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Today I speak with Carter Norbo, a physical therapist, new mom, and member of the Rabbit Elite Team who ran at the University of North Carolina. In August 2023, she had twin boys at 29.5 weeks, but still went for an Olympic trials qualifying time on November 30th, at a marathon in Virginia. Even being so early in her postpartum, she came 73 seconds away from qualifying! Carter is still learning to adjust to life with running, work, and caring for the twins, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

We talk about:

-Carter’s start in running

-having a twin pregnancy

-running during pregnancy

-energy deficiency with training and pregnancy

-spending time in the NICU

-experiencing postpartum

-returning to exercise postpartum

-the future of her running 

Time Stamps

1:00 introduction

4:21 ideas of running through pregnancy

6:25 looking for information about activity and pregnancy

9:05 being able to run during pregnancy

11:21 having premature twins

14:15 being newly postpartum

18:20 taking one more shot at a qualifying time

21:35 race day experience

25:50 PRing her marathons time early in postpartum

28:44 favorites for the 2024 trials

30:06 running in the future

32:37 rapid fire questions

CONNECT WITH CARRIE

IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/

Website: https://carriepagliano.com

CONNECT WITH CARTER

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnorbo/

The Active Mom Podcast — a real mom's guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond, for active moms and the professionals who help them get there.

Quick-hit conversations with moms, providers, and researchers... because you don't have a lot of free time (you're probably listening at 1.5x right now).

Follow so you don't miss an episode. Rate & review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — it's how the next mom searching for these answers actually finds them. Share it with the friend who needs it.

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Today I speak with Munira Hudani,  a Pre- and Post-Natal physiotherapist in Canada, and an emerging leader for the management of Diastasis Rectus Abdominis. After years of frustration in landing inconsistent results with her clients, and the dissatisfaction in having to say “we just don’t have enough research right now,” Munira began to challenge the conventional method to managing DRA. She realized that part of the inconsistent results came down to how DRA was being conceptualized. She started practicing with a different set of principles which improved outcomes. She has now compiled all of her knowledge and experience into a new framework that revolutionizes how we conceptualize, assess, and manage DRA. She is passionately committed to transferring this knowledge to both professionals and patients so they can finally make sense of the steps to take when navigating this condition. 

We talk about: 

-learning about diastasis recti 

-separating DR from back pain and other dysfunctions 

-DR is not preventable 

-factors that lead to long-term issues 

-management of DR 

-problems with the research 

-Is the gap bad? 

-feeling at home in your body 

-targeting the transverse abdominis 

-experiencing pregnancy and motherhood 

-letting go of expectations 

Time Stamps 

1:00 introduction 

7:05 defining diastasis recti 

10:50 prevention of DR 

13:45 fear mongering in pelvic health 

17:30 predicting long-term issues 

22:00 what the research says 

27:00 explaining distortion 

31:20 Is the gap bad? 

40:05 creating personalized care 

41:00 being a new mom 

48:33 rapid fire questions 

CONNECT WITH CARRIE 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/ 

Website: https://carriepagliano.com 

CONNECT WITH MUNIRA 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/munirahudanipt/ 

Website: https://www.munirahudanipt.com/ 

The Active Mom Podcast — a real mom's guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond, for active moms and the professionals who help them get there.

Quick-hit conversations with moms, providers, and researchers... because you don't have a lot of free time (you're probably listening at 1.5x right now).

Follow so you don't miss an episode. Rate & review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — it's how the next mom searching for these answers actually finds them. Share it with the friend who needs it.

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Today I speak with Dr. Aliso Grimaldi, an expert in the management of hip, groin and lumbo-pelvic pain and dysfunction. She is also Principal Physiotherapist at Physiotec and an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the University of Queensland. Because of her interest in the assessment and optimisation of lumbo-pelvic and lower limb biomechanics, Alison has collaborated with the European Space Agency on research. Alison is passionate about understanding why we develop problems around the hip and pelvis, and what we can do to most effectively prevent and manage these problems. 

Alison firmly believes research should have practical application, and should be easily accessible to physiotherapists.

She established Physiotec in 2005 and continues working with patients with complex hip and lumbopelvic conditions, across a broad spectrum of sports, including elite triathlon, running, dance, cricket, athletics & swimming.

We talk about:

-establishing collaborative care

-relationship between pelvic floor & hip

-strengthening the pelvic floor

-stress incontinence

-using real time ultrasound

-“ban the clam”

Time Stamps

1:00 introduction

5:19 collaborative care

9:30 dead butt syndrome

11:42 certainties of relationship between hip and pelvic floor 

19:40 clinical use of real time ultrasound

23:09 biggest misses by physios

29:34 “ban the clam”

38:30 future research

CONNECT WITH CARRIE

IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/

Website: https://carriepagliano.com

CONNECT WITH ALISON

IG: https://www.instagram.com/dralisongrimaldi/

Website (professional): https://dralisongrimaldi.com/

Website: (public): https://hippainhelp.com/

The Active Mom Podcast — a real mom's guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond, for active moms and the professionals who help them get there.

