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
Navigating Prolapse After Pregnancy: Guidance & Hope — with DR. MARGO KWIATKOWSKI aka @postpartum_pop_pt
Today I speak with Margo Kwiatkowski, an orthopedic and pelvic health physical therapist in Southern California. She has made it her life’s mission to provide valuable, evidence based, and accessible information about pelvic organ prolapse in postpartum people. Margo was diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse after the birth of her first child in the summer of 2021. She knew all the statistics about pelvic organ prolapse and did “all the right things” but was still taken aback by the diagnosis. She was the most shocked by how deeply this diagnosis affected her physical AND mental health. She quickly realized there was a need for more education and exposure about pelvic organ prolapse and created her Instagram with the hopes of normalizing changes postpartum. Her goal is to help dispel fears about prolapse and help people get back to what they love.
We talk about:
-learning about pelvic floor therapy
-expectations going into pregnancy
-not being heard postpartum
-empowering but not scaring
-speaking with a mental health professional
-common but not normal
-reducing symptoms to restore nervous system
-shifting organs
Time Stamps
1:00 introduction
2:56 learning about pelvic health
5:40 pregnancy as a PT
10:10 discovering she had prolapse
15:00 validating patients’ feelings
20:30 ah-ha moments from pelvic health
28:19 pessaries
34:25 “Are my organs going to go back?”
40:49 dealing with perimenopause
43:30 rapid fire questions
CONNECT WITH CARRIE
IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/
Website: https://carriepagliano.com
CONNECT WITH MARGO
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/postpartum_prolapse/
Website: https://www.p4moms.com/
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!!!!)