Podcast Summary: The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz

Episode: WE'RE HAPPIER WHEN WE'RE NOT SCROLLING
Date: February 6, 2026
Hosts: Kelly Stumpe & Lizz St. John
Theme: Millennial mom life, screen time boundaries, social media, auto industry news, and everyday strategies for family life.

Episode Overview

In this candid and relatable episode, Kelly and Lizz dive into how reducing mindless scrolling and social media use leads to greater happiness and presence as moms and business owners. They discuss their personal habits, boundary-setting tools (like the "Brick"), and offer philosophical reflections on balancing productivity versus mindfulness. The conversation ranges from practical solutions for digital burnout, mom-life confessions, religious traditions, auto-industry updates, to smart family tips and tricks.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Struggle with Screen Time and "Phone Pickups"

• Kelly shares a recent attempt to curb her screen time and confesses just how often she checks her phone:

  "Like, when my number of pickups is like 170, like I picked up my phone 170 times to look at it in a day. That's insane."
  — Kelly (00:01, 08:54)

• Discussion of habits, genetics, and efforts to be more present. Lizz and Kelly compare nap habits and daily routines, pondering what skills are inheritable and which come with motherhood logistics.

2. Practical Solutions for Digital Detox: The "Brick"

• Kelly buys a "Brick"—a device that blocks distracting apps—hoping to reduce screen time and reclaim family focus:

  "A brick is something that will block, like, your distracting social media apps and then to unlock your phone, you have to like tap it against the brick again."
  — Kelly (06:25)

• Motivation: Kelly describes the relief she felt when her phone was away and how screen addiction creeps up:

  “It felt so—I felt so, like, grounded and connected to my children again.”
  — Kelly (07:45)

• Acknowledging the difficulty of self-discipline:

  “I wish I would have like the self control to just like put it in the drawer and walk away, but I just simply—well, I do. I know it's not working for me.”
  — Kelly (07:51)

• Lizz’s response: While recognizing tech’s role in their business, both agree the mindless scroll needs boundaries.

  “I mean, I think we all know that we're happier when we are not scrolling.”
  — Lizz (10:37)

3. Social Media Philosophy: "I'm Tired of Everyone Else's Business Being My Business"

• A quoted insight sparks reflection:

  “I'm tired of everyone else's business being my business.”
  — Gabrielle Basso, quoted by Kelly (11:13)

• Kelly and Lizz wrestle with the tension between being content creators and needing boundaries:

  “It’s hard to separate the art from the artist right now.”
  — Kelly (11:35)

• Lizz highlights relatability versus comparison traps on social feeds:

  “I cared more about the stranger's business than my friend's business.”
  — Lizz (12:50)

• Strategy suggestion:

  “A healthy edit of your social media followers is also a really important thing to do. Always be editing.”
  — Kelly (13:09), Liz (13:15)

4. Finding Presence & Letting Go of Productivity Guilt

• Philosophy segment:

  "Changing from how much can I get done to how relaxed I can be while doing it."
  — Kelly quoting Kate from Naptime Kitchen (14:40)

• Lizz’s real-life skepticism:

  “How relaxed can you be when you’re cooking over a hot stove with a toddler pulling on your leg?”
  — Lizz (15:09)

• Reassuring perspective from experienced moms:

  "Twenty years ago, I was not making my bed every day...there will be an opportunity in your life to do it. It's just not right now."
  — Lizz, recalling an older woman's advice (15:34)

• Permission to not be perfect:

  "I'm letting go of the guilt of like, well, if you didn't make your bed in the morning, then you're not going to start your day off in a successful way. It looks different."
  — Lizz (16:57)

5. Faith and the Approach to Lent

• Kelly discusses religious traditions around Lent, plans to give up sugar for spiritual and personal growth:

  “And a lot of the things that we do is we fast…And this year, I want to go hard. And I want to give up sugar. Like, 100%.”
  — Kelly (22:12)

• The sisters weigh the challenge of defining what "giving up sugar" really means, discuss flexibility for special occasions, and connect fasting to spiritual reflection:

  “When you're hungry, you're supposed to pray. So you are constantly, like, brought back to the reason you're doing it and constantly brought back to the Lord.”
  — Lizz (25:29)

• "Micro-hobby" and personal transformation: Lent as a time for both faith and self-improvement.

