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MAYCEMBER IN FULL EFFECT
MAYCEMBER IN FULL EFFECT
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About this episode
May schedules and family routines set the tone before the conversation pivots to parenting logistics—especially potty training—using Instagram reels and a “baseless or bust” approach to car seats. The episode then shifts into a broader, car-adjacent theme: transportation insecurity. Through Catch a Ride’s mission and real examples, the hosts explain how limited rides and long commutes affect healthcare, work, and childcare. The show also includes sponsor reads (Rocket Money, Skylight, Blue Land) and an auto show fundraising segment with Ketcharide/Catch a Ride.
Topics:
Apple CarPlay
backup camera
blind spot cameras
front sensors
heated seats
keyless entry
power seats
power tailgate
power windows
Maycember is here and Kelly's schedule is giving "bus, club, another club, no sleep" energy. Today her daughter gave her a mommy makeover at school, even though she feels like she's in her ugly era. Over at Lizz's house things are looking up as James is now potty trained! She shares all her tangible takeaways and tips on what worked for her. Hint: it's all about the potty content!
Important updates on the book that both Kelly and Lizz are reading for the Carpool Book Club. Is it a subtle dig at Ballerina Farms? Plus, the meal prep hack Kelly learned over the weekend might just be a game changer. But the most important update: Kelly has once again deleted her TikTok account!
Big question for the Car Mom this week: If you had to choose only five tech features for your car, which would you pick? Once you start thinking about it, the answer is not really that easy.
Don't forget the Car Mom Auto Show is approaching fast, and this year's event benefits a very important cause. Catch a Ride Network is an amazing organization that helps moms, families and others with transportation insecurity. Valerie Lefler is part of this effort and joined Lizz on the podcast to talk about how the organization started and what you can do to help. Learn more at catcharide.org
Filter:
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Technical
Too Afraid to Ask
Term
keyless entry
"[1860.9s] The keyless entry. [1862.5s] Like I could never imagine doing like a key and an ignition again."
Keyless entry means you can unlock your car without putting a key in the door. You usually just have the key fob in your pocket and touch the handle.
Keyless entry lets you unlock and often lock the car without physically inserting a key. Typically it uses a key fob with short-range radio communication and sensors in the door handles to detect proximity.
Term
heated seats
"[1865.8s] Heated seats. [1868.7s] Backup camera. [1872.2s] And probably Apple CarPlay."
Heated seats are seats with built-in warming elements. You turn them on and they heat up, especially helpful in cold weather.
Heated seats use electric heating elements inside the seat cushions and backrests. They warm up the driver and passenger area quickly, usually with multiple heat levels controlled from the cabin.
Term
backup camera
"[1868.7s] Backup camera. [1872.2s] And probably Apple CarPlay. [1874.0s] Apple CarPlay."
A backup camera shows a live video of what’s behind your car when you go into reverse. It helps you avoid hitting things you can’t see in the mirrors.
A backup camera (rear-view camera) displays what’s behind the car on the infotainment screen when you shift into reverse. It helps reduce backing accidents by showing obstacles that mirrors can’t cover.
Term
Apple CarPlay
"[1872.2s] And probably Apple CarPlay. [1874.0s] Apple CarPlay. [1875.1s] I'm fine with that."
Apple CarPlay lets you connect your iPhone to your car so certain apps show up on the car screen. You can use navigation, music, and calls more easily while driving.
Apple CarPlay is a smartphone integration system that mirrors supported iPhone apps onto the car’s infotainment screen. It’s designed for safer use of navigation, calls, messages, and music while driving, using the car’s controls and display.
Term
blind spot cameras
"[1878.8s] I was going to say, okay, so what, like no cameras, like blind [1882.9s] spot cameras. [1884.8s] Well, you only give me five, Elizabeth."
Blind spot cameras show what’s in your side blind spots on the screen. That makes it easier to see cars that might be hidden in your mirrors.
Blind spot cameras provide a live view of areas alongside the car that are hard to see in mirrors. They’re often paired with blind-spot monitoring so you can check before changing lanes.
Term
front sensors
"[1890.3s] Yeah. [1891.1s] I know how to turn my blind spot. [1892.4s] I do like front sensors, but maybe I do like my five."
Front sensors are parking/obstacle-detection sensors mounted in the front bumper that alert you to nearby objects. They help with low-speed maneuvering by estimating distance and warning you before contact.
Term
power tailgate
"[1901.1s] Power tailgate. [1904.8s] I don't know. [1905.4s] I feel it."
A power tailgate opens and closes automatically with a button. It’s convenient when your hands are full, like loading groceries.
A power tailgate is a liftgate that can be opened and closed using a motor, typically via a button on the key fob, inside the cabin, or on the tailgate itself. Some systems also support hands-free operation with a sensor.
Term
power windows
"I'm going to go, um, I want to be, I don't want to do crank [1948.5s] windows. [1951.9s] Oh, I didn't know power windows were in it too."
Power windows are windows you open and close with buttons instead of turning a handle. They use a motor inside the door.
Power windows are window controls operated by electric motors rather than manual cranks. They’re typically integrated into the door switch panel and can be controlled from the driver’s side.
Term
power seats
"So now like I don't need, I don't need power seats like in the front. [1960.3s] Like I can adjust that myself."
Power seats are seats that move using buttons and motors. You can adjust the seat position without getting out of the car.
Power seats use electric motors to adjust the driver or passenger seat position (commonly fore/aft, height, and sometimes tilt). They make it easier to dial in a comfortable driving position without manually moving the seat.
Select text to request an explanation
Welcome to the Carpool podcast with Kelly.
I'm so stupid.
Like, I sound so dumb.
Like, I'm so obsessed with this random person's bachelorette party.
And I think you're the weirdo because you haven't heard about it.
Like, do I have nothing else going on in my life?
And Liz.
Miss Rachel's potty training show, 38 minutes.
He's not even a Miss Rachel guy, and the guy was hooked.
Your mom time off starts now.
Welcome back to the Carpool podcast with Kelly.
And Liz.
Happy Wednesday, everybody.
Halfway through the week.
Cal, May, I like can't with your May schedule.
It's disgusting.
I can't with my May schedule.
May 7 is what the moms call it.
This is what it is.
Yeah.
It's just a full thing of like kick us while we're down, you know.
Yeah, no, totally.
I'm definitely, I'm definitely feeling that like you have boss club,
another club, no sleep.
I know the kids.
It's like the kids school.
Like it's really, it's, but it's all really fun stuff.
But it's just stuff that I have to be, have to and want to be fully present for.
Yeah.
And this is my kids last full week of school.
And then next week they have like two days and then it's summer break.
And I have no plan for George and Hattie this summer,
other than just hanging out at home with us.
Yeah.
And you know what?
I do remember as a child, like this really was the best time ever.
Like the end of the school year, so much, so many fun activities.
And yeah, if like mom and dad don't show up, I am personally offended.
Yes.
So no, we asked, we're making, we're doing what we can.
We're making it work.
We're having fun.
Today we had mommy makeover at the preschool.
And that's where mom show up bare faced with our makeup.
