Hannah Smith and Tristen Swengle Encourage Moms to Walk – and Talk

Motherhood is a beautiful gift, but it isn’t always smooth sailing. That’s why it’s important to have a supportive community around you. Two Tulsa moms decided to build their community by starting a healthy activity – walking. The friend-duo, Hannah Smith and Tristen Swengle, started Mom Walk Tulsa. Beyond the health benefits, the women discovered the benefits of being connected to a community of people who are experiencing the same season of life.

TK: Tell us about yourselves.

Hannah: I am married to my husband, Chris, mom to three great kids, Elijah (3), and twins Ava and Cameron (1). In my free time, I enjoy working out and embroidery. I grew up as a military kid and moved nine times before landing at OSU my sophomore year of college. Moving so much has definitely given me the advantage of learning how to make friends and find where I fit in where I am, and a heart for others who are maybe moving for the first time or just have a harder time putting themselves out there. I am actually quite introverted and care a lot about logistics, so running Mom Walk has been a really fun thing for me to be a part of.

Tristen: I’m a Tulsa native and have been married to my husband, Jared, for 10 years. We have a sweet 10 and 1/2-month-old son, Scottie. My passion is pelvic floor physical therapy, and I have been lucky to be in the field for the last five years. Helping people become a better version of themselves is my goal. It is so rewarding to get to play a small role in someone’s overall health and get them back to doing what they love with whom they love! In my free time, I love playing with my son and watching him explore and learn more each day, traveling with my family, working out and making sourdough!

TK: Where did the idea for Mom Walk Tulsa originate?

Hannah: This idea certainly is not original to us. There was another Tulsa mom who was running this before as part of a nationwide Mom Walk. However, I never got to attend because I wasn’t ready to take my three kids out for an outing like that at the time. By the time I was ready, that group was no longer getting together, so I reached out to see if I could step in to lead. She gave me the advice to have a co-host, and I quickly invited Tristen to partner with me and am so thankful she said yes. My desire to continue the walk definitely stemmed from craving community.

Tristen: Much like Hannah said, the idea was definitely not ours! Hannah approached me earlier this year about something we could do together. I was more than happy because as a mom of one, especially a working mom, finding community can be hard! Doing it alongside Hannah has been such a blessing, and I’m so thankful to get to play a small role in this awesome community!

TK: What is your goal for Mom Walk Tulsa?

Hannah: I wrote this mission statement for Mom Walk Tulsa: To be a meeting place for all moms to come together and know there will be other moms looking for the same thing as them – connection, friendship and the building of community through the years of mothering.

I know just how hard it is to make friends both as someone new and from becoming a mom in a new town, and I want to help other moms find where they fit in as best I can.

TK: What benefits have you seen from these gatherings?

Hannah: The benefits I have seen from Mom Walks have been so positively overwhelming. I personally have made some really awesome connections with other moms who have kids right around my kids’ ages, which is really special with our close age gap and twins. We like to ask how many moms have come for the first time at the beginning of walks, and it is always so neat to see how many moms come looking for connection and community, that they trust these walks as a safe place to put themselves out there.

We are also building connections with a lot of local businesses. We are really glad we get to support them through Mom Walk. We are only a few months in, but it’s neat to see the friendships that have already begun forming.

Tristen: The benefits that I’ve seen from Mom Walk has been our main goal – to facilitate community. Moms from all over the Tulsa metro come to be a part of Mom Walk Tulsa and have really stepped out of their comfort zones to meet other moms. It’s been especially cool for there to be such a variety between new moms, veteran moms, homeschool moms, public school moms, working moms, stay-at-home moms and so much more. I think it has helped moms feel more seen and human to know they’re not in this season alone.

TK: As a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor health (dysfunction), what do you see most often from women, and what tips can you share?

Tristen: I’m finding more moms with littles taking ownership of their health and pursuing pelvic floor physical therapy to be the best version of themselves. These ladies have undergone such drastic changes in their body from being pregnant, having a baby and then relearning their postpartum body. Concerns such as core weakness of diastasis rectus abdominis, bladder leakage, hip and back pain, and pain with intercourse are all the more common things new moms are talking to me about.

Learning how to reconnect with your core, pelvic floor and especially your breath are some of the most important things you can do for yourself postpartum. My main advice would be to not settle for pain, weakness or dysfunction just because someone has told you that it’s normal. Pelvic floor dysfunction is very common, but it is NOT normal. Be your own advocate and invest in yourself so you can better invest in the lives of your littles.

TK: If someone new wants to join, what should they consider before they start?

Hannah: I think truly the only thing you need to consider is, “What could you be missing if you don’t go?” I think nearly all moms are craving friendships. I think we trick ourselves into thinking others don’t feel this way, but we have such a big turnout at these walks because we are all looking for community and connection. You may chat with a mom for just that one walk, but you never know, you may hit it off and find a bestie to walk through motherhood with, and that’s one of our biggest prayers for Mom Walk Tulsa.

TK: Can you share some details for the moms who join in the walk?

Hannah: For starters, the only requirement to coming to Mom Walk Tulsa is that you’re a mom. We have moms with their babies all the way from just a few weeks old up to teen years attend with them, so truly, you’re welcome! As for pace, we typically end up walking a little, stopping and then going to allow the back end of our train to catch up with us at certain points. We walk at Gathering Place, and we do walk up the big hill. We usually walk about a mile.

TK: This season with young kids (babies and toddlers) can be draining! What do you personally do to fill your cup?

Hannah: My first answer to this is that I do my best to keep my eyes on Jesus. In the middle of tantrums times three, if I can’t do that, my battery definitely burns out much quicker. I also really enjoy going to lift weights to help take care of my mental health, and ice cream definitely helps, too.

Tristen: Time with the Lord is going to be number one. This is much harder during this season than I would have anticipated, so it looks different each time, but even if it’s prayer, reading scripture or worship, that instantly changes my heart and turns my focus to that of the Lord and the purpose He has given me as a mom. Investing in my health is also a way I fill my cup. Between walking daily, sunshine, eating real food and lifting weights, when I invest in my health, I feel energized and like I can take on the day.

TK: As T-town moms, what does your family enjoy doing around the Tulsa area?

Hannah: Given the season we are in, the zoo and aquarium have been a couple of our favorite places to go. We also really enjoy taking the kids on walk-through nature trails around town.

Tristen: We love to get out and try new restaurants around Tulsa and also visit a few of the fun breweries in town with our friends. We are big foodies and working on bringing Scottie up to be the same way.

TK: What else would you like to mention?

Hannah: I would just like to encourage any moms who are unsure if they want to come to an event like Mom Walk to take that step. One of the best pieces of advice I feel like I’ve heard in regard to friendship was to “just go first.” It can definitely be hard to put yourself out there, but the risk of someone saying “no” feels so much smaller than the possibility of making a friend who can walk through life with you.

Follow @tulsamoms.club on Instagram for details about upcoming Mom Walks.

Want to hear this conversation? Hear how Hannah and Tristen are living purposefully in 2023 on the audio version of this interview on the Sharing Passion and Purpose Podcast. You can access it on favorite podcasting platform or directly at SharingPassionandPurpose.com.

Nancy A. Moore is a Public Relations Coordinator at Montreau, Adjunct Professor at Tulsa Community College, and has been writing for TulsaKids for almost 20 years.