Podcasts about Aba

On this episode of Million Dollaz Worth of Game, Gillie & Wallo sit down with basketball icon Julius "Dr.J" Erving to talk legacy, culture, and the untold story of the ABA. Dr. J joins us to promote his new 4-part docu=series “Soul Power” Streaming on Prime Video. Narrated by hip-hop legend Common and co-produced by former NBA coach George Karl, Soul Power revisits the rise, swagger, and cultural impact of the ABA. It tells the story of the revolutionary league that merged with the NBA 50 years ago and changed basketball forever. We dive deep into Dr. J's upbringing in the 1960s, The influence of the ABA on today's game, Winning a championship in Philadelphia, His iconic free-throw line dunk and basketball culture

Welcome back to the Bar Exam Toolbox podcast! Today we're discussing ABA's Model Rule of Professional Conduct 3.3, which governs truth telling to the tribunal (a court, arbitrator, administrative agency, or any other body acting in an adjudicative capacity). We break down all of the rule's nuances and parts, and analyze a few hypothetical scenarios.   In this episode, we discuss: An overview of ABA's Model Rules of Professional Conduct The elements of Rule 3.3 "Candor Toward the Tribunal" A few hypothetical scenarios that show how this issue appears on the bar exam Resources: "Listen and Learn" series (https://barexamtoolbox.com/bar-exam-toolbox-podcast-archive-by-topic/bar-exam-toolbox-podcast-explaining-individual-mee-and-california-bar-essay-questions/#listen-learn) ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct (https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/model_rules_of_professional_conduct_table_of_contents/) California Bar Examination – Essay Questions and Selected Answers, February 2024 (https://www.calbar.ca.gov/sites/default/files/portals/0/documents/admissions/Examinations/February2024CBXessayQsandAnswer.pdf) California Bar Examination – Essay Questions and Selected Answers, February 2018 (https://www.calbar.ca.gov/sites/default/files/portals/0/documents/admissions/Examinations/Feb2018_CBXSelectedAnswers_EssayQuestions.pdf) Talmage v. Smith (https://www.casebriefs.com/blog/law/torts/torts-keyed-to-prosser/intentional-interference-with-person-or-property/talmage-v-smith/) Download the Transcript (https://barexamtoolbox.com/episode-343-listen-and-learn-duties-to-the-tribunal-professional-responsibility/) If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bar-exam-toolbox-podcast-pass-bar-exam-less-stress/id1370651486) or your favorite listening app. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Bar Exam Toolbox website (https://barexamtoolbox.com/contact-us/). Finally, if you don't want to miss anything, you can sign up for podcast updates (https://barexamtoolbox.com/get-bar-exam-toolbox-podcast-updates/)! Thanks for listening! Alison & Lee

The American Basketball Association changed the game forever — but does it get the credit it deserves? In this episode of the Hoopsology Podcast, we sit down with director Kenan Kamwana Holley to discuss his powerful Prime Video docuseries Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association. We break down how the ABA reshaped modern basketball, pioneered the three-point line, embraced player individuality, and helped integrate professional sports in ways that are still felt today. Kenan shares how conversations with George Karl, Dr. J (Julius Erving), Dan Issel, and other ABA legends revealed a deeper story — one about brotherhood, cultural disruption, and the power of athletes bonding together against the establishment. The ABA wasn't just flashy basketball; it was a social movement that helped lay the foundation for today's NBA. We discuss: Why the ABA was ahead of its time stylistically The truth behind the 1976 ABA-NBA merger Whether ABA stats should count toward NBA records Why many ABA players feel overlooked in basketball history The cultural impact of the league during the 1960s and 70s How Soul Power was made and the challenges behind the scenes If you love basketball history, sports documentaries, and conversations about culture and legacy, this episode is for you.

