Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this episode, I finally connect with Becky Furuta, a former Pro Cyclist with the Novo Nordisk Cycling Team and the parent of a child with special needs who will never be able to drive a car, for a conversation about her first Velo-city Conference in Rimini, Italy, and why it is so important that we create communities that provide active mobility options for all ages and abilities. Landing page for this episode: activetowns.org/2026/08/28/empowering-mobility
Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
👉 Team Novo Nordisk: teamnovonordisk.com/teammembers/becky-furuta
👉 Team Novo Nordisk video: youtu.be/9M6SSY2GDjc
👉 Velo-city Conference: velo-city-conference.com
👉 European Cyclists' Federation: ecf.com
👉 Eurovelo: en.eurovelo.com
👉 My first episode with Anna Zivarts about non-drivers: youtu.be/0avPret6z_k
👉 My second episode with Anna Zivarts about non-drivers and the week without driving challenge: youtu.be/5fcBpdyrS0c
👉 Background on Exclusionary zoning: planetizen.com/definition/euclidean-zoning
👉 Follow Becky on Instagram: instagram.com/girlztothefront
👉 I Can Shine website: icanshine.org
👉 Mike Friedman's Pedaling Minds website: pedalingminds.org
🤙 This video features my beloved Brompton folding bicycle. I highly recommend buying your own Brompton from your local dealer if you have one or from my favorite Boulder, Colorado-based store, Freedom Folding Bikes (yes, they can ship the bike directly to you - that's what they've done for me): freedomfoldingbikes.com
🙌 Mention Active Towns for a special deal on accessories and add-ons. More information on Freedom Folding Bikes can be found here: cpr.org/2024/10/23/ukraine-family-boulder-freedom-folding-bikes
👊🏼 Brompton Vincita Front Bag and Travel Luggage Link: vincita.cc/?ref=6zadxp5o 10% Off Coupon Code: ActiveTowns
Thank you so much for watching! If you enjoyed this video, please give it a thumbs-up, leave a comment below, and share it with a friend. If you'd like more content like this, please subscribe to the Active Towns Channel, and be sure to "Ring" that notification bell to select your notification preferences.
If you are a fan of the Active Towns Channel, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Become a Member of Active Towns right here on YouTube by clicking on the Join button and selecting the level that best suits you
2. Join the Patreon community: patreon.com/activetowns
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to all my video content)
3. If you enjoyed this video, you can also "leave a tip" by clicking on the Super Thanks button right here on YouTube or through "Buy Me a Coffee" buymeacoffee.com/activetowns
4. Make a donation to my non-profit, Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. at activetowns.org/donate
Credits: Video and audio production by John Simmerman
Music via Epidemic Sound: bit.ly/3rFLErD
Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live: bit.ly/3rwsUup
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite: bit.ly/35DBDDU
For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
Website: activetowns.org
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/activetowns.bsky.social
Newsletter: bit.ly/SubscribeActiveTownsNewsletter
Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 35 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.
Since 2010, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."
The Active Towns Channel features my original video content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.
Thanks once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.
Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2026
In this episode, I finally connect with Becky Furuta, a former Pro Cyclist with the Novo Nordisk Cycling Team and the parent of a child with special needs who will never be able to drive a car, for a conversation about her first Velo-city Conference in Rimini, Italy, and why it is so important that we create communities that provide active mobility options for all ages and abilities. Landing page for this episode: activetowns.org/2026/08/28/empowering-mobility
Helpful Links (note that some may include affiliate links to help me support the channel):
👉 Team Novo Nordisk: teamnovonordisk.com/teammembers/becky-furuta
👉 Team Novo Nordisk video: youtu.be/9M6SSY2GDjc
👉 Velo-city Conference: velo-city-conference.com
👉 European Cyclists' Federation: ecf.com
👉 Eurovelo: en.eurovelo.com
👉 My first episode with Anna Zivarts about non-drivers: youtu.be/0avPret6z_k
👉 My second episode with Anna Zivarts about non-drivers and the week without driving challenge: youtu.be/5fcBpdyrS0c
👉 Background on Exclusionary zoning: planetizen.com/definition/euclidean-zoning
👉 Follow Becky on Instagram: instagram.com/girlztothefront
👉 I Can Shine website: icanshine.org
👉 Mike Friedman's Pedaling Minds website: pedalingminds.org
🤙 This video features my beloved Brompton folding bicycle. I highly recommend buying your own Brompton from your local dealer if you have one or from my favorite Boulder, Colorado-based store, Freedom Folding Bikes (yes, they can ship the bike directly to you - that's what they've done for me): freedomfoldingbikes.com
🙌 Mention Active Towns for a special deal on accessories and add-ons. More information on Freedom Folding Bikes can be found here: cpr.org/2024/10/23/ukraine-family-boulder-freedom-folding-bikes
👊🏼 Brompton Vincita Front Bag and Travel Luggage Link: vincita.cc/?ref=6zadxp5o 10% Off Coupon Code: ActiveTowns
Thank you so much for watching! If you enjoyed this video, please give it a thumbs-up, leave a comment below, and share it with a friend. If you'd like more content like this, please subscribe to the Active Towns Channel, and be sure to "Ring" that notification bell to select your notification preferences.
If you are a fan of the Active Towns Channel, please consider supporting the effort as an Active Towns Ambassador in the following ways:
1. Become a Member of Active Towns right here on YouTube by clicking on the Join button and selecting the level that best suits you
2. Join the Patreon community: patreon.com/activetowns
(Note: Patron benefits include early, ad-free access to all my video content)
3. If you enjoyed this video, you can also "leave a tip" by clicking on the Super Thanks button right here on YouTube or through "Buy Me a Coffee" buymeacoffee.com/activetowns
4. Make a donation to my non-profit, Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. at activetowns.org/donate
Credits: Video and audio production by John Simmerman
Music via Epidemic Sound: bit.ly/3rFLErD
Resources used during the production of this video:
- My recording platform is Ecamm Live: bit.ly/3rwsUup
- Editing software Adobe Creative Cloud Suite: bit.ly/35DBDDU
For more information about the Active Towns effort or to follow along, please visit our links below:
Website: activetowns.org
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/activetowns.bsky.social
Newsletter: bit.ly/SubscribeActiveTownsNewsletter
Background:
Hi Everyone! My name is John Simmerman, and I’m a health promotion and public health professional with over 35 years of experience. Over the years, my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization in how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.
Since 2010, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be while striving to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."
The Active Towns Channel features my original video content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.
Thanks once again for tuning in! I hope you find this content helpful and insightful.
Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2026
