I met Dr. Darren Sush at the Autism Law Summit in 2022 (Oklahoma City) and I couldn't wait for this conversation given the recently announced partnership between Cigna/Evernorth and the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence on outcomes and value-based care. I'm a HUGE fan of accreditation ... a HUGE fan of the BHCOE ... a HUGE fan of quantified outcomes (as a pre-cursor to value-based care) ... so this was as homerun before I even hit the recording studio. And Darren doesn't disa...
Mar 07, 2023•48 min•Ep. 63
Move knowledge, not patients." That, my friends, is the definition of root-causing the immense supply/demand imbalance we see in ABA ... and across healthcare. And that's exactly what Alicia Curran and Dr. Kristin Sohl are doing with Project ECHO autism. I first met them for an ECHO training in New Mexico in 2019 and I was ENRAPTURED by how they're turning medicine on its head by focusing on empowering front-line clinical teams. For instance, imagine a program that trains/supports...
Feb 24, 2023•45 min•Ep. 62
When Amanda joined BlueSprig in 2018, she had a major conviction: her title would include "Learning" .... NOT "Training". Because training is done TO people, as a one-off event, with the focus on the trainer. Learning, on the other hand, is an evolution and accumulation of knowledge, focused on the learner. Just one of many insights from this extraordinary conversation. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources >Amanda on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-fullbright-47007...
Feb 21, 2023•46 min•Ep. 61
Back by popular demand! My first convo with Jing was one of the highest downloaded episodes so we're chatting again, this time about the challenges ABA providers face. I love how she ties financial metrics back to people and clinical metrics ("people and quality drive profit"). She also brings a healthy perspective on how you - as an owner/operator - can leverage your time: move from "how can I get this done?" to "who on my team can do this." Enjoy, kind listen...
Feb 17, 2023•41 min•Ep. 60
Dr.'s Janet & Coby Lund have single-handedly built more companies - and companies of quality, I might add - than anyone else in the ABA field that I'm aware of. Data Finch (Catalyst data collection), Behavior Live, Integrated Behavioral Solutions and now Archer Behavioral Health. They have an uncanny ability to reflect on their successes and struggles and translate ALL of those learnings into their next endeavor. And their clickbait-worthy pearls of wisdom are unmatched: eg, "...
Feb 14, 2023•59 min•Ep. 59
Isaac exudes the humility that comes only from a profound degree of wisdom and learning accumulated over the course of a career. I loved learning about his entrepreneurial & intrapreneurial stories, the founding of the Latino Association of Behavior Analysts, his "Mentorlologist" origin story and so much more. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources: Mentorologists: https://youtube.com/@Mentorologist Mentorologist/CEU videos: https://brettdassociates.com/continuing-education/ Latino Associ...
Feb 10, 2023•36 min•Ep. 58
Rebecca is like-mindedly passionate about all things compliance ... and is an expert in Tricare and what it take to build robust compliance regimes for your payers. She shares my conviction that "winter is coming" for our field if you don't invest in compliance. The good news? She shares some deeply insightful frameworks for how to prepare. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources: Rebecca on ... >LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-womack-52189737/ >Facebook: https://www.f...
Feb 07, 2023•44 min
Dr. Merahn is a breath of fresh air! He knows value-based care because he's helped build some of the first Accountable Care Organization's ... and he gets ABA as both a pediatrician and as a visionary for what our future field will look like. He's the kind of guest I love: bold, strongly opinionated about clinical quality, and with the experience to back it up. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources: Dr. Steven Merahn online: https://merahn.com/ Steven's artwork! https://www.merahn....
Feb 03, 2023•56 min
Tiffany co-founded the FIRST Neurodiversity Chamber of Commerce in the US, right here in Colorado. I was fortunate to attend their launch event in September 2022 and Tiffany and I catch up about why these are so important to our community (spoiler alert: it's about making ours a more neurodiverse-friendly world). She's also the founder of Guiding Bright Minds and has built an extraordinary community of like-minded providers through it. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources >Tiffany on Lin...
Jan 31, 2023•42 min
As the founder of Intentionality, Finnian leads events and retreats inspiring attendees to connect deeply with their businesses and themselves. He’s a lifelong learner with degrees in math, physics, finance, leadership, and teaching as well as a retired Australian Defense Force Officer. Finnian’s work with individuals, teams and underprivileged communities has been featured on National Geographic, Business Insider, Forbes, Sky Business, ABC, Smart Company, and more. Dr. David Hawkins publication...