Episode 591 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Kenan Kamwana Holley, an Emmy Award documentarian who directed "Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association," a four-part docu-series that will debut on Feb. 12 on Prime Video. In this podcast Holley discusses why the ABA was worth examining; how the project came to him, and the time from conception to completion; the revolutionary aspects of the league, from the 3-point shot to the All-Star Game slam dunk competition to player empowerment; how the ABA fit into the era of Vietnam protests, civil rights protests and women's liberation; procuring still images of ABA games and ABA footage; the genius of having a multicoloured basketball; the importance of Spencer Haywood and Rick Barry;  his interviews with Julius Erving and discovering ABA footage showing Dr. J at the height of his prime; learning stories about Moses Malone; beginning his filmmaking career at NFL Films and working under the tutelage of sports documentarian, Steve Sabol and more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andy opens with his review of "Soul Power", Julius Erving's new documentary on the ABA. (18:09) A story from Andy's WFAN days and a ranking of sports movies. (31:32) Former Giants head coach and current Ole Miss assistant Joe Judge with some interesting comments. (49:55) Rod Woodson makes the case for the 2000 Ravens after the discussion of where the 2025 Seahawks defense stacks up. To hear the whole show, tune in live from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Monday-Friday. For more sports coverage, download the ESPN630 AM app, visit https://www.sportscapitoldc.com. To join the conversation, check us out on twitter @ESPN630DC and @andypollin1See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here's a First Look from our upcoming podcast with Kenan Kamwana Holley, an Emmy Award documentarian who directed "Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association," a four-part docu-series that will debut on Feb. 12 on Prime Video.  The full podcast will be out later this week. In this preview clip, Holley discusses his interviews with Julius Erving and discovering ABA footage showing Dr. J at the height of his prime. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2023, ABA Area birders welcomed Chihuahuan Meadowlark to the official ABA Checklist, and subsequently to many life lists. Previously considered a distinct subspecies of Eastern Meadowlark, the split was the result of work done by Dr. Johanna Beam while she was an undergraduate researcher. Informed by her background as a birder, Johanna used museum specimens, audio recordings, and genetic tools to inform the eventual split. She joins host Nate Swick to talk about how it's done, and what other potential new species might be out there.  Also, the ABA announced our 2026 Community Weekend schedule. We hope to see you out there! Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

ABA Business Leaders Podcast Stephen and April Smith are seasoned ABA entrepreneurs who built, scaled, and successfully exited a seven-figure ABA practice. Now, through 3 Pie Squared, they help other ABA business owners grow sustainable, values-driven companies without burning out or losing sight of what matters most. In this Valetines Day special episode, Stephen and April explore what really happens when couples build ABA businesses together. They are joined by a select panel of couples in business together in the ABA industry: Jes Pape & Chris Robinson- AByay Jessica Harrison & Joshua Harrison – ENC ABATasneem Ramey - Summit Collaborative Care If you're in business with your partner (or considering it) this episode offers practical insight grounded in real-world experience. Join our ABA Business Leaders Support Group for Couples

This episode of Destination on the Left is a special roadshow edition recorded live at the American Bus Association's Marketplace 2026 in Reno, Nevada. I'm joined by a fantastic group of industry leaders to hear first-hand how collaboration is playing a critical, mission-driven role in the future of group travel, moving beyond a "nice-to-have" and becoming essential for success. My guests discuss the economic impact of group travel and the importance of restoring cross-border connections between the U.S. and Canada, to creative regional itineraries, and share ideas for navigating the political and economic headwinds facing the industry. What You Will Learn in This Episode: How ABA's leadership is addressing current challenges in group travel, including restoring the crucial relationship between the U.S. and Canada Why collaboration between industry partners, including operators, suppliers, associations, and destinations, is mission-critical for the future of group travel Trends are shaping group travel in 2026 and beyond, such as the rise of experiential itineraries, smaller group sizes, and the impacts of major events like the FIFA World Cup and MA250 How regional and cross-border partnerships are creating unique travel experiences and tour products that benefit entire ecosystems, not just individual destinations Collaborative initiatives, such as Tour in 64 are demonstrating the value of teamwork How industry organizations like ABA can accelerate personal and professional growth The Future of Group Travel is Collaboration The ABA 2026 Marketplace is filled with optimism, but nobody shies away from today's realities. Fred Ferguson sets the stage by underscoring the economic importance of group travel—$158 billion in economic output and 800,000 jobs in North America. The entire travel flywheel, operators, destinations, restaurants, and attractions, only spins when everyone works in sync. Fred Ferguson and Terry Fischer both stress that now, more than ever, strategic alliances and industry unity are essential for lasting impact. It's no longer enough to operate in silos. As Terry puts it, "It takes a village," and internal and external collaboration are the most important ingredients in weathering disruptions, from politics to pandemics. Collaboration in Action My guests also share what deep collaboration looks like in practice. Across the group travel ecosystem, leaders are getting creative. We hear how DMOs are embracing regionalism, and Todd Read from SoIN Tourism and Whitney Lubbers of Dubois County described how Tour in 64, a partnership among destinations along Interstate 64, helps smaller markets punch above their weight. By pooling marketing budgets, sharing top experiences, and even jointly running an ABA booth, collective impact outweighs any competition for hotel nights. With mega-events like the FIFA World Cup and MA250 (America's 250th anniversary) on the horizon, Stacey David detailed how municipalities, nonprofits, small businesses, and big attractions can co-create fan zone festivals that benefit everyone. Every stakeholder has a seat at the table for shared successes. The Power of Relationships The ABA conference is a great way to build relations, get involved, and engage with others in the travel and tourism industry. Jim Warren of Anderson Vacations credits strong partnerships as the industry's lifeblood, helping everyone survive the inevitable economic and political storms. Those connections are formed and deepened at conferences like ABA Marketplace. Investments in community, from Women in Buses initiatives to association days, make all the difference for newcomers and veterans alike. Leaders are putting collaboration-first strategies in place—whether it's regional joint marketing, creating new products, or advocating for the sector at the policy level. Resources: Fred Ferguson: https://www.buses.org/staff/fred-ferguson-mba-ms/ Terry Fischer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-fischer-31895b122/ Patricia Cowley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pcowley/ Jim Warren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-warren-1b2b59187/ Stacey David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacey-david-940a214/ Todd Read: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-read-182ab73a/ Whitney Lubbers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-lubbers-07374360/ We value your thoughts and feedback and would love to hear from you. Leave us a review on your favorite streaming platform to let us know what you want to hear more o​f. Here is a quick tutorial on how to leave us a rating and review on iTunes!

