HOLLY CAMPBELL
CITY Bloomfield Hills
HUSBAND Dan Campbell, Head Coach of the Detroit Lions
FAMILY We have a son, Cody, and a daughter, Piper
BACKGROUND I was born in Arkansas but spent my early childhood in Portland, Ore., before moving to Texas. I ended up in Michigan through my husband's job. This is our second stop with the Lions but we've also lived in New Jersey, Dallas, Miami and New Orleans.
I call myself Chief Chaos Coordinator of Campbell Inc. The NFL life comes with a lot of changes and sacrifices, but being fully present for my children has been my top priority. I wanted them to have as normal a childhood as possible. Now that they are young adults, I fill my time with our Lions Women's Association and various charitable organizations.
IN THE SPIRIT OF THANKSGIVING: IS THERE AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS MEANINGFUL TO YOU? I've been so moved by all the amazing charities in Michigan. One of the closest to my heart is the mentoring group for girls at the Detroit Lions Academy that we run with Lions’ wives and girlfriends. We love connecting with the girls and helping them with school, relationships, mental health and setting themselves up for what comes next. Detroit Boxing Gym is doing amazing things for Detroit’s youth and Gleaners Food Bank is a favorite volunteer spot. I also absolutely love highlighting small businesses. There are so many talented people making things happen!
WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING AN NFL WIFE? I've been an NFL wife for 26 years, and with Dan it feels like we've lived three lifetimes — player, coach and now head coach. It hasn't all been easy but we’ve grown through it all together. I feel so blessed to have experienced living in different cities and meeting so many wonderful people along the way. Football may set the schedule, but family has always been the heart of it. We've shared a lot of miles, wins, losses, memories — and we can’t wait for more!
DOES YOUR FAMILY HAVE ANY GAME-DAY TRADITIONS? Game days at our house are less about traditions and more about superstitions. Don’t move this, don’t change that, repeat everything the same until it doesn’t work, or we’ll all feel like we’ve jinxed it.
HOW DO YOU SPEND THANKSGIVING DAY? Thanksgiving looks a little different when you have a football game on the schedule. We do our big meal the day after and either go out or order in on Thanksgiving Day. We usually have Chinese, inspired by the meal pivot in A Christmas Story. When we do the actual meal later, Dan prefers ham over turkey and corn on the cob sliced off the cob. The kids need homemade mac ’n’ cheese and mounds of mashed potatoes. I love making all the usual sides and throwing in a few new things every year. We always take turns naming what we’re thankful for and what we’re looking forward to.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT LIVING IN MICHIGAN?
I absolutely love Michigan, mostly because of the people. It just feels like home. Birmingham is beautiful and has so many wonderful shops and restaurants. We haven’t had anything but amazing experiences so it’s hard to name favorites. We love going to movies, breakfast at Toast, dinner at Forrest, Bakehouse 46 cupcakes, New York Pizza Pie delivery, Salvatore Scallopini’s bolognese, girls’ lunches at 220 Merrill, and so many more. It’s always hard to decide!
CALLAHAN (CALLIE) LaPORTA
CITY Metro Detroit
FAMILY No human children, but we have three pets — Bonnie, our dog, and our two cats, Lulu and Walter.
HUSBAND Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions Tight End
BACKGROUND I’m originally from Naperville, Ill., a Western suburb of Chicago. Sam and I met freshman year at the University of Iowa; I graduated with a B.B.A in Entrepreneurial Management. I combined my business degree with my love for baking and food when I started working as a Sales Analyst for Cooper Street Snacks, a Birmingham-based and woman-owned cookie and granola company. I also enrolled in Schoolcraft College’s pastry arts program this fall. Once I graduate in the spring, I’ll be able to call myself a classically trained pastry chef!
IS THERE A CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION THAT IS MEANINGFUL TO YOU? Sam and I are extremely passionate about rescuing animals; we adopted our Bonnie and our Walter from a local adoption agency called Happy Paws Haven in Ferndale, and have fostered a few animals for them, too. I decided to train our Bonnie to get certified as a therapy dog, and we volunteer at Henry Ford Hospitals, visiting patients and staff. Bonnie has been a natural and we look forward to it every week. We also support Show Your Soft Side (anti-animal abuse).
WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING AN NFL WIFE? It means being flexible and supportive no matter what; things like trades and injuries can happen in an instant, and you have to adapt at the drop of a hat. Your relationship has to have a really strong foundation, or else all the noise from the media, fans and sometimes family/friends becomes a lot to manage.
A misunderstood aspect about being married to an NFL player that I think is hilarious is that people think I know football! I’ll get messages on social media from random fans telling me, ‘Hey, tell your husband to score me X amount of points in fantasy this week with [names some sort of football tactic],’ and I’ll have no idea what they’re talking about. Heck, my husband just taught me what a play-action pass is! I love my husband more than anything in this world, but no amount of watching football will make me love it to that extent. I love that he loves it, you know? There’s nothing better than watching people live their dream and do what they’re passionate about. That’s how I feel about baking — although I think Sam gets to reap more benefits with my job, since he’s got a major sweet tooth.
DOES YOUR FAMILY HAVE ANY GAME-DAY TRADITIONS? My personal game-day tradition is to start off with something that brings me joy and centers me, like going to church or a workout class. That way, my entire day isn’t taken up by a football game; the stadiums are loud and stressful environments for me and can be emotionally overwhelming. Taking the time to fill up my own cup first and remember what really matters helps me to be the most supportive wife I can be.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT LIVING IN MICHIGAN? The people here are ‘Midwest nice!’ Sam and I are both from Illinois, and we went to college at Iowa. So Michigan wasn’t a huge cultural shift for us, which made me feel more comfortable coming straight out of college into the NFL lifestyle.
I would compare Naperville, Ill., where I grew up, as the ‘Birmingham’ of Chicago — a walkable downtown area that serves as the epicenter of life in our community. I love being able to get brunch, shop, get my nails or hair done, all within the span of a few blocks. We go to Holy Name Catholic Church and our tradition in the summertime was mass in the morning then walk to the farmer’s market. It was divine.
We are also huge foodies — Sam’s favorite pre-game day dinner is carbs in the form of pasta at Casa Pernoi. Order the spicy rigatoni and add sausage. I’m also obsessed with Commonwealth — as a pastry chef, I deeply appreciate their baked goods! I’ve been loving The Franklin Oyster Bar. And when I want a big juicy steak, there’s no better spot than London Chop House. There and Hiroki-San (order the olive beef wagyu on special occasions) are our favorites.
I love to walk Quarton Lake with my girlfriends. I also love seasonal activities like the Franklin Cider Mill. I grew up riding horses, too, so this summer I learned how to play polo at Detroit Polo Club. It was a ton of fun.
FUN FACT My mom was the editor of the Naperville magazine. I gained a true appreciation for local journalism. So I was very happy to participate in this article!
GAIL DISNER
CITY Birmingham
FAMILY Children Teddy and Archie
HUSBAND Mike Disner, COO
BACKGROUND I’m from a small rural town in Mississippi. I have a degree in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry and Economics, and an MBA and MHA. Since moving to Michigan, I’m a full-time content creator, sharing our 1936 Colonial Home on @thesoutherngail [see Birmingham City Lifestyle’s May 2025 cover story to learn more about Gail].
IS THERE A CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION THAT IS MEANINGFUL TO YOU? I support Make-a-Wish Foundation, Chad Tough and Detroit Lions Academy. I’m also active with the Chi Omega at U of M housing board and my kids’ school PTA board.
Giving back has always been part of who I am. Community service was part of my pageant world in high school. I had a community service-based scholarship in college and continue to give back today. Helping others is crucial to my belief system that when you have more to give, you can build a bigger table, not a higher fence.
WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING AN NFL WIFE? You can choose to focus on managing/supporting your husband (especially life on the road). It’s both stressful and rewarding. The days are long, and the normal schedule of weekends off and 9-5 work hours don’t exist. In many ways, it’s not a traditional life, but taking the kids and family members to games, loving a team with your whole heart and Thanksgiving Day at Ford Field — it’s magical. It’s really a family-wide commitment to the career and structuring your life in a way that’s supportive of the role. The front office is a small group so you really get to know each other and make life-long friends!
DOES YOUR FAMILY HAVE ANY GAME-DAY TRADITIONS? Almost always, we ride together to games even though that means we are there super-early before the stadium opens. But it’s just nice to spend that time together.