Jan 24, 2023•47 min
Dr. Tyra Sellers is the CEO of the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA) and a longtime friend in the field. She has an uncanny ability to listen, bring together groups to solve complex challenges, and to create followership while doing so. I loved hearing her vision for APBA and her description of the importance of every organization "caring deeply about supervision." Enjoy, kind listener! Resources: Email Tyra with what you'd love to see APBA pursue in 2023! ( tyr...
Jan 17, 2023•53 min
James Craig, LCSW brings a unique payer perspective as the former VP Autism Services at Beacon Health' Options. This conversation highlights the things that will need to be true for our ABA field to move toward value-based care models. He also shares some damning data on ABA provider utilization of parent training codes. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources James on LinkedIn Movies/TV Series that have moved James: Temple Grandin (movie) Extraordinary Attorney Woo (TV Series) Sponsored by Element...
Jan 10, 2023•44 min
Jill and I hit it off when we first met just before the pandemic. We related on everything: where our field was headed, importance of compliance, and much more. I recently met her husband, John, summer 2022 and likewise connected on all things culture and leadership. I now bring these two powerhouses to you, kind listener. Enjoy! Resources Jill on LinkedIn John on LinkedIn J2Jacobson Consulting QAPI Sponsored by Element RCM Building Better Businesses in ABA is edited and produced by KJ Herodirt ...
Jan 03, 2023•45 min
Mariel has been advocating for 10+ years to get Texas Medicaid Autism program passed ... and it happened! Starting Feb 2022 kiddos with autism can access services. We talk about the journey, what's gone well, what's still a mess, and what the future will hold. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources TXABA Public Policy Group Texas Medicaid Children's Services Handbook Mental Health Parity Act Call for papers : Public Policy Advocacy by Behavior Analysts (deadline: March 1, 2023) Sponsored...
Dec 27, 2022•50 min
Hallie's a bestie from the PodCASP and an EXPERT on all things Enneagram. Improve retention by getting to know your team members in increasingly meaningful ways. And check out how she breaks down and NAILS my Enneagram type. Enjoy kind listener! Resources: Hallie on LinkedIn The Blossom Center for Children Take a free Enneagram test (via Cloverleaf) The PodCASP (Council of Autism Service Providers) Sponsored by Element RCM Building Better Businesses in ABA is edited and produced by KJ Herod...
Dec 20, 2022•1 hr 1 min
You know how you meet someone new and they simply inspire you by the breadth of what they're doing? That was Emily for me in this conversation: from the TeleTeacheres/Colorado statewide partnership that connects Colorado students to mental health providers ... to her conviction to advocate for female CEOs/Founders ... to her Board role at the World Refugees School. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources Emily on: Linkedin Instagram Twitter Teleteachers The World Refugees School The Artist's W...
Dec 13, 2022•41 min•Ep. 48
Holli Beth is a recruiter and influencer in our field ... and she is also diagnosed with autism. I've known Holli Beth a couple years but I really got to know her personal journey in this conversation: it's deeply meaningful. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources: Holli Beth on LinkedIn Sponsored by Element RCM Building Better Businesses in ABA is edited and produced by KJ Herodirt Productions Intro/outro Music Credit: song "Tailor Made" by Yari and bensound.com Give us a rating at...
Dec 06, 2022•30 min
Sasha wants to be remembered for impacting the lives of thousands of families ... and it was fun diving into how he's doing that through digital caregiver training for families at Goally. He also has some bold predictions for our field and a move toward more tech-enabled services. And, as my crypto buddy, we dish on how crypto will impact our world (spoiler: he doesn't think there will be applications in tech). Enjoy, kind listener! Resources: Goally (Sasha's company) Sasha on Lin...
Nov 29, 2022•52 min
Super powerful lessons from this conversation with Tanya on what it's like to be an ABA entrepreneur going through multiple rounds of fundraising, to bring in a new leadership team, to choose the right investor/partner, to lean into strategy & game theory ... and then transition to a new entrepreneurial endeavor in Summa Academy. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources: Tanya Scott on LinkedIn Summa Academy on Instagram A primer on game theory and the prisoner's dilemma Sponsored by Elemen...
Nov 22, 2022•43 min
Leading Through Change with Dr. Breanne Hartley "Simpatico": that's the deep alignment I feel with Breanne about salient topics in our field. We dish on ABA's transition to the "medical model", on the work needed to invest in RBTs, how to lead through change, how to look outside our field for patterns that can predict our future ... and so much more. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources Breanne on LinkedIn Little Star ABA Therapy Sponsored by Element RCM Building Better ...
