The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz

Episode: "WHAT EVEN IS MOMTOK?!?"
Date: November 21, 2025
Hosts: Kelly Stumpe & Lizz St. John

Episode Overview

Kelly and Lizz kick off this episode with a big reveal about their year-long secret project, dish on their tech startup milestone, and chat about upcoming Thanksgiving plans, holiday meal strategies, auto-industry news, and, of course, their latest takes on Dancing with the Stars and MomTok drama. The episode is filled with their signature sisterly banter, relatable mom-life advice, and practical insight for the millennial car-buying audience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Big Secret Project Revealed: Car Mom Tech Transformation

• Timestamps: 02:11 – 12:11
• Kelly and Lizz announce the complete renovation of The Car Mom’s website, transitioning the company into the tech space.
• Car Mom Car Ratings:
  • The site will debut a brand new “Car Mom Rating” system focusing on family-friendliness—not just performance stats.
  • Kelly: “It's so fun to create something that doesn't exist... Like, what's our inspiration? Us. Like, this has never been done before.” (01:46)
• Ratings will be developed through a collaborative team process (Kelly for majority, Sam for car seat fit, Lizz for “the vibes”).
• The challenge: Building an objective rating system for vehicles when "families come in so many shapes and sizes." (04:15)
  • Solution: Compare cars within their class and capture a variety of family needs.
• Community Reviews:
  • In addition to expert ratings, the site will crowdsource real-mom reviews and ratings, allowing users to filter by variables like number of kids and ownership experience.
  • Lizz: "We're kind of modeling it after a Rent the Runway review." (07:45)
• Reliability Data:
  • They explain why reliability is not part of their rating (“Too hard to predict... Reliability data is car to car.” [09:00]), but plan to collect real-world reliability info from logged-in users.

Notable Quotes:

• Kelly: “For the consumer experience, I wanted to… I don't want it to feel like that big of a deal, but I just want you guys to know how much thought and energy I've put into this over the last five years.” (03:42)
• Lizz: "So we're really excited about that. That's going to be really razzle dazzle." (08:28)

2. From Merch to Tech Startup

• Timestamps: 11:29 – 12:11
• They're winding down the merch biz (“We’re getting out of the merch business and we're getting into the tech business.” [11:10]), clearing inventory and describing the investment as “a bet on yourself kind of situation.” (10:35)
• New identity: “Women in tech” and feeling “a million pounds lighter” after sharing the news. (12:11)

3. Thanksgiving Plans, Traditions, and Mom Strategies

• Timestamps: 16:03 – 27:24
• Kelly shares her Caesar-salad dilemma—a newfound anchovy allergy puts her signature dish in jeopardy (“It’s just such a humbling experience.” [16:44]).
• Dish swapping, family meal traditions (e.g., “cornbread sausage stuffing”), and sides talk.
• Lizz offers holiday survival tips for picky eaters—advocates for feeding kids “before” the big meal so you can “have a good Thanksgiving dinner yourself.” (22:21)
• Approach to kid holiday clothes: Kelly stresses over coordinating outfits (“If my kids are in a coordinating outfit by this time next week, it will be a flipping miracle.” [24:16]); Lizz opts for "nice church clothes" this year.
• Lions play on Thanksgiving—a big deal for Kelly’s family. (26:31)

4. Advice Segment: Car Safety & Mom Car Dilemmas

• Timestamps: 27:24 – 38:29

Accident Recovery & Car Buying

• Listener Jen writes in post-accident needing guidance on car safety and selection.
  • Kelly’s advice: Modern cars (post-2015/16) are “all so safe.” Use the IIHS Top Safety Pick lists, regardless of new or used.
  • Car seat advice: Focus less on brand, more on correct installation and best fit for family/vehicle.
  • Lizz: "If you decide on the car that you want, you can write into Chat CPST and we'll tell you which car seats we think fit..." (35:06)

Should I Delay My Mom Car?

