Claim OwnershipActive Mom Podcast: Pregnancy, Postpartum, Perimenopause, Menopause & Beyond
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© 2026 Active Mom Podcast: Pregnancy, Postpartum, Perimenopause, Menopause & Beyond
Description
Welcome to the Active Mom Podcast — where real motherhood stories meet real science.
Hosted by Dr. Carrie Pagliano, double board-certified physical therapist, runner, mom of two, and internationally recognized expert in pregnancy, postpartum, pelvic floor, and perimenopause performance.
Whether you’re a mom navigating running with prolapse or leakage, a clinician supporting active women, or a lifelong athlete trying to stay strong through every hormonal season — this show gives you evidence-based guidance and real life mom stories without the fear, confusion, or shame.
Each week, Dr. Carrie brings candid conversations with researchers, clinicians, elite athletes, and everyday moms to explore what it actually takes to run, lift, jump, and live confidently through pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and beyond.
We talk about:
• Postpartum return to running & lifting
• Pelvic floor symptoms (leakage, prolapse, pain)
• Pregnancy exercise myths & safety
• Strength training at every age
• Perimenopause performance & hormone changes
• Mental health, identity shifts & motherhood
• The realities of being an active mom in a busy life
Real talk. Real science. Real moms.
Because you deserve to feel strong and supported — at every stage of your active life.
213 Episodes
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Send a text In this episode, I sit down with Laura Norris, a certified running coach, science writer, and podcaster who has coached over 500 runners from beginners to podium finishers. Known for her science-based approach to training, Laura has spent more than a decade writing about running through her website Laura Norris Running and her Substack. She also co-hosts the Tread Lightly Podcast and has been featured in publications including Runner’s World, NPR Life Kit, Outside, GQ, Self, and S...
Send a text The Active Mom Podcast just crossed 100,000 downloads and 200+ episodes, which honestly feels a little surreal. So for this one, I did something a little different… In this solo episode, I reflect on how the podcast started back when it was the Active Mom Postpartum Podcast, how it evolved into conversations about pregnancy, postpartum, pelvic floor health, return to running, perimenopause, and menopause, and some of the guests and moments that shaped the show along the way....
Send a text Menopause care is changing — but not fast enough. In this episode of the Active Mom Podcast, I sit down with Ingrid Harm-Ernandes, PT — a physical therapist with more than 40 years of experience in women’s health, known as “The Pelvic Detective” on YouTube and author of The Musculoskeletal Mystery: How to Solve Your Pelvic Floor Symptoms. Ingrid has spent decades pushing for earlier access to pelvic health care, better clinical reasoning, and more respect for the complexity of wom...
Send a text What are we getting right — and wrong — about the hip–pelvic floor connection? In this episode of the Active Mom Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Jenny LaCross, PhD, ATC, PT and Dr. Laurel Proulx, PT, DPT to unpack the evolving conversation around pelvic floor dysfunction, hip mechanics, stress urinary incontinence, and clinical reasoning in women’s health physical therapy. Jenny is a certified athletic trainer and board-certified women’s health physical therapist with extensive exper...
Send a text What starts as a quick run to get out of the house… can end up changing your entire life. In this episode of the Active Mom Podcast, I sit down with running creator Erica Kennedy aka @inmyrunningerica to talk about how running helped her survive an abusive marriage — and slowly rebuild her confidence, independence, and sense of self one mile at a time. Now she’s the voice behind the hilarious IG posts that we runners can’t stop sharing — from what to wear in Bald Headed Scallywags...
Send a text What happens when pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and military fitness standards collide? Because “light duty” doesn’t exactly exist when you’re a soldier… or a mom. In this episode of the Active Mom Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Megan Jones, a civilian physical therapist who has spent nearly her entire career embedded inside the military system, helping pregnant and postpartum service members stay strong, capable, and mission-ready. She works at the intersection of tactical athlet...
Send a text In this episode, we welcome back Carter Norbo—home health physical therapist, lifelong runner, and mom to two-year-old twins and a five-month-old baby. After narrowly missing qualification for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in 2024 following the birth of her twins, Carter returned to racing postpartum and is now officially qualified for the 2028 Olympic Marathon Trials—just months after welcoming her third baby. Balancing full-time work, elite-level marathon training, and life w...
Send a text In this episode, I sit down with Shannon Rowbury—Olympic bronze medalist, one of the most accomplished middle-distance runners in U.S. history, and Emmy Award winner for her work with NBC’s 2024 Olympic coverage—and Jessica Dorrington, a pelvic floor physical therapist, runner, and all-around grounded voice in pregnancy and postpartum fitness. Together, they co-authored Strong as a Mother and founded 4Two, a platform built to give moms what so many of us were searching for: clear,...
Send a text Is Pilates enough? How much is "enough" protein? What does "lifting heavy" ACTUALLY mean? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Alyssa Olenick, PhD, founder of Doc Lyss Fitness and creator of The Lyss Method, to break down what the research actually shows about strength training and protein in perimenopause. As a strength athlete, ultramarathon runner, and certified sports nutritionist, Alyssa bridges the gap between science and real-world training. Together, we cut thr...