HOW DO YOU SPEND THANKSGIVING DAY? I always make pecan pies, no matter what! As far as when we celebrate, we try something new almost every year — before, in the suite, after, the next day. Who knows what we’ll do this year but hopefully we’ll be cooking all day on Friday in my new kitchen (hopefully it will be done) and celebrating a Thanksgiving Day win!
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT LIVING IN MICHIGAN? I love the seasons, I love that communities of old homes on tree-lined streets exist. I love the people!
Downtown Birmingham is so charming! I love going to the farmer’s market, eating at Social, Sals or Market, doing Lagree [fitness] at Sage House and grabbing coffee at Birmingham Roast or Lucky’s. And — Go Lions!
CARRIE SPIELMAN
CITY Bloomfield Hills
FAMILY We are a blended family with six children: Maddie, married to Matt Smith in July; Noah, married to Lauren (their eight-month-old son, Shepherd Ray, is my first grandchild); Kendra, married to Jacob Hickman in August; Gina and husband John Paolo are expecting grandchild No. 2 in Jan. 2026; Macy and husband Josh Blankenship; Audrey graduated college this May. Four of our girls were married in the last 14 months — what a gift to continue growing this beautiful family.
HUSBAND Chris Spielman, former Linebacker for Ohio State Buckeyes; Executive Assistant to the Owner and CEO for the Detroit Lions — they created a position for him to be a part of the organization.
BACKGROUND I grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, and lived in Columbus most of my life before moving here; I graduated from The Ohio State University. I still hold my residential real-estate license in Ohio and am in the process of getting my license in Florida.
IS THERE A CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION THAT IS MEANINGFUL TO YOU? Our faith is the foundation of our family, so we are strong supporters of our Catholic parish and Detroit Catholic Diocese. Giving back to Christian and Catholic organizations allows us to live out our values while helping strengthen the community that we love. My husband and his late wife created the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research and Patient Assistance after her diagnosis. It carries so much significance for my husband and his children — it’s a way to honor their journey while helping others walking through the same fight.
I have a daughter with health challenges and another who was born prematurely, so Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus holds a very special place in our hearts. Their care and expertise were critical when my girls were younger, and supporting children’s hospitals is our way of giving back for the incredible care they provided. I also work with the Detroit Lions Academy.
WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING AN NFL WIFE? I’m still fairly new to the NFL world, so I’m figuring things out as I go. It’s definitely a different lifestyle, but being part of the community and supporting Chris in this role has been really fun. The people in the organization have been amazing and we have established some really great relationships. I may be a bit biased, but I feel we have the best owners in the league.
People assume he only works during football season — not even close! It’s a year-round, high-pressure industry with a lot of ups and downs. What’s been eye-opening is how much rides on each win or loss. It’s not just about bragging rights — it’s people’s livelihoods. From the owners and front office to the coaches, players, business partners and so many others, a season’s outcome affects everyone.
DOES YOUR FAMILY HAVE ANY GAME-DAY TRADITIONS? Chris likes to be at the stadium early — I joke that he’s the one unlocking the doors. I usually get there about two hours before kickoff so I don’t have to deal with traffic. We love going down to the field before the game — it’s a chance to see the owners and their families, and you can really feel the energy from the players and the fans. It’s one of my favorite parts of the day.
HOW DO YOU SPEND THANKSGIVING DAY? Thanksgiving kicks off with a workout at our house. I used to be a fitness competitor and personal trainer, and with Chris being a former pro athlete, working out is part of our family culture. Now that our kids — including a strength coach and a basketball coach — are grown, they’ve taken over leading the charge. Since moving to Detroit, we’ve started doing our big Thanksgiving dinner the night before. Everyone comes into town, brings a game or activity and we just soak up the time together and focus on gratitude. Thursday morning is the workout, then we head to the Lions game. It’s one of my favorite traditions — full of energy, family, food and a whole lot of love.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT LIVING IN MICHIGAN? We lived downtown for the first year and I liked it more than I expected. But I’m a suburban girl, so moving to Bloomfield Hills felt right. Being close to Downtown Birmingham is a bonus — it gives us that little city vibe without being in the middle of it. And the people here are so kind. I’ve found the same warmth here in Michigan that I left in Ohio.
And I love taking my dog Jerry on hikes — there are so many different beautiful places to go.