And the preschoolers like, you know, have apple juice and muffins.
And they give us a makeover and paint our toes and our nails.
And I last year I was there for the fun.
You know, I had George last year there.
So it was just George was just being silly and he was being George today.
I have to work.
Like I said, like I have to, I have to work today.
And I didn't really have time to like, you know, wipe my makeup off and then start it
over.
Like, so I kind of went in there with, was kind of a plan with kind of high expectations
for Hattie.
And luckily it was Hattie.
Like I don't think when Fred's, I will not be able to do this when it's Fred.
Fred's going to take a sharpie to your face.
Totally.
But I'm like, Hattie likes real world play.
She will want to do a good job for me.
So I sat down with her.
I brought all my real makeup.
You know, some other moms would bring like their kids play makeup or like dollar store
stuff.
Like I brought it all.
I brought the merit, the dibs, like the house labs.
Like I brought the good stuff.
And I was like, Hattie, you have to do my makeup for work today.
And she was into that.
She was into that.
So I would be like, okay, this is concealer.
You know, I made a learning experience.
It brightens your eyes.
So put three dots under my eyes.
This is a sponge.
Dab it on there.
And I did the eyeliner in the mascara and my eyebrows, but she did everything else.
It looks good.
It looks fine.
The problem for her is I'm also in my ugly era, you know, for like literally no, for
literally no reason.
Yeah.
And I had been avoiding my ugly era for so long.
And I thought I'd finally cracked it.
But the thing about your ugly era is it will always come back to humble you.
Yeah.
So yeah, my favorite Instagrams right now, it's like me trying to do my makeup postpartum
and they have like a man filter on their face.
And they're like applying their makeup.
Yeah.
It's just like so true.
I'm telling you, it needs to be studied more the science behind the different ugly
eras.
And I don't really want to hear that it's my cycle because I don't really buy that
because I think I've gone shore times and longer times.
I think it's just the way that my face looks some days.
Okay.
Well,
But last weeks, you know what I mean?
It's just really hard.
Yeah.
No.
I get it.
I'm halfway through my pregnancy.
I get it.
I get it.
Oh, I get it.
Anyway, I have some exciting news.
I know.
And I just think we should get right into it because you're really thrilled about how your
weekend went.
I potty trained James this weekend and I'm thrilled and I want to, I want to tell everyone
what I did, but also like fully crediting James because he was just like ready and he
was connecting dots, but there are like some tangible takeaways to set myself up for success
that I want to get into.
So James will be three next month.
So I'm also not potty training a two year old mind you.
We kind of tried the two and some change some two and a half and I was not prepared.
And like, I couldn't communicate with him.
Like I can have full sentence conversations with him, which for me has been very helpful
in the potty training because we can kind of like come up with a game plan and I can recognize
that he's acknowledging.
So I'm not like, I'm not a wizard who potty trained a two year old.
I know some people do that and that's amazing.
Not my experience.
Um, what I did to start off that I found to be so helpful was the potty.
Well, let me step one.
I didn't read a book, but what I did do is I searched on Instagram reels potty training
and then I watched like 80 reels of people who all read that.
Oh crap book and told me exactly what they did.
So I didn't read a book.
I just Instagram was my, um, was my learning and my education and I got,
I kind of like you kind of get the gist of it.
Step two potty content, you know, when you like watch one reel too long and then you
get inundated with all this same content, sometimes it's good.
Sometimes it's bad.
Like you're like, Oh no, the world's ending because of X, Y and Z because that's all the
content you're absorbing.
That's what I did to my son.
Books, shows, songs I'm singing, telling him what I'm doing when I'm going potty,
like all of it is potty content.
And I at first I thought I wish I would have started this process earlier,
but I'm kind of happy that I just like inundated him with it all like within a week
because he was stoked about the new shows, stoked about the new books.
And, um, he actually told me a day or two days early.
He's like, Hey, I want to try and go, you know, poop on the potty.
And like, I wasn't even prepared to start, but I was like, well, I kind of was prepared,
but we weren't going to start.
So I was like, okay, let's do it because I just like shoved all of this content down
his throat, like his FBI agent.
Um, Miss Rachel's potty training show, 38 minutes.
He's not even a Miss Rachel guy.
And the guy was hooked, absolutely hooked.
I don't know what is, I don't know what it is about.
Miss Rachel does good work.
Miss Rachel does good work.
Oh, in her potty episode, they clearly like hired a production studio to do it.
It's, it's very well done.
Very, very well done.
Couldn't recommend enough.
Loved Miss Rachel show.
Love Daniel Tiger's song.
Just going to say that.
Okay.
Step three, I was so nervous for potty training.
So I was like, I have to prepare myself as much as I can.
Like how much stuff I can get.
Like I was just so nervous to do this.
So I was like, how could I be as prepared as possible for this hectic weekend?
So, um, juice, like always have juice boxes on hand cause like you want them to pee a lot.
And then also like stupid, simple meals, like we're doing carry out, we're doing pizza.
I cannot be wasting time cooking dinner or cleaning up too much.
Like I wanted to be near him and on him at all times.
So we didn't miss like a learning opportunity.
So I was like, I'm not going to make, this is not the weekend for like my fabulous meals.
This is the weekend for Domino's.
Okay.
And it's fine.
And I also wanted him to eat food that I knew he would eat a lot of again,
just so he would continue to do that.
Um, and yeah, I just like watched him like a hawk.
I do have a nanny for childcare and she requires like a certain amount of hours to meet a week.
So I was like, okay, well, if you have to, if you're still going to be working,
I'm just going to have you take Sloan out.
Or one day I had Maddie take Sloan out because I just like wanted to be so present with James.
So I know that's not everyone's experience, but like if you can have your husband or grandma
or a mother's helper or someone else there to take care of the other children.
So you can like focus fully in on this kid.
And like, again, just like I did not want to miss learning opportunity.
I found that to be incredibly helpful.
So he got pee right away.
He got poop pretty quick.
And now he's like doing it full time.
I got, I ended up getting him, um, like a little toddler potty baby Bjorn green highback would highly recommend.
He loved it.
And I care and I carry it with me into every room I go to, which will be a habit.
I have to break, but I'm still counting it as a win.
I would say like, I think obviously ideally we would all prefer our child just like start on the regular potty because that's like one less thing.
You have to treat teach them how to do, but I'm like into the motion, like recognizing the feeling.
Knowing you have to go like, I will handle the rest later for right now.
He's doing it on his green potty and I bring it outside with us.
Like, I know, I know boys can technically, you know, pull their pants down and go in the backyard.
I will not do it.
Like he can do that when he's older.
Like I don't care.
I wanted him to associate that feeling with always being on his potty.
And that's what works for us.
He's, he has done again, crediting him because he did it.
He's done amazing.
I am so shocked at how well it went and I'm so thrilled.
And I just like, I needed a win.
It's been a rough couple of months for the St. John.
No, and like James, love James to death, but like he needed to make something easy on you.
And I'm so glad it was this.
I know me too.
He just, no offense, not the best eater, sleeper, but like he was the best potty trainer.
The best potty trainer.
So, um, so yeah, I'm very proud of you.