Bob Costas joins and shares stories about an ABA docuseries that will be on Amazon Prime. Can anyone win with class anymore? How much will the Mets miss Lindor to start the season? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rav makes a statement that is contradicted by a braita. He says that the last page of a Sefer Torah can end in the middle of the page, while a braita says it must finish at the end. After trying to reconcile Rav's position with the braita by limiting it to a Chumash (a parchment containing only one book of the Torah) and not a full Sefer Torah, the Gemara questions this from another statement of Rav (brought by Rabbi Yehoshua bar Aba in the name of Rav Gidal). There are two versions of the explanation for Rav's second statement, which may affect whether his position can be reconciled with the braita and whether one needs or is permitted to finish the last line of the Torah in the middle of the line. Two other statements of Rabbi Yehoshua bar Aba in the name of Rav Gidal in the name of Rav are brought regarding the Torah. The first discusses a specific rule regarding the last eight verses of the Torah describing Moshe's death: an individual reads them in a shul. There is a debate among the commentaries regarding the meaning of this rule. Initially, it is suggested that this rule follows the view that Yehoshua wrote these verses, but the Gemara concludes it can also be explained according to Rabbi Shimon, who held that Moshe wrote them b'dema. The second statement is that one who buys a Sefer Torah in the market does not fulfill the mitzva in the proper manner, as ideally one should write a Sefer Torah rather than buy it. A piece of parchment used in a Sefer Torah can contain between three and eight columns. A column should include approximately 30 letters. However, there are different rules regarding the last page of the Torah. How many letters can be added in the margin if needed, and under what circumstances? If one omits the name of God, how can this be fixed? There are five tannaitic opinions, ranging from no solution to scraping the ink of a different word and inserting God's name there (placing the other word between the lines) to even allowing half the name of God to be added between the lines. Rabbi Shimon Shezuri's opinion is that the name of God can be added between the lines, but only if it is the whole name. Ravin son of Chinina said in the name of Ulla in the name of Rabbi Chanina that the law follows Rabbi Shimon Shezuri in "this" issue and anywhere else he issued a ruling. The Gemara tries to establish what "this" issue is. Each time a possibility is suggested, starting with our sugya,  it is rejected because others also issued rulings, and when the Gemara listed who ruled like whom, Ravin bar Chinina and rabbi Chanina did not appear there.

