Send us a text

In this powerful season finale, I sit down with journalist and author Maggie Mertens (@maggiejmertens) to unpack the untold history—and future—of women in sport, running, and motherhood.

Maggie is a Seattle-based writer whose work spans gender, athletics, and culture. Her book Better Faster Farther: How Running Changed Everything We Know About Women breaks down the myths that held women back for decades and highlights the stories that never made it into the headlines. 

After finishing her book, she returned to running at 37 and recently completed her first half marathon—proof that rewriting the narrative starts in our own lives, too.

This episode dives deep into the real experiences of women who run, lift, train, and raise families while navigating outdated cultural beliefs about their bodies. 

From postpartum fitness to perimenopause realities, athletic identity shifts, and the mental health benefits of movement, Maggie brings clarity, honesty, and perspective we all need.

We talk about:
🔹 Balancing motherhood and athletic identity
🔹 The biggest myths holding women in sport back
🔹 Why the victim mindset keeps women stuck—and how to shift it
🔹 Exercise, running, and mental health (especially in midlife)
🔹 Returning to fitness postpartum without the pressure or shame

If you’re a runner, athlete, postpartum or perimenopausal mom, or someone reclaiming your athletic identity, this is a must-listen conversation.

Time Stamps

1:00 Introduction

5:15 how far back can we look?

9:50 women who have been lost to history

16:53 motherhood versus being an athlete

19:42 race and the research

24:09 women being treated as delicate

29:50 societal pressures

33:40 breaking barriers in the mile

37:15 women’s marathon history

40:57 coming back to running

50:17 what’s next

52:13 rapid fire questions

CONNECT WITH CARRIE

IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/

Website: https://carriepagliano.com

CONNECT WITH MAGGIE:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/maggiejmertens/

Website: https://maggiemertens.com/

Substack: https://maggiemertens.substack.com/

Book: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/maggie-mertens/better-faster-farther/9781643753355/

The Active Mom Podcast is A Real Moms' Guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond for active moms & the professionals who help them in their journey.

This show has been a long time in the making!

You can expect conversation with moms and professionals from all aspects of the industry.

If you're like me, you don't have a lot of free time (heck, you're probably listening at 1.5x speed), so theses interviews will be quick hits to get your the pertinent information FAST!

If you love what you hear, share the podcast with a friend and leave us a 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and review. It helps us become more visible in the search algorithm! (Helps us get seen by more moms that need to hear these stories!!!!)