Quick-hit conversations with moms, providers, and researchers... because you don't have a lot of free time (you're probably listening at 1.5x right now).

Follow so you don't miss an episode. Rate & review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — it's how the next mom searching for these answers actually finds them. Share it with the friend who needs it.

Questions or topic requests? DM me 💌

Send us Fan Mail

Today I speak with Laura Green, a comedic content creator who loves to stand in front of people and tell jokes. Her brain is a hamster wheel of self deprecating humor focused on the run and fitness industry which she attempts to communicate via short videos and storytelling. She runs a lot. And she also naps a lot. Laura lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two young boys. We talk about Laura’s experiences postpartum and how she handled returning to run after each of her births. 

Laura tells us about working as a travel physical therapist and how she has now found a niche pointing out the humor in life, making people laugh on social media. If you’re ready for a good laugh, then this conversation is for you!

We talk about:

-pelvic floor physical therapy

-returning to run after baby

-working as a physical therapist

-identity as an athlete and mom 

-struggling postpartum

-starting slow with running postpartum

-finding the humor in motherhood and running

-asking for help

Time Stamps

1:00 introduction

4:22 being a physical therapist and returning to run after baby

11:15 shifting identities

15:54 planning to get back to running

 23:00 differences between kids and pregnancies

25:10 finding humor in motherhood 

32:35 comedy on social media

38:41 being a working mom and PTA moms

43:10 advice to her past pregnant self

CONNECT WITH CARRIE

IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/

Website: https://carriepagliano.com

CONNECT WITH LAURA

IG: https://www.instagram.com/lauramcgreen/

Website: https://www.lauramcgreen.com/

The Active Mom Podcast — a real mom's guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond, for active moms and the professionals who help them get there.

Quick-hit conversations with moms, providers, and researchers... because you don't have a lot of free time (you're probably listening at 1.5x right now).

Follow so you don't miss an episode. Rate & review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — it's how the next mom searching for these answers actually finds them. Share it with the friend who needs it.

Questions or topic requests? DM me 💌

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Today I speak with Emma Brockwell and Gráinne Donnelly. Emma is a Specialist Pelvic Health Physiotherapist. She treats women of all ages with all women’s health related conditions. She is passionate about pre and postnatal rehabilitation and exercise. She specialises in supporting women back to exercise, particularly running, football and netball if they have any pelvic health dysfunction or are postnatal. She has co-authored the first ‘Returning to Running Postnatal Guidelines’ and has spoken about this subject at many medical and exercise conferences. Emma published her first book called ‘Why did no one tell me? How to protect, heal and nurture your body through motherhood.’ She now works privately and is the co-presenter of the podcast, At Your Cervix – the podcast. Alongside Grainne Donnelly and Helen McElroy she co-founded the Athletic Female an evidence based course aimed at healthcare, fitness and medical professionals who work with female athletes. 

Gráinne is an Advanced Physiotherapist specialising in pelvic health. She provides pelvic health clinics privately, educates health and fitness professionals about pelvic health and is currently developing her experience in the world of research and academia. She has recently published several papers on postpartum running and diastasis rectus abdominis. 

Her specialist interests are postpartum exercise, diastasis rectus abdominis and ultrasound imaging in pelvic health. 

We talk about: 

-the importance of 'readying' an athlete during pregnancy 

-future proof her pelvic health and prepare for motherhood and a return to sport 

-busting myth around exercise during pregnancy 

-how pelvic health physiotherapists are integral to all women's perinatal journeys 

-benefits of social media 

Time Stamps 

1:00 introduction 

3:50 intentions of exercise 

6:20 unexpected outcomes from guidelines 

18:10 interpreting guidelines for each patient 

24:05 discussing guidelines in pregnancy 

33:35 feedback from clinicians 

40:00 bridging the gap 

48:01 social media’s influence 

54:40 what’s next 

CONNECT WITH CARRIE 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/ 

Website: https://carriepagliano.com 

CONNECT WITH EMMA & GRÁINNE 

Website: www.physiomum.co.uk 

Website: https://absolute.physio/ 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/physiomumuk/ 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/absolute.physio/ 

The Active Mom Podcast — a real mom's guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond, for active moms and the professionals who help them get there.

Quick-hit conversations with moms, providers, and researchers... because you don't have a lot of free time (you're probably listening at 1.5x right now).

Follow so you don't miss an episode. Rate & review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — it's how the next mom searching for these answers actually finds them. Share it with the friend who needs it.

