you go through. And maybe you have a job here, one point, and you're, you know, good friends with certain people, and then you go get another job. You might never talk to those people again, but that doesn't mean that you guys aren't friends. Just the season of life.

[Katie Thurston]

Totally. I was so close with, like, people I worked with at a bank, and then I went on reality tv, and it just brings you into a whole new lifestyle and world. And then I'm like, I don't. We don't have as much in common anymore, right?

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

No, completely. And on your socials, you talk about or you have talked about consent. Do you still talk? Are you still talking about consent like you are about sex? Positivity?

[Katie Thurston]

It's definitely a topic I want to. To continue to preach forever. Right now, the chapter of my life is very different, unfortunately, but it is a topic I was very passionate about and constantly wanting to educate women on. And men, too, I will say that. But I've just mostly a women audience. So, yeah, I think it's something that needs to be taught in school, like, as young as, like, middle school.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

I was thinking like, kindergarten, I mean.

[Katie Thurston]

Oh, I mean. Yeah, I guess I have. You're a mom, so you have a different mindset, but Absolutely, absolutely.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

You met my friend Emily. She's in the other room. She has four kids, and I have seven kids. And our kids are really good friends. And so her daughter and my son are close. And, you know, sometimes my son will hug her daughter, and I'm like, you need to ask her before you can touch her. Because I feel like it starts there if you don't understand the word no for something as simple as a hug. I can't. You're never going to get what consent is as an adult.

[Katie Thurston]

Totally.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And for more serious things. And so for me, I mean, he's going to kindergarten and I want him to say, oh, can I touch your hand? Can I hug you? Because if they say no, it's no.

[Katie Thurston]

No. That, that's so smart. And think of that just from a different mindset.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

Having children. But it's true. And just understand the dynamic of like adult to child and teaching that child, like how to say no or how to be comfortable talking to you if something, you know, unfortunately was to happen.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

I have a two year old too. And I'll be like, can I have a kiss? And if he says no, I don't keep trying.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

You know that it's just something that. I feel like it becomes second nature when you do it younger. And I do understand what you're saying, like the, the heavier conversations or like the in depth conversations in mid school, but you can start even sooner.

[Katie Thurston]

No, you're so right. Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

I wish there was more conversations about it. I think you're the only person that I know that even talks about it publicly. So I think that's really cool. And I know that it's sort of on the back burner right now and that's okay. But yeah, yeah, I think it's important to talk about. I have six boys, so I'm like, we have to talk about this.

[Katie Thurston]

Absolutely.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

We have to talk about. And like my kids, they don't, I don't think they understand right now, like when I'm saying, oh, like can I do this? Or you know, you have to ask, you know, your friend to touch them or whatever. They don't really understand it now, like why it that way, but they will go get it.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Did you ever feel villainized at any point from, I don't know, going on the Bachelor until now, like, for being sex positive? Did you get any backlash for that?

[Katie Thurston]

Oh, yeah, for sure.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Really?

[Katie Thurston]

Well, the Bachelor tends to have a more traditional aud.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

And so it was very polarizing. I think you had some people who are like, hell, yeah, you know, finally, whatever, you know, and we could be friends. And then you have people who are like, you're going to hell. You're disgusting, you're slut. You know, I'm like, you're watching the Bachelor, the Bachelorette, you know, like the whole. Literally the finale. You have someone, if you want to go to the fantasy suites with like, three different people. Like, you can't support this show, but then, like, have, like a double standard.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah, yeah. It's catch 22, I guess.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

If you could describe the Bachelor into three words, what would they be?

[Katie Thurston]

Oh, God. From what perspective?

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

I guess maybe from your experience as a contestant. Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

Unique. Chaotic and stale. I'm watching Love island now, so I.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Have not seen that, but the girls keep talking about it and it's. Is it live? Is that right?

[Katie Thurston]

Kind of like it's. It's being filmed and, like, produced, like within, like, I don't know, like a 24 hour period or something. So it's not totally live, but it's.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Like, essentially it's live.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, they. They put out an episode like a day or two later where it's like the Bachelor. I think it's like two or three months later.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah, I think teen mom for me, I filmed it. It October to I filmed it in two months. Mine actually 16 and pregnant was four months later.

[Katie Thurston]

Okay.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

But then Teen mom, some seasons of Teen mom wouldn't air for six to six months to a year after.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So it's like crazy difference. But Love island being 24 to 48 hours is crazy. I've never seen it. I don't know what anything.

[Katie Thurston]

This is my first time watching it.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Is it, what is it on Netflix?

[Katie Thurston]

Peacock. Peacock, yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Oh my gosh. Yeah. I have no idea what that is.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, it's great. And then people like, America gets like vote, so then America kind of becomes a producer.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

What is the premise of this show? Is it like the Bachelor and the Bachelorette?

[Katie Thurston]

It's, I would say a little sexier. I think it's to find love. Ultimately, as anyone who watches the reality tv, doing that is hard. But I've heard there's like successful couples who come out of it, you know, but it's a dating show. It's essentially a dating show.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay. So that brings me to my own. Do you think that people are going on these, these shows to actually find love or do you think that they are trying to build a social following?

[Katie Thurston]

I think it's both. I think they're like, worst case scenario, I don't find love, but I got screen time, I got followers, I got brand deals. You know, best case scenario, I get both in love and I have a million follow, you know, like. Yeah, you definitely go on it. Knowing that social media is a big part of it now.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay.

[Katie Thurston]

If you find someone who wants to go on the show and doesn't have a social media, like, like, I would love to watch that, you know, but I think it's so hard to find, you know, the right person for that.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Well, I think it's a double edged sword as well as what we were just talking about because the producers, in my opinion, I don't know this for sure. This is just my opinion that specifically for like dating shows or competition shows, the producers want people that have a following because at some point they want to be able to promote it. And the more following that each contestant has, they'll be able to promote it to more people.

[Katie Thurston]

That is, is the industry, whether it's comedy, music, reality tv, now a lot of opportunities are given based on your following. Now, even for me, I, I don't know if you know this, but I dabbled in comedy for a bit.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yes. I was gonna bring it up at.

[Katie Thurston]

Some point and so I had a big following and I, when people would ask me to come like open on their show or be on their show. If they had never seen me perform, I typically would tell them no, because I'm like, oh, you're just asking me because I have a following, not because you actually think I'm funny or have even seen me perform before.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Ah, was that tricky for you? Did you feel, like, weird about that?

