Liz shares how “car mom” began as a COVID-era Instagram idea from her sister Kelly—reviewing used cars specifically from a mom’s perspective. After Liz was furloughed and needed a new focus, she helped pivot the content to YouTube, got the channel monetized, and eventually quit her job to work full-time. The conversation also covers how the “carpool” podcast name came together, the brand’s early growth, and the mission of helping families find safe, fitting cars. Liz reflects on their tight partnership, major milestones, and speaking at a women in automotive conference.
It's an all-Lizz episode of the Carpool Podcast today. This week, she tells her side of the story of how the Car Mom came to be. Hear how a call from Kelly led to her moving back home from Texas, quitting her job and working on the Car Mom full time. She also reveals why she initially disliked the name and what would happen if they ever fought over money. Plus, answering your questions from Instagram!
"I think that's an amazing idea the only thing is I don't think the car mom is like the right name so I think we need to workshop the name but I like love the direction you're going in anyway like the next day she sends me a logo she sends me like she's got the trademark going like we're going with the car mom"
“Car mom” is basically a label for a person who talks about cars in a way that fits family life. It’s more about how you use and choose a car than about any one specific car model.
“Car mom” is a social identity/creator niche where someone shares car-related opinions, shopping, and ownership experiences from a family-oriented perspective. It’s not a specific vehicle or mechanical concept, but it shapes what topics get discussed (practicality, safety, cost, and day-to-day usability).
"the next day she sends me a logo she sends me like she's got the trademark going like we're going with the car mom"
A trademark is legal protection for a brand name or logo used in commerce. In this context, getting a trademark for “car mom” helps prevent others from using the same branding for similar content or products.
Topic
podcasting equipment
"the only way we can do that is if I bring some of our podcasting equipment with me with us in our four-hour car drive to Iowa"
They mention bringing podcasting gear to record on the road. This is not an automotive term, but it’s a structural detail about how the episode is produced.
Topic
car drive to Iowa
"if I bring some of our podcasting equipment with me with us in our four-hour car drive to Iowa so if I'm able to successfully have us record a podcast whilst driving"
They’re talking about a long road trip and whether they can record the podcast while driving. It’s mainly setup for the episode, not a car-tech topic.
The hosts discuss recording while traveling, specifically during a long car trip. This is more about the episode logistics than automotive knowledge, but it frames why they’re talking about the car experience.
"let's see the year's 2019 I am two years out of college I'm working a digital marketing job for automotive dealerships it's fine"
Working for automotive dealerships typically means being involved in sales, marketing, and customer acquisition for specific brands or local stores. That dealership context often influences how people talk about pricing, incentives, and what buyers actually experience.
Concept
COVID happens the world shuts down
"2020 comes around COVID happens the world shuts down there's so much uncertainty in the world and I get furloughed from my job"
COVID caused a lot of closures and changes in how people lived and worked. That disruption is part of why the speaker’s life situation changed so quickly.
This refers to the COVID-19 pandemic causing widespread shutdowns and major disruptions to daily life and employment. It’s relevant to the timeline of how the speaker ended up in a new city and had the opportunity to pivot into a new project.
Concept
furloughed from my job
"2020 comes around COVID happens the world shuts down there's so much uncertainty in the world and I get furloughed from my job so I'm now living in a new city I have no job"
A furlough means your job temporarily pauses and you’re not working for a while. It often happens when companies have to slow down, like during COVID.
A furlough is when an employer temporarily reduces or stops work, often due to economic conditions, while the employee is not actively working. In the context of the story, it explains why the speaker suddenly had time and uncertainty during the COVID shutdown.
"Kelly it was it was unusual for Kelly to like call me or like have like new business ideas or whatever she says I want to start an Instagram where I review cars just specifically for moms"
They talk about starting an Instagram that reviews cars for moms. The idea is to focus on one type of person and explain cars in a way that fits their lifestyle.
The hosts discuss creating a niche social-media channel focused on car reviews for a specific audience: moms. This is a “content strategy” topic—choosing a target demographic and tailoring the message to their needs.
"I don't think the car mom is like the right name so I think we need to workshop the name but I like love the direction you're going in anyway like the next day she sends me a logo"
“Workshop the name” refers to iterating on branding—testing different wording, tone, and clarity—before settling on a final identity. Here, they’re treating the name as part of the product/brand strategy for their car community.