Those are some of my, some people were asking me to share like what, like what we did.
And those were a few things that I didn't see through my Instagram education.
Maybe it's a neo crap book.
I don't know.
No, I like the idea.
So let me just say like, I spoke on this last episode, like Fred is really been struggling
and we've been working on it for months.
I think whatever he's starting, no T therapy.
We've taken him to the car, the chiropractor.
Um, but I have not tried the pot taking the potty with us as like a constant reminder.
So I'm going to try that.
And if I'm being honest, we, I've kind of taken about 30 days off because like,
we just weren't having success and I was like, okay, maybe he's not ready,
but I'm feeling reinspired by you.
So I think I'm going to reattempt starting Thursday.
And I think, I think that's, I think you should.
And I also just think that you have to go.
I mean, of course, before they're ready, like you put them on the potty,
like you kind of talk about the potty, so they're not like scared,
but you just got to be like, all right, we're doing it and like go balls to the walls.
You know, that's, that's how, that was the approach I took and it was successful.
I'm like, James is my only focus this weekend.
So I'm very inspired by you.
I'm really proud of you.
Thank you.
So let's see some potty training content.
You kind of need to like give back to the community that served you so well.
I know.
And so I've been thinking about what I'm going to post for that.
Um, but yeah, I'm thrilled.
And now Sloane's like potty, potty.
Now she's talking about it.
And I'm like, oh my gosh, this is so exciting.
And I'm like day, let's see five.
At that time of the recording, they're like not changing a diaper.
And I'm like, wow, this is like so nice.
If I could get down to one in diapers, I would be thrilled.
And you know, Freddie uses those expensive diapers for his eczema.
So I'm kind of tired of those are $1.50 a pop.
Yeah, not fun.
No, not fun.
Maybe they're a dollar a pop, but still too much.
Yeah.
They're not 22 cents.
Yeah.
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Well, that's so exciting.
I didn't do anything productive in that sense, but I had the most amazing Mother's Day weekend.
My husband just like really knocked it out of the park.
And we're not gift people.
And normally we've just kind of like let Mother's Day and Father's Day like of course like,
Oh, happy Mother's Day, but like we kind of like let it ebb and flow like he very much kind of went above and beyond for me this year.
Like it was actually so lovely.
And we weren't going to really be spending Mother's Day Mother's Day.
We had his niece's baptism.
So we were going to kind of be more like with his family and like his mom and like the baby being baptized.
So Saturday he was kind of like, what do you want to do today?
And I was like, I want you to do a bunch of chores.
And then I want to like do taking everything shower and bake a Texas sheet cake.
And I want you to watch the kids and he's like, okay.
And he did all of that.
I did all my all my honeydews.
Watched Libby.
I made my first Texas sheet cake.
Amazing.
Stunning.
Difficult recipe, but I crushed it.
And then I went to Mom and Dad's house.
And on the way there, Tyler was like, let's, he's like, I want you just to tell me like your favorite part about being a mom.
And then I'll tell you what I love about you.
I'm like, he was being so sweet to me.
Oh my gosh.
I know.
I love that.
And he's like, I'm sorry.
I didn't get you anything.
And I'm like, no, you got me like, you gave me like the best day ever.
So then we went to Mom and Dad's house.
I made dinner.
Everyone told me how good dinner was, which is my favorite activity.
Like my favorite hobby is being, is cooking and then being complimented on it.
And everyone loved my dinner.
Tyler cleans the whole kitchen at Mom and Dad's house while me and Mom sat her on the patio and just like hung out, gossips, drank some wine, like so fun.
And then I got the kids and jammies went back home and then we transferred the kids directly from the car to the bed.
And then I read my book.
And I looked at Tyler at the end of the day and I'm like, I'm going to be honest with you.
Like if I, this was my last day on earth, like this is exactly how I would spend it.
I'm so happy to hear that.
Yeah.
Like it was the perfect day.
He woke up and got me a coffee.
Then they did all my chores.
Then I, I mean, it was just like, it was everything I wanted to do.
And I was with everybody without being on, which is my favorite type of parody.
I agree.
I totally agree.
Charlotte asked me because we went to Mother's Day brunch and with Mom and Dad and Craig and
Charlotte and Charlotte was like, what's your ideal Mother's Day?
And I'm like, it is totally dependent on how my children are acting because I would love to spend Mother's Day with my
children when they're in a good mood and not, you know, having throwing tantrums left and right.
And that was, that was kind of my experience on Mother's Day.
But like I don't, I don't want to be secluded away at a hotel by myself.
Like I want to be with everyone.
I just don't want to be fully on.
You don't want to be the default parent.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Totally.
Um, so yeah, it was just like seriously so wonderful.
And I did such, I have a new hack for everyone.
Okay.
And I did show this on my Instagram.
So you have already seen it, but one of my other sister in law is Danielle.
My sister in laws are always like, they are, they're kind of hard to explain in a good way,
but they're just like, they're really like high achieving parents.
Like they're really great moms.
And like they're really, some of them, I would say a lot of the time I find them very inspirational
because I'm like, gosh, they're crushing it.
And some of them are like, one of them has older kids.
So we have like different lives, but I can still like take nuggets from them.
And the other day we were at, we were celebrating my mother-in-law's birthday and we were like
eating the meal and then there was like some, like there was like a turkey baking in the
oven.
And we were not at Danielle's house.
We were at Trina's house.
And I was like, oh, Trina, like, do you have something in your oven?
And Danielle's like, oh, that's my turkey.
I just like brought it here to bake.
That's going to be my meal prep for the week.
And I'm like, you brought, like she knew the oven was going to be on.
That's where she was going to be.
What does it matter?
Yeah.
She's got to feed her family.
It's your sister's house.
So it's not weird to say.
It's your sister's house.
So she brought a marinated turkey breast.
We were having pomegranate and she's putting it in the oven.
And I was like, you couldn't do that.
You couldn't just like do that at anybody's house, but at your sister's house, like whatever.
Yeah.
I'm like, that is like so smart though, because like that's where you were going to be on that
Sunday afternoon when you would have been doing your meal prep.
So we were going to mom and dad's house and I was making steak salads.
So I was thinking to myself, I'm like, well, dad's going to have the grill on.
And I have a big thing of chicken breast that I was going to make tomorrow.
What if I just brought the chicken breast and had dad grill them for me?
And dad would love nothing more than to just continue to stay in front of the grill and
like do that.
No, exactly.
So I brought eight huge chicken breasts marinated and dad grilled them for me.
And that's what we're eating this week.
Yeah.
That was such a good hack.
And it's just like, it's just like a way to think about things.
And Danielle also was like, yes, sometimes I'll take my crock pot to work.
Yeah.
She's like, if I have to like stir something or like add something in, I mean, she's
trying to feed her family.
She's a working mom trying to feed her family.
I'm inspired.
I'm inspired to plug it in for her office and then take it home.
Check on it.
You check on it.
You stir it when you need to.
And then your family has a home cooked meal when you get home.
Wow.
That's like next level.
No, that's next level, but I was just kind of inspired.
So yeah, it really changed my life.