[Katie Thurston]

I just wanted to do it the right way. Because certainly, yes, people can use their audience and use that to their advantage. And I think that's great. I think comedy's not the place to be taking shortcuts. Like, you really gotta take your time and work your way up.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

And so I was pretty comfortable declining people where I felt like, oh, you're using me for my audience and ticket sales, not because you're giving me a chance.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

But even that is like a catch 22. Because if you don't. If you're a comic that is trying to build from the ground up, they sort of. I'm not speaking for all of them, but I know sometimes it's a little bit harder, so they can't really turn gigs down. So then it's like, comedy is so hard because the people that do put in all the work from the bottom up that they don't. They didn't necessarily start with a following, where someone with a following gets into comedy and people love them because they already had that following, which is. It sucks.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

There's, like, no happy medium.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. But I will say I think it. It does kind of end up coming full circle. Like, the people who put in the. Continuing to go on tour and sell tickets and perform. Those people who are just, like, skipping the line and not putting in the work. You might be able to do a show one time, but people are going to be able to see you on stage and be like, that person's not experienced, or like, this isn't funny. They can't edit this clip. Like, this is live performing and it's not. It's not hitting, you know, so you might do a show in Seattle, but then you might never come back because.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

You'Re like, did you do. Because I know that there's, like, comedy shows that are. It's like the same bit when they go on tour and it's like the same material, and that's like, what that tour is.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Did you ever do that? Or was it stand up? And it was different every time because I don't think I could never. In my first of all, I have a hard enough time saying one joke in a day.

[Katie Thurston]

Sure.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So I Couldn't imagine, like, standing up on stage and telling jokes.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Like, that seems like my worst nightmare.

[Katie Thurston]

There's moments that you're like, like bombing and you're like, get me off the stage. But because. Because I recognized my experience, or lack thereof, I was. I would go on the road, but it was like, short term, and I would bring other experience comics with me. So in the reversal of, like, people trying to use me for my audience, I was trying to share my audience. And so I would bring experience comics with me. I would maybe do a 15 to 20 minute set, and then I would have someone who's more experienced do like 40 minutes and then I would share, like, the ticket sales with them.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

And now they're being exposed to, like a new audience and stuff. So that was kind of like my way of, like, giving, I guess, back.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah. And then when you stopped doing comedy, was it when you got your diagnosis or before that?

[Katie Thurston]

It was before that. And it was when I met my husband, who's also a comic, and so he's a very experienced comment, like 15 years in. He's on a world tour right now.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Oh, that's awesome.

[Katie Thurston]

And so once I. I started watching him perform, I was like, oh, I'll just be like a green room girly.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

You know, like there for support.

[Katie Thurston]

I. I see. And I. I obviously knew what went into it, and I did it for about two years. I saw what went into it and what was required. And there's so much time. You have to commit to it and you have to love it. I'm talking 10, 15 years to really, like, make it work. And I was just at a point in my life where I was like, like, this is fun. I enjoy it, but fully committing, I just don't think that's in the cards for me.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Fair.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So how do you support him now on his tour?

[Katie Thurston]

Oh, just ask him. I'm like his on site manager. If I'm there, I'm like, did you guys check his rider? What's the green room looking like versus water? I'm on the side ready to, like, bring him whatever he needs. Just supporting him.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Like a showrunner.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, literally. Literally.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

For podcasting tour, we had like a showrunner and all that too. So similar, but no jokes. And obviously, before you met your husband, you were announced as the Bachelorette.

[Katie Thurston]

Yes.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

What went through your head when you found out that you were going to be the Bachelorette?

[Katie Thurston]

I was actually so shocked because I don't know if you are familiar with the show and the structure, but typically they, they'll ask one of the girls from like the final four.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay.

[Katie Thurston]

When you're talking like, I don't like the word place, but like in terms of elimination, you know, I was 11th place, like so like middle of the season, got the boot and I was like, I bet the best thing that happens is they asked me to like Bachelor in Paradise but never thought the Bachelorette. And then especially because we had so many like great, great women.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

And then when they like gave me the offer, I was shocked. I was shocked. But of course, like, you can't turn that down.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

No.

[Katie Thurston]

You know you can't. So.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So you did it.

[Katie Thurston]

I did it. Yeah. I told, I was like, hey, to my boss, I was like, I don't think I'm coming back after. There's just so much that happens. And like I was working at a bank. I'd been in like finance for like 10 years. I was like, I'm pretty sure regardless, like, I need to take like a couple years off.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Oh, wow.

[Katie Thurston]

From like just conventional work.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah. Yeah. It's hard when you're on reality tv. It's really hard to go back to like a traditional job.

[Katie Thurston]

And I didn't know like if, if influencing didn't work out then I, my resume is great for finance and if it does, which it has worked out for me still. Yeah, I'll just keep riding that high of, you know, influencer, content creator.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah, it's, it's a once in a lifetime thing. I feel like we're never gonna have this ability again like when we're in our 50s or like it's not gonna be the same. So I feel like capitalize while you can.

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[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So how soon after the Bachelorette did you meet your husband?

[Katie Thurston]

Oh, my now husband? Yeah, I was thinking fiance from the show.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Oh, yeah, sorry. Skipped right over that.

[Katie Thurston]

I know that you should.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

You were, like, engaged to him for a couple months. You were engaged to someone from the Bachelorette?

[Katie Thurston]

Yes.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And how long did that last?

[Katie Thurston]

I think after we were together, like, two or three months.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay. Was it real?

[Commercial Announcer]

Ish.

[Katie Thurston]

When you're in a bubble, you convince yourself it's real. You know, I'm one girl dating all these guys every day. All you're talking about is, like, marriage, babies, life, love, all that, you know?

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And did you want that stuff? Stuff?

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. Like, I. I didn't know about, like, what my future was going to look like.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

I was definitely at a point in my life where I was like, I want to find the one.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

You know, and, you know, I'm not. I don't want to, like, on Blake. He's a great guy. The guy that I ended up choosing at the end, but he was in Canada. I was in the the States. It was Covid. And it's really hard. Like, I think I spent 24 hours with him total over the period of, I think, six to eight weeks of filming.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Oh, wow.

[Katie Thurston]

So, I mean, you can tell yourself it's real all you want, but then when you, like, kind of check out and you're like, back in reality. Real reality, you're kind of like, it was a coin flip if that was actually going to work out or not.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

But. So he's a great guy.

[Katie Thurston]

He's a great guy.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Called off the engagement.

[Katie Thurston]

Yep. Yep.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And how soon after that did you meet your now husband?

[Katie Thurston]

Oh, gosh. It would have been a couple years. Like, okay. So I had to Go through it with some bad dates.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Oh, no.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So you did date after the Bachelorette and like went on dates in your real life?

