Active Mom Podcast: Pregnancy, Postpartum, Perimenopause, Menopause & Beyond

Carrie
  • 5.0 (31)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Weekly

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.

  1. 7h ago

    REWIND // YOUR ESTROGEN TANKED AND NOBODY TOLD YOU WHY POSTPARTUM & PERIMENOPAUSE DR. RACHEL RUBIN

    Send us Fan Mail You leave the hospital with a healthy baby, a folder of paperwork, and zero mention of the fact that your estrogen just went from about 3,000 to almost nothing. That is where this conversation starts. In 2022, I sat down with Dr. Rachel Rubin, urologist and sexual medicine specialist, back in season one, long before she became the person everyone quotes about hormones. I've known her since she walked into the PT department at Georgetown as a resident and asked if she could shadow somebody and learn about Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy. This is her before the rest of the world caught up. We're rewinding it now because almost everything she predicted in this episode has since happened. 🔹 The estrogen arc, in actual numbers: baby, teenager, cycling, pregnant, postpartum  🔹 Why breastfeeding puts you in a menopause-like state, and what that does to tissue  🔹 Why the bladder and urethra are full of hormone receptors nobody talks about  🔹 What to say when you're told to use more lubricant and wait until you're done nursing  🔹 Birth control, IUDs and local hormones: what actually interacts with what  🔹 The 2000s study that scared a generation off hormones, and how badly it was reported  🔹 The postpartum visit she wishes every woman got, mirror included Since we recorded, the FDA moved on the estrogen warning label and the AUA published its first guideline on genitourinary syndrome of menopause. Rachel was already saying all of it into my microphone. Come hear where it started. A correction on my intro: I say "FDA approval" for local vaginal estrogen in the open, and I want the record straight. Vaginal estrogen was already approved. What changed, in November 2025, is that the FDA moved to remove the black box warning from estrogen products, the warning that scared a generation of women and their doctors off it. The approval was never the problem. The label was. This episode is education, not medical advice. If you want a clinician who actually knows this material, The Menopause Society keeps a practitioner finder at menopause.org. Time Stamps 1:00 introduction 4:01 hormone health and changes 11:10 advocating for yourself 17:30 hormones and the urinary tract 21:30 HRT misconceptions  27:45 testing and perimenopause 29:30 advice for moms CONNECT WITH CARRIE IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/ Website: https://carriepagliano.com CONNECT WITH RACHEL IG: https://www.instagram.com/drrachelrubin/ Website: https://www.rachelrubinmd.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!!!!)

  2. 5d ago

    The Thoughts You're Too Scared to Say Out Loud — Birth Trauma, Intrusive Thoughts & Postpartum Mental Health with DR. VANESSA KOMAREK (@heavy_lifting_psychologist)

    Send us Fan Mail There's a thought a lot of moms have had and almost none of them have said out loud. Maybe it was an image of dropping the baby. Maybe it was something worse. And the second it showed up, the next thought was: what is wrong with me? Dr. Vanessa Komarek is a psychologist who specializes in trauma and PTSD recovery, a powerlifter, and a mom of two under two. She came on to talk about mental load and we ended up somewhere much more honest: birth trauma, intrusive thoughts, and why so much well-meaning postpartum advice lands flat. 🔹 What mental load actually is (the cognitive part and the emotional part nobody names) 🔹 What "birth trauma" includes, and why it's broader than most people think 🔹 What's a normal reaction after a hard delivery, and the signals that it's worth reaching out 🔹 Intrusive thoughts: what they are, why fighting them backfires, and what actually helps 🔹 Why "sleep when the baby sleeps" and "take time for yourself" fall flat for so many women 🔹 The trade-offs nobody admits are baked into "balance" 🔹 All-or-nothing thinking, exercise snacks, and Vanessa's phrase for it: embracing messy action 🔹 The pelvic health parallel: what happens when the brain decides the body is fragile This one is worth your time whether you're in it right now or 15 years past it. And if any of it lands a little too close, that's information, not a verdict. Resources mentioned: Postpartum Support International: postpartum.net · HelpLine 1-800-944-4773 (call or text) · free online support groups and a provider directory If you are in crisis in the US, call or text 988.   Find Vanessa on Instagram: @heavy_lifting_psychologist This podcast is for education and is not medical advice. Please loop in your own provider. Time Stamps 0:00 introduction 6:07 talking about mental load 9:48 what got Vanessa into psychology 12:55 helping moms deal with trauma and expectations 19:55 ignoring the bad advice 23:48 the athlete identity 28:17 balance is a myth 35:58 helping moms overcome perfectionism 37:41 what she has learned in her journey 45:19 being an active mom CONNECT WITH CARRIE IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/ Website: https://carriepagliano.com Course waitlist: https://course.carriepagliano.com/RSAWL R2R Screen: https://course.carriepagliano.com/R2Rreadyscreen CONNECT WITH VANESSA: IG: https://www.instagram.com/heavy_lifting_psychologist/ Website: www.adaptpsych.org 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!!!!)