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Coming in at #4 of our top episodes of 2023 is my conversation with Megan James. 

She is a  PhD Student at Cardiff Metropolitan University. In her studies, she is exploring returning to running after childbirth. Her goal is to help bridge the gap between clinicians and research, and has collaborated with other researchers and clinicians on recent publications. We look at all of the different factors that can play into a mom’s experience in returning to run after having a baby. 

Megan shares insight from her research and how it can help clinicians better serve their patients. This interview is full of great takeaways! 

Her e-survey is currently open and she would appreciate responses to help us in this under-researched area! Criteria is over 18, have given birth in the last 2 years and ran for at least 30 minutes per week prior to most recent pregnancy: https://cardiffmet.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cHC95M4ejaiVlki

We talk about:

-choosing PhD area of study

-uplifting others in pelvic health

-rehabing after childbirth

-fear of injury

-personalized care within the guidelines

-educating sooner

Time Stamps

1:00 choosing postpartum women & running for PhD studies

6:44 biggest impacts on moms returning to run

12:20 the role running plays in a mom’s life 

18:10 biggest gaps between research and patient care

CONNECT WITH CARRIE

IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/

Website: https://carriepagliano.com

CONNECT WITH MEGAN

IG: https://twitter.com/meganljames16

The Active Mom Podcast — a real mom's guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond, for active moms and the professionals who help them get there.

Quick-hit conversations with moms, providers, and researchers... because you don't have a lot of free time (you're probably listening at 1.5x right now).

Follow so you don't miss an episode. Rate & review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — it's how the next mom searching for these answers actually finds them. Share it with the friend who needs it.

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Today I speak with Dr. Izzy Moore reader in human movement and sports medicine at Cardiff Metropolitan University. After completing her PhD at the University of Exeter, where she focused on optimising female running gait, Izzy completed a two-year post-doctoral position at Cardiff Metropolitan University working directly with sports governing bodies to inform injury prevention and management policies. 

Izzy’s current research focuses on female athlete health, sports injury epidemiology and lower limb rehabilitation. Her current projects focus on developing injury prevention strategies in the Women’s rugby game, specifically targeting brain and pelvic health, as well as improving postpartum return to sport clinical guidance.

We talk about:

-why running research

-considering the whole person

-view point as a mom 

-asking more questions

-things she wishes moms knew

-lack of guidance

-conversations in moms groups

Time Stamps

1:00 introduction

3:10 diving into running research

5:52 favorite part of postpartum research

8:55 researching as a mom

13:30 details of the survey

18:30 research and high performance athletes

23:50 examples set for us

28:00 doing what you can with what you have

33:32 questions for the future

CONNECT WITH CARRIE

IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/

Website: https://carriepagliano.com

CONNECT WITH IZZY

Website: https://ukyoungacademy.org/members/izzy-moore/

The Active Mom Postpartum Podcast is A Real Moms' Guide to Postpartum for active moms & the postpartum professionals who help them in their journey.
 
 This show has been a long time in the making! 
 
 You can expect conversation with moms and postpartum 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 start 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!!!!)

The Active Mom Podcast — a real mom's guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond, for active moms and the professionals who help them get there.

Quick-hit conversations with moms, providers, and researchers... because you don't have a lot of free time (you're probably listening at 1.5x right now).

Follow so you don't miss an episode. Rate & review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — it's how the next mom searching for these answers actually finds them. Share it with the friend who needs it.

Questions or topic requests? DM me 💌

Send us Fan Mail

Today I speak with Danielle Friedman, an award-winning journalist and a regular contributor to The New York Times’ Well section, where she has written about everything from the joys of being a slow runner to the importance of pelvic floor conditioning. She is also the author of Let’s Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World, which was selected as a New Yorker and Amazon Best Book of 2022. She lives in New York City with her husband and their two young sons. 

She is a passionate believer in the ways that movement can benefit mental health and instill a sense of strength that extends beyond muscles and into other areas of our lives — and an advocate for making movement inclusive of and accessible to every body. Danielle is also a fierce advocate for speaking openly about women’s bodies and lived experiences, and de-stigmatizing areas of women’s health that have historically been considered too taboo for polite conversation. 

We talk about: 

-history of women’s fitness 

-leaders of the different fitness movements 

-exercising for joy 

-loosing control 

-the value of community 

-“back of the pack” athletes 

-exercise for mental health 

Time Stamps 

1:00 introduction 

2:02 beginning the research for her book 

7:40 the idea of a “good body” 

11:25 fitness going into pregnancy 

16:51 pregnancy loss and subsequent pregnancies 

21:21 transitioning to two kids 

24:20 the value of community 

33:40 biggest impacts and what’s next 

38:50 raising boys in a modern world 

43:35 rapid fire questions 

CONNECT WITH CARRIE 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/ 

Website: https://carriepagliano.com 

CONNECT WITH DANIELLE 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniellefriedmanwrites/ 

Website: https://danielle-friedman.com/ 

The Active Mom Podcast — a real mom's guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond, for active moms and the professionals who help them get there.