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, yeah, I dated. Actually, funny enough, I ended up dating a guy also from my season because again, like, fresh off the show, everyone has something in common, you know, and so dated him for a little bit publicly. And then that was a nightmare because when you are a Bachelorette who's engaged and you call the engagement to bend a date another guy from your season, it's very messy. And so I think that was the last relationship that I went public with. And then I was like, okay, whoever I am with next, like, I'm not hard launching until like our wedding day is what I would joke because I was like, it's so embarrassing.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

To like post someone and then like three months later you're like, we're not together anymore.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

I get it, I get it.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. So, yeah, did a lot of dating and then eventually met my husband. Like I said, like, it was years later because of. We were both in comedy and.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay. I was gonna say. Is that how y' all met?

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, I mean, it was in the DMs. I started following him because I wanted my. My Instagram feed to be like, like comics, you know, like, I'm done with reality tv. I just want to. I want to be a comedian. And I just followed all these different comics. And he was a New York comic and I was like. Never followed him romantically.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

But he was very charming, very sweet, very like golden retriever energy.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yes. Love that.

[Katie Thurston]

Which is like my type. And then we exchanged dms here and there. And then we finally met. And then it was like we met for the first time. Like, we talked in April, met in May, and then got engaged in August.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

In the same year.

[Katie Thurston]

In the same year. And then married. Like, literally. It was the one year anniversary of our. Actually, let me rephrase that. It was the one year anniversary of me texting a girlfriend, being like my future husband. But like, in a joking way, you know? You know, I didn't even. At that time, I hadn't even met him yet. I just was. I was like a. Like a fan. Yeah, yeah. You know, I was just like, I liked his comedy and I was like, oh, this is my future husband. And then I was like, oh, shit. I manifested so hard on accident. So, I mean, it worked out.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

We were just talking. Do you know who Trisha Paytas is?

[Katie Thurston]

Yes.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

We were just talking about how she manifests everything and everything she manifests literally happens.

[Katie Thurston]

She's a goddess for that.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Truly. Like.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And I'm like, good for her. I love that. So you manifested your husband so hard.

[Katie Thurston]

I know.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Who else do you like as a comic, like a comedian?

[Katie Thurston]

Ali Wong is probably my. My top. Taylor Tomlinson. Like, I gotta show the. The ladies.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

But who. What is your husband's name? Name?

[Katie Thurston]

Jeff Arcary.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay.

[Katie Thurston]

If you might recognize him.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

No, I probably would if you guys just laugh all day.

[Katie Thurston]

Yes.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

But, like, what is. Do you take anything seriously?

[Katie Thurston]

Well, I mean, yeah, when we have serious conversations, it's, like, rare. Not because we can't have them, but, you know, if. If it's serious, it's because it needs to be.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

Otherwise, I'd say 90 of the time, we are just messing around and making jokes.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So how far into your relationship with your now husband did you learn that you had cancer?

[Katie Thurston]

We were coming up. It was like, within 10 months, maybe.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

Of being together.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Sure.

[Katie Thurston]

We were already engaged at that point, but yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay, so. Because I did read. I think I read. I read it. Or it was on your Instagram or something that you guys eloped.

[Katie Thurston]

Yes.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

But. So it was. You didn't get engaged because of your diagnosis?

[Katie Thurston]

No, no, we got engaged August of last year, and then our hope was to do wedding planning this summer. And then in February of this year was when I found out I have breast cancer. So we kind of were like, well, obviously a wedding's not happening this year.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Sure.

[Katie Thurston]

But he was like, I want to show you, you know, how much I love you and support you and, you know, I'll get married to you tomorrow. And I was like, I'm taking you up on that. And so, yeah, we did the process of, you know, going to the courthouse. It's actually, you cannot get married tomorrow. You have to. There's a little bit of planning in it. I didn't. But, yeah, so then we did. We flew our parents into town to just literally eloped in our living room and then went to dinner. And it's official.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

I love that story so much. I mean, obviously not the diet, but you're my age. You're 91. I'm 92. So we're. And I recently went to go get a full body scan in depth from head to toe. And in the paperwork or when we were going over, like, all the results and stuff, they went through, like, you know, obviously breast. And they said, this is not, you know, in lieu of a mammogram, like, you should still follow up. But that being said, if you go anywhere in Delaware where I live. They're not giving anyone a mammogram at 33, 32, 34. Like, they're not. So how did this all. I mean, I know that people who follow you will already know because you've talked about it on socials, but for anyone who's listening that doesn't know your story, could you sort of walk us through, like, how you found out?

[Katie Thurston]

Totally. Yeah. And this is, I think, why I preach it so much, because I wish somebody our age was talking about it, because the first thing I'll say is breast cancer in your 30s is not rare. It's very common, unfortunately, and has been a thing, a trend in the last 10 years. And that was something I didn't know in my inner circles. Even the people I felt I didn't know that was a thing.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

In your 30s. So why are we not changing. I have chills. Why are we not changing the protocols for mammograms and women's health?

[Katie Thurston]

I think there's stuff in the works because of it. There's. There's. They're working on a breast cancer vaccine. They're working on new ways to be proactive in women's breast health that aren't just normal for us now. Like, I do see, in the next, I would say two years, there'll be changes that help women discover their. Their cancer earlier. Because that's the thing is a lot of these women are waiting till 40 to get their. Their mammogram and find out they have breast cancer. But really, they probably had it in their. In their 30s. And it's just. It's growing, and they didn't regard a mammogram, and. And then it shows up.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So do you have an idea of how long you. You had the cancer before you started recognizing symptoms or signs?

[Katie Thurston]

Yes. And it's crazy because you mentioned a full body scan. I don't know if it's the same company, but I also got a full body scan last summer. When I got this scan, I had no physical symptoms of breast cancer, but I did have something on the results that were kind of like. Like moderate finding. Like, not red, but like the yellow, whatever color. Brown. Yellow. That's kind of like. And so there's a lot of terminology that I was not familiar with at the time, especially not having breast cancer. You know, like malignancy. I don't know what that word means. You know, benign. What is that? You know, and so with. With that full body scan, they call you and they go over the results.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

And I, I. To this day will remember the tone of the woman, the way she sounded. Nothing insinuated that I should get my breasts further checked out. I had had a benign cyst in my 20s, and so I have a lumpectomy scar. And so she was like, be just old scar tissue. And so of course I'm like, well, yeah, it's definitely not breast cancer, you know, so I just never did anything.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Oh, wow.

