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Pod Meets World

Danielle With…Witney Carson

21 Jan 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What is the main focus of this episode with Witney Carson?

0.031 - 3.78 Danielle Fishel

This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.

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4.469 - 20.744 Joel

Hey, it's Joel and Matt from How To Money. If your New Year's resolution is to finally get your finances in shape, we've got your back. Prices, they're still high, and the economy is all over the place. But 2026 is the year for you to get intentional and make real progress. That's right.

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20.804 - 34.476 Joel

Yeah, each week we break down what's happening with your money, the most important issues to focus on, and the small moves that make a big difference. Kick off the year with confidence. Listen to How To Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

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34.456 - 52.542 Dr. Jesse Mills

This is Dr. Jesse Mills, host of the Mailroom Podcast. Each January, men promise to get stronger, work harder and fix what's broken. But what if the real work isn't physical at all? I sat down with psychologist Dr. Steve Poulter to unpack shame, anxiety and the emotional pain men were never taught how to name.

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52.963 - 59.552 Joel

Part of the way through the valley of despair is realizing this has happened and you have to make a choice whether you're going to stay in it or move forward.

59.532 - 66.825 Dr. Jesse Mills

Our two-part conversation is available now. Listen to The Mailroom on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows.

67.852 - 75.925 Chelsea Handler

This season on Dear Chelsea with me, Chelsea Handler, we've got some incredible guests like Kumail Nanjiani. Let's start with your cat. How is she?

76.586 - 78.649 Unknown

She is not with us anymore.

78.669 - 86.661 Chelsea Handler

Okay, great, great, great way to start. Maybe you will cry. Ross Matthews. You know what kids always say to me? Are you a boy or a girl? Oh my God.

Chapter 2: How did Witney Carson's dancing journey begin?

348.263 - 374.861 Witney Carson

Talk about getting chills, the way he spoke about you and the love and the reverence and the respect he has for you and the way he knows you and like really sees you was so special. And one of the clips of him talking about you went pretty viral. What did you think when you first heard that? Oh, my gosh. He is just such a gem of a human. I mean, you know him. You've known him for years.

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375.382 - 395.972 Witney Carson

But he really is like an uncle, a brother to me. And he really helped me kind of spread my wings in this Hollywood world because I'm from American Fork, Utah, a small town. I did not know what I was getting myself into. And at 18, like, you're still a kid. And so the fact that he was my partner was such divine intervention for us because he

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395.952 - 414.289 Witney Carson

he really, he actually really taught me so much and kind of put me under his wing. And from then on, we've just had like this inseparable bond and something that I can't really explain. But it's a bond that's really traveled with us through adulthood and through my marriage. And he's always been a mentor to me.

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415.009 - 442.025 Witney Carson

But that specific interview that he did with you, he had never told me those feelings or thoughts before. And so I was hearing it for the first time on social media. And I immediately started crying because he's that type of person that just knows you better than you know yourself. And he's that for me. And so I was like, you know what? That is so true. And it just resonated so much with me.

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442.366 - 444.91 Witney Carson

And obviously, it resonated with so many of

444.89 - 472.298 Witney Carson

you guys and people watching and it just kind of took off and I'm just so grateful that he's always been in my corner and he's just been such a safe space for me in a world that can be so stressful and that you can kind of lose your way at times and it's such a crazy wild ride within this industry and especially with the show how stressful and how physically and mentally demanding it is for him to be there in the studio

472.278 - 477.647 Witney Carson

And mentoring me and just honestly, just being there made it made me feel like I was so safe.

478.168 - 479.05 Unknown

Yeah.

479.07 - 487.705 Witney Carson

And so that's, that's what he is for me. So that was really sweet to see that kind of go viral. And people just love that because our bond is very special.

Chapter 3: What challenges did Witney face during her time on Dancing with the Stars?

628.605 - 645.946 Witney Carson

But we actually we decided not to bring any help. So I'm like, are kids allowed? Are kids allowed there? I don't know. They are. You're allowed it. Yeah. Kids are allowed at 10. I mean, it's going to be, you know, one of you will probably be up and down and up and down trying to keep you know, you don't want them like loud. But yes, I think I think kids are allowed.

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646.227 - 646.467 Unknown

Yeah.