And now I have like amazing chicken and Tyler was, Tyler had the chicken last
night.
It's like this chicken is so good.
And I don't know if this was like just our experience growing up, but if the
best way to do grilled chicken breasts is to marinate them in a cheap bottle of
Italian dressing, the cheaper, the better.
Like don't pay more than $3 a bottle.
And then just put the entire bottle in the chicken breast.
It's so good.
It's so juicy.
There's no right.
It's so juicy and good.
Also, I like to smash them.
I like flat, I like flat breasts.
Oh, well, I cut them in half.
Okay.
Yeah.
No, I like a thin breast.
Yeah.
For sure.
For sure.
So we did that.
And now I feel like so home begins with love because she's always talking about
prepping your protein.
You're so home begins with love.
I'm so home begins with love.
And tonight we're going to have Caesar salads, chicken Caesar salads.
And then tomorrow I feel like the chicken is going to be feeling like a little more
sad because this will be day four of this.
I'm going to do a fried rice on the Blackstone.
At that point you got to douse it in like sauce.
Yeah.
You got to disguise it in a big way.
No, this is like the last day of like just eating chicken as chicken with a sauce.
And then then we've got to get a little bit more creative.
Yeah.
But I'm pretty excited about it.
Okay.
Fabulous.
Yeah.
And that was kind of my weekend.
We finished that frontier show.
So good.
What do you know about the frontiers?
Not much.
I know.
So crazy.
Not as much as I probably should.
And like what's fun about the frontiers is like we, Missouri was a frontier.
Like we were frontiered.
Yeah.
Like, yeah.
Like Missouri's talked about a lot.
Like it's kind of a...
No, Missouri was pretty integral.
For sure.
And that, that always feels good to feel like you're a part of history in a lot of ways.
So we finished that.
I started my book, Theo of Golden.
And I also started yesteryear.
That's right.
I'm reading two books at once.
I started yesteryear.
I'm probably, I don't know.
I'm very early in it.
And all I can think about is this is just like directly talking about ballerina fars.
I know.
I know.
It's like almost too much.
It was like she had to intentionally make her a brunette.
So it wasn't like this is so ballerina fars.
Well, and I won't really stand for ballerina farm slander.
And my first impression, I'm going to see the book through, but I do feel like it's a
little slanderous.
I'm very curious to get to the part of the book where she does travel back to the past
and see if she thrives or not.
Because I don't.
Yeah, I'm like at the end of the day, like these, they're, they are talking about like
it is a business.
And like, yeah, it is like, why is that a bad thing though?
I don't know.
I do feel it's a little bit slanderous, but I'm hoping that she ends up being like a hero.
Yeah.
But we'll see.
Speaking of ballerina farms, I deleted Tik Tok again.
And I think it's for good this time.
Okay.
Now I kind of know why you deleted it, but was it just as a consumer or was it also as
a poster?
It was just as a consumer.
Okay.
Cause you had finally made it.
You finally started getting into the creator fund.
Didn't you?
Yeah.
I made $283.
Wow.
So we'll have to kiss that.
Well, maybe they'll pay that out still, but here's my problem with Tik Tok as it stands.
And this will just be, and I can't totally, I feel like I can't eloquently explain why
I feel so different than Instagram, but it just is.
And I'm just going to assume that it's because I'm just, I just feel like I have, God has
given me discernment to know to get off Tik Tok and to stay on Instagram.
Cause I don't feel any icky way about Instagram.
I mean, I get days where I'm a little burnt out or days where I find myself comparing myself
to other people, but I never leave Instagram feeling so horrible as I would be on Tik Tok.
Wow.
I think the problem with Tik Tok is a couple of things.
One, it's still more like anyone's platform.
Like people are just creating, the average person would create a Tik Tok more often than
they would just create an Instagram.
Like in a way, I think Instagram is still more, I hate to call them like professional influencers,
content creators, but people there are more posting with purpose to build something, not
just to get views.
People on Tik Tok, I think are really just after views or they're trying to become this
like overnight success.
Well, I think Tik Tok is a little bit shameless because you're not like people on Instagram,
like they've, they've had their Instagram for so many years.
They have like all these photos.
Like it's their personal thing.
It's like your Facebook page in a lot of ways.
This is the new Facebook page.
Yeah.
That's interesting.
Your name and your family is so tied to it.
Instagram, you could say like, give me a random number and you're like Raven XX7123 and then
you can post whatever you want.
Yeah.
And I think that when people just post to get views, they will exaggerate, manipulate,
stretch and straight out lie.
Yeah.
To make their video more interesting.
Yeah.
And I didn't like that because I felt like I was seeing really exaggerated things about
like what were happening in the world.
And like specifically about this like hantavirus, which like I'm not even going to talk about
because I just can't, I can't do this again.
But people were like, people were scaring me honestly.
And then like I would read like a news article and I'm like, well, they, they totally exaggerated
that story.
Like of course it's still sad, of course it's still tragic, but like they're totally exaggerating.
Or I would just see like horrible things about stories.
And I would try to like not watch it.
I would try to scroll on, but like at some point you're only human and you watch it anyway
or you don't realize what you're watching until it's too late.
And then also like a really big trend on TikTok is I guess if you make your videos a minute
long, then you're eligible for the creator fund and then you get money.
So what people will do is they will make really sad videos being like if you can just stay
for a minute and interact with this page, like I can get my child this life-saving cancer treatment.
And it's like, okay, great.
Now I have to take that on.
And then you, and like they were happening to me all the time.
Like it was like almost every other time I scrolled TikTok, I would see a video of someone
who's terminally ill.
I have to watch this video or they're not going to get their treatment.
And I'm sorry, like at the end of the day, that just weighs on you.
And I already get a lot of that in my DMs and I help as often as I feel called to and can.
But like I just can't see these videos on a Tuesday when I'm cooking dinner for my kids.
Well, I mean, that's me.
I probably shouldn't have been scrolling anyway, but okay, then it's before bed or then it's
like, I'm trying to relax and like watch or like get some content ideas.
And it was just seeing sad videos, exaggerated videos, rage-baiting videos.
Like people will also make videos just to make people mad just to get more views.
And I just didn't like what it was doing to me mentally.
Yeah.
And it's like the ones about like watching for a minute so I can get X, Y and Z.
It's like, okay, well then you feel bad if you don't watch it.
Then you do watch it.
You also feel like then you're sad.
And then because you watched it, you're going to get fed more of those.
I know.
It's an endless vicious cycle.
And it's okay.
Like we're just not designed.
I really believe like we're just not designed to take on the problems of.
And it's not even like, here's the thing.
Here's why I feel different on Instagram because if someone I followed on Instagram posted that video,
I can take that on because I like that person.
I follow that person.
There's influencers who like, I want to know their struggles because I actually,
maybe it's like a weird parasocial relationship, but like I do care about them.
Just like I think people care about us.
Like, so I'm okay with that.
But when it's a random person, I don't know them.
I don't even know if they're telling the truth.
Yeah.
I know.
Yeah.
You don't know.
And then I was also like, look, listening back to our episode when I was talking about
that girl's bachelorette party and you're like, I haven't heard about it.