[Katie Thurston]

So that was last summer, and then maybe last spring, because then in the summer, a little lump started to appear. The lump would kind of come and go. It would kind of hurt, kind of not. And then it got to a point where I was like, okay, I need to like, go back and reread my scan and position wise of where the scan happened, what they saw and what I have as like, oh, that actually kind of matches. Like, okay, maybe it's another cyst coming that I'm gonna have to get removed. Again, never thinking cancer. And so, you know, fast forward to August. I'm engaged. Fast forward to the winter time. It's the holidays. We're having an engagement party. And so I'm like, all right, you know what? January, new year. I gotta, like, I gotta get this checked out again. There was no urgency in my mind. I thought it was going to be another benign cyst, whatever. So it was a physical lump that I could feel. It was painful. And if you Google, like, is breast cancer painful? At the time, at least Google was like, no, it's typically, it's not painful. So I'm like, okay, it's pms, it's working out, whatever. So I go to the doctor, they feel it. They refer me to the, you know, the specialist who I don't get to see for another couple weeks. I'm like, oh, this is a part of the process. Well, then I get the breast ultrasound. And that was like the first time where I was like, like, oh, something's going on. Because the. The tech was not saying anything to me.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Right.

[Katie Thurston]

I could hear the machine. She kept taking pictures. When I had a breast ultrasound in my early 20s, that they were very quick to be like, oh, it's nothing. You're like. They knew. They could tell.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

And in this appointment, she just wasn't saying a lot. And so I remember laying there, I'll get emotional and, like, crying. I just. That. That guy. You're just like, oh. And so then they're like, are you available to get a mammogram? And I'd never even had a mammogram. And I was like, okay, and so, like, I'm in the waiting room for the next part. And again, the waiting room is like all like, older people. I'm like, what am I doing here? So I get a mammogram that same day, and then they're like, can you get a biopsy? And so now in the same day? In the same day.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So just back to back to back?

[Katie Thurston]

Yep. And I was like, yes, yes. And they were, they were like, okay, okay, let's see if we can get you in.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Were you by yourself?

[Katie Thurston]

I was by myself. I didn't, I didn't. I was.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

No, you didn't know. You were just.

[Katie Thurston]

If I knew it was going to be a breast cancer situation, you would.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Have had your husband there bring someone.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, I was just like, oh, this is.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

I'm.

[Katie Thurston]

I remember literally, like taking a freaking selfie, being like, check your boobs. You know, like, just for funsies. So whatever. There's even a tick tock that still exists where I'm like, so there's a. There's something in my boobs. But I'm not worried. You know, booby checks aren't scary. Like, just oblivious to, like, what my future was about to be be.

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[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And so you get the mammogram. Did you do the biops? Did you end up doing the biopsy in the same day?

[Katie Thurston]

No, they couldn't get me in, so I had to wait, like, I think a week or two. So in the meantime, I put on. I don't tell anybody, like, what's going on, like, unless you're my immediate family. I put a post that I'm like, hey, when you guys get a mammogram, like, how many of you guys made it to the biopsy part? Because I'm like, is that a normal step? And I remember the. The amount of people who made it to the biopsy step of your breast exam was like, pretty small. I was like, like, that's not good. And then with your. Your mammogram, there's a Birad score, which mine, I think was like a four. And so I like, looked up what that meant. It was like, basically it meant like 95 chance. It's breast cancer.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So were you looking those things up before you even talked to your doctor about the results?

[Katie Thurston]

I got the results before I could talk to somebody. I didn't know what this meant. It was just like a whole thing. And so anyway, I remember being in Hawaii, it was February, and the plan was I was gonna join Jeff on his world tour. We're supposed to leave from Hawaii to Australia to Japan to New Zealand, all these places. And it was February 13th, and I get the call and they're like, like, it's breast cancer. Like, officially, yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Were you at least with someone when they.

[Katie Thurston]

I was with Jeff and then his whole family. It was supposed to be this, like, family trip. And it just really put like a damper because we. We had a feeling. But you can never know if it's cancer until you do a biopsy. Like, ultimately, no matter what shows up on a scan. And so I was kind of holding on to that. I was like, oh, despite what my mammogram says, like, they're going to test it and it's not going to be cancer.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Right? Because nobody. Nobody. How old are you?

[Katie Thurston]

34.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

34?

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

No 34 year old is thinking that they're Going to.

[Katie Thurston]

And it doesn't run in my family, you know, I've had the BRCA genetic testing. Don't have that, you know, so I'm like, I don't have breast cancer. Like, that's crazy.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So you're with the family, you're with your husband. You find out.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, what.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

What happens then? Did you decide to go home? Did you go on tour? Did you. What was the next step?

[Katie Thurston]

There were so many. Just big decisions that had to be made because it was like, okay, well, I. I can't delay treatment, you know, because that was a contemplation. Do I. It's six weeks and then we come back. Should I just enjoy six weeks? You know, I'm supposed to be moving to New York. Should I be transferring my care now or when I come back? Or do I transfer care back to Washington, where I'm from and where my family is? You know? So what ended up happening is Jeff ended up postponing that chunk of his tour, like, on super short notice, because it was like, within a week. He couldn't really say why yet. I ended up transferring my care from LA to New York because we were like, all right, we're just going to go from Hawaii to. To New York and get that figured out. And, yeah, it was. It was a lot because it meant we were moving in together for our first time to New York, transferring my insurance situation and my now cancer diagnosis from LA to New York. And it was great that he postponed it. I didn't know. But I will say the beginning of the. Of a cancer diagnosis for anybody is the hardest because there's so many tests. There's so much you're learning. There's so many unknowns. And then when. And that's like, it's. It was probably two months of my life, and then it finally, like, it feels like the dust settled a little bit. And now I'm just like. I mean, there's still a lot of, like, unknowns that I'm in treatment and whatnot. But, yeah, the beginning was the hardest, and he was there for me for that.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So at what point during all of this did you take him up on his offer to get married?

[Katie Thurston]

Um, I think. I mean, I don't remember what day we decided, but we were just talking about how, you know, what happens in, like, the medical world if we're not married and something, you know, happens, like, he's a fiance, will they let him in? There was one time where she even was like one of the nurses, like, oh, he needs to stay Back and then I used the word fiance and then she let him in. And so it was just like this thing of like, it's very powerful to be like a married couple during this, you know. So, yeah, we moved, we moved there in like March 1st, and then we got this year of this year, and then we got married March 22nd. So I think I took it up pretty quickly. Like once we signed the lease, the next thing is like, let's find some court documents.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

I love that though. I mean, you know, he was, he's a rider.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And did you do the egg retrieval process during all of this?

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. So initially we thought I was going to have to do chemotherapy. And chemo will impact your ovaries, your eggs. Eggs, your fertility. And so I luckily had this like 10 day window where they're like, if you want to do ivf, you gotta do it now.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And so you had to decide that fast.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Before you started treatment.

[Katie Thurston]

Yep. Like you could. Technically you can delay as much as.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

You want, but knowing it would have impact the medicine or the treatment would impact your eggs.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, you can't. Like, you have to, if you're gonna do ivf, do it before treatment. And then if you can get pregnant afterwards, sometimes you wait like two to three years. Given my age, I didn't know. Well, at the time I was like, can I wait that long? Well, now I'm stage four, which means I, I have to do, do it via surrogacy.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So when you choose to have kids, it will have to be a surrogate because of the treatment, you won't be able to carry. And so I just don't know.