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646.487 - 659.182 Witney Carson

I mean, you can't be in Australian during the Australian Open and not try to go. I know. Okay. We'll try and go. I know Carson will probably be all for it with the sports and Robert too. I'm like, I'm sure Robert will want to go as well.

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659.503 - 661.671 Unknown

Yes. Yes. You guys should look into that.

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661.811 - 662.614 Witney Carson

It'll be fun.

668.517 - 682.633 Joel

New year, new goals, and in this economy, a better money plan is more necessary than ever. I am Matt. And I'm Joel. We are from the How to Money podcast, and every week we help you to spend smarter, save more, and make sense of what's going on out there.

682.773 - 695.487 Joel

If you want 2026 to be the year you finally feel in control of your money, we're here to give you the tools and advice to help you make it happen. Listen to How to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

697.272 - 711.733 Dr. Jesse Mills

Hey there, this is Dr. Jesse Mills, director of the Men's Clinic at UCLA Health and host of the Mailroom podcast. Each January, guys everywhere make the same resolutions. Get stronger, work harder, fix what's broken. But what if the real work isn't physical at all?

712.153 - 732.827 Dr. Jesse Mills

To kick off the new year, I sat down with Dr. Steve Poulter, a psychologist with over 30 years experience helping men unpack shame, anxiety, and emotional pain they were never taught to name. In a powerful two-part conversation, we discuss why men aren't emotionally bulletproof, why shame hides in plain sight, and how real strength comes from listening to yourself and to others.

Chapter 4: How did Witney's partnership with Alfonso Ribeiro impact her career?

889.015 - 911.666 Witney Carson

So I'm very grateful to be on a show that allows that to happen and to create friendships and long lasting friendships forever. No, I never thought in a million years. that one of my good friends would be a zookeeper from Australia. And it was so funny during rehearsals too. I would get, you know, towards the end, it'd be like, okay, come on. Like, you know, this, like, you know, the dance step.

0

911.686 - 916.071 Witney Carson

And he'd be like, remember Whitney, I am just a zookeeper. I'm like, right, right.

0

916.672 - 924.582 Unknown

Okay. Yeah. You're not, as much as it seems like it, you're not a fellow professional dancer. Right. Right. This you've known this for a few weeks.

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924.562 - 932.215 Witney Carson

Yeah, no, but he honestly, it's going to be hard to have another partner compared to Robert.

0

932.335 - 932.876 Unknown

I know.

933.417 - 950.803 Witney Carson

Just so amazing. I mean, you know how incredible he is. So he's truly incredible. I tell everybody every chance I get, like exactly what he seems like. Is exactly what he is. I know. Literally. It's so funny. And I I forget that he's 21 because he acts like a 40 year old.

950.823 - 951.524 Unknown

I know.

951.544 - 955.65 Witney Carson

And then sometimes you get little glimpses and you're like, oh, right. OK, you're one.

956.15 - 957.192 Unknown

Yes, exactly.

Chapter 5: What was Witney's experience like working with Robert Irwin?

1185.338 - 1207.773 Witney Carson

Like, okay, maybe dance can just be a passion of mine and not something that's really on TV or film. And then I remember So You Think You Can Dance came to Salt Lake City. And my mom, the two nights before, was like, mom's intuition. I'm telling you. It's so good. But she was like, I really just feel like you need to try. You need to try and audition for this and just see what happens.

0

1207.933 - 1230.053 Witney Carson

And don't don't get upset or, you know, determined, but just just go for it. And so two nights before I grabbed my partner and we last minute got a routine together and I was just like, OK, let's go for it. And that just really skyrocketed my career into TV and film. And so you can dance and then Dancing with the Stars found me on that show and

0

1230.033 - 1230.734 Unknown

Okay.

0

1230.754 - 1236.383 Witney Carson

And kind of the rest is history from that. But my mom's intuition, she knows.

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1236.403 - 1242.513 Unknown

She knew for sure. So that was around 2012 that you were on So You Think You Can Dance. You finished in the top six.

1242.953 - 1270.028 Witney Carson

And in that first season, you were partnered with Stephen Twitch Boss, a dancer that I, as a fan, admired very much from afar. What are your memories of working with him? Oh, my gosh. That was one of the most influential times in my career was with Stephen. And he was such a beautiful person, a beautiful dancer. Obviously, everyone who watched him dance just felt an instant connection.