Topic
content
"[721.0s] has been so wonderful and I had friends in like a really great community at the
[727.7s] time of my life who were encouraging me to do it my parents were like hey you
[733.2s] seem to have you guys you girls like seem to have a plan this could grow like
[737.9s] no one and no one in my life told me not to no one in my life thought I was
[742.6s] irresponsible everyone could see that it was going to be a good move so I did it
[748.8s] I did not make any money for a few months"
The hosts discuss producing and distributing “content” (podcasts, footage, uploads) as part of building an audience. In creator terms, this is the workflow: filming, editing, sending assets, and publishing.
"new recipes and even just throwing together quick weeknight meals and it
actually feels simple their ceramic coating is naturally non-stick so you
don't need a ton of oil or butter and everything just slides right off the pan
cleanup is fast which makes a huge difference when you're already juggling"
Ceramic coating is a special non-stick layer on a pan. It helps food release more easily, so you usually need less oil and the pan is easier to clean.
Ceramic coating is a non-stick surface applied to cookware. It’s designed to reduce sticking so you can use less oil or butter, and it can make cleanup faster.
"...the reason Kelly is not on here is because the carpool is going to speak at this women's conference this week which is something that is just the craziest guys the craziest thing because like I remember sitting..."
They’re talking about a women’s automotive conference where the Carpool is going to speak. It explains why one host isn’t on the episode and gives context for the event.
The segment discusses the Carpool speaking at a women-focused automotive conference, including audience size (in-person and online). This is a structural episode topic because it sets up why Kelly isn’t present and frames the hosts’ public-facing roles.
"...kind of questions I'm getting kind of some repeat questions are just like did you think this was another micro hobby for Kelly when she started did you think it was cringe like really what were your initial thoughts on the car mom..."
A “micro hobby” is just a small interest at first—like a niche thing you get into before it becomes a bigger deal. They’re asking whether Kelly’s car-related content started that way.
A “micro hobby” is a small, niche interest that starts with a limited audience or personal curiosity before it grows into something more public. Here, it’s used to question whether the “car mom” idea began as a minor side interest for Kelly and then expanded.
"next day after I get engaged Kelly Kelly and I go on our first brand trip it was to see the new Infinity QX 60 to Napa and it was like the most incredible trip ever it was one of those really like pinch me moments because like we we felt"
The Infiniti QX60 is a larger SUV made for carrying people comfortably, often for families or road trips. It’s meant to feel smooth and relaxing when you’re driving for a while. That’s why it can be a popular choice to talk about when someone describes a trip or a new vehicle experience.
The Infiniti QX60 is a midsize luxury SUV designed for comfortable family travel, with seating for multiple passengers and a focus on a smooth, quiet ride. It’s the kind of vehicle that often comes up in “brand trip” stories because it’s built to make longer drives feel effortless. In a podcast, it may be discussed as an example of how Infiniti positions its SUVs for everyday comfort and road-trip use.
"[1556.0s] which auto show has been like the most amazing the the first auto show that was
[1561.1s] a really really cool experience Kelly and I we had the first auto show I
[1565.3s] think in 2022 and we had it at our family dealership"
An auto show is like a big car event where people can go look at cars in person. Dealers and companies use it to show off new vehicles and meet potential buyers.
An auto show is an event where automakers and dealers display vehicles to the public. It’s often used to generate interest, let people experience new models, and connect buyers with dealerships and brands.
"[1565.3s] think in 2022 and we had it at our family dealership and the reason we were
[1571.9s] able to have it on our family dealership is because from the repercussions of
[1575.1s] COVID there was not a lot of inventory"
A family dealership is a car store run by a family instead of a big corporate chain. That can mean they’re more personally invested in the community and their customers.
A family dealership is a dealership owned or operated by a family, often with long-term local ties. In practice, this can affect how events are run, how customer relationships are built, and how inventory and staffing are managed.
"[1565.3s] think in 2022 and we had it at our family dealership and the reason we were
[1571.9s] able to have it on our family dealership is because from the repercussions of
[1575.1s] COVID there was not a lot of inventory so we were able to really clearly like
[1579.9s] easily clear the lot so we were able to host it there"
COVID made it harder for dealerships to get cars, so there were fewer vehicles available. With less inventory around, it can be easier for a dealership to manage what they have and run events.
