Rad N Bad Podcast

The Titanic has officially struck the iceberg, and the music is starting to stop behind closed doors. Following the explosive New York Times investigation exposing fraud, seven-minute nap billings, and hyper-inflated center-based hours across the autism therapy sector, the industry is entering its ultimate "prove it" era. But how did a pure, data-driven behavioral science transform into...

Are we using clinical structure to build real-world independence, or are we just using it as an excuse for corporate and intellectual laziness? This week, Sean and Mike step right into the crossfire of the industry’s loudest, most polarizing argument to map out the definitive middle ground on Discrete Trial Training (DTT). Depending on who you ask on social media, DTT is either the only way to suc...

Most people in the tech space claim they understand the frontline trenches. They haven’t. This week, Sean and Mike pull back the curtain on the corporate contingencies crippling clinical quality, and they are joined by someone who has lived a literal clinical Odyssey: Dr. Erin Moran, Director of Clinical Innovation at Hi-Rasmus. Dr. Moran didn’t just climb a corporate tech ladder. She has been thr...

In this episode of the No Man’s Land series, Sean and Mike tackle the 'forbidden E-word' of ABA: Extinction. While cancel culture and critics often paint extinction as cold or outdated, the guys pull the curtain back to show that it’s not a trend—it’s a law of behavior. Whether you call it 'planned ignoring' or 'compassionate support,' if you change a reinforcement contingency, you’re implementing...

Is "assent" the future of ethical ABA, or is it a clinical retreat into "fragile tolerance"? In this installment of the No Man’s Land series, Sean Yocum and Mike Carrero step directly into one of the most emotionally charged debates in behavioral health. While the field currently treats assent as an ethical evolution, Sean and Mike strip away the marketing and the buzzwords to look at the raw mech...

The ABA industry has an access problem, and throwing generic corporate software at it isn't fixing a damn thing. In this episode of Rad N Bad , Sean and Mike sit down with Amol Deshpande, the founder of Frontera Health, a Silicon Valley veteran who is injecting radical disruption into the behavioral health tech space. Driven by his personal experience as a parent of an autistic son who achieve...

In this "Who the Hell is That?" episode, Sean and Mike welcome Dr. Lou Sandler , a 45-year veteran of the field who isn't afraid to take a sledgehammer to the industry’s "sacred cows." The trio dives deep into the "40-hour work week" obsession, the private equity takeover of behavioral health, and why we’ve traded clinical precision for billable presence. From the "seismograph" data of failing cen...

ABA is under pressure—and a lot of it is deserved. In this episode of Rad N Bad , Sean and Mike break down the real impact of North Carolina’s recent Medicaid policy changes and what they signal for the future of the field. This isn’t speculation. This is a direct response to rising costs, federal audits, and growing questions about how ABA services are delivered and justified. For years, the indu...

In this episode, Mike Carrero sits down with Dr. Nick Green , a behavior analyst who traded the clinic for the gym. As the founder of BehaviorFit , Dr. Green is on a mission to prove that ABA isn't just for autism—it's the secret weapon for human performance. They dissect the "Autism Industrial Complex," explore why only 20% of adults worldwide meet physical activity guidelines,...

In this episode of the Rad N Bad Podcast , Sean Yocum and Mike Carrero sit down with Dr. Cheryl Tierney , Chief Medical Officer at EarlyPoint, to discuss a technological seismic shift in the world of autism evaluations. For decades, the diagnostic process has been a subjective, "bottlenecked mess" relying on antiquated tools (some still asking if kids can use a VCR!). Dr. Tierney introdu...

We need to talk about the "copy-paste" problem in our field. Across the industry, too many of us have become "milestone chasers"—clicking and dragging generic goals from standardized assessments into plans without ever considering the messy, beautiful reality of the family living them. An assessment is not a curriculum, and a milestone is not a program. If your intervention plan ignores the indivi...

In this hard-hitting episode of the Rad N Bad Podcast , Sean Yocum and Mike Carrero dissect the explosive Wall Street Journal investigation that has sent shockwaves through the ABA industry: "The Boom in Autism Therapy Is Medicaid’s Fastest-Growing Jackpot." Sean and Mike pull back the curtain on a system they’ve long warned was "hollowing out." They tackle the "Gold Rush&...