1270.349 - 1270.669 Unknown

Yes.

1271.049 - 1298.073 Witney Carson

Soul to soul. It was kind of indescribable. And working with him, he was so sweet because I was a ballroom dancer. So I wasn't like completely comfortable with dancing. hip hop. And although we cross trained a lot, it, I mean, this was hip hop, hip hop. So I was very much intimidated, but he made it so fun. He made it so comfortable. And, um, Who was our choreographer? Luther.

1298.414 - 1320.52 Witney Carson

Luther Brown was our choreographer and they they had known each other for a while. So I just remember coming into the studio and feeling like so welcomed. And we had we just had so much fun. And that was one of the most memorable routines that I ever did on the show. So, again, I'm just I'm so grateful that I was able to have that opportunity with him. That was fun. That was very fun. So fun.

Chapter 6: How does Witney Carson deal with pressure during performances?

1502.096 - 1524.282 Witney Carson

And I remember actually our first meeting and, um, I knew exactly who he was. They didn't, they used to just surprise us and it, it got, um, it got hard. Yeah. Cause sometimes people didn't know who they were. Exactly. And you're like, nice to meet you. I don't know who you are. Um, but they surprised me on this one cause I think they knew I would know who he was.

0

1524.322 - 1547.497 Witney Carson

I mean, I watched Fresh Prince all growing up. Like I was, um, So, of course, I was instantly excited when I met him. And then we started to get into – I remember it was just simple cha-cha locks across the floor. And he got it like that. And I was like, okay, this is going to be really good. And I could just feel it. I could just feel how different it was.

0

1547.557 - 1554.087 Witney Carson

And he was so good in the fact that like – okay, so it's my second season, right? I'm still –

0

1554.067 - 1578.673 Witney Carson

very much competitive like I'm still trying to prove myself in a way because you know the first season I was with Cody Simpson and I got we got eliminated I think like the fourth or fifth week okay early early so I still had something to prove and I was very competitive and very hard very hard on him and he was just so patient and kind with me and he was exactly what I needed to be like

0

1578.653 - 1597.236 Witney Carson

OK, it's OK. It's about it's about making the celebrity better. And I think all once you get into a group, you understand that. But at the beginning, you're really focused on, you know, I've got to prove myself. I have something to prove and I want to win. And you're very much competitive in that way.

1597.897 - 1620.743 Witney Carson

So so he was really good to kind of like balance out the mental part of everything and the emotional part of everything. So that part would be hard because, you know, the celebrities on the show are not usually trying to leave there with a new career as a professional dancer. Like that's, you know, we go into it for different, everyone comes into it for different reasons, but like-

1620.723 - 1636.929 Witney Carson

Best case scenario, you're getting somebody there who just wants to learn and wants to improve week after week and wants to have fun doing it and wants to be out of their comfort zone and wants to, you know, see how far they can take this and is competing with themselves week after week.

1636.949 - 1659.04 Witney Carson

But for you guys, especially when this is what you've trained for your whole lives, like this is your career, this is your reputation, this is... So it's hard to separate between... me, Whitney Carson, wanting to put on my best performance and show people what I'm capable of, but also, oh yeah, this it's called dancing with the stars and I need to make my star look good.

1660.322 - 1681.911 Witney Carson

And so, yeah, that would be real. Like that's a, that's a, that's a learning curve that you have to go through between finding the balance of showcasing what you're capable of and making your star shine. Yeah, and I think that it takes, honestly, years to do that. I mean, like I said, I didn't really quite figure that out fully until the last maybe five years.

Chapter 7: What insights does Witney share about social media's impact on contestants?

1870.49 - 1882.256 Witney Carson

So I think that it all worked out for the best. Absolutely. He's such an incredible host. I know everyone who's ever seen the show with him knows that. He is spectacular to watch and everybody talks about it.

0

1882.276 - 1886.241 Unknown

Everybody just watches him and then every now and then someone will just look at each other and go, wow, he's good.

