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
Female Fitness Myths Exposed: What Actually Works — with LAUREN COLENO-SEMPLE, PhD
What if most of what you’ve been told about fitness, hormones, and nutrition as a woman… isn’t actually true?
In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, PhD aka @drlaurencs1—muscle physiology researcher, science communicator, and co-owner of the MASS Research Review—to set the record straight on what actually matters for women’s health and fitness.
Whether you’re navigating perimenopause, chasing strength goals, or just tired of sorting facts from fads, this conversation will leave you informed, empowered, and ready to ditch the outdated advice.
We break down the science on:
🔹 Cycle syncing: helpful or just hype?
🔹 Fasting, protein timing, and muscle growth
🔹 What women really need for bone density and strength
🔹 The biggest nutrition myths still circulating
🔹 Why most social media advice doesn’t apply to women
🔹 The future of evidence-based women’s health
If you’ve ever wondered how to train smarter, fuel better, and feel confident in your body at any age—this one’s for you.
👉 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share this episode with a friend who’s ready to take back their power through science (not BS).
Time Stamps
1:00 Introduction
3:44 perimenopause lightning round
7:45 understanding the research
10:20 nutrition myths
15:56 communicating the science to the public
18:50 recommendations for women versus men
24:30 opening up the menopause conversation
28:21 fat loss in menopause
33:57 the future of health advice on social media
41:20 most common myths
43:55 bone health and density
50:00 doing activity you enjoy
CONNECT WITH CARRIE
IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/
Website: https://carriepagliano.com
CONNECT WITH LAUREN:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/drlaurencs1/
Website: drlaurencs.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!!!!)