Nov 15, 2022•49 min
Treatment Centers Market 2022 Research Report with John LaRosa John LaRosa and Market Data Enterprises published the 3rd edition of the "The US Autism Treatment Centers Market" in September 2022. Biggest surprise in the findings? The market was much bigger than he anticipated at $4.1 billion in annual revenue (and even that is 'conservative'). Treasure trove of stats on our field in this episode. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources Find the report on Market Data Enterprises'...
Nov 08, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 43
A Payer's (& BCBAs) Perspective on ABA with Yagnesh Vadgama of Magellan Health Yagnesh Vadgama is President/COO and VP Clinical Care Services - Autism for Magellan Health ... and he's also a BCBA. I've always loved how passionately and fluently he speaks for our field, as both a payer and as a BCBCA. He gave me a window into the future of our field (multdiiciplinary, value-based, equitable). And oh by the way, he's a huge Tribe Called Quest fan :) Enjoy, kind listener! Re...
Nov 01, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Combating Burnout & Leading Through Crisis with Dr. Becca Tagg Becca's been a hero of mine since I saw her do a presentation on RBT Burnout in 2018. She comes across with utter clarity on her self-awareness, leadership, her ABA Practice, and her diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis two years ago. This conversation got me in the feels. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources: Becca on LinkedIn Business of Behavior (Becca's podcast) Del Mar Behavioral Health Sponsored by: Element RCM Building Bet...
Oct 25, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Accelerating Insurance Credentialing & Healthcare Operations with Derek Lo Derek's vision for transforming healthcare credentialing and operations not only gave me crazy good energy in our conversation ... it's what led to a transformative partnership between Element RCM (my organization) and Medallion to make contracting & credentialing more efficient, improve compliance, and level-up ABA providers' compliance game. I'm all in: on Medallion, Derek, this conversation ...
Oct 18, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 40
What You Can Learn From F-15 Pilots & Military Leadership with Scott Snider Scott's a former Major and F-15 fighter pilot in the US Air Force and is the CEO/Co-Founder of Proven Behavior Solutions. Scott is a gentle soul as a leader and this conversation was amazing for the leadership lessons that generalize from the military: from the "direct orders" fallacy to continuity playbooks to creating a culture of direct feedback earned from trust. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources Sco...
Oct 11, 2022•51 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Founder of the ABA Clinic & Practice Owners LinkedIn Group, Lupe Castaneda Lupe's middle name is "collaboration." Not really ... but it should be. He's spent his career as a (two-time) founder of a small consulting practice and a dude whose heart is genuinely in it for his field and his colleagues. And his origin story as an Adaptive PE instructor is extraordinary. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources Lupe on LinkedIn Learn With ABA (Lupe's practice) - "improving liv...
Oct 04, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Mandy's a freaking breath of fresh air on ANY topic: algorithims on clincial decision making, her entrepreneurship journey, weaponization of the ethics code, oxford commas, memes, you name it. Always a pleasure getting real with Mandy. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources Mandy on LinkedIn Why Entrepreneurs Need to Talk About Mental Health (Forbes article) Mandy's world famous memes (Facebook): seriously, dudes and dudettes. They're, like, too good to be true! Sponsored by: ElementRCM ...
Sep 27, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Dissemination Through Podcasting with Matt Cicoria But for a chance encounter at ABAI Boston, I might not have met the guru of ALL things related to Podcast dissemination, Matt Cicoria. We dish on podcasting, the field and our mutual love for mountain biking :). Enjoy, kind listener! Resources Matt on LinkedIn Matt's Behavioral Observations Podcast (earn CEUs!) The " Behavior Analysis of Lying " episode Atomic Habits Sponsored by: ElementRCM Building Better Businesses in ABA is ed...
Sep 20, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Ryan Gillian is the President/COO of Element RCM and a former ABA practice owner. He's spent portions of his career working with big hospital systems on optimizing their Revenue Cycle function so we get into the nitty gritty of what our ABA field can expect based on regulations he's lived in billing/insurance/compliance/cash collection in the hospital world. Enjoy, kind listener! Resources: Ryan on LinkedIn Free RCM organizational assessment (5 minutes) on Element's website Sponso...
Sep 13, 2022•55 min•Season 1Ep. 35
What a Janitorial Company Can Teach Us About Employee Retention, with Rami Paulus Rami is an extraordinarily thoughtful and articulate entrepreneur who fell in love with the ABA field as an adult. He's the Founder/CEO of Midwestern Janitorial (serving ABA organizations and medical providers) and he's taken an entirely different approach to building a janitorial business: focus first on your employees, then on your customers. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation, not least of which wer...
Sep 06, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 34
