Letters: Imperfect Moms, Live TV Bombs & The Beauty of 50

It’s a little bit breast milk, a little bit Hamburglar—and a whole lot of real talk.

In this hilarious and heartfelt Letters to the Coop episode, Kit and Harper get personal, reflecting on the chaos, comedy, and big-life shifts of early motherhood, career curveballs, and what it feels like to hit the big 5-0.

From on-air fails (hello, live from Hamburglar Germany) to pumping backstage, Kit shares the behind-the-scenes moments that shaped her journey—on camera and off. The duo opens up about the messy beauty of trying to do it all, the guilt that comes with new motherhood, and the freedom that comes with age and perspective.

They cover:

• Kit’s cringiest live TV moment 

• Juggling babies, breastfeeding, and broadcasting

• Why turning 50 might just be the best chapter yet

• Mom guilt and letting go of perfection

• That universal feeling of needing “permission” as a new mom—to stop breastfeeding, to ask for help, to go back to work, to not do it all

• Plus: McDonald’s characters, scenes from Sex/Life, and a little shoutout to Sarah Shahi

Whether you’re a new mom, a seasoned pro, or just wondering if you’ll ever sleep again, this one will make you laugh, feel seen, and maybe even call your mom.

It’s chaos. It’s connection. It’s The Coop.

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This episode was produced by Kit Hoover and Harper McDonald. Business Development by Casey Ladd. Editing by You & Me Media.

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Transcript

Hello everybody.

Welcome to another special edition of Letters to the Coop Letters. I'm getting it right, Hartford. It's beautiful. My voice is still not back, so please refer to me as Erica. 

Erica. Erica, or Katherine. 

That's my real name. Mm-hmm. Should I be Katherine with a C? Jasmine? Jasmine? Mm Persia. 

Persia that took a turn.

Thunder and lightning. Jasmine and Persia with this dance duo in Chicago. great reference. Great reference. I don't know where my mind goes. So I 

was, was wondering where I'd heard that before. Harper has given 

me coffee with some powdered oat milk. Yeah, sure. Which is new, which is really good. 

Yeah. okay.

Hit me with our letters Harper. All right, babe. We got a few, we got such good ones today. By the way, side note, 

my little friend Harper has a big birthday coming up and we are gonna be celebrating big. Are you excited to be coming to the fifth level? 

Yeah, it feels great. Yeah. It doesn't, it, it feels normal.

It feels, it feels great. It just feels. Right. And it, yeah, it's awesome. there's not one part of me that's like, it's a bummer Yeah. At all. Isn't that cool? It is cool. It, it is all just sunshine and [00:01:00] roses and whatever comes with that. Creeks and, you know, body does doing weird things face doing weird things.

Everything starts mind. Yeah. The mind. Yeah. But you know what, you've, you kind of just lean into it. It should all 

go generally forward. Yeah. And I just love sort of the new way women are thinking about turning 50.

 Oh, I 

do. Yes. I, I think it, my friend was saying, who just celebrated her 50th birthday, that She had asked her parents about. What was their favorite? It's actually, it was a fabulous question. What was their favorite two weeks? If they could go back and, and they're in their nineties of their whole life, their whole life, what was your favorite two weeks that you would love to go relive again?

which is interesting 'cause it's different than a year and it's different than a moment And, in general, they just said. My 50th year. Wow. My fifties. They were the, it was the absolute best time of our life. Wow. I know. Isn't that cool? You know what's 

so cool about that is, our business partner, Casey Lad, who's on the coop with us mm-hmm.

She and I were just at this spot, like a wellness spa and we're doing this really cool. It was like a circle. Sort of retreat where where you walk after night around all these candles, [00:02:00] it's this Buddhist thing. And then you set your in intentions and then you walk out, you release anything that you're holding onto.

And there was this woman on the walk with us that was in her eighties that has been through so much in her life. Mm-hmm. And she looked at Casey and me. She said, you girls are in the prime of your life. Where you are right now is the most invigorating time of your life. Like live it and what a cool, and I feel it.

