Active Mom Podcast: Pregnancy, Postpartum, Perimenopause, Menopause & Beyond
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.
Active Mom Podcast: Pregnancy, Postpartum, Perimenopause, Menopause & Beyond
Latest Episodes
Sports Medicine & the Pelvic Floor: We Don't Know Everything — But Here's Where the Science Actually Is — with GRÁINNE DONNELLY
Gráinne Donnelly is back — and this time she's the editor and primary author of a brand-new Elsevier textbook, Sports Medicine and the Pelvic Floor: Science to Practice. It's the book this field has been waiting for... and the honest t...
Is It Ever Too Late to Start Running? From Couch Potato to Grandma Athlete at 57 — with author HILDEE WEISS
Hildee Weiss didn't run her first full mile until she was 46. And honestly? She was convinced she'd look ridiculous doing it… like Phoebe from Friends, flailing around while everyone stared. (If you're Gen X, you already get it.)Fast for...
Running Injuries in Perimenopause: Recovery, Hormones & Real Mom Life — with WHITNEY HEINS
What happens when the body that carried you through marathons suddenly starts changing the rules on you mid-stride…?In this episode, I sit down with Whitney Heins — founder of The Mother Runners run community, host of the Mother Runners ...
Hormones, Bone Loss & Injury Risk: What Every Active Woman Needs to Know — with DR. JOCELYN WITTSTEIN
Your bones started changing before you noticed. Most women don't find out until something breaks.Dr. Jocelyn Wittstein — orthopedic surgeon at Duke and co-author of The Complete Bone and Joint Health Plan — is here to change tha...
Is Childbirth Harder Than an Ultra? Running Myths, Postpartum Comebacks & the Honest Logistics of Racing as a Mom — with DR. ERIN DALISAY, PT
She's run ultras. She's survived pregnancy nausea. She's raced with a baby at home. And she has opinions about all of it.In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Erin Kennedy Dalisay — ortho & sports PT, run coach, marathoner, ult...
Fan Mail
Hi Dr. Pagliano! So glad I started listening to your podcast. I'm a first time mom about 11 weeks PP navigating prolapse and return to athletics. I've only just started to scrape the surface of all the excellent content I'm finding from your podcast, but just wondering if you've ever focused on how we talk to our significant others or family about the mental load these pelvic floor issues create? I keep struggling to explain to my husband how difficult this all feels. Thought I'd throw the idea out there for a future pod! Thanks!!
Green Bay, Wisconsin