The pandemic disrupted global supply chains, which reduced vehicle inventory at many dealerships. When inventory is tight, dealers may be able to “clear the lot” more easily and host events with less competition from other available stock.
"[1660.7s] to be honest with you but we have really great big things coming we want to
[1667.5s] continue to just help families buy cars and find the right car for them we"
“Finding the right car” means picking a car that actually fits what a family needs, not just the one that’s easiest to buy. It’s about things like space, safety, and cost.
“Finding the right car” usually means matching a vehicle to a buyer’s needs—budget, space, reliability, and intended use—rather than just choosing what’s available. For families, this often includes considerations like practicality, safety, and total cost of ownership.
"the mission has remained the same which is to help families find cars that work for them and they're safe for them and the fit their family"
They’re talking about choosing a car that fits a family’s life and keeps them safe. That usually means looking at how practical it is and how well it protects people in crashes.
This is a buyer-focused concept: selecting a vehicle based on family fit and safety rather than just performance or style. It implies evaluating things like seating, usability, and crashworthiness to match real-world needs.
Select text to request an explanation
Welcome to the carpool podcast with Kelly and Liz actually said I was like I
think that's an amazing idea the only thing is I don't think the car mom is
like the right name so I think we need to workshop the name but I like love the
direction you're going in anyway like the next day she sends me a logo she
sends me like she's got the trademark going like we're going with the car mom
and you know what some things you just don't need to rework your mom time off
starts now welcome back to the carpool podcast with just Liz today Kelly
and I have some travel this week so just with travel schedules child care
schedules we could not get both of us to record the podcast in time so it's just
me today I'm hoping we can have a Friday episode but the only way we can do
that is if I bring some of our podcasting equipment with me with us in
our four-hour car drive to Iowa so if I'm able to successfully have us record a
podcast whilst driving we will have one on Friday the likelihood that like 10
cold difficulties arise is kind of high because we never recorded in a car
before so if it doesn't work for whatever reason that's why we won't have a
Friday podcast but I am going to do everything in my power to try and make
it happen but today I wanted to give my POV of how the car mom started and how I
got involved in it Kelly did this a few months ago when I was unable to top on a
podcast she gave her a POV of like kind of her how I built this and I was like
well I wonder if people would be interested in my take on things and how
I got involved and just sort of all of that information so I'm gonna give like
my story how I got involved kind of like where I was in my life and I also asked
on my Instagram if anyone had like specific burning questions about this
topic so we will see so let's see the year's 2019 I am two years out of
college I'm working a digital marketing job for automotive dealerships it's fine
I'm living at home I'm single desperately trying to find a man I'm 24
years old and I just like I need to do something new with my life so I decide
to move to Dallas Texas and I picked Dallas because my sister Sydney was
going to school there at the time I had one of my best friends was looking for a
roommate at the time and my current job or the job I had then was had an office
in Plano so and they were gonna let me keep my job so really the biggest hurdle
I had to get through to moving to Texas was telling Kelly that I was moving to
Texas because I knew she was not going to take that news very well and she did
it but she got over it she never really got over it but she dealt with it so I
moved to Texas I meet Maddie immediately I mean Maddie before I even moved there
I met him in St. Louis but he was also living in Dallas and we start well
that's a different story but we kind of we started dating and then of course 2020
comes around COVID happens the world shuts down there's so much uncertainty in
the world and I get furloughed from my job so I'm now living in a new city I
have no job I'm just kind of like okay what do I what do I do now around the
same time Kelly calls me and tells me she has this great idea and Kelly would
call me up Kelly and Tyler loved to play this game of like what's the next
million dollar idea like if you're sitting around having drinks with them
like you're like doing a shark tank with them you're like what's what's the
next big shark tank idea so Kelly it was it was unusual for Kelly to like
call me or like have like new business ideas or whatever she says I want to
start an Instagram where I review cars just specifically for moms I'm like
yeah that's a genius idea some genius idea and like not to flex well too
exclusively flex on my sister like there are people who are being cars from a
mother's perspective now there was no one doing it at the time so this was a
very unique a very original idea and I actually said I was like I think that's
an amazing idea the only thing is I don't think the car mom is like the
right name so I think we need to workshop the name but I like love the
direction you're going in anyway like the next day she sends me a logo she
sends me like she's got the trademark going like we're going with the car mom