I feel that totally wasn't that cool. That's fantastic. Yeah. Do you remember what your intention was? I do. Well, it was all about sort of releasing, and I think for me it was just to stay with gratitude with everything going on in my life. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. But you're supposed to, you're supposed to hold your palms down and walk around this circle and you know, our palms up.

Oh yeah. Wait. Palms up. Palms up and down. Sorry. Showing Harper you can't say 'cause if you do down, 

I don't know something. No, no, no, 

no, no. You're right. Palms are supposed to be down. They're down. Okay. Okay. Down and lower. And you walk around this circle and truth be told, um, that circle got a little long and I was like, okay, we gotta get there.

My mind started wandering, but you're supposed to, and you get dizzy. Got a little dizzy. And I was the leader of thinking [00:03:00] about what you were releasing as you walked around these lights till you get to the middle, then you were supposed to release it, and when you walked out. Palms up to the sky and it was all supposed to leave you.

I love that. Yeah. 

So I thought it was super cool. I'm not sure, you know, my mind was a little jumpy when I was in there, but it was super cool for that lady to say that I thought was so beautiful. It's so true and poignant. 

It's so true. Yeah, because in general, hopefully we're all, I mean, not everyone's in good health, but yeah, the chances of us being in good health is pretty strong.

And the things that we need to sort through, we can, our bodies are still able enough to sort through, and our minds, for the most part are with us and. It is, it's a really special time. Yeah. Keep 

laughing and loving, like just finding joy. I love it. I'm gonna say it. I say it to Harper all the time. Let's ride.

Let's ride, let's ride. We're gonna ride. What we doing? I can't wait for, we might back 

sick from that, that we're gonna go in strong. Oh, we're gonna come back. Come back a little wobbly. It's okay though. okay. I love starting out our letters with ones that are specifically for you. because there's so many that come in just for you.

So we're gonna start with this one [00:04:00] kit. 

This is from Sarah from Houston. Kit, you're always so quick and fun on camera. Have you ever said something live on TV that you immediately regretted a slipup, an awkward moment, or something that made you wanna crawl under the desk or behind the camera? Give us the behind the scenes tee.

Wait, was it Sarah? This is Sarah 

from Houston. Sarah, every single day, my friend, I'm not kidding, Harper, when you go live, it's that tightrope. But the one that, this is so embarrassing, but the one that comes to my mind is I'm working for ESPN. We go live at 7:00 AM to nine, so a two hour live show. I live an hour and a half out of the city.

I have a 1-year-old and a newborn. Mm. I went back to work when Hayes was three weeks old. Clearly some postpartum too. Like I, I was a wreck. I'm breastfeeding. I've had C-sections, so yeah, I don't even know if I should be up and walking. But anyway, I'm live on the air. And I remember we were doing a live hit out of Hamburg, Germany, and this was right around like nine 11 was still fresh and there was like a [00:05:00] bombing or something.

So they came to us with my earpiece, like breaking news live from Hamburg and Harper. I'm so embarrassed. So embarrassed. I dunno if I can say it. I was doing the whole thing and I was like coming to us from Hamburglar. I quoted the McDonald's fictitious character, 

hamburger, Hamburglar, 

hamburger. Then, like, you know, you can't edit that out and you know how I love to laugh.

So then I'm thinking about grimace. And I'm thinking, I just said hamburger, and then I could feel the laughter coming up. But it's a serious topic. And you know me, if it's a no laugh situation, it's when I laugh harder. Like, yes, yes. I'm not your girl. If we're in a no laugh situation, you do not wanna be sitting next to me.

So now I'm holding in the laughter. It's a serious thing. My producer is in my ear yelling, get it together. Kit. Funny. Which of course makes me laugh harder. Wanna laugh harder? Yeah. Hamburger, hamburger. Hamburger. We we're coming to you live from Hamburger. That's a Harper. There's a lot going on here. 

What is wrong with With me?

Costume and career Hamburger hat. Moment. 