And then like, when I was re listening, I'm like, I'm so stupid.
Like, I sound so dumb.
Like I'm so obsessed with this random person's bachelorette party.
And I think you're the weirdo because you haven't heard about it.
Like, do I have nothing else going on in my life?
Yeah.
And the answer is I do.
Hey, let me be clear.
The answer is I do.
The answer is you do.
Yeah.
So just for all those reasons, and I'm sorry, like, I just also don't think,
I know some people feel like they have their community on TikTok.
I just think I love my community on my other platforms and I just don't need that platform.
As at least a, yeah, a consumer of the TikTok content.
I don't like it.
I don't want my kids on that app.
So I need to just like not be on it.
Okay.
Well, thank you for announcing your exit.
I think you made the right call.
Yeah.
I think you just need to like listen to.
Yeah.
The internet's like such a crazy, such a crazy place.
Yeah.
And you know, I love it and I hate it, but I do love it.
I know.
Speaking of sick kids.
Have you heard about the Danny Go stuff?
Yeah.
So sad.
So sad.
I love Danny Go.
I know.
I love Danny Go too.
They seem like really good people.
Okay.
I'm sorry.
I can't talk about that right now.
Okay.
I'm sorry.
It just kind of reminded me.
No, I know.
But no, but that is, but like, do you know what I'm saying?
That's a story I can take on that emotional burden a little bit
because I love Danny Go.
Like, so I can take.
Yeah.
I can take that on.
And I don't believe like, I'm not of the mindset of like, it can
only be the people in your backyard who you care about because
like, well, the internet has given us access to more people.
And some of my closest friends are on the internet and I don't
see them very often.
Yeah.
But like, I do care about them.
All right.
Let's just back up because I saw something on Instagram that I
want to talk about.
We're going to totally change the subject.
Let's do that.
I saw this Instagram.
I actually think you liked it as well.
And it was a guy, um, he like sold his car because he wanted no
technology in his car.
He's like, the technology has gotten out of hand.
So he had crank windows.
He did have Apple CarPlay, but he should have a tiny screen and
like he had all buttons like it.
He went down to the bare bones of technology, which I kind of
loved.
I'm curious to know if you could only have five tech features in
your car.
What would the five be?
Oh, I think this is very easy for me.
Okay, let's hear.
Power tailgate.
Obviously.
The keyless entry.
Like I could never imagine doing like a key and an ignition again.
Heated seats.
Backup camera.
And probably Apple CarPlay.
Apple CarPlay.
I'm fine with that.
Like that's all I need.
I was going to say, okay, so what, like no cameras, like blind
spot cameras.
Well, you only give me five, Elizabeth.
I know, but so you would take heated seats over like blind spot
cameras.
Yeah.
I know how to turn my blind spot.
I do like front sensors, but maybe I do like my five.
I would definitely include front sensors.
Apple CarPlay.
Power tailgate.
I don't know.
I feel it.
I feel like I could, I could do a key and the ignition.
I don't know.
I sometimes lose my keys.
It might be kind of convenient.
But what about like unlocking the car?
Well, I don't, yeah, I want to unlock the car with the button.
No, I don't want to stick a key in the thing, but like I don't
need it to unlock when I get close.
No, I need it to unlock by just being in my purse.
I can't be digging through my purse.
Okay.
I'm going to say Apple CarPlay, front sensors, backup camera.
I'm going to go blind spot camera.
I like, I love the cameras.
I'm so reliant on them now.
Your camera girl.
And I'm going to go, um, I want to be, I don't want to do crank
windows.
Oh, I didn't know power windows were in it too.
It's all of them.
It's everything.
So now like I don't need, I don't need power seats like in the
front.
Like I can adjust that myself.
That's fine.
Power seats doesn't count.
Yeah.
Kelly, it all counts.
I'm trying to make this hard.
Oh my gosh.
Okay.
Um, this is going, you're going bare bones.
You're going back to the base.
Yeah.
Well, I don't want to for the record.
Okay.
Unlike this man, that's like not a desire that God has put on my
heart.
I like my, I like my tech.
Yeah.
I'm dying to get an update on my car.
I haven't gotten anything yet.
I'm supposed to like get a VIN number and like then I can start
tracking it.
So exciting.
It's like, don't they know they have the car room's car?
Like respectfully, can you not move me up the line a bit?
Cal.
No.
What?
You're just a regular person.
I know.
You're, you're not even on Tik Tok.
Maybe if you had a Tik Tok person, they would care.
I'm just an Instagram, you're just an Instagram YouTuber.
I'm just an Instagram YouTube podcaster.
Uh, speaking of all those things, you know what else I am,
I'm an event planner and the auto show is in a month.
Ladies, who's coming?
Me.
The answer better be a most of you.
I really want you guys to come.
I really need you guys to show up for this event.
Please.
I'm going to be there.
It's going to be so fun.
We go all out.
I can't wait.
I can't wait.
Do you know what you're going to wear?
No.
I'm like, so, oh my gosh, just do that cute girl who made me that,
who like wants to style me and she put my face on outfits.
Yeah.
She's an AI obsessed.
Yeah.
I should ask her what I should wear.
The problem is, the problem is, is I just don't know.
I couldn't even give someone a direction.
I don't even know how fancy I want to get for the auto show.
You guys wear anything.
Like you can wear athletic shorts.
You can wear a sundress.
You can wear jeans shorts.
Like you guys wear whatever you want.
But like what should I wear?
Right.
I don't know.
I think you're going to figure it out.
I think it's harder to figure out what I'm going to wear.
I disagree.
I think you can just like wear a dress.
I feel like you could just wear a dress.
I think I could too, but I just feel like I also could have options.
Like I have like a blue linen set.
I'm wondering.
Except is linen, I mean, I mean this with my whole chest.
Is linen cute?
Or like is it only cute until like you sit down and then it's wrinkly.
And then you're just walking around wrinkled.
No, I think that's true.
But I'm not sure you're going to be sitting much.
So it could be the perfect opportunity to wear a linen set.
But if you're going to be taking photos of people, it's like,
no one wants you to be wrinkly.
What if you do sit down?
Well, I just won't.
I guess I could kneel.
I guess we could just like lay in the bathroom like eating a sandwich.
Lay.
Yeah.
Good lay flat.
But then your back's going to be wrinkled.
I don't know.
Well, do I just take off my pants then before I eat?
Please don't.
Okay.
Well, Liz, here's the exciting about today's episode.
I'm actually hopping off and you're actually hopping on to an interview.
I am.
Yes.
I have another obligation.
Because it's May December, to be honest with you.
But we have an interview with Valerie from Ketcharide,
which is our charitable partner at the auto show.
And you guys, this organization is insane.
Like this is the perfect organization for us.
And I'm obsessed with what they're doing, obsessed with their mission.
And I'm so happy that we get to help fundraise at the auto show for them.
So you're going to want to listen.
And you're going to want to support Liz through this interview.
Yeah.
Because normally Kelly kind of like spearheads these interviews,
but what do you have to do?
What do you have to do?
We're planning graduation.
She used to go play in kindergarten or graduation.
