Latest Episodes and Show Notes

Behavior Bitches ABA for Everyday Parents with the Family Behaviorist Mandy Grass

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…

Behavior Bitches Convict to Clinician: From Getting High to Helping Others Get Clean with Dr. Adi Jaffe

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…

Behavior Bitches Answers Are Overrated: How to Thrive in Times of Uncertainty with Elizabeth Weingarten

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…

Behavior Bitches Got ADHD? Call a BCBA with Nicole Stewart

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…

Behavior Bitches Architecture Meets ABA with Ximena Valle

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…

Behavior Bitches Explain ABA Like I’m 5 with Kendall Ryndak Samuel

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…

Behavior Bitches Private Equity is a Joke with Johnny Hilbrant

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,…

Behavior Bitches How to Make Your Workplace Not Suck – Katie O’Malley

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…

Behavior Bitches The Mom Who Built an Adaptive Fashion Empire with Mindy Scheier

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…

Behavior Bitches 30 Years of Raising a Child with Autism with Liat’s Mom: Melanie Sacks

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…

Behavior Bitches Lessons from a Disabled Mother with Jessica Slice

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…