Send a text In this episode of the Active Mom Podcast, I’m joined again by Dr. Rita Deering, PT, DPT, PhD — Associate Professor of Physical Therapy and Director of the Movement Sciences Laboratory at Carroll University. With 18+ years of clinical experience and 15 years specializing in pelvic health, Dr. Deering is a leading researcher in perinatal musculoskeletal health, pregnancy and postpartum exercise, pelvic floor function, and female athlete performance. This conversation is a must-list...
Send a text Coming in at #1 on our list of top podcasts for 2025 is my conversation with Christina Prevett. We close Season 4 of the podcast catching up with @dr.christina_prevett—pelvic health physiotherapist, competitive weightlifter, CrossFit athlete, mom of two, & total powerhouse for strength training across the lifespan. (rumor has it she bought a Garmin watch & is now a runner too !?!)💪✨ Dr. Prevett is deep in a postdoctoral fellowship studying resistance training in the pe...
Send a text Coming in at #2 on our list of top podcasts for 2025 is my conversation with Lauren Colesco-Semple. What if most of what you’ve been told about fitness, hormones, and nutrition as a woman… isn’t actually true? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, PhD aka @drlaurencs1—muscle physiology researcher, science communicator, and co-owner of the MASS Research Review—to set the record straight on what actually matters for women’s health and fitness. Whether you’re na...
Send a text Coming in at #1 on our list of top podcasts for 2024 is my conversation with Dr. Ashley Winter. Today, I speak with Dr. Ashley Winter, Board certified urologist who specializes in sexual medicine and postpartum hormones. After realizing that many of the common concerns that patients were brining to her clinic were not being addressed by the information she was being taught, she decided to do a fellowship in sexual disfunction. After working in managed health for five years follow...
Send a text Coming in at #2 on our list of top podcasts for 2024 is my conversation with Munira Hudani. Today I speak with Munira Hudani, a Pre- and Post-Natal physiotherapist in Canada, and an emerging leader for the management of Diastasis Rectus Abdominis. After years of frustration in landing inconsistent results with her clients, and the dissatisfaction in having to say “we just don’t have enough research right now,” Munira began to challenge the conventional method to managing DRA...
Send a text 🎙️ Coming in at #3 on our list of top podcasts for 2024! If you’re navigating pelvic organ prolapse after baby, this episode is a must-listen. 💡 I sit down with Margo Kwiatkowski, aka @postpartum_prolapse, an orthopedic & pelvic health PT, to dive into the physical AND mental challenges of POP. Diagnosed after her first baby in 2021, Margo turned her experience into a mission to educate, empower, & normalize postpartum changes. 🌟 We cover it all: &...
Send a text Coming in at #4 on our list of top podcasts for 2024 is my solo episode discussing how soon you can get back to workouts after delivery. 🎙️ When Can I Work Out After Baby? 🤔 Postpartum fitness is one of the hottest questions I get—DMs, emails, sidelines at kid activities, you name it. And guess what? There’s no magic “ready date” 🤯 (sorry, not sorry). But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered in today’s solo podcast episode. 🏋️♀️✨ We’ll dive into: 👉 Genera...
Send a text 🎙️ Coming in hot at #5 on our list of top podcasts for 2024: My solo episode tackling one of the most DEBATED postpartum fitness questions: Do you REALLY have to wait 12 weeks to start running after baby? 🏃♀️ After 25 years of experience as a pelvic floor PT working with postpartum moms (& as someone who’s been there postpartum), I've read the research, talked to the experts, & lived the reality. Here’s the scoop: the "12-week guideline” might be hel...
Send a text 🚨 She’s back! We’re thrilled to welcome the incredible *Dr. Kimberley Johnson, PhD*, aka @wildmatrescence, back to the show for our Season 3 Finale! 🎉✨ Kimberley is a psychologist specializing in perinatal and reproductive health concerns, including: 🌟 Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders 🌟 Perinatal trauma & loss 🌟 Pelvic floor conditions 🌟 Infertility 🌟 Reproductive transitions In Episode 14 (May 2022), she shared her jour...
Send a text 💥 *New Episode Alert!* 💥 Today I’m joined by the incredible Dr. Carey Rothschild, Clinical Associate Professor at @ucf.edu & lead author of the groundbreaking Clinical Commentary: "Maximizing Running Participation and Performance Through Menopause" (published in @jwphptofficial, April/June 2023). 🙌 With 25+ years in orthopedics & sports medicine, Dr. Rothschild brings expertise in female athlete health, menopause, & running injuries—& she’s recently...
Send a text What if your postpartum wasn't the picture of straight-forward perfection? Today, we welcome back Amy Leedham, aka @amy_the_punisher former pro trail runner, a sustainability consultant, who recently welcomed her 2nd child! Amy joined us in Season 1 to talk about “The Postpartum Experience No One Wants to Read About but Should,” a piece she wrote in 2021 after the birth of her 1st child, highlighting the physical complications she faced attempting to return to trail runnin...
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Note : In the first part of this podcast when Rachel mentions eating four Awesome Sauce gels in a one hour workout, it was believed that these gels contained 45g of carbs. Since then, studies have found that these gels actually contain ~18g of carbs which equates to 76g/hour, a very normal amount for an ultra runner like Rachel.