  3. Jul 22

    REWIND // Will working out hurt your milk supply? — KELLY KENDALL, RN, IBCLC aka @thebalancedboob

    Send us Fan Mail "I don't have enough milk." It's the first place a new mom's brain goes when the baby fusses, wakes early, or pops off the breast. And when you add workouts back into the mix? The doubt gets louder. This week's Summer Rewind brings back one of my favorite conversations, with my longtime friend (and former neighbor!) Kelly Kendall, RN, IBCLC, aka @thebalancedboob. Kelly was an L&D nurse who thought she had breastfeeding figured out. Then she became a mom. Tongue ties, mastitis, postpartum anxiety, all of it. That story is exactly why she does what she does now. We get into: 🔹 Why "I must not have enough milk" is usually the wrong conclusion (and what's actually normal)  🔹 The real answer to "will exercise mess with my supply?"  🔹 Fueling for lactation AND training: calories, protein, and why this is NOT the season for a deficit  🔹 The logistics nobody warns you about (pumping in the car counts as a win)  🔹 The hardest part of all: believing you deserve time to move your body If you're trying to nurse a baby and get back to the workouts you love, this one will take a weight off your shoulders. Press play. Find Kelly on Instagram @thebalancedboob or at thebalancedboob.com Time Stamps 1:00 introduction 4:19 common issues and struggles 9:15 where moms struggle when starting to add in workouts 11:50 nutrition advice for breastfeeding moms 14:15 additional advice for moms CONNECT WITH CARRIE IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/ Website: https://carriepagliano.com CONNECT WITH KELLY IG: https://www.instagram.com/thebalancedboob/ 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!!!!)

  4. Jul 17

    Everyone's calling it a 'tight pelvic floor'… but can we actually feel it? — with Gosia Starzec-Proserpio, PhD

    Send us Fan Mail You've heard it. Maybe you've said it. "Your pelvic floor is too tight." It's everywhere right now — on the socials, in the clinic, out of the mouths of people who've never assessed a pelvic floor in their life. But here's the question almost nobody stopped to ask: can we actually feel the thing we keep confidently naming? Researcher Gosia Starzec-Proserpio, PT, PhD, just did the work to find out — across 528 women. And her answer is more interesting (and more freeing) than either side of the internet fight wants it to be. I got to sit down with Gosia — 12 weeks postpartum, "just coming out of the darkness into the light," her words — to talk about the study that went a little viral, and what it actually means for the person on your table. 🔹 What "tone" even means (and why it meant nothing to her as a new clinician) 🔹 The single biggest mistake we make: treating "pain" and "tight" as the same word  🔹 Palpation vs. ultrasound vs. dynamometry — three tools, three answers, and why that's a feature, not a flaw  🔹 Where our fingers are genuinely good — and where they quietly aren't  🔹 Why you can't get "fixed on the number," even when we love a good number 🔹 The pregnancy nobody warns you about being harder than postpartum This one's for the clinicians who want to sharpen how they assess and explain tone — and for anyone who's been handed a label they've been carrying ever since.  Come nerd out with us. Education, not individualized medical advice — loop in your own pelvic floor PT for what's true for your body. Time Stamps 0:00 introduction 3:56 quick fire questions 9:43 troubles breastfeeding 18:55 muscle tone explained 21:54 explaining the research 25:35 communicating with patients 33:51 comparing different measurement modalities 45:53 addressing personal biases 49:11 changes in clinical practice CONNECT WITH CARRIE IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/ Website: https://carriepagliano.com Course waitlist: https://course.carriepagliano.com/RSAWL CONNECT WITH GOSIA: IG: https://www.instagram.com/starzecproserpio_phd/ Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/mstarzec Research: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Malgorzata-Starzec-Proserpio?ev=hdr_xprf  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!!!!)

  5. Jul 15

    REWIND // Why Moms Leak When They Run: What Urinary Incontinence Research Gets Right (and Wrong) with — DR. LINDA MCLEAN

    Send us Fan Mail If you've ever accepted leaking as the toll you pay to keep running, this one's going to reframe it. Dr. Linda McLean (@mfm_lab) is one of the foremost researchers on the pelvic floor and urinary incontinence — a professor and Chair in Women's Health Research at the University of Ottawa. In this Summer Rewind, we cut through what the science actually shows about why running-induced urinary incontinence happens… and where popular advice for active moms gets it wrong. We get into pelvic floor morphology, how running may load and change those structures, and what the evidence says about interventions — including pessaries and other intravaginal support devices for runners who leak. Linda also unpacks the difference between evidence-based and evidence-informed, and how to break down the barriers keeping women from exercise. Leaking when you run is common… but common doesn't have to mean permanent. Always work with your own pelvic floor PT and maternity provider — this conversation is education, not individual care. Time Stamps 1:00 Introduction 3:58 bio feedback in pelvic PT 6:46 morphology paper 16:41 the roll strength plays 21:15 connecting clinical findings to research 32:10 intra-abdominal pressure 34:50 different causes of urinary incontinence 40:20 supportive devices 44:29 elongation of the pelvic floor CONNECT WITH CARRIE IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/ Website: https://carriepagliano.com CONNECT WITH LINDA IG: https://www.instagram.com/mfm_lab/ Website: www.mfmlab.ca X: @mfmlab Facebook: @mfmlabuottawa 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!!!!)