So, um, yeah.
Can you go to graduation?
It's kind of like a big deal.
No, for sure.
No, I'm just saying like at the school, like I just, I'm very excited.
I don't think everyone does a kindergarten graduation.
I just can't believe George is graduating kindergarten.
I can't believe how he's going to kindergarten.
I can't believe I don't have a baby.
I'm starting to feel, I'm going to be honest, a little irrelevant.
And I'm totally okay with that.
But it's just a weird feeling.
Like I've just been the one with the baby or the one pregnant for so long.
And the other day I had a friend ask me like, Oh, which formula is good?
And I'm like, Oh, I've been out of the game like a year.
Like I have no idea anymore.
I have no idea.
I can't give you that advice.
I know, Cal.
You, and this is why we have sisters in the shoot to keep the car mom
and the baby Rex relevant.
Totally.
Speaking of, I did just buy my new car seat for baby number three.
I know.
I'm so excited.
It's the first thing you bought for baby number three.
It's the first thing I bought.
It's making her feel really real.
Obviously I feel her, but like just the thought of having three very real.
I got the enjoyment latch.
I'm so excited to have a baseless infancy.
Totally.
I don't think it baseless infancy.
It's weren't around like weren't really a thing.
I feel like when I had James otherwise I feel like I would have started with this.
No.
If I'm a non baseless infancy, respectfully, I'm shaking in my boots.
I don't know why you would use anything else.
Right.
And I'm still going to talk about like Liz.
It's so good.
Everyone says I got this for my third and it's changed my life.
And I am so stoked.
Like why would you have a base and have to put it in?
Like then you got to buy multiple bases.
That's what I'm saying.
It's like I am a baseless infancy.
Just stand.
Like I tell you, I don't use anything.
I would, I only used, I switched between, I used the even flow shift a little bit with
Libby to try that out.
That's just like not, that's personal preference.
I don't like a stroller car seat combo.
It's my personal preference.
Not for me.
And then I switched between the Nuna Urban and the Dormant Latch exclusively with Libby.
Maybe she wrote in a Nuna Rahm or a Nuna Pippa for a little bit, but baseless or bust.
And you know, more brands are coming out with them.
Someone DM me and they're like, why didn't you, can I just ask why you didn't go with
the Greco baseless?
And I was like, I don't, the joy is just like the one that came to mind.
I don't, I didn't really have an answer.
I kind of need to ask Sam, I guess.
She would know which one Sam would know.
I know.
Like I'm kind of the same.
I don't really know because I like, I think the Dormant's a little cheaper, but I think
the Greco one's good.
What's it called?
The Go Max, maybe?
I don't know.
Sam does recommend that one a lot though.
I think.
No, it is a good one.
It is.
And I think that one maybe has more compatibility.
I don't know.
I'm talking to my butt.
I don't want to say that.
We need to ask Sam.
Okay.
But anyway, so I'm going to run.
I'm going to let Liz take on the interview.
But my dish, the drive-thru is how can you borderline inappropriately meal prep this
weekend?
At someone else's home.
Home.
Possibilities are kind of, possibilities are kind of endless.
Today's episode is brought to you by Rocket Money.
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I'm excited to reintroduce Valerie from Catch a Ride.
This is your second time on the podcast.
Welcome back to the carpool.
Well, thank you so much for having me, Liz.
It's a pleasure to be here.
We wanted to have you back on because Catch a Ride got a rebrand.
And also, we are partnering with you guys as our charitable partner
for the auto show, which is coming up.
And we're super excited.
We've got a couple of different ways we're going to fundraise
and all the proceeds are going to go to Catch a Ride.
And it is just such a cool organization
and it's so perfectly fitting for the car mom team.
So could you just tell everyone who doesn't know a little bit more
about what Catch a Ride does?
And can you also explain what transportation insecurity
really looks like in everyday life?
Absolutely, yes.
And thank you so much for having us.
We're so excited.
So the Catch a Ride network is a 501c3 nonprofit
dedicated to addressing transportation barriers.
And one in five Americans struggle with transportation insecurity.
It's one of those barriers that's hidden in plain sight.
And it actually impacts families more than food insecurity
and housing insecurity.
And so it's kind of one of those pieces where it's like connected
to everything, but almost just one of those challenges that you're
like, oh yeah, I guess that is an issue such as doesn't matter
how great the doctors are, if you can't get there.
It doesn't matter how affordable the food pantry or getting
to those low cost food options.
If you can't get there, you know, all those challenges that
show up that impact the kinds of jobs you can have,
which doctors you can pick.
You know, how far you can walk is really a determining factor
or you can use the bus, but that's not an option for everybody,
especially any mom that's trying to get a stroller on a bus
that doesn't have a lift or things like that.
So what transportation insecurity really means is that,
and it can manifest differently.
So let's say it's a two parent household,
but it's a one vehicle.
There's one vehicle for the household.
So mom may have the car at the doctor.
That means dad can't get to work.
Or it may be that it's a single parent household and the budget
doesn't allow for funding to pay for car, car insurance,
things like that.
It can mean you live on a bus stop or you live within the ability
to get to a bus stop, but the bus doesn't go where you need to go
or you run into, it takes three hours just to get to work little
own dropping off a kid at daycare and then going to work.
So transportation insecurity really looks differently depending
on whether you're in a rural area or you're in an urban area,
but at the end of the day, it means you can't get to where you
need to go to get groceries, get to work,
get to medical care, things like that.
And so we have a huge priority in addressing infant mortality
and maternal health.
And so we are so passionate about this partnership with the auto
show and the carpool car mom podcast,
just so excited to highlight how this work kind of comes together.
And Kelly and I talk about cars all the time and it's crazy
because until we met you, it never really crossed our mind
like transportation insecurity is something that people struggle
with because our entire life is thinking about people buying
cars.
We don't always think about the people who can't afford their
transportation and what that actually looks like.
So you've been at catch ride for how long now?
Eight years.
So I mentioned the founder.
So this organization was actually started with some of the money
from like selling my kids stuff.
And so the journey of motherhood is rooted in
entrepreneurship here.
So you've been in it for eight years.
What are some misconceptions that people have about individuals
who need transportation support?
Yeah, a lot of times people will say, oh, well,
they just need to get a car.
Why don't they just get a car?
Not realizing, you know, some of these families are living on
literally $800 a month and they're trying to pay for a house out
of that, pay for groceries out of that,
cover all the things that their kids need.
And there's just not enough money.
Another common misconception is, well,
why can't they just take the bus?
Not realizing that if they did take the bus or when they do take
the bus, it's three to four hours each way,
especially as a mom by the time you would get your kid to day
care or your kid to school or your kid to day care and to
school and then to work.
I remember when I was working at the University of Nebraska,
Omaha, we did a study of these mothers who were working in
the hotel industry as house cleaning,
the apartments and cleaning the rooms.
And these mothers would sometimes leave their house at 435
o'clock in the morning and they would then take the first kid
to day care and then the next kid to school and then the next
kid to school.
And so it was nine o'clock by the time that they actually got
to work and then they would have to leave at three o'clock or
230 in order to be able to do that journey backwards.
