Behavior Bitches

Behavior analysts love their jargon. Kendall Ryndak Samuel, BCBA and creator of @the.behavior.influencer , says it's time to knock it off. She and Liat dig into why our field does such a shitty job explaining itself, why big words just make us sound smart without actually helping anyone, and why the ethics code demands we use language people can understand. Behavioral Concepts Covered: Punishment...

We invited a PE guy onto the podcast. Please hold your tomatoes. Johnny Hilbrant, the internet's favorite parody of the private equity finance bro, joins Liat to break down why "private equity" has become a dirty word in behavioral health, what PE actually is in plain English, and what the behavioral science of wealth, status, and rich guy energy can actually teach us about ourselves. Tune in or m...

You think you're a good listener. You're not. Executive coach and TEDx speaker Katie O'Malley joins Liat to break down why most of us are performing listening instead of actually doing it, and what that's costing us at work and in life. Katie shares her journey from burnout to betting on herself, why your workplace might be making you sick, and how understanding what actually motivates your people...

Mindy Scheier didn't wait for the fashion industry to include her son; she changed it herself. The founder of Runway of Dreams joins us to talk about her work as a pioneer in the adaptive clothing space, the psychology of getting dressed, and why the group any of us could join at any moment deserves a seat at the trend table. Connect with Mindy: @MindyScheier @RunwayofDreams @GamutManagement Runwa...

Just in time for Mother’s Day, Liat brings on her mom, Melanie, for a raw convo about raising Liat’s brother who has autism and intellectual disabilities. They cover everything from public behavior incidents and Chuck E. Cheese trauma to marriage strain, group home fears, and the chaos of parenting before insurance-covered ABA and Facebook support groups even existed. Melanie opens up about the li...

Author and disability advocate Jessica Slice joins us to talk about chronic illness, perfectionism, parenting with a disability, and why she refuses to let anyone else write her narrative. Jessica shares her journey becoming a wheelchair user and mother, and why becoming disabled made her a better parent, not an unfit one. We get into the legal reality that in 22 states a child can be removed from...

Sex addiction is real, but most people don’t actually understand what it is. This week, Liat sits down with renowned therapist and author Dr. Rob Weiss (Seeking Integrity, Sex Addiction 101) to break down compulsive sexual behavior and why it’s now recognized as CSBD. They unpack the signs, the stigma, the role of shame, and what real intimacy actually looks like. Plus, why the conversation has ch...

This week, Liat chats with Mellanie Page about ChatGPT, AI in ABA, and why your BCBA workflow might be way harder than it needs to be. From clinical work to business and marketing, Mellanie breaks down how AI is already changing the field of behavior analysis and how you can start using it to increase efficiency, improve programming, and expand your impact. They also get into the real questions: I...

David Meltzer is an entrepreneur, investor, and former CEO of the sports agency that inspired Jerry Maguire. This week he joins Liat to talk about what happens when you lose $100 million and build it back. He shares the wake-up call that changed everything, the success mindset that helped him rebuild, and why gratitude, giving value, and helping others might be the real formula for happiness. Plus...

Let’s be real, coparenting is hard. Coparenting with a toxic ex? It’s like a group project with the classmate who never does the work. This week, Liat sits down with twin sisters, certified family mediators, and Boundary Badass authors Jan and Jillian Yuhas to break down high-conflict dynamics, coercive control, and what boundaries actually look like in real life. They cover red flags of toxic and...

This week, Liat sits down with author and one of our fav creators Misha Brown to get the tea on his new book, Be Your Own Bestie: A No-Nonsense Guide to Changing the Way You Treat Yourself, out February 17th. We talk all things self care, like the realization that you can hype everyone else up and still be your own biggest bully, why self reflection sometimes feels like getting emotionally punched...

One of our favorite guests is back! This week, forensic psychology expert and BCBA Presley Wanner joins us to break down the Idaho murders and the case against Brian Kohberger. We walk through what happened in Moscow, Idaho, the victims, the investigation, and the key evidence that led to the killer’s arrest, then zoom out to examine the behavioral patterns, misconceptions, and unanswered question...

This week, Liat and her sister Talia sit down with Dr. Maya Shankar, cognitive scientist, former Senior Advisor and founder of the White House Behavioral Science Team, Head of Behavioral Economics at Google, host of A Slight Change of Plans, and author of The Other Side of Change. Maya shares how she landed in rooms that didn’t even have a role for her yet (BCBAs, take notes), and opens up about l...