  6. Jul 10

    You don't have to look like a runner to be one — with Melanie Cote (@the.curvy.runner)

    Send us Fan Mail Melanie Cote spent years believing runners were a certain kind of person — thin, disciplined, elite — and she wasn't it. So when a coworker organized a 5K, she showed up to cheer instead of run, too embarrassed to try. A year later, she crossed that same start line. Today she's a half-marathoner who runs as @the.curvy.runner, and her story is for every mom who's ever thought "I'm not a runner." Carrie and Melanie get into starting couch-to-5K in your late 40s, why consistency beats performance, the gear struggles nobody warns curvy runners about, running through perimenopause, and letting go of the diet-culture rules we grew up with. It's a conversation about giving yourself permission — to take up space, to take the trip, to be the mom you're proud of. Time Stamps 0:00 introduction 5:08 how our relationship with running has changed 8:43 separating running from weight loss 11:29 becoming more active as kids get older 14:56 being flexible to be consistent 19:55 being creative with winter running 25:32 finding community in running 29:30 deciding to do a Disney half marathon 34:02 running as a curvy woman 43:13 dealing with hormonal changes 48:40 quick hit questions CONNECT WITH CARRIE IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/ Website: https://carriepagliano.com Course waitlist: https://course.carriepagliano.com/RSAWL CONNECT WITH MELANIE: IG: https://www.instagram.com/the.curvy.runner/ Website: www.thecurvyrunners.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!!!!)

  7. Jul 8

    REWIND The strength work that actually returns you to running — and what's just wasting your time — CHRIS JOHNSON, PT

    Send us Fan Mail Bringing this back because the "what exercises should I actually be doing?" question never gets old. Johnson cuts through the noise on rehab and strength work for runners — the movements that move the needle versus the filler. Practical, specific, and easy to act on this week. Today I speak with Chris Johnson, physical therapist, coach, author, teacher, consultant, and multiple-time Kona qualifier. He is also the creator of The Run Well, an online membership platform and community with a mission to fast-track clinicians, coaches, and trainers, who are looking to specialize in working with runners.  We  talk about: -the love of running -exercises for runners -utilizing the power of walking -slowing down movements to evaluate -altered movement patterns from injuries -figuring out what’s heavy enough -using fundamental movements -hitting benchmarks before returning to running  -similarities in returning to run after injury and postpartum Time Stamps 1:00 introduction 3:55 mistakes everyday runners make 7:40 providing exercises to runners 13:30 moving past the fear of old injuries 17:34 demystifying injury recovery 20:30 figuring out the right weight 27:40 top exercise recommendations 37:00 differences between working with men and women  44:35 Run Well Program  CONNECT WITH CARRIE IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/ Website: https://carriepagliano.com CONNECT WITH CHRIS IG: https://www.instagram.com/chrisjohnsonthept/ Website: https://chrisjohnsonpt.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!!!!)

  8. Jul 3

    Can I Run with Prolapse? Solo Episode — with Dr. Carrie Pagliano, PT

    Send us Fan Mail Can you run with pelvic organ prolapse? In this solo episode, Dr. Carrie Pagliano takes on one of the most feared pelvic floor diagnoses… and why prolapse doesn't have to mean hanging up your running shoes. Carrie introduces your "prolapse personality" — because prolapse isn't one experience, it's many. She busts the myths (no, running didn't cause it… no, you don't have to rest until it's "gone"), walks through the three symptom presentations she sees in the clinic, and explains why your anatomy doesn't predict how you feel or what your body can do. You'll hear how she thinks about graded loading and return-to-run dosing, where pessaries and support devices can fit, what "just breathe" really means for runners, and why a prolapse diagnosis is a starting point — not a stop sign. For active moms and the providers who support them. Education, not medical advice — always loop in your own pelvic floor PT or provider. Time Stamps 0:00 introduction 3:33 mythbuster rapid fire 8:06 no on-size-fits-all prolapse 14:25 how symptoms change with activity 18:03 pressure management and breathing 20:54 importance of early activity 25:01 doing too much too soon 27:05 support devices 30:22 returning to run with prolapse CONNECT WITH CARRIE IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/ Website: https://carriepagliano.com Course waitlist: https://course.carriepagliano.com/RSAWL 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!!!!)

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About

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.

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