I, I, I don't know if I recovered. We gotta find out. Have you, have you been [00:06:00] back to Germany? Since I have not been back and my producer and I, we literally fell on the floor laughing at the commercial break. I was like, okay, that's one. We're just gonna move, move forward.

That is really fun. Hamburger. Hamburger. By the way, I don't get the hamburger. And do you know what grimace is? I just learned this. No, he has a taste bud. I thought he was a grape. Who grimace from McDonald's? The big purple guy. 

Oh God. I mean, who, why do they even exist anymore? They exist. They still do now.

They did when we were younger. What did you think 

he was that giant purple thing? I, that grape did grape soda? Yeah. He has a taste bud. And then what is the hamburger he's stealing? I don't get this. I, 

you know, he is taking your cheeseburger from you, but why? I don't know. It feels like they don't, we wouldn't want 

that.

So you go buy more burger, the whole 

thing. Holy moly. That is so funny. It's 

kind of not. It's lucky that I just keep going forward Harper. See 

you continue to get hired. So it all worked out just fine.

I wanna 

say on that note, you and I talk a lot about. The risk that I've taken in my life and just sort of, not looking before I leap.

Yeah. 

Cold pizza on ESPN was [00:07:00] one of those moments. I'd never done live tv. I'd never read teleprompter, and I'm hosting a two hour live sports show on ESPN two. I mean, you gotta know your stuff on there. 

Yeah. 

And yes, I'm naturally curious and I do love sports, but not at that level for any parent.

Especially a mom to have a 1-year-old and a newborn. I was over my skis to say the least, and the press would write about how horrible I was and I mean, I just wasn't good. It took you a minute to get going. 

Yeah, 

and I just remember the music would start, the car picked me up at 3:00 AM I would breastfeed, haze and then get in the car.

I just cried all the time. I was so overwhelmed. But I remember I was like, I gotta. Stick this through. So the joke was I finally got good at it and then I was like, oh, I'm loving this rhythm. Yeah. And I wouldn't have where I am now without him doing that. But it was not smooth sailing. So I finally found my rhythm.

But the theme music used to start Harper and Sweat would go down my back and my voice, we really high, right? Well go This kid. I'm like, oh Lord, I'm mercy. Yeah. And so just. Try things, stick with it. The [00:08:00] lesson I learned was you can't be scared to fail, and sometimes you just gotta, you gotta grind it out.

Also, you clearly had someone. Who knew that this was what you were meant to be doing. Yes. Right. Either, whether it's a producer or someone behind the scenes who were like, yeah, it's not going so great, But did you, did you ever take guidance from someone at that point all the time?

Or was it just you like, no, 

I had Wonder day after day after Wonderful. People. I had, uh, this boss, mark Shapiro, that believed in me. That was unbelievable. I had Brian Donlin, my EP that used to sit with me. And that's the thing. I've got no ego. I wanna learn. So I would sit and learn from anybody. Yeah. That would say, Hey, when you're interviewing somebody who's had an illness, the lead off thing is, how are you feeling?

Don't start a sentence with, I've gotta ask. You never say that. You just ask. I was like a sponge. Mm-hmm. Like, whatever you told me, I was gonna go on live and do the next day. So it was humbling. For sure. I definitely wasn't good at not being good at something. Things had come sort of easily, and this was one where I was definitely stretching myself and it was very humbling.

but very gratifying. I [00:09:00] learned a lot. 

 what I love about everything that you're saying is that you weren't, you just weren't afraid to fail. Yeah. You weren't afraid to. I might screw this up again tomorrow on a brand, but hopefully I'll get a little bit better scale. 

how do you take feedback without being defensive? Because I think for most people that's very, very hard. just to feel like immediately guard up.

I'm gonna react. 

You know, that's such a good question because, truth be told, it was the first time in my life that I was sort of not doing well. And, I'm very quick so I can pick up things quickly. Mm-hmm. And it just wasn't, it's, I mean, it's a lot to learn. You're taking live hits, you got the earpiece, you're reading prompter, you're doing interviews.

