The Carpool Podcast with Kelly and Lizz
Episode: WHEN KELLY IS IN DETROIT, THE LIONS WIN
Date: September 25, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode is brimming with family updates, humorous mom moments, TV recaps, and behind-the-scenes details of Kelly’s recent Detroit trip with Ford. Kelly and Lizz deliver their signature blend of relatable parenting stories, industry news with a millennial-mom twist, and playful banter about everything from car seat mishaps to the Detroit Lions’ winning streak. They also announce the return of their annual "Blake’s Besties" segment for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.

Key Discussions & Insights

1. Life Lately: Potty Training Woes & Family News

• Parenting Struggles: Kelly shares her real-time challenges potty training her son Fred, emphasizing the balance between wanting to ditch diapers (for health reasons) and acknowledging he may not be fully “ready.”
  • "Fred is not ready. Fred is probably... not... However, we are trying to cut out the diapers for his eczema." — Kelly (01:33)
  • Relatable commentary on differing potty training experiences with each child.
• Major Family News: Their brother is engaged to content creator Shartay (“Shartay Fit”), bringing excitement to the family.
  • "Another sister... Someone who I’ve considered a sister for a while now, but it’s nice to make it official." — Lizz (05:20)
  • Detailed and sweet storytelling about the surprise proposal, complete with a ring camera and celebratory bus ride (07:00–08:30).

2. TV & Pop Culture Chats

• Sister Dynamics on TV: Kelly reviews the new Hulu series “Love Thy Nadir,” finding the younger sister antics unrelatable at her stage of life. Lizz and Kelly both muse about identifying more with "the parents" when re-watching shows like High School Musical.
  • "That’s a weird part in your life where you rewatch a show and you’re like, oh, turns out I’m on the side of the parents." — Lizz (10:27)
  • Light, playful exploration of aging out of certain pop culture target markets.
• Dancing With the Stars Recap: They plan to recap new episodes, sharing early favorites, frustrations with inconsistent judging, and thoughts on contestants’ improvement.
  • "The judges on that show are horrible. I literally don’t ever care what they have to say... biggest word salad, nothing burger." — Kelly (14:42)
  • Candid reflections on the show’s voting, audience engagement, and contestants’ stories (11:38–18:55).

3. Detroit Lions and Detroit Trip

• Lions Win Mojo: Kelly was in Detroit during the Lions' big win, claiming partial credit as their "good luck charm."
  • "One thing about me is I’m going to say things and see if they stick... I’m gonna be your good luck charm. Like, I’m in Detroit and the Lions are gonna win." — Kelly (19:09)
• Ford Trip Highlights: A detailed, inside look at Kelly’s invite to Ford HQ for Child Passenger Safety Week.
  • Excitement at being consulted on automotive design for families:
    "It was a top 10 moment of my life. I’m at the Ford headquarters. I finally feel like I have a seat at the table. It’s this diverse group and they want to know what the Car Mom audience has to say." — Kelly (23:57–25:59)
  • Discussing industry diversity: Ford’s and GM’s design teams are parent-filled, with many women represented.
  • Learned to drive stick shift with a Mustang engineer (23:09).

4. Mishaps and Mom Moments

• Surprise Allergic Reaction: Kelly tells a hilariously stressful story about developing an allergic reaction (possibly to anchovies) at dinner, while surrounded by a dream team of capable friends—including an ER doctor.
  • "One thing about me, like, when it comes to flight or fight—like, I’m a flight. I start, no exaggeration, semi-panicking." — Kelly (28:42)
  • Leads to medical monitoring, sleeping over with Sam, and resolve to see an allergist (29:36–32:30).