and you know what some things you just don't need to rework so that was like
the only thing is I didn't love the name but the name the name works the name
tells you what it is which is very Kelly Kelly is very straight to the point she's
the car mom she's used cars for moms for families so it was one of those things
to where it's like when someone tells you an idea and you're like that's such a
good idea and then you start having a bunch of ideas and it's like all we could
talk about so Kelly and I talk on the phone multiple times a day even back
then we did and we would still just be talking about the car mom we just had
so many ideas it was so much fun it was just like it was it was such a passion
project for her but it was also just such a passion project for me like I just
love talking about it I love like using my brain in new ways like again I'm
literally furlough like I have nothing going on I'm saying well and Maddie we're
just like dating like I don't have kids like I have literally nothing going on
like actually COVID was really relaxing for me I know it wasn't the case for
mostly everyone but I was just kind of chilling so let's see three months pass
I'm still furloughed from my job I was kind of like waiting like I they didn't
they fired some people but they furloughed some people so I got furloughed
thinking like maybe I'll get my job back in a month but I'm not being paid so
like three months pass and I'm like okay like I need to get a job like I need to
do something with my days Maddie at this point has we're still dating well
spoiler we get married we're dating he goes off for like a year long
deployment so like my boyfriend's gone I have no job I'm like I need to do
something with my days other than just like talk to my sister about her
Instagram channel so I apply everywhere I get like declined for like as a
waiting like I literally couldn't get a job as waitress I eventually get a job
with Pepsi as like a virtual assistant essentially so I worked from home
absolutely hated it but you know it was paycheck in the meantime like I'm just
I'm coming home a lot because you know I didn't have a lot going on in Texas and
the world was still kind of shut down so I'm like kind of loosely helping Kelly
with the car mom we're still talking about it all the time but then I think
like sometime in the fall she had 10,000 followers and I was like your videos
like she's literally only posting her tours on like story content like it's
like your tours are all over the place like there's no way for anyone to search
these we need to get you on YouTube and luckily for you I have a degree in
television arts and like I'm obsessed with this and I want to edit your YouTube
videos that's like my background is like from seventh grade I have always loved
making videos I was the girl who made videos for my sorority I was the girl
who made videos in high school and like making videos was not what it is today
like not anyone not literally anyone could do it on their phone it was like
you needed software for it so this is kind of just like something that I was
like my hobby and something I always love to do so Kelly starts filming her
tours differently start sending them to me and I started up the YouTube channel
and it took a few months for us to get monetized because you needed X amount
of subscribers and like X amount of hours watched now we'll never forget I
remember where I was I was coming home from a spinning class and I checked our
YouTube and we were monetized and I called Kelly and I said Kelly we made
$43 and it was the best $43 I've ever made in my entire life it was so
exciting to see the car mom even though she had 10,000 followers she was
making no money like no money at the time literally zero dollars so it was
really cool to see something that we just did make money we're like wait we
just like got a car filmed it like it was free for us to do this outside of
our time and now we have now we're $43 richer like that's amazing so that was
really exciting and you know from there she just continued to grow YouTube
continued to grow she got picked up by a manager who's still our manager and my
manager today started like monetizing kind of in that way and then it was
2021 April and I just like I absolutely hate my job and I like cannot get enough
of the car mom I'm still living in Dallas Maddie still deployed but the world
opened up a little bit more at this point so like I really loved my time in
Dallas but now I was kind of faced with the decision to quit my job and do the
car mom full-time which is what I really wanted to do but I had a lot of I was
really scared to make that jump and I also because I wasn't making any money at
the car mom yet but I knew it would like I could see I could see the path to make
money I just didn't know when I would receive any money and also I didn't know
how much it would be and granted at this time I had like I was on my parents
insurance I didn't have a car payment you know I was paying I was recognizing my
privilege I was paying my rent and like to live like food and gas you know like
just like basics so I really didn't have that many expenses so my biggest hang up
on actually like quitting my job with Pepsi and going full-time with car mom
was pride really I you know when you're 25 you have this college degree and all
your friends are working in the corporate world and you're like no I just
like want to be the corporate girl like that's what I want to that's what I want
to be so to just like not have a job and just like chase this like social media