It's two hours. I'm sleep deprived with the babies. I'm breastfeeding. Yeah. I'm still getting my scars. Like it was just a whole lot of. I was crazy to take this on, I think, but it didn't feel good, uh, to your point Of being told, like, yeah, that wasn't good. But I just, I think I am coachable and I think I'm good with taking direction.

And it's that you cannot let your ego overload your ass. You [00:10:00] gotta. You gotta just take it. Yeah. And try to be better the next day. And then I would sort of have moments of being like, okay, that felt good, and I just stayed with it. Mm-hmm. I'm not a big crier and I probably cried every single night, just being overwhelmed and not being good.

Probably also, just so we're clear. Yes. I mean, your body 

is going through, oh my gosh. War with itself. Yes. So maybe there was something about the softness that you had to embody because you. We're brand new mama again and this is with Campbell or Hayes? This is with 

Hayes, so, oh, so yeah, so you were, they're Irish twins, right?

What you said. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. And the other thing, Harper, which is so bizarre, is, so we got off the air at 9:00 AM and then I would get in the car and be lying home and let the, nanny that was there taking care of the kids for the morning go. ' cause I didn't want anybody else raising my kids. Mm-hmm.

That's insane. I should have let somebody help me, but I wanted to do it all myself. Soon, as soon as I got home at 9:00 AM I threw myself into mom mode and play dates and lunch and to the kids down for a nap and like I should have. That's crazy. Been a normal person and, and allowed help, but I was very Well that is a normal 

person though.

Well, there's so many women that that's exactly what they have to do. but a [00:11:00] little bit of help is good. That's why people sometimes move back to wherever may they might have family Yes.  because. You do need a break, but it's, that's, so that's just fascinating that that was the most intense time for any woman, uh, who's having children Yeah.

Is right after you've had them. And your body is not your own. Your brain's not your own. You're just, you're literally here for another purpose. And then at that moment for you to, as you always say, tap in to this whole other crazy live TV opportunity. Two 

hours is wild to get picked up at 3:00 AM. To go to work is already hard if you've got a perfectly stable life.

Right, right. To do that when you're coming off all night. Wait, we, we 

didn't include interviews also, or were you just kind of behind? It was all interviews 

Harper, Harper. Two hours of interviews. It's, it's, it's equivalent of the Today Show. but for sports, but for sports. So seven to nine, it was called cold pizza.

Oh my gosh. So it was nonstop interviews in studio satellite, taking it, reading prompter, which now I could do in my sleep and I love it. Right. That's what I'm built do. No, that's insane. But at the time, yeah, maybe could have [00:12:00] just. But, but, but wait, can I tell one of their funny stories on Thomas? We're gonna get to the letters.

Yes.

But this is a funny, for any working parent. 

When Campbell was born, my very first one, and I had the emergency C-section. Mm-hmm. And it was just so traumatic. I went back to work and I was obsessed with breastfeeding. I was like, it's my first child, I'm gonna breastfeed. Mm-hmm. And, I'd gone back to work and I had a big interview with Simon Cal, American Idol had just aired and he was the talk of the town.

Mm-hmm. So at this point, I'm doing a news magazine for Fox. It was called Fox Files. So I got the first big interview with Simon Cal. I flew to England, interviewed his mother. It was like, get to know Simon. It was this massive thing. So I don't know what to do. With Campbell. So I bring her with me to the interview.

Simon's holding Campbell, this is great. So I'm like, this is a different Simon than I feel like, oh, he, we all know him, Simon Cow, to be now. Oh, he was so wonderful. Yes. So anyway, Campbell's at the interview. I cut to a week later, I get home and now I get another assignment. So I have to find, I don't even have a babysitter, so I find my first babysitter to stay with Campbell.

So I go to work in the city. I [00:13:00] come back an hour away, and I call in my mom on the train. And, and bug says to me, I get home and I let the babysitter go and I'm holding Campbell and I just can't believe that I've left her. Like I was so neurotic. Mm-hmm. And bug was, like I said, bug. Campbell's like sleeping and Bug said, check her pupils.

