Behavior Bitches

Why do you keep dating the same person? Sabrina Zohar, host of The Sabrina Zohar Show and author of Why Am I Like This?, joins us to talk about relationship patterns, situationships, and why we explain away red flags. We get into her "BS Blueprint," the lessons we learn as kids that shape who we date as adults. We also explain why hot-and-cold partners are so addictive. Spoiler: it's intermittent...

Serena Kerrigan, aka SFK, turned Let's F*cking Date from a digital series into a bestselling card game, sold-out live shows, a Peacock series, and a community of over a million people. Her new book is out now to help you pimp your dating game. We get into which dates are potential, practice, or plot, dating multiple people at once, and her ritual for letting go of bad matches. Obviously, we break...

Mandy Grass, aka The Family Behaviorist, joins us this episode to get honest about balancing your BCBA side and mom side, plus how spotting a function is a lot harder when you're the variable. She breaks down explaining ABA to the parents she coaches, where to holds the line versus give in, and how to decide which plans are realistic enough for a family to actually stick to. Plus: dating as a "par...

A former drug dealer turned psychologist, Dr. Adi Jaffe breaks down why addiction was never really about the drugs. We dig into his Unhooked Model, the real psychology behind shame and negative self-talk, and why most addiction treatment targets the wrong thing. From a SWAT arrest to a UCLA PhD, Adi shares the real story behind his recovery and what it actually takes to break a behavior pattern fo...

Why are we all so bad at sitting with uncertainty? Behavioral scientist and author Elizabeth Weingarten (How to Fall in Love With Questions) joins us to get into the psychology of uncertainty, decision making, and anxiety, and why we'd rather grab a fake easy answer than actually deal. She spills her own almost divorce story and breaks down her Questions Map framework for finding clarity when life...

Got ADHD? Call a BCBA. Nicole Stewart is a behavior analyst, special educator, and ADHD/emotional regulation expert who joins us to break down how neurodivergent brains actually work and why "just try harder" strategies never stick. We talk dopamine, the ADHD types nobody mentions, why screens hit different, shame and impulse control, family dinner blowups and more. Connect with Nicole: Website Li...

Behavior analysts talk about the environment. Ximena Valle designs it. Ximena Valle, AIA, LEED AP, founding principal of FIFTEEN Architecture + Design, joins Liat to break down what really goes into designing for neurodiverse communities, and it's a lot more than ramps and sensory rooms. We talk spaces that make you feel like an animal versus ones that feel like a spa, paint blends that stop kids...

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...