The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz

Episode: DEALBREAKER vs. DISADVANTAGE
Date: September 23, 2025
Hosts: Kelly Stumpe & Lizz St. John

Episode Overview

In this lively and relatable episode, Kelly and Lizz, auto-industry experts and sisters, candidly chat about everything from mom life and work-travel plans, to the nuances of vehicle recalls, hosting tips, and the all-important distinction: is a car feature a dealbreaker or just a disadvantage? They answer listener questions, swap school-night dinner hacks, and offer both humor and pragmatic advice for millennial moms navigating car ownership and busy family life. The signature banter is peppered with memorable "real mom" moments and practical takeaways.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life Updates & Upcoming Travel (00:38–04:32)

• Kelly's Exciting Work Trip: Kelly is heading to Detroit for Ford’s Satellite Media Tour (SMT), spreading awareness during Child Passenger Safety Month.
  • “Basically I will be in a studio and then Ford puts out a spot to news stations ... I'll do anywhere from 10 to 20 live spots.” (02:23, Kelly)
• Sam from Mom and O’s Car Seats: Sam, a “car seat nerd” and advisor for The Car Mom, will join Kelly; Lizz celebrates Sam as the perfect car-seat-knowledgeable travel partner (03:19).
• Birthday Milestone: Lizz’s daughter Sloan turns one, marking both a milestone for Sloan and Lizz (ending a challenging breastfeeding journey due to her daughter’s rare FPIES milk allergy).
  • “I breastfed her for a year also with the help of two of my friends. They donated hundreds of ounces of milk ... it was just amazing and humbling.” (05:07, Lizz)

2. Real Talk: Breastfeeding & Postpartum Reflections (04:45–10:59)

• Challenges of Extended Breastfeeding: Lizz discusses the emotional and practical hurdles of nursing through FPIES and appreciating her “village.”
  • “When I got the diagnosis...it felt really heavy. How am I going to get through this? ... You just got to take it one day at a time and you will get through, because you have to.” (08:19, Lizz)
• Postpartum Recovery Timelines: Lively debate about how long one can claim to be “postpartum”—from two to six years, depending on who you ask (09:00–09:19).

3. Hosting & Home Management Tips (10:59–14:33)

• Keeping a Tidy House: Behind the scenes, Kelly reveals Tyler (her husband) is the real “deep cleaner,” and they have a cleaning lady—don’t expect perfection.
  • “I’m not doing it myself. Tyler actually really enjoys to clean ... I’m blessed.” (11:24, Kelly)
• Toy Organization: No toys on the main floor except in the sunroom (12:10), and strategic house layouts (atrium ranches with open, inviting basements) help maintain order.
• Low-Stress Hosting: Emphasizing gathering over “tablescapes” and fancy platters; grocery store flowers and paper plates are totally valid hosting tools (13:46).

4. Neighborhood Tales & Decorating Pet Peeves (14:54–18:15)

• The New Neighbors: The house Kelly sold is now fully decked out in over-the-top Halloween decor, including some “demonic” decorations and a garage-door clown—in September!
  • “I just don’t like to see what looks like bodies hanging... This is a level above that.” (15:52, Kelly)
• HOA Woes: Both hosts lament that the neighborhood has gone spooky too soon and question the HOA’s lack of rules about early holiday decor (17:09).

5. Seasonal Food Chat: Soup Talk & Crocktober (18:15–23:59)

• First Soup of the Season: Chicken noodle soup (a service to a friend with red meat allergy) and musings on how it never quite satisfies, unlike chicken and dumplings (19:03–20:58).
• Crockpot Aesthetics: Kelly is shopping for a new, prettier crockpot for “Crocktober” (21:42–22:31). Lizz suggests she might try making Crocktober recipes in a Dutch oven for some extra class.
  • “The oven is so much classier ... if you’re home on a Sunday, it’s going in the Dutch oven.” (23:20, Kelly)

6. Listener Advice Segment: Should I Trade My Palisade? (24:04–28:30)

• Listener Dilemma: A mom struggles with a $700/month payment on a Hyundai Palisade, considering trading for something cheaper due to business and family needs (24:04).
• Kelly's Advice:
  • If you have equity, a used Honda Odyssey minivan is a solid move for space and payment relief.
  • “You'll downgrade in some features ... but you'll upgrade so much in space ... and upgrade in all the funds that you'll be saving every month.” (27:00, Kelly)
  • Leasing discussion: Yes, it has a place for certain lifestyles, despite negative perceptions (26:18).

