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
Research Made Simple: A Guide to Cutting Through Women’s Health Misinformation — with DR. RITA DEERING
In this episode of the Active Mom Podcast, I’m joined again by Dr. Rita Deering, PT, DPT, PhD — Associate Professor of Physical Therapy and Director of the Movement Sciences Laboratory at Carroll University. With 18+ years of clinical experience and 15 years specializing in pelvic health, Dr. Deering is a leading researcher in perinatal musculoskeletal health, pregnancy and postpartum exercise, pelvic floor function, and female athlete performance.
This conversation is a must-listen for anyone navigating the overwhelm of women’s health information — clinicians, coaches, athletes, and moms trying to get real answers outside the noise. We dig into how to actually interpret research (not just quote it), what different study types really mean, and how to confidently separate evidence-based guidance from trending misinformation on social media.
Whether you’re dealing with pelvic floor symptoms, postpartum return to running or lifting, perimenopause changes, or pregnancy athletic performance, this episode brings clarity to the research so you can make informed decisions with confidence.
We break down:
- What “evidence-based” actually means in pelvic health & pregnancy fitness
- Different types of research (RCTs, systematic reviews, case studies) and how to interpret them
- Why outliers in research don’t invalidate lived experience
- Making research relatable and useful for everyday moms & athletes
- How AI, algorithms, and social media fuel misinformation
- Translating research to clinical practice without fear-based messaging
- Why respectful, nuanced conversation in women’s health actually helps patients
Time Stamps
1:00 Introduction
3:15 making research accessible
7:58 what is PubMed
13:50 different types of research
18:20 transferring research to the clinic
22:44 looking at the studies
33:19 different levels of evidence
37:04 systematic reviews and meta analysis
43:10 changing approach to implementing research
48:55 where the funding goes
51:20 rapid fire questions
CONNECT WITH CARRIE
IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/
Website: https://carriepagliano.com
CONNECT WITH RITA:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/ritadeeringphd/
Website: https://www.carrollu.edu/faculty/deering-rita-phd
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!!!!)