If you know the material but your brain completely melts the second the exam starts, this episode is for you. In How to Outsmart Test Anxiety, Liat sits down with Dr. Nicole Cain, author of Panic Proof, to explain why anxiety hijacks your brain and how to shut that down. We break down what your amygdala, nervous system, and “autopilot brain” are doing when panic shows up, plus real tools to calm y...

What if fitness, food, and stress weren’t about discipline, but about behavior? This week, Liat sits down with Brittnay Duguay, BCBA, functional nutritionist, IFBB Bikini Pro, and founder of Better Habits by Britt, to talk about why most wellness plans (and your New Year’s resolutions) fail, and how behavior science can actually make habits stick. From undoing diet culture and perfectionism to bre...

This week, Liat sits down with transformation coach and author Keith Crossley, whose work on healing, relationships, and enlightenment has gone viral. Keith breaks down the science and psychology behind betrayal, why we cling to relationships that hurt us, and how to stop living in fear of your own emotions. If you’ve ever wondered why breakups feel like withdrawal, why your feelings seem so damn...

AI is here…but is it taking your BCBA job, or just saving you from writing session notes? Beth Garrison, Ph. D., BCBA, and AI wizard, breaks down the hype, the way it works, and what humans will always do better than robots. We talk weird searches, the ethical red flags every behavior analyst should know before plugging client info into ChatGPT, and the ultimate ABA AI assistant. Connect with Beha...

Ever said something and immediately thought, “Why did I say it like that?” Same. This week, Liat chats with Dr. Laura Sicola, cognitive linguist and communication queen, to break down how your tone, pacing, and pitch can change your message. We discuss how vocal fry, upspeak, confidence, and even the way you say your name can change how people see you. If you’ve ever wanted to sound like a leader...

Can you really read people by their faces? Brian Galke, The Decoding Detective (and skeptic), thinks so, and he’s here to prove it. Liat and Brian dish on first impressions, wild face-reading fails, and awkward truths about people skills…plus a totally ridiculous celeb Face Off you won’t stop laughing at. Behavior Concepts Covered: Repeatability Stimulus Discrimination Individualization Learning H...

Bedtime shouldn’t feel like a hostage negotiation, but for most parents, it does. Sleep expert and BCBA Emily Varon (founder of Ready, Set, Sleep) is back to drop real, science-backed strategies for ditching bedtime chaos. We’re talking screens before bed, blue light myths, teeth grinding, night terrors, and whether handing your kid an iPad is the end of the world (spoiler: you’re fine). Emily kee...

Step inside one of Europe’s largest legal brothels with Catherine DeNoire—a PhD student in organizational psychology and the manager behind the business side of the sex industry. From HR to marketing to worker safety, Catherine shares what it’s really like to run a brothel that operates more like a corporation than a cliché. We dive into the realities of customer behavior, how legality shapes safe...

In this episode, we hang out with Ryan O’Donnell and get real about everything from making behavior analysis interesting to the outside world, to echo chambers, incels, and even why the APBA tables look like the ’90s threw up. We dive into self-management, reinforcement, punishment, and philosophical doubt while swapping stories, laughs, and some hard truths about how our field is seen. Behavior C...

Liat’s back on the mic with Jennifer Stracquadanio and Meghan Stenziano from Moms Managing Behavior. These two badass BCBAs/moms keep it real about everything from culty ABA vibes and lorazepam White Lotus moments to the wild story of Jen and her husband taking the BCBA exam at the same time. Between the laughs, they drop gems on why parents are the true change-makers, how empathy grows when you w...

You’ve got the degrees, the clients, and the full-blown spreadsheet panic. Now what? Megan Richardson, BCBA and founder of The Organized Analyst, joins us to talk about how she ditched clinic burnout, built a systems-based biz, and now helps 1,000+ BCBAs stop crying into their clipboards. From color-coded workflows to ADHD-friendly hacks, Megan breaks down how to stop being a squirrel-brained hot...

You know that moment when you realize your kid’s tantrum is running your whole house? Jenna Mazzillo (aka @ABANaturally) joins us to break down why behavior happens, how to proactively set expectations, and why you might actually be the problem… and the solution. We dive into sibling rivalry, the 95/5 rule, and why function-based parenting is a total game-changer. From sibling drama to extinction...