0

1886.442 - 1901.982 Witney Carson

He's really good. He's really good. I love that he is so invested in each of the celebrities too. Don't you feel like he gave you some good advice and he was very much like... just, he wants everyone to genuinely do well and he takes his job seriously.

0

1902.002 - 1924.254 Witney Carson

So it's like, if, if he knows that you're struggling with something in the week, he'll, he'll maybe bring that up or he just really can, he really puts everything he has into everything that he does. So he really does. He's everyone's safe space. I mean, really that he is, he gives everyone that feeling of like, as long as I'm here and I'm with him, I, I know I'm in a safe place. Yeah, exactly.

0

1924.274 - 1949.704 Witney Carson

Oh, I love that. How did you feel like your last week? Like, did you feel like... Did you feel like you got out what you wanted from this experience or like, well, how did, what was your mental space coming into it? Like, did you just want to have fun or did you want to win? Like, what was your mentality? I'm curious. When I first started before we even started, once I knew I was doing the show.

1949.744 - 1971.882 Witney Carson

So like sometime at the beginning of August, when I knew, okay, I'm doing the show. I was like, I'm gonna win. I want to win. I'm very competitive, but I'm also like competitive and a realist. And so once we actually started and, and I saw all the other dancers and, you know, going into it, obviously I was a fan of the show.

1971.942 - 1994.862 Witney Carson

So I knew there was going to be a lot more involved in winning than just dance ability and, It's likability and personality and who connects with the audience. And you don't know, like those are all factors kind of completely out of your control. And I remember then like on pretty much the first week being like, oh, wow, this is a stacked season of,

1994.842 - 2015.716 Witney Carson

on all of those fronts, like different, different like abilities, different rivalries, different partnerships that people are going to root for, um, lots of prior dance experience. And I, similar to Robert had no prior dance experience. Wow. So, you know, I'd never even taken a dance class. So it was like, Oh my goodness. I didn't know that. Yeah. I have, I've never, I'd never danced.

2016.136 - 2044.222 Witney Carson

Um, and so then I kind of was like, okay, well maybe, um, I'm not going to win, which is fine. Maybe there's a win in a different way. And that is then I was like, the win is competing with myself and getting better every week and feeling like, you know, the language of dance is both in my body and in my brain. And I feel like I just understand it more.

Chapter 8: Will Witney Carson return to Dancing with the Stars next season?

2194.954 - 2215.163 Witney Carson

I told you about my oldest son's meltdown. He was like, I hate this job. I did not hear that. Oh my God. Yeah. He said to me, he was like, I hate this job. Why did you even take this job? You don't have time for me and Keaton anymore. All you do is dance, dance, dance. Oh my gosh. Shattered.

0

2215.783 - 2216.424 Unknown

Shattered.

0

2216.685 - 2233.097 Witney Carson

Literally kill me. I'd be like, okay, I'm quitting. I know. I was like, it's not going to last forever. I swear. If I make it to the finals, we've only got four more weeks, Adler. And he was like, he was very upset. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Oh, that's hard. The mom guilt is so real.

0

2233.639 - 2235.347 Unknown

Yes, it really is.

0

2241.74 - 2256.202 Dr. Jesse Mills

Hey there, this is Dr. Jesse Mills, Director of the Men's Clinic at UCLA Health and host of the Mailroom Podcast. Each January, guys everywhere make the same resolutions. Get stronger, work harder, fix what's broken. But what if the real work isn't physical at all?

2256.622 - 2278.257 Dr. Jesse Mills

To kick off the new year, I sat down with Dr. Steve Poulter, a psychologist with over 30 years experience helping men unpack shame, anxiety, and emotional pain they were never taught to name. In a powerful two-part conversation, we discuss why men aren't emotionally bulletproof, why shame hides in plain sight, and how real strength comes from listening to yourself and to others.

2278.277 - 2282.204 Joel

Guys who are toxic, they're immature, or they've got something they just haven't resolved.

2282.945 - 2298.763 Dr. Jesse Mills

Once that gets resolved, then there comes empathy and some compassion. Thank you. Thank you.

2300.583 - 2314.706 Joel

New year, new goals, and in this economy, a better money plan is more necessary than ever. I am Matt. And I'm Joel. We are from the How to Money podcast, and every week we help you to spend smarter, save more, and make sense of what's going on out there.

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