Episode #107 | The Neuroscience of Connection Through Transit with Coach Sam Balto

Feb 18, 2026

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Coach Sam Balto, executive director and co-founder of Bike Bus World, shares how a simple weekly gathering transformed into a global movement. Bike Bus is an organized group bike ride where students cycle to school together with adult chaperones, creating safety in numbers while building community, independence, and joy. What started with a few kids in Portland has grown and inspired bike buses worldwide. The rides provide essential physical activity before school, improve focus and social skills, reduce traffic, and create magical moments of connection between kids, parents, teachers, and neighbors.

The movement has captured global attention through viral social media, attracting celebrities including Justin Timberlake and Benson Boone, plus a Netflix Stranger Things collaboration. Now a nonprofit supporting over 300 bike bus leaders worldwide, Bike Bus World demonstrates how a simple idea executed with joy and commitment can build movement. Coach Balto's message: "You don't need to ask for permission to do good things.” Sometimes meaningful change just requires showing up and riding together.

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This Episode Brought to You by:

Swaim Strategies: https://swaimstrategies.com

Utilizing over 20 years of nonprofit event strategy and production expertise, Swaim Strategies coaches and teaches organizations how to increase the impact of their fundraising events.

The AV Department: https://theavdept.com/

As a full-service event AV and video production partner, The AV Department’s technical event production and media content generation provide you with a range of experience and talent from a partner who wants to know you and work together year after year.

Bloomerang: https://bit.ly/4hLqLVw

Create the ideal giving experience with integrated fundraising tools and automated insights that maximize your impact. Keep donors close to the cause with mean-ingful outreach at the right time. Increase retention, major gifts, and all-around impact. Turn supporters into action-takers with tools that make it easy to recruit, organize, and engage volunteers at every level.

Feathr: https://www.feathr.co/

Feathr is a marketing platform built specifically for mission-driven organizations, offering simple tools for digital advertising, email campaigns, and audience engagement. The platform uses real-time insights and AI-powered segmentation to help you reach the right people at the right time—whether you’re nurturing existing supporters or discovering new ones who share your values. It’s marketing that meets people where they are, building relationships that last beyond a single click.

Speakers

Samantha Swaim

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-swaim-a28a9a4/

Substack: https://substack.com/@swaimstrategies

Kristin Steele

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-steele777/

Substack: https://substack.com/@swaimstrategies

Coach Balto

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachbalto/

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