Welcome to the kickoff of our new series, Beyond the Clinic Walls , where we explore the raw, unpolished reality of applying ABA outside of traditional autism care. In this episode, we’re joined by Matt Harrington, BCBA and the engine behind an ABA-focused Digital Marketing Agency. Matt has taken our most lethal clinical tools—reinforcement schedules, stimulus control, and motivating operations—an...

Welcome back to the Rad and Bad Podcast , the only show in ABA where we willingly jump into the wood chipper of industry nonsense to see what comes out the other side. Today, we’re asking the question: Who the hell is Attend Behavior? Sean Yocum is joined by Alan Fullbright, BCBA , to discuss why the field has spent the last decade tuning the "cup holders" of clinical data while the &quo...

Live from NCABA 2026 in Winston-Salem, NC, Sean Yocum and Mike Carrero take the stage for the first-ever live recording of the Rad n Bad podcast. In an industry that prides itself on data and behavior change, the guys ask the uncomfortable question: Why do we spend millions of dollars on conferences and return to the clinic on Monday without changing a single thing? Sean and Mike strip away the &q...

In this episode of the Rad n’ Bad Podcast, Sean and Mike scrape off the "clinical veneer" to expose the "metallic stench" of a field currently governed by the path of least resistance. They are joined by a true industry heavy hitter, Rebecca Urbano Powell, CEO of Seven Dimensions Behavioral Health and a veteran with 25 years in the trenches. The trio dives headfirst into the me...

The box of conversation is officially open. In this second installment of No-Man’s Land , Sean Yocum and Mike Carrero take on one of the most taboo subjects in ABA: Addressing and Treating Stereotypy . As always, the rules are rigid—no "it depends" and no using "nuance" as a shield. The coin flip decides their fate, and this week, Mike is forced to argue for the treatment of st...

Welcome to the front lines of Season 2. Comfort has killed curiosity in this field, and Sean Yocum and Mike Carrero are officially done applauding mediocrity. In this high-stakes season premiere, the guys introduce their newest segment: No-Man’s Land . The rules are simple but brutal—the flip of a coin decides which side of a toxic topic you have to defend, and "it depends" is a forfeit....

Season 2 Trailer of what is to come on the Rad N Bad podcast....get ready for the escalation! www.radnbadpodcast.com

In this Season 1 finale, host Sean Yocum strips away the "conference scripts" and polished professionalism to reflect on why Rad and Bad was created. This episode is a raw manifesto for the podcast’s mission: providing a voice for the "whispers in the hallways" of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Yocum acknowledges the community—from RBTs and clinicians to students and families...

In this episode of Rad N' Bad, Sean Yocum critically analyzes the Behavior Analyst Certification Board's (BACB) disciplinary process, highlighting its hypocrisy and emotional toll on behavior analysts. He cites "Ethical and Regulatory Investigations in ABA: A Qualitative Analysis of Practitioner Responses and Outcomes (Voulgarakis, 2025)He discusses the profound impact on early career...

In this impromptu episode recorded live from the Underground Conference, hosts Sean Yocum and Michael Carrero tackle the controversial and nuanced debate surrounding "Traditional" versus "New" Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). They explore whether the shift in terminology represents a genuine change in practice or just a rebranding effort. The conversation delves deep into the h...

In this episode of the Rad and Bad Podcast, Sean Yocum discusses the critical issues facing clinicians in ABA therapy, particularly the impact of Medicaid funding cuts. He emphasizes the need for clinicians to speak out against systemic failures and to advocate for better practices and policies. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding the Medicaid system, the consequences of si...

In this episode of the Rad and Bad Podcast, Sean Yocum discusses the critical issues facing clinicians in ABA therapy, particularly the impact of Medicaid funding cuts. He emphasizes the need for clinicians to speak out against systemic failures and to advocate for better practices and policies. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding the Medicaid system, the consequences of si...

In this fiery, no-holds-barred episode, Sean Yocum returns to the mic to rip the mask off one of the most dangerous forces creeping through the field of Applied Behavior Analysis — private equity. What started as a clinical revolution has become a corporate gold rush, and Sean calls it exactly what it is: behavioral gentrification. From Wall Street boardrooms to therapy rooms, Sean exposes how ven...