Starting your own practice does not have to mean doing it all alone.In today's episode, I sat down with Bukhtar Khan, co-founder and CEO of Finni Health, to talk honestly about what it really looks like to start and grow an independent ABA practice. We talked about the fears BCBAs often have around finances, insurance, staffing, and burnout, and how Finni Health is built to support clinicians who want autonomy without sacrificing stability or ethics.Bukhtar shares the heart behind Finni Health and why their work is so focused on reducing stress for clinicians, protecting quality care, and helping providers build sustainable practices that align with their “why.” If you have ever thought about starting your own clinic but felt overwhelmed by the logistics, this conversation will give you clarity, reassurance, and a realistic look at what support can look like.#autism #speechtherapyWhat's Inside:The most common concerns BCBAs have about starting their own practiceHow Finni Health supports clinicians with operations, billing, staffing, and complianceThe balance between entrepreneurship and financial securityWhy knowing your “why” matters more than knowing every stepMentioned In This Episode:Finni HealthEarn CEUs with a community of peers. Join the ABA Speech ConnectionABA Speech: Home

This week, we're joined by Dr. Lauren Kenworthy, a leading expert in the field of autism and executive functioning. Dr. Kenworthy is the author of Unstuck and On Target, a school-based intervention program proven to help children on the autism spectrum develop critical executive functioning skills. Today we will be discussing how executive functioning impacts learning and daily life for autistic individuals, as well as practical strategies to support these skills at home, in school, and beyond. Download latest episode!  Resources Lauren Kenworthy, Ph.D.  Pediatric Neuropsychologist Chief, Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology Children's National (Washington DC) Professor, Pediatrics, Neurology, Psychiatry George Washington University Medical School Research Website: https://www.childrensnationalcasd.com ............................................................... Autism weekly is now found on all of the major listening apps including apple podcasts, stitcher, Spotify, amazon music, and more. Subscribe to be notified when we post a new podcast. Autism weekly is produced by ABS Kids. ABS Kids is proud to provide diagnostic assessments and ABA therapy to children with developmental delays like Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can learn more about ABS Kids and the Autism Weekly podcast by visiting abskids.com.

Supervision isn't just about signing off on hours. It's about shaping skills, building confidence, and developing thoughtful future behavior analysts. In this episode, we dive into how we can apply the very same behavior-analytic principles we use with clients to our supervision practices. From assessment and goal setting to shaping, reinforcement, and feedback, we break down what it really means to lead with ABA as a BCBA supervisor.We talk about why relationship-building and trust are foundational, how to move away from compliance-based supervision toward a coaching and mentorship model, and why feedback needs to be frequent, specific, and actionable. We also explore the importance of modeling professionalism, values-based decision-making, and ethical reasoning, especially for skills that don't always show up neatly on a task list.Whether you're new to supervising or looking to refine your leadership approach, this conversation will help you reframe supervision through a behavior-analytic lens and feel more confident supporting the next generation of BCBAs.What's Inside:Using ABA principles like shaping, reinforcement, and BST in supervisionBuilding trust, rapport, and a strong supervisory relationshipGiving effective, meaningful, and two-way feedbackShifting from compliance-based supervision to a coaching modelMentioned in This Episode:Supervision Resource BundleHowToABA.com/joinHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram

Rav makes a statement that is contradicted by a braita. He says that the last page of a Sefer Torah can end in the middle of the page, while a braita says it must finish at the end. After trying to reconcile Rav's position with the braita by limiting it to a Chumash (a parchment containing only one book of the Torah) and not a full Sefer Torah, the Gemara questions this from another statement of Rav (brought by Rabbi Yehoshua bar Aba in the name of Rav Gidal). There are two versions of the explanation for Rav's second statement, which may affect whether his position can be reconciled with the braita and whether one needs or is permitted to finish the last line of the Torah in the middle of the line. Two other statements of Rabbi Yehoshua bar Aba in the name of Rav Gidal in the name of Rav are brought regarding the Torah. The first discusses a specific rule regarding the last eight verses of the Torah describing Moshe's death: an individual reads them in a shul. There is a debate among the commentaries regarding the meaning of this rule. Initially, it is suggested that this rule follows the view that Yehoshua wrote these verses, but the Gemara concludes it can also be explained according to Rabbi Shimon, who held that Moshe wrote them b'dema. The second statement is that one who buys a Sefer Torah in the market does not fulfill the mitzva in the proper manner, as ideally one should write a Sefer Torah rather than buy it. A piece of parchment used in a Sefer Torah can contain between three and eight columns. A column should include approximately 30 letters. However, there are different rules regarding the last page of the Torah. How many letters can be added in the margin if needed, and under what circumstances? If one omits the name of God, how can this be fixed? There are five tannaitic opinions, ranging from no solution to scraping the ink of a different word and inserting God's name there (placing the other word between the lines) to even allowing half the name of God to be added between the lines. Rabbi Shimon Shezuri's opinion is that the name of God can be added between the lines, but only if it is the whole name. Ravin son of Chinina said in the name of Ulla in the name of Rabbi Chanina that the law follows Rabbi Shimon Shezuri in "this" issue and anywhere else he issued a ruling. The Gemara tries to establish what "this" issue is. Each time a possibility is suggested, starting with our sugya,  it is rejected because others also issued rulings, and when the Gemara listed who ruled like whom, Ravin bar Chinina and rabbi Chanina did not appear there.