7. Industry News & Recall Rundown (28:30–33:04)

• Palisade Seat Belt Recall: Over 500,000 are affected by a seatbelt latch issue; not a stop-drive—just double-check for security.
  • “So the good news ... if it’s buckled, it’s buckled. The problem is...people are clicking in and thinking it’s buckled, and it’s not.” (29:38, Kelly)
• Nissan Ditches Ariya Electric SUV: Production ends post-2026, shifting focus to the Leaf.
  • “Nissan’s just...having an identity crisis.” (31:14, Kelly)
  • Both hosts lament missed marketing chances and suggest Nissan should hire them to sell the Pathfinder, which they both praise.

8. Car Feature Rant: Dealbreaker or Disadvantage? (33:04–34:43)

• Kia's “Unforgivable” Volume Knob: Lizz rails against a climate/volume knob combo, a pain when sudden volume change is needed.
  • “An unforgivable feature. I absolutely hate it.” (32:49, Lizz)
• Dealbreaker vs. Disadvantage:
  • Not all dislikes are dealbreakers—some things are just minor annoyances.
  • “Sometimes we get so hung up on things we don’t like...but then you need to go the extra step and be like, okay, but is that a deal breaker?” (34:04, Kelly)
  • Budget and family fit trump wish lists in the family-car category.

9. Ditch the Drive-Thru: Ground Beef Edition (35:21–39:27)

• Celebrating Ground Beef: The unsung hero of weeknight meals—faster and more versatile than chicken.
  • “The king of weeknight meals is ground beef, like, that’s just a fact.” (36:36, Kelly)
• Sloppy Joes Rebranded: Iowa Slingers is the new, mom-marketing-friendly name.
  • “How do you sell a Sloppy Joe to a kid?... So we looked up where they originated—Iowa. So we named them Iowa Slingers.” (37:18, Kelly)
• Quick Dinner Hacks: Stretch beef with beans or rice, explore international flavors, and consider a “soup” challenge for beef-based recipes.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On pushing through hard times:
  • "You just got to take it one day at a time and like, you will get through because you have to, because you don't have a choice."
    — Lizz, 08:19
• On pragmatic home management:
  • “I'm not doing it myself. Tyler actually really enjoys to clean ... I’m blessed.”
    — Kelly, 11:24
• On the realities of family-car shopping:
  • “There is not a perfect car. And sometimes people are like, but why? … I’m like, well, yeah, you have to settle because you don’t have a lot of options. And you’ve got three kids, sister.”
    — Kelly, 00:02/34:23
• Rebranding dinner:
  • “We looked up where they originated—Iowa. So we named them Iowa Slingers. And slingers felt just like a sandwich name.”
    — Kelly, 37:18

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Kelly's Detroit/Ford Trip: 00:38–04:32
• Breastfeeding & FPIES Journey: 05:03–08:45
• Hosting & Tidy House Tips: 10:59–14:33
• Neighborhood Halloween Rant: 14:54–18:15
• Soup Talk & Crocktober: 18:15–23:59
• Listener Car Dilemma Advice: 24:04–28:30
• Palisade Recall / Nissan Ariya News: 28:30–33:04
• Dealbreaker vs. Disadvantage: 33:04–34:43
• Ditch the Drive-Thru (Ground Beef): 35:21–39:27

Tone & Style

Conversational, real-mom honest, humorous, supportive, and practical—Kelly and Lizz strike a balance between industry insight, life advice, and sisterly banter, delivering relevant content with a down-to-earth, engaging flair.

For First-Time Listeners

This episode perfectly encapsulates the blend of car expertise, family life reality, and sisterly camaraderie that defines “The Carpool.” Expect actionable car-buying wisdom, relatable parent talk, practical home tips, and reminder that it’s okay if your house isn’t a magazine cover everyday (and neither is your car).