And then if the bus was running late, you know, day care,
in many cases they charge you by the minute if you're not there
to pick up your kid on time.
And so here are these families that are living on,
you know, very modest incomes who that every minute they're
late means another thing that they can't put in their grocery
cart that they absolutely need.
And so the cost of that time is really big.
And they actually have a term for it.
They call it time poverty.
And so when it comes to moms getting access to transportation,
the affordability, the rising cost of car insurance,
the cost of gas, everything is really tough to make ends meet.
Or if you live in a community that has transit to get your
family to where you need to go can be also a barrier or also
can change like the kind of jobs you can get.
So remember talking to one mom and she's like,
I got a job offer at a place about 20 minutes from my house.
It'll pay me almost $50,000 a year and I'll get health insurance,
but I cannot get there.
There is no bus route that goes there.
I don't have any friends that work at the plant.
So what am I doing?
I'm working $16 an hour making fast food because that's the
only kind of job I can get a ride to.
And you think about the difference that that makes for
her family and health.
It's a game changer.
And so the common misperception is just like,
why don't you just get a ride with your friend?
Or why can't you just save up money for it?
Or these moms are lazy and they're not doing enough.
And it's just the reality of the economics of trying to raise
a family, of trying to put food on the table and getting to the
job that's going to help you get to that next part in your life
where you're not struggling.
Transportation is the game changer.
Totally.
I mean, it's already hard enough to do everything as a working mom
or a mom in general, and then imagine you don't have your car.
I cannot imagine that 430 examples makes me a little bit emotional.
Well, in fact, on the kids, right?
That's the thing.
We're talking about the mom, but these kids,
they're waking up spending two hours on the bus.
My son had really bad motion sickness growing up,
so we put him in his car seat and he had like a 10-minute trip
to the daycare.
And he would get car sick every single time.
And so you can imagine putting these kids on buses
and then on top of it, they don't get home till 8 o'clock at night.
They're exhausted.
There's no time to do homework, all those things.
So how does Catch a Ride actually connect people with rides
to solve some of these issues you're telling me about?
Yeah, so we do two different things.
So one is we partner with organizations like WIC,
where these are county organizations that help women
get access to healthy food, to get resources for formula
for their babies, and these WIC offices are able to fund rides
to help them get to their groceries
and sometimes get to job interviews, things like that.
We also partner with universities, healthcare facilities,
insurance companies, and sometimes just referrals
through word of mouth.
And then we write grants to like the Michigan Medicine,
Southeast Michigan Paranatal Health Improvement Coalition.
We're working in Texas and other states where there's grants
that can help these moms get to and from where they need to go,
and then donors are a huge part of that story.
So when there isn't a grant program available
or the grant is over and that mom is still like 38 weeks pregnant
with a high risk pregnancy, you know, the funds are over.
We can't spend after the grant deadline,
but that mom still has to deliver that baby
and she still has a heart condition, right?
And so how do we help that mom?
And so the resources from these donations at the auto show
are going to be transformative for a lot of mom's lives
and their babies.
What is there like a story from someone that you've helped
that like has really stuck with you?
I know that like, I think we can all like,
I can't imagine like from the mom's perspective,
but what's something that you have seen in your eight years
that's like really stuck with you?
Yeah.
So my second child, my daughter was born
and spent nine days in the NICU.
And it was some of the hardest days of my life as a mom
to see your job, your daughter hooked up to all these tubes
and all these things and your sleep deprived, your sore,
but you literally are numb.
You can't feel anything because your heart is in front of you
hooked up to all of these wires.
And I want to tear up thinking about this.
There was a mom who she had her baby.
The baby was in the NICU and they sent her home
and she couldn't afford to get to the NICU to see her baby
and she couldn't stay at the hospital
and she was able to use our program to take 22 trips
to go see her baby in the NICU to make sure she was okay
and to bring her home.
And so I think that that to me is a mom who sat there
and what that experience would be like
because she couldn't stay, she had to go back to work
or she was going to lose her job.
And so that like, do I work or do I go to work
and keep my income so when my baby comes home
I have an income to feed our family
or do I basically camp out on the park bench
in front of the hospital so I can go in and see my baby.
And so I think that having been literally in that situation
and I can't even imagine what that would have been like
if I had to go to work, my husband had to go to work,
he's a teacher and paternal care isn't the same
or paternal maternity leave isn't the same.
So he had to go to work.
He was also in grad school and he had a teacher
who wouldn't let him take off time to be with me.
And I just remember just sitting there
monitoring every nurse coming in and all that thing
and to think that these moms and that's the thing
there were empty rooms with these babies in them
where there was no family there watching
because they had to go to work
or they were going to lose their jobs
or they could not stay because there was no money
to pay for the hotel room because they were 300 miles from home
because of what their baby was going through.
And so I think when I look at my time
the fact that it's not only can I get to the prenatal appointments
and can I get to the postnatal appointments
but can mom be there to see her child in the NICU
and make sure she's okay.
And the fact that our organization was able to help that mom
just really is like validates my purpose as a human here on Earth.
Absolutely.
Why do you think that transportation and security
is more overlooked than like home insecurity
or food insecurity?
Yeah, so a lot of times and I think with
it's really just becoming invoked.
So we're like 30 or 40 years behind
the social care network that we've done in this country.
So like we're synonymous with like Habitat for Humanity
or Feed America, right?
These are organizations that have been around
but when it comes to transportation and security
there was all this in this kind of perception
that where you had the bus or the bus would come.
And the reality is the way that cities are sprawling
and the way that rural communities are changing
the buses and all things for all people
and in many cases there ain't no bus.
And so it really is taking, you know
we are one of the only organizations in the United States
and even globally doing this where we are saying
transportation and security is a problem in this country
and impacts millions of homes
and we want to change that story.
We want to create more resources for families
to get these rides.
And we partner with small businesses,
a lot of women owned businesses.
We partner with Uber, we partner with innovative tech companies
like Via and, you know, volunteer drivers, you name it.
So I think we're all about promoting the bus.
We love when the buses option use the bus
but there's a lot of folks, the bus doesn't work
or the route to the job doesn't, the time doesn't add up.
And so, you know, we're just always excited
when we can make that ride happen or, you know
for these moms who were like, for example,
the mom who was before she learned about our program
she was trying to ride a bike.
And can you imagine riding a bike two days post-partum?
No.
No.
Trauma.
Trauma.
And then, yeah.
So, like, we're all about active mobility.
We are all about the bus.
Even riding the bus two days post-partum,
like all the parts and the pieces are not ready
for those kind of shocks.
No, you should be in bed.
Like you should be sitting down.
Yes, exactly.
So, okay, so you can get the grants that can help
and then your donations help you connect people with a ride.
If someone wanted to donate, like, what's,
is there like a number amount?
Like, does $100 give someone a ride?
Does $50 get someone a ride?
What does that mean?
What is donating to catch a ride look like?
And how is it like actually directly going to say the mom
who needs to go visit her baby in the NICU?
Yeah, so that, so it's about $16 is an average cost of a ride
between rides that are, we're paying for bus tickets
or volunteer mileage reimbursement
or we're paying for a wheelchair accessible vehicle.