thing and like knowing that I was gonna have to like get a part-time job as a
waitress or you know in merchandise or something like I applied luckily I applied
to so many places and like no one wanted to give me an interview so I actually
didn't end up getting a side job because no one would hire me it was a really
competitive time so it was a weird time so anyway I didn't get a second job but
I was trying to essentially also a humbling experience to just like
literally get declined like not get any people calling you back anyway I had full
support from Maddie to quit my job and to do the car mom full-time he thought
it was a great idea Maddie has always been the biggest supporter of the car mom
to this day he listens to every podcast episode he consumes all the content he
has been so wonderful and I had friends in like a really great community at the
time of my life who were encouraging me to do it my parents were like hey you
seem to have you guys you girls like seem to have a plan this could grow like
no one and no one in my life told me not to no one in my life thought I was
irresponsible everyone could see that it was going to be a good move so I did it
I did not make any money for a few months I was living off of my savings but
again it was fine because it was fine because I didn't have that many expenses
like I didn't have kids at the time or anything and it was great so basically
how things worked when I was living in Texas is Kelly had a friend from high
school of hers filming her tours and Kelly would they would upload the
footage send it to me and like other than that like it seems like what even like
we're so busy right now with the car mom but we've grown so much I'm like what
else were we even doing with our days you know helping her with con like content
ideas and editing stuff and we were we like made our workbook there was like a
lot of stuff or a lot of like random little things that I would kind of help
her with we did we talked about this on a podcast before we did like settle on a
pay structure plan and we settle on it when like there was essentially like
$20 or $43 in the YouTube account on the table and it hasn't changed since then
and Kelly was really passionate about having full ownership of the car mom so
I don't own any of the car mom which I'm fine with and I we also always said
you know if money ever becomes an issue if we ever get in a fight over money like
I'm I Elizabeth stepping away from the car mom because like no amount of money
is worth harming my in mind and Kelly's relationship like it's one of the most
important relationships in my life it's one of the best relationships in my life
and literally like a dollar amount could not touch it so we always said I you know
sometimes when you work with family things can get sticky which we never
solve for ourselves and it luck like that's true like we just are each other's
biggest support like Kelly once Kelly wants me to succeed over over herself
and I want her to succeed over myself and I think like that's like mutual
respect and love for each other we've never had any issues but I essentially
get it was like too complicated to like figure out what percentage I was involved
in certain things so we just said like flat out after the bills are paid at the
car mom Liz gets this amount this percentage and it's worked out for us
and it's been fine and I don't really see it changing and I'm happy with it
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let's see then while we were still living in Dallas we maybe we started the
carpool yeah we did start the carpool so when I was living in Texas we a
company approached us and they were like you girls need to start a podcast I was
like a lot behind this obviously I was like fully behind the scenes on the car
mom but like Kelly would have me on Instagram lives when I was in town she
would post about me like people like kind of who are like in depth and the car mom
lore like knew who I was and so I think if it weren't for this this company that
kept saying like you girls need to start a podcast like it would be great we
wouldn't have ever like figured out and done it on ourselves so they were like
really pivotal in getting us started so we actually it was not always gonna be
called the car the carpool it was originally gonna be called the company
meeting because Kelly used to hold these company meetings on her stories where
people would like right in their mom wins for the week so she'd be like got my
oldest to eat broccoli at dinner and she'd be like I'm really happy to see
that you got your younger associate to thrive in this this tricky area it's
nice to see you know forward movement like she would just like award mom wins
and make it sound like it was a business meeting so that was kind of like the
original thought for the podcast but now I'm gonna take credit here because I did
come up with the name the carpool one day I'm like I think it would be nice if
we had the car mom and then sub branding similarly written out to the car mom the
car something but like what is the thing where multiple people are traveling in a
car like how do we get multiple people together in a car so anyway I was
sitting right in front of us the whole time and I'm like the carpool and I was
so jazzed Kelly loved it it was like no question that was gonna be the name
after that started in the carpool was awesome still is awesome still blown away
by how many people listen to it like seriously so thankful for all of you who
tune in all like twice a week to hear Kelly and I rant about things it's been
really great for it's been a great outlet for us it's been a really nice way