I bet they drugged us so they could watch soap operas all day and like bug, they did not. Check her pupils. Check her pupils. I'm like, first of all, you're not helping the situation. I'm already nervous to be away. And this babysitter that became my full-time was wonderful. Oh. And we cracked up about this story, but I'm like, bug not helpful.

Like Campbell was the second coming. It was the first grandchild and she was not to be out of our sight at preschool. I stood outside the glass for two and a half hours. Oh. And watched her. I wouldn't leave. Oh. And you know how I am with Little Crowley? He drove himself to school at age three. Yes. Like, I can't even find him.

Yes. I was like learning curve. 

the first baby is a lot. Is a lot. I feel that definitely by the second, you're, we are all collectively more relaxed. Yes. And and it's interesting that as you go [00:14:00] through the years, and let's say 

your youngest might be the same age as someone's oldest, their first, and you see those parents going through for the first time, like, well, do you know where Jimmy's gonna be? Do you know whose house they're going to do? You know who's how they're getting there? And you're, and I mean, similarly, you're like, Nope, I think they're just gonna be fine.

They are 16 years old and I don't know. So true. But people who, but their first children are, you're going through it for the first time. It is not easy. There's great benefit to having additional children if you'd like to, because you're them. You just, you 

know what people say to me all the time?

They say, kit, you must come from a huge family and be the youngest. What a compliment. Yeah. Because I think that means you can just get it done. I'm like, I, I was lying, but like, yeah, 16 of us. Woo. We can rock and roll, but it is fending for yourself. Fending for yourself. oh, then the breastfeeding Harper.

then I had to fly out to LA to interview Simon for part of this. I couldn't bring Campbell. She stayed east coast with bug flu in, so I shipped my breast milk home and that's where my mom what finally said to me, kit, stop. Like, what are you [00:15:00] doing? I was like, I don't know. Why did you just 

throw it in a box?

I mean, that stuff has to stay cold. Was it like a I was, I 

was moron. I 

don't know what I was doing Harper. It is, it's liquid gold. We 

do know this. 

That, but like that is liquid gold, but that is crazy. I felt so 

guilty for stopping. I think she was six months old. My mom's permission. For some reason, it just made me feel okay to stop.

And then with my son, for me breastfeeding just didn't work. He went straight to formula and he just, just fine. So my, whatever works. I wish I'd been kinder to myself with that. Well, 

it's interesting you say that about permission because I do think on some level you always have, you feel like you need to seek permission at that moment in your life to, You need permission from someone. Maybe it's your mom, maybe it's your partner. Yeah, maybe it's a whoever. To be able to sometimes make those decisions that feel. I don't know. Like you're not supposed to do it or something. Yeah. 

Whatever works for you. Totally. If it's not working, it's okay.

Yeah, so I say that to any new mom. I have so many cute young friends who are having their babies, so I always give any sort of wisdom that I wish I'd known back then that a agree. You just do what 

feels [00:16:00] right for you. I remember 

with Campbell in the hospital, I had mastitis. She was my first, I had the. Oh, I had that c-section was, I mean, they had Campbell out with less than a minute.

That's how dicey that emergency c-section was. So it, I was just banged up and I remember, I'm trying to breastfeed her. I've got masis, my stitches and everything. Yeah. And I shared a, a hospital room with another mother. I don't know what was going on. So there we are. I can't remember her name, but she was lovely.

But it was her fourth child. I'll never forget. She had formula and that baby was just sucking. That formula just looks so good. You never heard a cry? Never heard a cry. You never heard a whimper. I hung over there like then the nurse is like, just get the football hold. And I couldn't get her 

to latch on.

God. The latching was, oh God. And, and it's painful. It's painful. If you're doing that, it's painful. I do think that there's so much new mom guilt. I think that's so much the stay at home moms, the working moms, the breastfeeding moms, the not breastfeeding formula moms. It really, were 

you good at it?