6. Community Life: Fish Fries and Allergies

• Lively promotion of Catholic fish fries for Lent:

  “Even if you’re not Catholic, get you to a Catholic fish fry during this Lenten season!”
  — Kelly (26:17)

• Tips: Go early, bring your own sauces, enjoy quick food, and let the kids run free (28:13).

• Kelly’s upcoming fish allergy challenge and plans to cautiously reintroduce fish before attending.

7. Listener Q&A: Used Two-Row SUV Recommendations

• Listener Taylor seeks a used, roomy two-row SUV under $20,000:

  “My favorite…is the Ford Edge. Excellent car, excellent car. You should be able to find one under 20.”
  — Kelly (30:25, 30:33)

• Other tips: All two-row SUVs generally have good trunk space, but the Edge stands out for size and value for money.

8. Kids’ Clothing Recommendations

• Kelly runs through her favorite brands for fun, durable, non-character-driven kids’ clothes: Tea Collection, Burt’s Bees Baby, Carter’s Little Planet, Quince, and more (32:17–36:54).

9. Auto Industry News – "Hot Tea"

• Hyundai Santa Fe redesign:

  "Apparently the Santa Fe is getting like a redesign...it looks so much better...way better headlights."
  — Kelly (38:44–39:25)

• Chicago Auto Show sneak peek: Toyota is teasing a reveal; excitement for cross-industry products like rotating car seats from Britax.

• Upcoming Car Mom Auto Show:

  “We are working on our vendors, collecting our activations, things of that nature...date is June 13th.”
  — Kelly (40:30, 40:36)

10. Super Bowl Talk: Commercials and Plans

• Insider look at automaker Super Bowl commercials:

  "The two automakers are Toyota and Cadillac. These are the only automakers confirmed."
  — Kelly (44:11)

• Fun reflection on preferred sports storytelling:

  "I want someone to start a podcast where they just tell me really fun, wholesome sports stories...I will cheer for the team that's most likely to get made into a movie."
  — Kelly (41:30)

11. Super Bowl Hosting and Recipe Tips

• Lizz's hosting hack: Order wings and pulled pork in bulk from a local barbecue joint—easy, cost-effective, and crowd-pleasing (45:21).

• Kelly’s menu brainstorm: Buffalo chicken dip, party sliders, crockpot barbecue meatballs, veggie tray; strategies for delegating and prepping with kids’ schedules in mind (47:28–49:29).

• Meatball recipe tip:

  “Meatballs, barbecue sauce, grape jelly. What do you know about that?...If you did one to one, you would live to tell the tale.”
  — Kelly (47:59, 48:42)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On letting go of perfectionism:

  “I’m letting go of the guilt of like, well, if you didn’t make your bed in the morning, then you’re not going to start your day off in a successful way.”
  — Lizz (16:57)

• On digital detox:

  “I think the first step to recovery is admission. Yeah, I have a phone addiction. So just—so do all of you, first of all. So check yourself.”
  — Kelly (10:06)

• On faith and fasting:

  “When you’re hungry, you’re supposed to pray. So you are constantly, like, brought back to the reason you’re doing it and constantly brought back to the Lord.”
  — Lizz (25:29)

• On mom realities:

  “I’m starting my day off by racing a toddler to the toilet because he’s potty training right now. So forgive me that I didn’t make my bed.”
  — Lizz (00:14, 16:57)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Phone pickups & digital habits: 00:01–03:13, 08:54–10:37
• “Brick” anti-scroll device discussion: 06:25–09:46
• Social media philosophy and editing followers: 11:13–13:35
• Productivity vs relaxation philosophy: 14:40–15:24
• Letting go of mom guilt (making the bed & more): 15:34–17:51
• Lent, giving up sugar, and fasting: 20:46–25:33
• Fish fries for families: 26:17–29:06
• Listener SUV Q&A: 29:13–31:26
• Kids clothing advice: 32:17–36:54
• Auto industry news & Chicago Auto Show teasers: 38:18–40:44
• Super Bowl, sports stories, commercials: 40:54–45:05
• Super Bowl hosting & dinner hacks: 45:16–49:30
• Meatball recipe tip: 47:59–48:42

Episode Tone & Style

Laidback, candid, warm, supportive, and gently self-deprecating. Kelly and Lizz blend humor, mom honesty, faith, and practical advice, all with their signature millennial mom energy. The episode moves briskly—jumping from personal confessions to actionable tips and industry tidbits, always centering the reality of being busy moms and business partners in a digital world.

Summary by [Podcast Summarizer]: Listen smarter and catch the highlights!