[Katie Thurston]

These are such valid questions. So the one thing with breast cancer I learned that I don't think people realize unless you're in it, is there's so many, like, subcategories of what types of breast cancer. It's not just breast cancer. And it's like triple positive, triple negative, all these different things. My type of breast cancer is feeds off hormones.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

What does that mean?

[Katie Thurston]

Like, like whatever hormones are in your body, it eats it like a little snack and it'll grow.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And so, so what does that do for your hormones then? Does it imbalance them?

[Katie Thurston]

If I was to have done nothing, I don't think I would have noticed a difference in my hormones. The tumor would grow. So what they've done is I have my ovaries, they're suppressed right now with a monthly shot that I get and a daily pill. So now at 34, I'm in medically Induced menopause, which means hot flashes. It can impact my sex life. I think that takes a little bit longer. So I'm trying to be proactive on that. Your hair thins, basically. Anything that you would go through in like, your normal menopausal state, I'm going through right now.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So medical induced menopause is putting you into menopause?

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

For. To slow down the hormone.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. So they're trying to like, eliminate like, as many hormones that are in my body. So, like, the first thing I obviously did with the diagnosis was like, stop birth control.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay.

[Katie Thurston]

Completely. And then you're over. Like, a lot of people will actually remove their ovaries because that's producing hormones. And so that's a big decision that I'm not ready to make, and it's a very permanent one. Done. And so for me, yeah, I just get this shot that suppresses my, my ovaries. And so it decreases the amount of hormones that are like, flowing through my body.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

But some people could choose to remove their ovaries. Some people choose to do a mastectomy or double mastectomy. Your type of breast cancer does not require you to do that.

[Katie Thurston]

Or you're talking for the breast surgery. So it's, it's all. It's again, it's like so layered for my type of cancer. And given that I'm stage four, a lot of doctors kind of have this mentality of like, it's already spread. There's not an improvement by having your breasts removed.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay.

[Katie Thurston]

The data shows, according to them, like, it doesn't make that big of a difference. However, a lot of people, regardless of what stage you are, are like, get, get these off of me. And that's where I'm at. I want them removed.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay.

[Katie Thurston]

I'll probably do reconstruction. The problem that I'm running into right now is we have to make sure the medicine is working, working first.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay.

[Katie Thurston]

Before I'm allowed to then pursue surgery.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So with doctor. Some doctors saying that it doesn't really help. What is the decision making process for you to want them gone?

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. So I think a lot of it, there's. There's obviously like mental piece of like, I need these gone. When you're diagnosed with cancer, they do genetic testing. And I found out I have what's called an ATM mutation, which is also kind of in the same breast cancer category of like, you have an increased chance of having breast cancer.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay.

[Katie Thurston]

And so despite even being stage four, I just want to eliminate as much of the cancer of the hormones. Anything I can to improve my, my mental health, my physical health. I'm going to do right. And so I, I want them removed. My team is very supportive. You know they, they kind of were like you're the captain of the you, you guide us. Here's our feedback. But at the end of the day we're gonna do what you want to do.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So you have a good team behind you.

[Katie Thurston]

Yes.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

I know that some people go through hell trying to find a team that doesn't treat them like a number. And so it sounds like you have a good.

[Katie Thurston]

New York was great.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Good. And was that part of the decision making process to come here or you or it was because of Jeff.

[Katie Thurston]

It was for Jeff. Like I, we were ready to start our lives together and so we always knew that was going to be in New York York. I think I just got very lucky finding the team that I did here. I did as much research as I could but also on the like self employed market plan and I'm like who's within network? I know I'm going to pay a lot this year for stuff. So what's the gold level of insurance coverage?

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[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Did you have a hard time initially when you like were finding out that you know you had the slump and you wanted to look at did people ever give you a hard time for from the beginning of your journey?

[Katie Thurston]

I don't think so. I think, like, once. Once it was known it was cancer. Everyone is very, like, supportive. Doctors are very supportive. You know, everything just felt very, like, hand holding.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

You know what you need.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

So I. Nothing stands out as having, like, a hard time necessarily. Sure, there is this weird, like, I don't know if it's guilt, but there's people who go through cancer and go through chemo. And I was one day away from when I was supposed to have chemotherapy. I had a port placed in my chest, which is where the chemotherapy would have gone. And then a day before, the doctors called and said, wait, the testing was wrong from Kaiser. You actually don't have to do chemotherapy. Which it was like, a whole thing. And so then there's like this almost, like. I don't know if it's guilt or like, it's just a weird feeling that I can't really put into words about how I don't have to do chemo, but other people did, you know, and.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Sort of like survivor's guilt almost.

[Katie Thurston]

Maybe. Yeah. And I. And you know, I use Reddit. There's breast cancer communities on Reddit, and I use those for myself. And there was one time where I saw someone writing about me, me and Olivia Munn, in terms of, like, maybe not being, like, quote, a good enough, like, cancer patient, you know, And I responded, I don't think she was expecting that. But I'm like, you know, here you are upset that I didn't have to do chemo, but here I am jealous that you get to, like, carry your own child. Child here.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Stop. I'll cry right now.

[Katie Thurston]

But it's the truth. You know, it's like, you people, you can't compare. Like, at the end of the day, anyone in, like, the club of cancer sucks. Like, no matter how bad your situation seems, like someone else, like, has it potentially worse, you know?

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

And like, it's not a competition. Like, we're all just, like, you know, for sure.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And obviously no shade to you, but she probably was not handling it well.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And it's, you know, misery does love company. And although cancer is not fair for anyone, I think that's probably where she just didn't have anyone. You know what I mean?

[Katie Thurston]

No. And I get it. And because I. I still get those messages sometimes where people will be like, well, you have all this, like, access and support and d. And it's like, okay, but I'm using my access and support to, like, educate other people for sure. To bring attention to these non profits to teach you how to be you know, proactive on your health.

[Commercial Announcer]

Because.

[Katie Thurston]

Because finding it early is, like, how you save your life.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Right.

[Katie Thurston]

You know, and unfortunately, I didn't. I didn't get that opportunity because I didn't know.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

And so, like, all I want to do is, like, make sure other. Sorry.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Don't apologize.

[Katie Thurston]

I just want to make sure, like, other women don't have to go through, like, what I went through.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah. How are you feeling today? Like, overall.

