Active Mom Podcast: Pregnancy, Postpartum, Perimenopause, Menopause & Beyond
Welcome to the Active Mom Podcastâwhere motherhood meets movement, health, and evidence-based insights!
Whether youâre an active mom navigating pregnancy, postpartum recovery, or the challenges of peri/menopause, or a professional supporting women through these stages, this podcast is for you.
Join host Dr. Carrie Pagliano, a pelvic floor physical therapist, as she bridges the gap between research and real life.
Hear from leading experts, researchers, and active moms as we explore everything from running during pregnancy to managing pelvic organ prolapse, diastasis recti, incontinence, and the rabbit hole of hormone shifts heading into peri & menopause!
Moms, gain practical tips to stay strong, active, and confident through every phase.
Professionals, sharpen your knowledge with actionable takeaways to better serve your clients.
đïž Honest conversations, expert advice, practical takeaways, and lots of laughsâitâs the whole wild ride of motherhood!
Active Mom Podcast: Pregnancy, Postpartum, Perimenopause, Menopause & Beyond
AMY MOOLYK -Lifting Through Pregnancy: Strength Training, Research, & Breaking Barriers
đ„âWaitâŠyouâre STILL lifting?â âWonât you hurt the baby?â
If youâve ever picked up a barbell during pregnancy & felt the judgmentâor second-guessed yourself thanks to outdated adviceâyouâre not alone.
On this episode of the #ActiveMomPodcast, Iâm joined by @amymoolykâcertified strength coach, clinical exercise physiologist, & former Canadian National Olympic weightlifterâwho lifts the lid on what it REALLY looks like to train heavy during pregnancy & return to sport postpartum.
Amyâs not just talking from experienceâsheâs also a grad student in the Program for Pregnancy & Postpartum Health at @ualberta & lead author on the 2025 @bjsm_bmj study:
đ âMaternal & fetal responses to acute high-intensity resistance exercise during pregnancy.â
This is the FIRST study to directly measure fetal AND maternal responses to heavy lifting (yep, including the Valsalva), & guess what?
It found high-intensity resistance training is safe and well-tolerated by both mom AND baby.
We cover:
đč Competing at the national level navigating pregnancy
đč What research actually says about lifting during pregnancy
đč How to filter smart modifications from straight-up fear-mongering
đč Climbing out of the anxiety spiral around exercise
đč Why we all deserve better than âjust walk and do kegelsâ
đč How strength sports CAN be safe and empowering for pregnant/postpartum moms
Amy also co-authored a 2025 BJSM "Impact of postpartum physical activity on cardiometabolic health, breastfeeding, injury & infant growth and development: a systematic review & meta-analysis"
This episode is science + real talk + zero guilt. Whether youâre a coach, a curious mom, or a barbell-lover navigating pregnancyâthis oneâs for you.
đ§ Hit play. Learn. Lift.
đŹ Ever felt judged or unsure about lifting while pregnant? Drop your story in the commentsâweâre listening.
#PregnancyStrength #PostpartumAthlete #StrongMomsLift #OlympicLiftingMoms #PrePostnatalTraining #PregnancyFitness #ActiveMomPodcast #EvidenceBasedPregnancy #PelvicHealthMatters #WomenInStrength #FitnessWithoutFear #paglianopregnancy
Time Stamps
1:00 Introduction
3:55 how weightlifting changes in pregnancy
7:12 systematic review on postpartum injury
11:12 researching how how heavy lifting affects pregnancy
22:50 choosing exercises for the study
27:26 considerations during a training session
36:33 advice for first time moms
38:30 rapid fire questions
CONNECT WITH CARRIE
IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/
Website: https://carriepagliano.com
CONNECT WITH AMY
IG: https://www.instagram.com/amymoolyk/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/connectptex/
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 âââââ 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!!!!)