Behavior Bites

How often do you get silly with your clients? How often do you request help from your team? During today’s meal - I speak with a behavior analyst about her experiences in ABA, getting “weird” and playful with clients, her big move to Mexico, integrating into the community, and navigating chronic illness and pain. — Shelby Hancock , MA, BCBA, LBA Shelby is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with ov...

How often do you step back and view behavior on a macro level? What if doing nothing was the better choice? During today’s meal - I speak with a behavior analyst in Pennsylvania about caregiver support, neuroaffirming care, her favorite foods, and being a chronically ill baddie. — Kelsey Hunter , MA, BCBA, LBS Kelsey Hunter is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Licensed Behavior Special...

What is failure, but just another way to learn something new? Have you ever heard the phrase, “What’s hard for you is not what’s wrong with you”? During today’s meal - I speak with an audhd social worker about rejection sensitive dysphoria, building self-advocacy and boundaries, the nuances in the neurodiversity realm, and favorite wintertime activities. — Maverick Joyce , MSW Maverick Joyce is a...

Happy beginning of the year! Have you mapped out your plans for 2026? Are you attending any professional conferences? During today’s meal - I speak with a remote behavior analyst about what her typical day looks like, how she balances her many roles, her favorite skill to work on, and her 2026 conference plans. — Sameli Mena , BCBA, LBA Sameli is a remote Board Certified Behavior Analyst and conte...

Are you ready for your next adventure in life? Do you make room for struggle? During today’s meal, we’re finishing our amazing dinner with Beth McKee. We discuss her role models, aging as a behavior analyst, and working abroad. — Beth McKee , MSEd, BCBA Beth is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She works internationally supporting sustainable humane practices in behavior analysis and contextual...

How can you add more curiosity to your world? Can you shift your perspective to be more reflective rather than reactive? During today’s meal - I speak with a behavior analyst about leadership, her journey with chronic illness, using our science to connect the data points to a diagnosis, and enjoying a meal more when sharing it with loved ones. — Beth McKee , MSEd, BCBA Beth is a Board Certified Be...

Does it feel like you are drowning in a sea of unorganized paperwork? Would you have more time to devote to your “why” in the field if you had space to self-advocate? During today’s meal - I speak with a behavior analyst and new mom about what it looks like to advocate for yourself starting right from the interview process, having more time for life outside the field, what her favorite thing is ab...

What does it mean to raise a profession? How much do you value developing staff personally, as well as clinically and professionally? During today’s meal - I speak with a speech language pathologist, behavior analyst, and current PhD student about what her journey has been like, her advice to professionals and business owners, how she balances her many roles, and keeping summer alive with all the...

What brings you joy? It’s okay if you don’t immediately have an answer, but I’m going to challenge you to bring more joy into your life! During today’s meal - I speak with a behavior analyst about what brings her joy, her journey with ABA (the positives and challenges), mentoring younger generations, and community service. — About Salma Jaramillo , MA, BCBA, LBA Salma received her Master’s Degree...

Have you ever been in a contentious IEP meeting? Do you support families with their educational advocacy?  During today’s meal - I speak with a behavior analyst, IEP advocate, and mom of 3 about how she got into behavior analysis, the biggest barrier when helping families advocate at IEPs, and her favorite food experience while traveling. — About Annie McLaughlin , PhD, BCBA-D, LBA Dr. Annie McLau...

Do you find the BACB ethics process a little mysterious? Have you ever wondered how behavior analysts move forward after a violation? During today’s meal - I speak with a behavior analyst, CEO, and all around amazing individual about her advice if you want to pursue a PhD, being “unprofessional”, the BACB ethics department, and the rivalry between Red Vines and Twizzlers. — *The Association of Pro...

Reserve your spot at Ethics CEU Brunch, Sunday 6/29! "Blurred Boundaries: Navigating Multiple Relationships in ABA” — When you hate something, do you push it away or try to learn more about it? Have you ever been called difficult because you disagree or question feedback? During today’s meal– I speak with a behavior analyst about his begrudging start to ABA, hate-reading authors he disagrees...