5. Auto Industry News (“Industry News” Segment: 32:40)

• Infiniti’s Blue Jean “Butt” Robot: Infiniti has developed a robot to test for seat staining from blue jeans.
  • "They plop this giant butt on this white seat and they take the jeans and they go whoomp, womp. And they slide it off 10,000 times." — Kelly (32:47)
• Nissan’s AI and Autonomy Ambitions: Nissan aims to launch autonomous vehicles with new AI tech by 2027, as a comeback move. Kelly observes they need bolder innovation.
  • Discussion of various automakers’ strengths and how some—like Buick, Ford, and GM—are leading in innovation (36:06).
• EV Tax Credit Reminder: The $7,500 federal EV tax credit is expiring September 30th—listeners advised to act quickly (39:15).
• Nissan Product Analysis: Thoughts on Nissan’s market missteps (e.g., the uncompetitive Armada), praise for the Rogue and the Altima, and nostalgia for the Xterra (37:25).

6. Ditch the Drive-Thru: Easy Recipe Segment (39:50)

• Lizz shares a sheet-pan recipe for garlic butter chicken and potatoes—perfect for time-crunched parents (40:06).

7. Fun Mom Upgrades: Banner Era

• Kelly’s “heirloom” happy birthday banner finally arrives—described in loving detail, intended to be used for all her kids’ birthdays for years to come (42:37).

8. Special Announcement: "Blake’s Besties" Returns for October

• The annual segment honoring Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month returns.
  • Kelly and Lizz invite listeners to submit stories celebrating their babies, focusing on saying their names and positive memories.
  • "We want it to be a time where we remember. We say their name… however long they were with you, they were your child and you are their mother." — Kelly (45:45–47:05)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Potty Training:
  "I'm not saying I'm not going to do what it takes to do that. I'm saying I'm doing my best. This is our best, right now." — Kelly (04:01)
• On Family Milestones:
  "Who your siblings end up with is such a big deal. These people are going to be in my life for a very, very, very long time." — Kelly (08:39)
• On TV Recaps:
  "He’s got a good team. I thought Jen did really well… And it is crazy, like, you know how much their partners play a role in how they do." — Lizz (13:47)
• Detroit Trip Emotion:
  "It was just a top, like, it was a top 10 moment of my life. Like, I'm not being dramatic." — Kelly (25:59)
• On Allergic Reactions:
  "I was about to call 911. Because it’s just like, that just scares me." — Kelly (32:22)
• Car Industry Humor:
  "Someone went to engineering school and was like, I've got to figure out how to build a robot to test a butt on, you know, jeans on a car." — Kelly (33:54)
• Consultant Era:
  "I would just like love if, like, I met someone… I'd love to be like, oh, I'm in consulting." — Kelly (38:47)
• Blake’s Besties:
  "We want it to be a time where we remember. We say their name. We are... however long they were with you… they were your child and you are their mother. And we don’t want that to be forgotten." — Kelly (45:45–47:05)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Potty Training Tales: 01:33–05:05
• Brother’s Engagement Recap: 05:05–08:30
• TV & Pop Culture Chat: 10:10–18:55
• Detroit Lions & Ford HQ Recap: 19:07–27:08
• Allergic Reaction Story: 28:42–32:30
• Auto Industry News: 32:40–39:40
  • • Infiniti’s Blue Jean Robot: 32:47
  • • Nissan’s Self-Driving Tech: 34:07
  • • EV Tax Credit: 39:15
• “Ditch the Drive-Thru” Recipe: 39:49–41:22
• Banner Era, Fun Mom Upgrades: 42:37–44:30
• Blake’s Besties Announcement: 44:31–47:22

Recap Tone & Style

This episode is distinctly conversational, playful, and open-hearted. Kelly and Lizz riff off each other’s stories with self-deprecating humor, support, and real-life messiness. Whether they’re swapping mom hacks or geeking out over car design, their authentic, sisterly dynamic and commitment to uplifting other moms is clear throughout.

For New Listeners

If you haven’t tuned in before, this episode showcases why “The Carpool” remains a favorite: you’ll find honest talk about parenting, lots of laughs, and surprisingly thorough industry insights—all filtered through the lens of two creative, hard-working sisters supporting a community of moms.