I bet you were good at it. 

Well, which part? 

Fast feeding? 

Uh, no. Well, it was hard. No, it was hard. But the first, it was hard. 'cause you don't really know what you're doing, but 

could you just like, whip out your boob at any moment and feed 'em, you know those mothers that are so fabulous? Well, but [00:17:00] I 

was working, I was working full time, I went back to work and I was able to work from home because our office was really far from our house, which 

by the way, now everybody can do. Back then Harper, nobody could do that. Nobody did. No, 

it's, it's just, I just said, this is what I'm gonna do. And I, you know, and I guess I have to feel happy that they felt I was valuable enough to say, I guess this random new mom and I'd even working there six months or something, and they'd said she wants to work from home.

And everyone's like, okay, I don't know. They let me do it for the whole time because you're magical. Well, I love that. It was just, it was, it was a gift for a thousand reasons, but, No. So I breastfed both kids, and it, and both of them at some point decided when it was time, they, they let me know.

They, they were the ones who gave me permission to say, it's time I'm not interested anymore. Mom. 

I remember those pumps. Wha I used to be in like the bathroom at the office, you know, I bet as a, a great breast feeder. Giselle, I bet she can just, oh, sure. I bet she can just like pull it out wherever I, I couldn't get the latch done and the hole thing, but you know what?

The scene I was just thinking about, we have not talked about this show, sex Life. Oh my gosh. Okay. So there's a scene in Sex Life for, I just interviewed 

Sarah Shahi. She is so [00:18:00] fabulous. Okay. 

She's just, she's so sexy, gorgeous. Doesn't she look like, from the Bengals? Um, 

Suzanne from the Bengals with the dark hair and the Oh yeah. but there's a scene where she's getting ready and getting like her hot self back together and she's got the leg bra with, and I just remember looking at her being like. God bless that woman.

Oh 

yeah. I mean we all did 

it. Yeah. But it's really not easy.

I 

was in Atlanta with Campbell and Hayes when they were babies and I had just breastfed Hayes and I ran up to my high school 'cause it's close to the house. And I love when I go up there because I bump into everybody that I know. So I'm kind of feeling like I got my groove back and all I have on is like jog bra and my tank top.

And I'm up there and I'm talking to all the coaches and I'm kind of feeling like I'm getting. Get my groom back. I'm like, what's up everybody? I get Home Harbor, my milk had come out and I have like two just wet spots on my boobs. No idea. And I was like, yeah, nailed it. Yeah, crushed it. And I wondered why they were looking at me, was staring me today.

Right. They're like, it's Kit Hoover with Giant, with breast milk coming up on this wet boobs. 

Perfect.

Oh, that's so good. 

Oh [00:19:00] gosh. We ate up all our time. Well. Perfectly. I loved it. send us your letters. I hope you enjoyed our breast milk talk. Mm-hmm. And, uh, whatever else we covered. How fun though harbor to think back how far we've come.

That seems like forever ago. It does and like yesterday. 

Totally. I mean, you have two kids that are in college through college. Our two are about to enter college next year and. We were talking about this last night. I just cannot believe we're at this point in our life. Yeah, it is. Really. It just rolls and then you just don't forget the moments that for you, your boobs are wet or you wet.

You say hamburger. It's Hamburg out there. Hamburger Ham. Hamburg at Hamburg Burglar. That's hard to say. Also, let's go 

live now to hamburger Germany. Yeah. Hamburg, you, they've got some 

really major stuff happening. There are burgers. Burgers being stolen from everyone. Chocolate shakes for 

everybody. Hold your burgers 

people.

Someone might just come by and swipe it. 

Oh, hope you enjoyed this fun episode of the coop. Please follow us wherever you get.your podcast. 

Yeah, follow us wherever you get your podcast. Click that button, click that button and if you like [00:20:00] this episode, like it, give us a great comment 

and we've got great guest coming up.

We got some biggie. Do so stay tuned. Alright y'all, thanks so much. See you next time in the