for us to like talk about things that don't really have a space on the car mom
because like you know like the car mom is about cars but like the carpool is so
much it's just such longer form like it's just nice to have a space where we
can talk about things that we want to talk about that don't always relate to
cars so starting the carpool like really kind of got me more involved in like
that like the front facing side of it which is really cool because actually
the reason Kelly is not on here is because the carpool is going to speak at
this women's conference this week which is something that is just the craziest
guys the craziest thing because like I remember sitting I went to a women in
automotive women in automotive conference and I was I was sitting in the
when I was working at my old job I was sitting in the audience and I was
looking at these women on stage and I was like I like want to be that girl
like I crave that and I see no path in which I am going to be on that stage
but I wanted it I don't know you don't even know why I wanted it like I just
like I wanted to be successful like I wanted to make my family proud like I
wanted to make myself proud like I just I wanted to be one of these women on
stage and the fact that like literally this week Kelly and I are both going to
be speaking to 17 they I think they said there'll be 1700 people in the
audience and 500 online like that's crazy that's kind of big that's kind of
bigger than I was anticipating but that I'm doing that because of the carpool
because the carpool allowed me to get a little bit less behind the scenes but I
still stay perfectly comfortable behind the scenes where I want to but get a pop
up on here and like talk in my safe space of the carpool audience so for that I
really thank all of you I just briefly popped over to my Instagram to see what
kind of questions I'm getting kind of some repeat questions are just like did
you think this was another micro hobby for Kelly when she started did you think
it was cringe like really what were your initial thoughts on the car mom and like
I already said this like I just have to say like I never once thought it was
cringe I always thought it was a great idea I mean that's so sincerely and like
it was just one of those things like I was prepared to like when Kelly said I
have this new idea like I was prepared to oh no like that's what I was prepared to
say and when she told me it it was just like this I just saw group like this
green light go off and like yes a hundred percent like I just can't even
tell you how how much I thought this was a great idea and I knew she would
succeed at it so let's see I quit my job in April of 2021 went full-time with the
car mom I think like three months and I finally got a check so that was good and
it was a little small check but it grew it grew quickly so it was all it was all
fine I never I never struggled so now June or no July June or July Maddie
comes home from his year-long deployment in August of 2021 we get engaged the
next day after I get engaged Kelly Kelly and I go on our first brand trip it was
to see the new Infinity QX 60 to Napa and it was like the most incredible trip
ever it was one of those really like pinch me moments because like we we felt
like we were being seen and recognized by the automotive industry we were flown
out on this like we always wanted to go to Napa we are flown out gotta see a
beautiful car gotta go to Napa like I was just engaged like literally best time
best time I'm out like what a time to be alive so that was really fun and then
like honestly from there it's been I mean from there I've been capturing it
all on the carpool it's been move back to St. Louis still working still full
time like full time with the car mom you know our priorities changed throughout
the years we focus a lot on cars we focus a lot on partnerships we focus a
lot on growing we focus on the website we focus our pool a lot of things
opportunities we've taken opportunities we've passed on just like a lot has
happened but I feel like we've captured most of it on the carpool so if you
listen you know move back St. Louis married the love of my life had a kid had
another kid pregnant with another kid and just we you know we got the auto show
which auto show has been like the most amazing the the first auto show that was
a really really cool experience Kelly and I we had the first auto show I
think in 2022 and we had it at our family dealership and the reason we were
able to have it on our family dealership is because from the repercussions of
COVID there was not a lot of inventory so we were able to really clearly like
easily clear the lot so we were able to host it there and the way that like I
had a walkie-talkie on because like I was gonna be working like I was gonna be
selling merch you know Kelly would be working at Manning another station and
when we met people and that was like really the first time that we got to
meet people who like followed the car mom or like listen to the podcast and it
was the most fun ever because it was like oh no like Kelly like sorry I can't
work the merch station right now like people want to like talk to us or I'm
I mean most like Kelly I mean what we were not expecting is people like just
want to take photos with Kelly but it was so cool and it was like so awesome to
meet people in person who have been you know been along for the ride and have
supported you or maybe like you've been involved like help them buy a car and
just like it was really really cool and so to see the auto show now we're on our