Quick-hit conversations with moms, providers, and researchers... because you don't have a lot of free time (you're probably listening at 1.5x right now).

Follow so you don't miss an episode. Rate & review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — it's how the next mom searching for these answers actually finds them. Share it with the friend who needs it.

Questions or topic requests? DM me 💌

Send us Fan Mail

Today I speak with Dr. Derek Ochiai, an orthopaedic surgeon who is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He specializes in injuries to the upper and lower extremities, including hip, knee, and shoulder arthroscopy. Dr. Ochiai uses both non-surgical and minimally invasive surgical techniques to help his patients return to their active lifestyles. He has been performing cutting-edge hip arthroscopies since 2003. He is currently a physician at Nirschl Orthopedic Center in the Arlington area of Virginia. He was also my surgeon! 

We talk about: 

-hips and pelvic floor 

-asymptomatic labral tears 

-physical therapy before surgery 

-common hip complaints 

-runners and hip issues 

-arthritis and impingement 

-movement strategies learned as a kid 

-vetting your provider 

Time Stamps 

1:00 introduction 

5:29 asymptomatic labral tears and surgery 

7:15 changes in rehab and treatment 

10:30 hip complaints in postpartum women 

13:55 hips in female runners 

17:50 implications of activities as a kid 

20:48 integrating pelvic floor physical therapy 

22:15 vetting a good hip doctor 

CONNECT WITH CARRIE 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/ 

Website: https://carriepagliano.com 

CONNECT WITH DEREK 

Twitter: @DrDerekOchiai 

Website: www.NIRSCHL.com

The Active Mom Podcast — a real mom's guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond, for active moms and the professionals who help them get there.

Quick-hit conversations with moms, providers, and researchers... because you don't have a lot of free time (you're probably listening at 1.5x right now).

Follow so you don't miss an episode. Rate & review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — it's how the next mom searching for these answers actually finds them. Share it with the friend who needs it.

Questions or topic requests? DM me 💌

Send us Fan Mail

Today I speak with Anna Downs, a specialist Pregnancy & Postpartum Movement Coach, Educator, Author and International Public Speaker. Her journey into this work began as a British Army Officer and an athlete with two tough pregnancies and deliveries, during which everything she knew about her body, health and fitness was challenged leaving her in the dark with how to manage to issues such as pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence and Diastasis Recti. Her career taught her how to ignore pain signals, a valuable skill in the military but not really conducive to effective self-care. This led her on a path of education, self-discovery and ultimately, to supporting other parents-to-be in their informed and empowered journey into parenthood. She now lives and works in Bangkok, Thailand with her husband and two children. 

Anna shares how her transition into parenthood lead her to discover her vocation. Her goal is to support people to feel empowered and able to be advocate for themselves. She strongly believes that education is key and that no subject should be off limits. 

We talk about: 

-experience in the British military 

-damage during delivery 

-mental shifts needed for pregnancy 

-data and opinions about activity in pregnancy 

-realistic motherhood movement patterns 

-differences in pregnancies 

-journey of self-healing 

-advice for first-time moms 

Time Stamps 

1:00 introduction 

2:21 entering the military 

8:30 her birth experience 

12:01 navigating pregnancy as a military officer 

17:35 advice from physicians going into birth 

20:03 going from home birth to hospital 

23:35 first weeks postpartum and second pregnancy 

26:53 trying to heal leakage, diastasis recti, and prolapse 

34:01 recovery from second birth 

37:35 deciding to help others 

40:46 things to share in early pregnancy 

43:43 life in Thailand 

51:35 advice for moms 

CONNECT WITH CARRIE 

IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/ 

Website: https://carriepagliano.com 

CONNECT WITH ANNA 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/movewellwithanna/ 

Website: https://movewellwithanna.com 

Pregnancy Journal: Prompts for a Mindful Connection & Reflection. 

This is a book of journalling prompts designed for two reasons, 1) to help support a calm and considered transition parenthood and 2) to create a beautiful record of your journey to share with your child in the future

The Active Mom Podcast — a real mom's guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond, for active moms and the professionals who help them get there.

Quick-hit conversations with moms, providers, and researchers... because you don't have a lot of free time (you're probably listening at 1.5x right now).

Follow so you don't miss an episode. Rate & review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — it's how the next mom searching for these answers actually finds them. Share it with the friend who needs it.

Questions or topic requests? DM me 💌