[Katie Thurston]

Overall, like, I feel like, a lot better than I have been. You know, I think in the early stages, you are just. Just so, like, devastated. You cry in a way you've never cried. You're. You're questioning everything. You're like, what did I do wrong? Like, how. How come I have cancer? You know, And. And the thing I'll say to anyone listening is you can try to find an answer and think, oh, it's because I'm not vegan. But then you. You meet a vegan who has cancer, you're like, oh, it's because I didn't have kids yet. And then you meet someone who has kids. And so there's really not, like, some magic answer that you're. You're hoping to find. Because I think a lot of people want to, like, place guilt on themselves and be like, I shouldn't have drank as much as I didn't call whatever it is, you know?

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

I think with cancer, it's a mindset, you know, And I've gotten a lot better with my mindset about, you know, just doing everything I'm. I can do and what I'm allowed to do and just know that I'm showing up, I'm doing the best. And, you know, stage four sounds very scary, and it can be, but nope. Cancer or not, we're never promised tomorrow. And I think that's what I, like, I'm really trying to hold on to instead of putting some, like, invisible, like, countdown over my head.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Right. And when you say you're doing everything you can do, do you have restrictions for what you can and can't do right now?

[Katie Thurston]

I mean, people. It's all a very personal choice, but people have an opinion on drinking. People have an opinion on me, you know, ex. Like, all these different things. And so I'm doing what I. What I feel is best for my body in terms of, like, my diet and lifestyle. You know, am I still drinking a glass of wine? Yeah, I am, because I'm going to live my life, you know? Know, imagine I quit drinking and. And quit eating meat, and then I still end up, like, you know, passing from cancer. Like, I. There's. You have to kind of balance, you know, like, what feels best for you. Because if you live every day in fear and. And restrictions of things, what. There's not a point of living, you know, like, you.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

How do you get there? How do you get to that place for other people who might be in your same situation? How do you get to a place where you are. Are not living in fear of the worst?

[Katie Thurston]

It's an ongoing practice. Like. Like today I'm okay. Tomorrow I will have a breakdown and be deep on the archives of, like, cancer and survivorship. Like, you know, it's. I. I don't think it ever ends, especially stage four, because technically you have it forever being stage four. And what does that mean when it's stage four?

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Like, having it forever.

[Katie Thurston]

So the way it works is stage three or less means it's contained within the.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

The.

[Katie Thurston]

The breast.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay.

[Katie Thurston]

Stage four means they found it somewhere else. So for me, it's in my liver. And what that basically means is the cancer is, like, in your blood. And so the way I try to describe it to people is sometimes the molecules of this cancer are so small, you can't see it on, like, a scan. So even if I remove the breast, even if the liver spot is removed, you know, and on a scan, it doesn't look like I have cancer anymore. They know it has spread, and therefore, like, even in the small, smallest little molecule kind of way, the cancer is still, like, existing in my body. And there's no way as of now to, like, take it out of my body.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay, so then you would be living with it.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. So it's. It's long term. It's forever. As of now, the way I kind of describe it to people is like a diabetic person. It's like every day they take their insulin and they just move on with their life. And it's just what they do every day. And so that's where I'm at right now is I every day take medicine, like four pills a day and then a monthly shot. And we're. It's called your first line of treatment, meaning, like, you hope it works, and you hope it works for a long time, but because it is forever, sometimes your body eventually, like, outsmarts that and you got to go to, like, your second line of treatment, your third. You know, so that is a little scary because I've met people who are now on their. Like, that they've exhausted all of their resources. They've been stage four, but for 10 years. So, I mean, people definitely, like, are living very, for the most part, normal lives. But if medical advancements don't continue, like, some people are really just out of options and just kind of hoping and.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Praying, would that be considered remission or. No. Like, if, if you're. You were saying that some, somebody could live 10 years, years, would that be remission or not really or.

[Katie Thurston]

I don't think they use the word remission. They use the word no evidence of disease. Okay, so with like stage three, your remission, or like you're cancer free and you ring that bell, you know, when you're stage four, you're just, you're just fighting a battle every day. And so, yeah, you're hoping just your scans show that it's not there anymore.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Alessandra And I know two different women our age, in their 30s who have tried to get mammograms and were declined, like they were not allowed to. To. Which I think is so interesting because you were talking about in the, in your 30s. It's so much more, like, more common than people think.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And I think that's really insane.

[Katie Thurston]

Well, I have advice on that.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

You please share. Share it.

[Katie Thurston]

I have so much advice. Okay, so if you're wanting to get a mammogram, there's, there's layers to it. So first of all, what's your family history? And I'm not talking breast cancer. I'm talking just cancer in general, both men and women.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Right.

[Katie Thurston]

Make sure your doctors know. Have you or anyone in your family ever had a genetic test, test that shows any kind of genetic mutation, not just brca, but like ATM or anything else that exists out there. If anyone feels not just a lump, that was my personal experience, a lump, but like, dimpling of the breast discharge, anything that just seems itchiness, even pain, anything that seems not normal for their regular breasts, you have to bring that up to your doctor. And so the first step before the mammogram is a breast ultrasound. So if your doctor is declining further exploration because you fall under the category of like, something is wrong, tell them to document that, then say, put that in writing, that you are not going to allow me to explore this further.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Like, put it in my chart.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, put it in my chart. They will change their mind so fast. So I get, to a certain extent, if you have nothing except your peace of mind that is causing you to, like, want to get a memory program a little harder. But if you have anything, his family history, any, any symptom, not just pain, Not a physical lump. You know, even with your. With your scan that you got, it sounds like maybe there was something in there. I'd be like, this is what it says. I want a breast ultrasound. If they say no, then say, put that in my chart.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

You know, people who are overall healthy. Right. Like, I don't have a whole lot of health concerns.

[Katie Thurston]

Sure.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

I don't care to have a pcp, because that's also part of it, though, is like, we have to be proactive about our own health, but we need to make sure that we have the providers for that. So I wouldn't. If I had something, I wouldn't even be able to go to a primary. You know what I mean? So that's hard. And I think just advocating for women, talking about our health and advocating being proactive and things like that is probably super helpful.

[Katie Thurston]

I will say, with your personal or primary care provider. I've only seen mine in New York once because I had to establish a starting point. So figure out, you know, who your. Who your insurance. I hope you have insurance. Who's covered. Do a quick little search. You know, all it is, is. Is a starting point. They don't. It's. It's the person who then refers you to the next. The next doctor.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Are there any misconceptions about breast cancer that you could possibly share with the listeners?