• Listener asks about keeping her older Ford F150 versus cash-purchasing a Toyota Sienna.
  • Kelly breaks down ownership math: “If the F150 is paid off, you’re better to pay the higher gas prices.” (36:21)
  • Weighs hybrid Sienna pros/cons, especially in light of high used market prices.

5. Auto Industry News: Motor Trend’s SUV of the Year

• Timestamps: 38:31 – 43:13
• Motor Trend’s 2026 SUV of the Year goes to the Cadillac Escalade IQ (the all-electric version).
  • Lizz: “It is the sexiest car I've ever seen.” (40:12)
  • Both agree the price tag ($150k) is wild but justified for what it delivers—“innovative” and “the car of the future.”
• Kelly discusses how they select their own Car Mom Car of the Year (to be revealed in January).

6. Dancing with the Stars & MomTok Drama

• Timestamps: 43:13 – 59:02

Dancing with the Stars

• Lizz is “bummed” her predictions are off—Whitney (from Secret Lives of Mormon Wives) went home, though she was “the best dancer.”
• Both dissect the nuances of popularity versus dancing skill in show results (“…none of it matters. So it doesn’t matter.” [53:36])
• Internet hate for Whitney: Both find it unfair; Kelly laments the internet culture of holding grudges and “losing the art of forgiveness.” (50:46)
• Hilarious moment: “I can't believe I'm out here defending Whitney…” (56:13)
• Predictions for the winner: It’s between Robert and Alex, with Robert favored due to follower count and past family wins.

MomTok Recap

• The term remains nebulous—neither Kelly nor Lizz can define it. It’s got shifting alliances and drama, but much of it feels overblown for TV content and fame.
• Kelly: “They haven’t defined MomTok as what it is… Is it off if you’re on the show? So, like, you don’t even know what it is.” (45:56)

7. Closing: Listener Recipe & Endnotes

• Timestamps: 58:09 – End
• Lizz shares a listener-submitted recipe for Lemon Pepper & Garlic Crispy Chicken Thighs with Potatoes—a quick, relatable end note for moms.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Tech Investment:
  • Kelly: “It's the first time where I really feel like it's a bet on yourself kind of situation.” (10:35)
• On Picky Eaters at Thanksgiving:
  • Lizz: “Just feed them the chicken nuggets before… it's survival mode… it's a holiday.” (22:21)
  • Kelly: “…I'm not even gonna, like, okay, are you done eating? Okay, Yep. Go have a cookie.” (23:39)
• On Car Ratings Challenge:
  • Kelly: “How could I possibly give a car a rating when families come in so many shapes and sizes?” (04:15)
• On Car Shopping After an Accident:
  • Kelly: "Cars are so much safer than they were 20 years ago." (33:33)
• On Internet Hatred:
  • Kelly: “It’s almost like we don’t live in a world where people can get forgiven anymore. And I think that’s wrong. I think people should… We've lost the art of forgiveness." (50:46)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 02:11 – Major announcement: Website renovation & becoming a tech company
• 05:38 – Challenges in establishing car ratings
• 07:45 – Crowdsourcing reviews & new features
• 16:03 – Thanksgiving discussion: dishes, traditions, picky-eater hacks
• 27:24 – Listener advice: accident & car-seat safety
• 38:31 – Motor Trend SUV of the Year reveal and analysis
• 43:13 – Dancing with the Stars: Whitney's exit and fan reaction
• 50:46 – On forgiveness and internet hate
• 58:09 – Listener recipe share

Episode Tone

Conversational, funny, heartfelt, and transparent—with the hosts balancing playful sibling banter, practical mom wisdom, and genuine passion for cars and family life. The episode flows naturally between home life, cars, and pop culture, never losing the approachable “mom friends in your carpool” vibe.

For listeners who missed the episode...

You’ll leave this summary with a clear sense of The Car Mom’s new tech direction, some great car-buying wisdom, holiday survival hacks, and a fun scoop on both automotive and influencer-mom drama—plus, you'll know exactly what’s trending in the carpool lane this week.