Like we had a mom who actually had a stroke during labor.
And so she's now a wheelchair user
and navigating having a newborn.
So like the types of rides that we provide are very broad,
but that $17 will cover the ride,
the cost of a ride for a mom to get to the doctor.
And an average mom needs about 36 rides
if somebody does not have access to transportation.
It's those second and third trimester appointments
to check in with the doctor.
And then it's the four to six months after
where it seems like you're bringing in the baby
every two weeks, you know, for vaccinations
or prenatal or postnatal checkups
or this baby gaining weight, things like that.
And, you know, I think that's the thing
where why we like to partner with counties
or with WIC offices
because there's a statistic out there
that 60% of moms who are using Medicaid
for their healthcare do not go to any follow-up appointments
because the cost of that ride is like,
I'm deciding between a canister or formula
and a doctor appointment.
I'm going to feed my baby,
but there is no extra to go around for these moms.
And so being able to get those babies
to those postnatal appointments is critical.
And sometimes there's other trips that are needed,
like going to a baby resource fair at a local nonprofit
where the nonprofit's hosting the baby fair
where you can get a free pack and play
and all these other resources,
but you've got to get there to pick it up.
And so a lot of times we'll partner with insurance companies
to help fill that gap.
What's been the most rewarding part of this journey for you?
Oh, wow.
So before I started catch a ride, I actually lost everything.
I was riding a tech startup
and, you know, innovation is hard.
And so I started this journey.
I didn't have a home.
I didn't have a job.
I lost my life savings.
And I really wondered, like, am I doing the right thing?
You know, should I go back and work in government
or all this stuff?
But this little tiny voice in my heart was like,
and my faith was really like,
oh, you have to keep going.
Like do not let this be the reason
that you stop addressing transportation barriers.
And so the most rewarding thing for me
is that I'm 42 years old
and I'm living the purpose that I have for my life.
And I know like this is what God put me on earth to do.
And so even through the hard stuff, like, you know,
I didn't have a paycheck for eight months
and, you know, trying to figure out like what it,
how do we make this work?
Now we're in a place where, you know,
we have a team of 30 people.
We're working in six states.
We're going to be working in three more
before the end of the year.
And, you know, we'll help almost a thousand people
so far this year that needed transportation rights,
not only to prenatal stuff,
but also veterans to medical care
who didn't have another option
or older adults with cancer
who didn't have anybody to help them take them to those trips.
So I think it's the most rewarding thing
is that I sacrificed a lot,
but I listened to that voice and I followed my heart
and I followed my calling and like,
it's people are really getting the help they need.
And I really feel like, you know,
in all of that hard work that it was worth it
and that it's just beginning.
You know, not a lot of people can say that
they believe that they're doing what God is calling them to do,
especially when you've gone through hardship
and you could have stopped and done something easier.
So that's amazing.
And yeah, I wanted to just highlight that,
what you just said as well of like,
we are talking a lot about like motherhood
and transportation insecurity and motherhood,
but catcheride is not just about moms.
It's about anyone with transportation insecurity.
Obviously the motherhood and the prenatal health
and everything is just very near and dear to a lot of our hearts.
Okay, two more questions for you.
One of them is going to be the ditch to drive through.
So before we get to that,
if you could leave people with one message
about transportation insecurity, what would it be?
Oh, one message.
Just to ask people, do you need help with,
do you need help getting here?
You know, just that sheer friendly,
like whether you're going to a book club,
you're talking to your friend,
you really don't see mobility and security.
There's a lot of pride that comes with saying,
I can't get there.
Or saying, I don't, you know,
so just the fact that somebody even offering goes a long way.
So I think if, or to even consider volunteering,
the American Heart Association,
the disabled American veterans,
Niels on Wheels, all of those programs.
So if any mom loves to drive and give back,
like there's a lot of really cool programs out there
where mobility and security can be addressed through other needs.
So I think it's just one, you know,
if you're going somewhere and you have a friend,
just offer, hey, should we carpool?
Can I give you a ride?
Just being that friend out there.
But also there's a lot of opportunities to volunteer,
whether catch a ride network,
if you're like in Dallas or Detroit
or some other organizations,
go to our website, catch a ride.org, check it out.
But, you know, there's just,
it's one of those things where people just take it for granted.
And sometimes that simple offer of support,
it just means the world.
And it can be the difference between them
being able to afford groceries and not.
I'm like actually shocked I made it through
listening to all of that without crying.
I'm like 27 weeks pregnant and so emotional right now.
I'm so amazed by the work that you guys are doing
and we are seriously so grateful
that you are partnering with us for The Auto Show.
We have a couple of fun, different activations
we are going to do to raise money.
We are going to have a closet sale.
Kelly, me, my mom, some other St. Louis influencers
are going to literally sell our closets.
So some stuff, it's going to be nice stuff.
A lot of stuff with tags because as an influencer
you get like sent stuff.
And we're just going to have a closet sale.
So all of those proceeds will go to Catch a Ride.
We are also going to have like Kelly's trying
like anything she can to get it feel like a dinner auction.
So we're going to have some fun dinner auction games
at the VIP night potentially carrying those
over to The Auto Show while supplies last.
And we just got some fun integrations
that we're going to do with Catch a Ride.
Okay, Valerie, tell me what your ditch the drive through is.
Okay, so I have two teenagers,
a 17 year old girl and an 18 year old son
who just graduated high school yesterday by the way.
I'm in like the 11th hour of adrenaline here.
Well, but the family favorite is the Mary meat chicken
one pot pasta, the sun dried tomatoes,
Parmesan cheese, we use chicken breast.
If I'm feeling really bougie,
I'll cook it in a cast iron skillet.
Otherwise it's just standard, you know, nonstick,
but I love to use the protein needle noodles
that are made with like chickpeas.
So it's like 19 grams of protein plus the chicken breast.
So like super good.
And I just, I grew up on a dairy farm.
So I like any kind of cheese or any type of cream I'm down for.
So that is what my family favorite drive,
drive through ditch option is.
I'm always seeing Mary meat chicken come up on Pinterest
when I'm like Googling something.
And there seems to be a lot of ways to make it
because I think you can also make it in the crock pot.
Oh, I've not heard of the crock pot version.
I will have to check this out.
You should check it out because that could make your life
even easier than it already is.
Like I've seen you just put it all and then you cook it.
And then I don't know, I guess you maybe,
you could maybe make the noodles on the cider
or sometimes you can just cook noodles in the crock pot.
I don't know.
Yeah.
I will have to check that out.
But yeah, I like to put it in the pan
because then I can crisp both sides of the chicken breast.
It kind of almost gives it like this Parmesan air,
but it's not breaded.
It just kind of feels crispy.
Delicious.
All right, Valley.
Well, thank you so much for joining us again
on the Carpool podcast.
It was lovely to have you.
Thank you so much, Liz, for having us.
We're so excited.
Thank you for listening to the Carpool podcast
with Kelly and Liz.
Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode.
And if you enjoyed riding with us, tell everybody you know.
There's room in the car for everyone.
You
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