[Katie Thurston]

I think for me, people look at me and go, you don't look sick. And I think, one, they might think they're being complimentary, but. But it's like, it's not something we want to hear because, like, oh, no, I have, like, a terminal. I'm stage four breast cancer, you know, Like, I don't know what you think I'm supposed to look like, you know, So I think people expect you to look like a certain way.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

Or because you don't look that way, they don't take you as seriously. And it's like, no, I still have a lot of physical and mental stresses that I'm going through in trying to, you know, fix myself.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Sure. No, that makes sense. So PCP arguing for mammograms. Put it in your chart.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. At least a breast ultrasound. Like, you don't do a mammogram. That's fine. Also, I just. I do want to just add, because I'm obviously very passionate about this. Ask what the cost of a mammogram is then if it's not through an insurance company. Because sometimes it's like, depending where you go, it can be like, as little as, like a Hundred bucks for, like, that peace of mind. People think a mammogram is, like, thousands of dollars. I think at the high end, it's like, $400.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay. So you could pay out of pocket if you don't have insurance.

[Katie Thurston]

I. Because they're declining you because they don't want it to. Like, insurance will deny you. But it's like, what if I want to pay out of pocket then. Because you're, like, that committed, you know?

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

That makes sense.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Really quick, going back to your wedding. Did you get married and then you had started treatment a few days later? Is that true?

[Katie Thurston]

I started ivf.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay.

[Katie Thurston]

I was, like, in the middle of IVF because I remember being very bloated in my. My elopement dress and being like, oh, my God, People don't think we're getting married because I'm pregnant right now or something? Like, no. I'm just full of extra eggs and hormones.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And you did the egg retrieval?

[Katie Thurston]

Yes.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Did it go okay?

[Katie Thurston]

Yes. We got two embryos.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Oh, that's exciting.

[Katie Thurston]

Which, for anyone who doesn't know, getting embryos is actually really tough as an adult. It's so hard sometimes to get actually pregnant. And so, like, I went from 17 eggs retrieved. Then it got cut down to, like, nine were mature enough to even be fertilized. Then it was six were fertilized. Then of the six, three made it to, like, day five. So quickly, like, your numbers are, like, dropping.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

And then of those three, they get genetically tested, and so one of them, they. It would have likely, like, ended up being a miscarriage. So of all of that, from 17, we got two. Two embryos. So we're hopeful that. That. That's all we need. The. The scary part is even having an embryo, it's not a guarantee.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Right.

[Katie Thurston]

You know, it's possible one of them or both of them don't end up coming to full term. So that's scary. There's a whole surrogacy piece of it that I have to, like, now explore. That I just never expected.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Sure. So are you able to. Because you said it was in your blood, Are you able to do a retrieval later on or. No.

[Katie Thurston]

So I. I think I technically could. But the risk in that with IVF is you're injecting hormones in your body.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And that's what your cancer is feeding off.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. So there's a. There's a potential if I needed to. And that's where it's, like, tough timing wise. It's like, do we want to do more ivf? If we have these two eggs or do we only want to pursue it if these two eggs don't end up working? You know, it's like, it's a very heavy conversation that Jeff and I keep having because it's like, well, we're not ready. Ready to like pursue surrogacy this year, you know. But then also surrogacy takes a long time in terms of finding the right match. And there's a lot of like medical and background checks that go into surrogacy and like legal and like, it's a. It's a whole beast that I'm just not experiencing yet.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Right. No, I could imagine how that would be really difficult. And I'm sure there are so many things that you guys want to do, especially, you know, just, we're halfway through the year. What else? Would you guys have anything to look forward to this year?

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, I don't know if Jeff will be mad at me for saying this, but I'll say, I'll word it this way. Jeff has like something really big coming up at the end of this year, so like, he's focused on getting ready to do that. You know, we just moved here. I finally just furnished my apartment. Like, we're just like, let's just chill. Like we got a puppy, like in the.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

What kind?

[Katie Thurston]

He's a rescue. So he's a mix. Like he's like a lab, pit bull, Great Dane. Like he's a little bit of everything.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I love that.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

What's it like having a dog in the city? I feel like. Is that rough?

[Katie Thurston]

It's very rough. Our apartment luckily has like a little patio space kind of.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah, there's one out here. Yep.

[Katie Thurston]

So that's super helpful. But I'd never had a dog before. I'm definitely a cat lady.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

I've learned dogs are hard because they, when you're potty training them, they go in the. Like babies wear diapers so they just pee and poop in the diapers. But dogs are like all over the.

[Katie Thurston]

House and babies aren't freaking eating up your shoes and underwear and cord like they're. You can contain it.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

I understand.

[Katie Thurston]

So I. I'm not a mom and I don't want to discredit motherhood.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

No, not.

[Katie Thurston]

I feel like a puppy is very frickin hard.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

I always say that the puppies are harder than the kids, to be honest. So.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, then I can, I can make it through motherhood in the future.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Oh, for sure. Without a doubt. Do you feel like cancer has impacted your Confidence at all.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, I'd say so. I mean, my hair is thinning, which you might be like, it looks fine, but, like, I know that it's thinning. I see it come out in bigger clumps than it has. The medicine impacts your. Your weight, your energy. And so I'm only about three months into, like, treatment, whatever that is. It's treatment. And so there is a level of, like, what. How is this going to impact me? Appearance wise, confidence wise. Even the beginning of this podcast, I was, like, stuttering and, like, that's even, like, your mind is, like, so foggy sometimes. And that's. I use the word embarrassing, but, like, I know you're not judging me, but I'm judging me, you know? But also you with cancer, you do have a new perspective on, like, what really matters. I'm like, okay, If I gain 30 pounds, but I'm alive, so be it.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Right.

[Katie Thurston]

You know, And I'm like, if my hair is thinning, like, okay, like, you're allowed to feel the feelings, but you do have a different view on. On what's important. And put obviously, life, like, ahead of be beauty.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

And being in the industry and having such a big platform, I'm sure, like, you're used to, like, people just, like, having a comment on everything with our appearances, and so that's tough. But my perspective is, I think, evolving and growing for the better since my diagnosis.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And how does your husband support you through all of this? Because obviously he's been with you every step of the way, but he's not. He doesn't have cancer. He's not going through it himself. So how do you guys. Guys work out? You know, what's the dynamic?

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, there's so many things he's done. The one that stood out, like, right away from the beginning was he's like, I'm gonna pay rent. Which, I know that sounds so little, but I'm like, that was great because, like, I. I could focus on, like, paying for, like, my medical stuff and not being like, oh, I gotta get this brand deal because I gotta make sure I pay my part of the rent, you know, like, financially, he's like, taking off what he can so that I can just focus on, you know, treatment. And then. Then when it comes to decisions on, like, kids and ivf, you know, IVF is hard. Like, to anyone who's done it, it is cancer or not, it was hard to do. It's. It shots every day in your stomach, and your emotions are hot and cold, and it sucks. And he's like, if you don't want to do it again, I support you. Like, everything I've wanted to do, even down to, like, breast reconstruction or some people just choose to go flat, he's like, I. I support you. And so just knowing that he's allowing me to, to, like, navigate the way that I need to and just knowing that he's always going to be there to support me no matter what is like, I think all I needed to, like, truly make us through this.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So how can other people support someone they love going through cancer?