Ben and Nathan react to Harvard considering A+ grades in response to grade inflation. They discuss how grading practices have changed and what could meaningfully change the system. Also in this episode- Demon students share their January LSAT results- How to choose between a regional school and a top-ranked school- A listener asks about attending a non-ABA accredited law schoolNew York Times Articles by Mark ArsenaultStudy with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 545 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What's the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 Harvard Adding A+ Grading10:50 January Score Release0:00 Attending a Regional School27:50 Improving Accuracy 42:50 Test D Question — Vor59:24 Pearls v. Turds1:06:20 140s Jail1:14:28 Non-ABA Law School1:24:00 Too Late to Apply?1:31:13 Thank You Email1:36:36 Word of the Week — chiaroscuro

Rob Morgan, Head of Stablecoin and Banking Strategy at Payoneer, joined me to discuss how Payoneer plans to integrate stablecoins into its payments infrastructure.Topics: - Payoneer's stablecoin plans - Banks adopting blockchain tech - Future of Payments - GENIUS Act - ABA and Banks push back on Stablecoin yieldRecorded on January 20th, 2026.Brought to you by

Send us a textABA on Tap is proud to present Dr. Scott O'Donnell (Part 1 of 2):Dr. Scott O'Donnell, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA, is a dedicated behavior analyst, educator, and therapist recognized for his advocacy in expanding the reach of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) beyond traditional settings. He is the founder of SAOBA, LLC, and currently serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Temple University.Dr. O'Donnell's career spans over a decade, with a focus on diverse populations including inner-city youth, athletes, and individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), and Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD).PhD in Applied Behavior Analysis: Earned from The Chicago School in 2022, focusing on the application of ABA in non-traditional areas like sports and Organizational Behavior Management (OBM).MS in Psychology and ABA: Completed at Purdue Global in 2018 under the mentorship of Dr. Antonio Harrison.BA in Psychology: Earned from Temple University, with a minor in Cognitive Neuroscience.Dr. O'Donnell is a strong proponent of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Relational Frame Theory (RFT). He frequently utilizes behavior analytic techniques to address mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety and emphasizes the importance of data-driven, compassionate practice. His published research includes work on:Sports performance and concussion management.Integrating consumer behavior analytic models into corporate settings (e.g., Disney).A lifelong resident of Philadelphia, Dr. O'Donnell is an active volunteer, curSupport the show

In this conversation, Madonna Bonny shares her journey from her early experiences in Georgia to becoming a BCBA and opening her own center in Georgia. She discusses the evolution of autism services in Georgia, the importance of parent involvement, and the role of the International Behaviour Analysis Organization (IBAO) in supporting ABA development. Madonna highlights the barriers faced in the ABA field, shares success stories from her practice, and reflects on the cultural dynamics of working with families in Georgia. She emphasizes the need for continued training and support for behaviour analysts and the importance of understanding the unique challenges faced by autistic individuals and their families. Continuing Education Credits (https://www.cbiconsultants.com/shop) BACB: 1.0 Ethics IBAO:  1.0 Cultural QABA: 1.0 General CBA/CPD:    1.0 Cultural Diversity   Follow us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behaviourspeak/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/behaviourspeak/ Contact LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madonna-bonny-38993a45/?isSelfProfile=false Links: International Behavior Analysis Association https://theibao.com/ Related Behaviour Speak Episodes Episode 242: Behaviour Analysis in Moldova with Olga Sirbu, BCBA, LBA, IBA https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-242-behaviour-analysis-in-moldova-with-olga-sirbu-bcba-lba-iba/ Episode 229: Behaviour Analysis in Kyrgyzstan with Dr. Anastasiia Iun https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-229-behavior-analysis-in-kyrgyzstan-with-dr-anastasiia-iun/ Episode 215 : Behavior Analysis in Turkiye with Dr. Buket Kısaç Demiroğlu https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-215-behavior-analysis-in-turkiye-with-dr-buket-kisac-demiroglu/ Episode 184 Behaviour Analysis in Ukraine with Alla Moskalets https://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-184-behavior-analysis-in-ukraine-with-alla-moskalets/    

