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
Postpartum Running After Hip Labral Surgery: Recovery, Coaching & Motherhood — with MARY JOHNSON
Today, I speak with Mary Johnson, owner and founder of Lift.Run.Perform, mom of 2, coach, and athlete. A former D1 rower, she ran her first marathon in 2010. She worked in fashion for 6 years after college and left in 2015 to work in strength & conditioning. She founded LRP in 2017 to follow her true passion of running coaching. After giving birth in 2019 and 2021, Mary had a long and extensive postpartum rehab processes. This also lead to FAI/labral repair surgery in 2022 as her hip got increasingly worse with each baby. She prides herself on being a spokesperson for self-advocacy regarding injuries, as well as evidence-based, smart training for life.
We talk about:
-finding sports after college
-navigating pregnancy
-struggling with fertility
-figuring it out
-FAI hip surgery
-advocating for yourself
-benefits of being strong
-mental load of dealing with injuries
Time Stamps
1:00 Introduction
6:15 rowing crew in college
8:46 struggling to get pregnant
17:45 motherhood as an athlete
21:50 the second pregnancy
23:55 getting the correct diagnosis
32:06 be strong first
36:30 lingering pain issues
41:14 considering other options
45:50 rapid fire questions
CONNECT WITH CARRIE
IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/native_women_running/
Website: https://carriepagliano.com
CONNECT WITH MARY
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsamarython/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liftrunperform/
Website: www.liftrunperform.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!!!!)