[Katie Thurston]

So I have two pieces of advice. One is definitely reach out. I think some people don't know what to say.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Yeah.

[Katie Thurston]

And I think it's easier to be vulnerable and admit that, like, I don't really know the right thing to say, but I want to be there for you. Um, I kind of describe it as, like, words are better than nothing, but actions are better than words. And so the things that have helped me a lot, and I know it helps other people, is go to dinner with me, go to coffee with me. Um, if I'm. If my energy is low, people sent me, like, postmate gift cards and, you know, or offer to, like, take Charlie, our dog, off my hands for a few hours. Any. If they have kids, babysit for them. Anything that you can do to help kind of remove a responsibility, whether that's eating, cleaning, cooking dogs, whatever, is going to make such a big impact to somebody who's going through cancer. Because, you know, if you're like, just let me know how you. How I can help. They. They don't know what's going on. They don't know how to ask for help. They don't know what they need help with.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Well, I think decision fatigue also, like, you're making enough decisions.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

You know, what is it? The mental load of your diagnosis, your treatment, your. Your. All the steps. And so one more decision or one more ask for somebody else, I feel like would be really stressful.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

What about mental health through all of this?

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. I'm still trying to find the right therapist. I was given one right away, obviously, and I. It just didn't click. You know, therapy is like dating. You gotta find someone that, like, matches your energy and that you feel good about. I think therapy is so important. And if it's not therapy, find a group of other survivors, you know, other people who are going through it. There's so many free support systems out there in terms of, like, that. I think that's where I found the most support, is talking to someone Else who has cancer, someone who's been through it, someone who's stage four. And like I said, 10 years out, I'm like, okay, that feel. Like. That feels good. And we can talk about our medicine and our routines and how to, like, feel better during chemo and all these different things. So if it's not there, therapy, it's. It's just real life, people going through it with you.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Is there anything that is helpful to you on the days that you just can't keep going? You feel like you can't keep going?

[Katie Thurston]

I think learning to give yourself grace. I feel oftentimes guilty if I take a nap or the house is dirty. And I think on the days where I just feel like I can't keep going, I just. You just have to, like, reset. And if that means, like, doing. Not putting your phone away, binging tv, wherever you need to do that you feel guilty about, just do it. Just indulge in the art of nothing.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And it sounds like your husband would be supportive of that.

[Katie Thurston]

Oh, yes. Yes. He's been gone. So he comes home next month.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Next month?

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. He's been gone.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

He's on the tour.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. So, like. And then that's not even. That's, like, Europe. The other one is rescheduled for, like, this fall.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

So what was that when he. You got your diagnosis?

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

And then he postponed the dates and the world tour in the beginning, yeah. He moved them. But you're still going through treatment. Is that hard for you?

[Katie Thurston]

Very hard. Yeah. So, like, again, we got a puppy, which was stupid, but we're good now. But we, like, you know, we had to put our dog in training because, like, I can't be, like, new into my diagnosis and figure out how to train a puppy. And you're not here. Like, that's crazy.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Don't want to travel with him because your team is here and treatment is here.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. So every month, I have to do some kind of treatment, blood work. You know, I'm. I'm still very much in the early stages of exploring things.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay.

[Katie Thurston]

For example, next month, I get my first rescan to see if the tumor is shrinking. Is it growing? If it's growing, that's not good. That means the medicine's not working.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay.

[Katie Thurston]

If it's staying the same, that's. That's okay. That's good. Okay. So, yeah, so I was able to meet him for, like, two weeks, and we went to Barcelona and Italy, but I had to, like, coordinate with my doctor of, like. Okay, like, how. What days I need to make sure I'm back home or like, like, what shots do I need to get before I leave? And so we're doing that again, actually. I. I leave June 25th to be with him in Greece and then we come home together. He's done.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Okay.

[Katie Thurston]

Until the fall, July 2nd, and then my scan is July 7th.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

How are you going? I don't know how. We were just watching the movie last night and it was somebody in the military and he was like, doing. Going overseas. And then the wife was like, if you don't. If you leave again, like, I can't do this. I feel like, like, that is the same, right? Like, you're going through something. How do you. But you have bills to pay, so it's like, how. Who. How do you decide?

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. Well, so the thing. Him and I started off as a long distance couple, so. And we. And we got a great foundation in our early stages of dating through that. In fact, literally, we were. We were long distance technically, up until moving in together in March of this year.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Oh, wow.

[Katie Thurston]

So, like, we would see each other every couple weeks, but, you know, like, we were long distance. We had to relax on texting and phone calls and FaceTime and memes or whatever to keep it spicy, you know, that's spicy for a comedian, I guess. Memes. But. So that's kind of what we're doing now, you know, like, it's really hard with him gone. There's a certain, like, usually week two to three is when I'm, like, losing my mind. But then we know, like, okay, there's another trip coming where I get to see him. So you just have that, like, that moment to, like, look forward to for sure.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

No, I could see that, like, the, the highs keep coming. They just like so many, like, strong emotions, I feel.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, I enjoyed the interview, like, general, like, it was a very fun.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Good. I'm glad. Okay. Fun river about it. Thank you so much for coming on Barely Famous Podcast.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah. Thank you so much for.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Where can people find you on socials?

[Katie Thurston]

My handle is the Katie Thurston on Instagram, and that's pretty much my, like, starting point for anything.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Perfect. Thank you so much.

[Katie Thurston]

Yeah, thank you.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Sam.

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[Katie Thurston]

I will have my vineyards.

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[Podcast Host (Kale)]

This is what I do. Fast food.

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[Podcast Host (Kale)]

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[Adam Rippon]

Hi, I'm Adam Rippon, and this is Intrusive Thoughts, the podcast where I finally say the stuff out loud that's been living rent free in my head for years. From dumb decisions to awkward moments I probably should have kept to myself. Nothing's off limits. Yes, I'm talking about the time I lost my phone mid flight and still haven't truly emotionally recovered from that. There might be too many sound effects. I've been told to chill. Will I? Unclear. But if you've ever laid awake at night cringing at something you said five years ago, congratulations, you found your people. Intrusive Thoughts with Adam Rippon is available now, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Too fast, Trevor. Too fast.

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[Katie Thurston]

I know what I'm doing, Mom.

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Or attend a corporate team building workshop.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Go, team. Feel that synergy.

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Or be regaled by Uncle Frank's conspiracy theories. They're listening to us right now. That's why the Zebra searches for you. Comparing over 100 insurance companies to find savings no one else can Compare. [e-mail] we do the searching, you do the saving.

[Podcast Host (Kale)]

Shh. They're here.