fourth year having it and just seeing the way it's grown it's always so much
fun so yeah so we've got the auto show this year we got our big website launch
which is like a huge milestone for the car mom and we're just like gonna we've
got a lot of other ideas but like a lot of it kind of boils down to our bandwidth
to be honest with you but we have really great big things coming we want to
continue to just help families buy cars and find the right car for them we
always said at the beginning when you know we were trying to figure out what
the heck this was we said we need a mission statement because like we're
gonna have to make a lot of decisions and we need like a guiding a guiding light
and if something like does not align with that we can't we can't do it and so
the mission has remained the same which is to help families find cars that work
for them and they're safe for them and the fit their family and it's incredibly
rewarding and it's incredibly fun and I'm so thankful this is my job I'm so
thankful to my sister who I think a lot I think some people when they achieve a
certain amount of success they would want to hog it and and be the center of
attention and not share it and Kelly couldn't be a further from that Kelly
understands she has the responsibility as she is the car mom and the brand is a
lot of this a lot of it's like based around her but she wants to bring in as
many people as she can she like I said like literally I truly believe Kelly
wants to see me six just wants to see me succeed more than she wants to see
herself succeed like truly I believe that she is my biggest champion she is one
of my best friends and she has wrapped me in open arms with the car mom and has
like really allowed me to co-parent this child of hers she brings in other
mothers who need a flex who are looking for flexible jobs like we all are and
she just always thinks like more is better like she does not she truly tries
to share this gift with as many people as she can and then I mean it's evident by
the I don't know what five or six five six other moms that work for the car mom
I mean it's so cool and it's not I knew it'd be successful I knew it was a good
idea I never saw it get to this type of success and that's where maybe Kelly did
and I think that the difference between Kelly and I is she is a dreamer and I
am a realist and I think you need both because I would have never been able to
grow it to the success that it is but also I think that if Kelly didn't have
me in her corner she may be some not so great business decisions would have been
made I have I do believe I think I think Kelly would agree with this that I have
stopped her from moving forward with opportunities because I didn't I didn't
think they were gonna be right because she gets really lathered up and excited
about things and then I try and like bring her back down so we try and find
that good balance of like me not bringing her down so much and like letting
her like be a shooting star but also like not being a shooting star so much
that you like totally missed the objective you know so I think that we
just balance each other out really nicely and we always have like we've
always been close we've always been best friends we didn't fight growing up
really yeah I don't know we're just like super lucky super blessed and then
you know just another perk of the carpool and the car mom is I've gotten to
grow my own Instagram a little bit and the same manager who has started with
Kelly when Kelly had like 15,000 followers she also manages my Instagram
so I've gotten some cool opportunities that way and that is all separate from
the car mom so I do have like a little bit of like my own personal income off
of my Instagram so Kelly Kelly is not tied to my Instagram at all but you know
I'm not really after it I mean I think it's fun to post because I like to like
communicate like I like to connect with people but at the end of the day like my
number one priority is the car mom's Instagram thriving and just like getting
the good information out to the people who need it because I don't really have
that really have that share on my Instagram so yeah that's kind of like
you know my story that's kind of my inception my perspective it has been an
absolute dream come true something I never thought would happen something I
never saw for myself but I'm so thankful to be here and I'm so thankful to all of
you who listen to the carpool and who support the car mom and who support this
mission because like you know waves are waves are being made we've had a lot of
pinch me moments of like oh shoot no like oh like people and things are changing
like for the better and there's still a very long way to go because there still
isn't a perfect family car out there and there's still issues and that need to be
fixed and need to be addressed but like waves are being made and ultimately like
Kelly can have her opinions and Kelly can say whatever she wants to say like
without the audience following and the people agreeing and the proof that what
she's saying means something to a lot of people then her opinion means nothing so
like the car mom and like changes in the automotive industry are going to be made
because of you I mean 100% so that's my soapbox that's my story I hope you
enjoy this I really hope I can figure out a way to record a podcast and on our
drive tomorrow safely of course and I hope we will be talking to you on Friday
but if not please forgive us give us some grace and we'll talk to you next time
bye 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
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