How often do you slow down? What would it be like to pause and connect before interacting? During today’s meal- I speak with a phenomenal woman about career choices, getting into ABA, parenting neurodivergent children, learning and healing from generational trauma, and ADHD projects like making chili oil from scratch. — About Jenny Lai , BCBA Hi, I'm Jenny Lai. I'm a mom to 2 autistic chil...

How often do you consider what your clients have taught you? Do you think about the therapeutic relationships you build? During today’s meal - I speak with a behavior analyst and business owner about working with the adult population, trusting your gut, and her favorite vegan seafood dish she found while traveling. — About Aly Rogers , BCBA Aly is a neurodivergent Clinical Behavior Analyst and the...

Did you grapple with imposter syndrome when you first started out? How often were you afraid to ask for help? During today’s meal - I speak with a behavior analyst, business owner, and fellow PLC member about getting started in the field, the driving force behind starting a company, and the unique challenges for her Spanish-speaking families. — About Yuri Rivera , M.A, BCBA, LBA-TX I was born in E...

Have you ever felt out of place like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole? What if I told you that you have the power to create spaces where you and others could belong?  During today’s meal - I speak with a queer, neurodivergent entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in behavior analysis. We discuss what it means to be a leader, imbedding self care throughout the day, creating your...

What’s your favorite thing about what you do? Do you ever think about how we come from so many different paths, but we all have pretty similar values? During today’s meal - I speak with a behavior analyst about exploring opportunities, networking with others in and outside of the field, drawing clear boundaries between work and personal life, and gearing up for our spring gardens. — About Danielle...

When you observe others, do you ever examine what you are bringing to the environment? Could you be adding reinforcing or punishing vibes to the situation? During today’s meal - I speak with a behavior analyst and trauma-informed ACT coach about her experiences being in the field for over 15 years, her pivot to consulting, and how she finds balance between all of her responsibilities. — About Ashl...

How often do we hear negative misconceptions to being a school-based BCBA? Would you be open to hearing about the benefits of impacting the lives of all students and teachers?  During today’s meal - I speak with a school-based behavior analyst about supporting diverse students, learning from our clients, and her motto “I do this for kids like me.” — About Brittany Man, BCBA I'm a school-based...

Have you ever thought about writing a book? How great would it be to have a book that combined compassionate care and science into one treatment plan? During today’s meal - I speak with three behavior analysts and authors of a new book releasing in March. We discuss what the writing process was like, key takeaways from the book, and what they learned from writing it. — About REFRAME Margaret Thoma...

What can behavior analysts learn from other mental health providers? How can understanding how people process grief be beneficial to our work? During today’s meal - I speak with a brilliant individual in the field of marriage and family therapy about the similarities and differences of our fields, grieving and loss, and how to prevent getting activated during difficult sessions. — About Krista Par...

Do you trust your gut when making decisions? Are you afraid to put yourself out there, or do you step into your power boldly? During today’s meal - I speak with a behavior analyst, educator, parent, and all around shiny human about best career advice, how to juggle all the tasks while honoring self care, and what it’s like creating a book. — About Bailey Payne, BCBA I am a behavior analyst that li...

How often do you journal or practice gratitude? How often do you try to shape your own behavior towards things you want rather than things you don’t? During today’s meal - I speak with a behavior analyst about using behavior analysis principles in everyday life, using clear stimulus conditions for work and non-work to promote boundaries, and taking care of our bodies before our bodies make us. — A...

Do you shy away from the uncomfortable stuff, or do you lean into the discomfort in order to grow and learn? During today’s meal - I speak with a behavior analyst about her passion projects, how to learn from failure, and her favorite holiday traditions. — About Kelly Baird , BCBA, LBA, IBA Kelly Baird is the founder of Black Women in Behavior Analysis Appreciation Day (BWIBAAD) and the Vice Presi...

Do you set boundaries that align with your values? Do you show up as your authentic self in all environments? During today’s meal - I speak with a behavior analyst, avid volleyball player, and entrepreneur about using the science of behavior analysis outside of autism services, practicing self care, and being a biracial immigrant and a working mom. — About Sarah "Scho" McFarland , BCBA, COBA Sarah...