Birding editor Ted Floyd returns for another episode of random birds. This time around, the random number generator wants passerines, and Ted and host Nate Swick must oblige. We cover the ABA's Bird of the Year for 2026, and a number of other grassland species.  Also, the ABA Checklist Committee's recent update suggests a new direction for the ABA Checklist, at least partially.  Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it! This episode brought to you by All4Birding

In this episode, Stephen and April Smith of 3 Pie Squared explore how values shape decisions, culture, and growth in ABA businesses. Drawing from their experience building and exiting a seven-figure practice, they discuss aligning goals with values, learning from mistakes, and turning abstract principles into actionable business practices. Stephen and April also highlight the role of teams in upholding values through trust, communication, and accountability, and share how 3 Pie Squared introduced a new value to reflect their evolving business. Whether you are starting, scaling, or preparing your ABA practice for exit, this episode offers actionable insights for integrating values into leadership, operations, and financial strategy to drive ethical, sustainable growth. Sponsored by MarginKeepers This episode is sponsored by MarginKeepers, a full-service accounting firm specializing in ABA businesses. MarginKeepers helps practice owners maintain financial clarity so their values can be upheld in daily operations and long-term strategy. Have a question for Stephen and April?

Heeeeeey, it's Rob's birthday. Time to pick this month's theme! Maybe it's the near decade's worth of podcasting, but this February, Rob decided that his impeding aging anniversary should also receive celebration in the form of "OOPS! All Rob picked articles". So, given carte blanche to talk about anything in the world of ABA, what did he choose? Well, first, he took the week off while we unlock last year's Winter Book Club on "The Science of Consequences" with a bonus interview with author Dr. Susan Schneider (interested in 2.5 CEs for free? Upgrading to the $10 level on Patreon is your answer). After that, he brings special guest, Danielle Yang, to the table to learn about the state of therapeutic role-playing games and how your weekly D+D game could be added into your ABA services. And finally, because it's been far too long and is one of the most mind-blowingly awesome procedures in his 20 years in the field, Rob brings back the Preschool Life Skills for a record-breaking THIRD time! The best part about Rob's birthday is by just listening to these episodes, you've already gotten him all the gifts he could ever want. NOTE: We talk a lot about the upcoming changes to the website. Well, due to some technical problems, we had to rush the new website news to...LAST WEEK! Hopefully abainsidetrack.com will take you straight there, but, if not, our new website is now HERE! Articles for February 2026 (UNLOCKED) The Science of Consequences Book Club (feat. Dr. Susan Schneider) Schneider, S.M. (2012). The science of consequences: How they affect genes, change the brain, and impact our world. Prometheus Books.   Role-Playing Games in Behavior Analysis w/ Danielle Yang Arenas, D.L., Viduani, A., & Araujo, R.B. (2022). Therapeutic use of role-playing game (RPG) in mental health: A scoping review. Simulation and Gaming, 53, 285-311. doi: 10.1177/10468781211073720 Yuliawati, L., Wardhani, P.A.P., & Ng, J.H. (2024). A scoping review of tabletop role-playing game (TTPRG) as a psychological intervention: Potential benefits and future directions. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 17, 2885-2903. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S466664 Helbig, K.A., (2019). Evaluation of a role-playing game to improve social skills for individuals with ASD. [Doctoral dissertation, University of Southern Mississippi]. Aquila Digital Community.  https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/1673   Preschool Life Skills Three-view Falligant, J.M. & Pence, S.T. (2017). Preschool Life Skills using the Response to Intervention model with preschoolers with developmental disabilities. Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, 3, 217-236. doi: 10.1037/bar0000056 Rees, R.E., Seel, C.J., Huxtable, B.G., & Austin, J.L. (2024). Using the Preschool Life Skills program to support skill development for children with trauma histories. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 693-708. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00892-z Lee, H., Gunning, C., Leow, J., & Holloway, J. (2024). An evaluation of delivery of the parent Preschool Life Skills program via telehealth. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 57, 893-909. doi: 10.1002/jaba.2914

Major tech platforms make billions of dollars from scammers who advertise on their sites, according to reporting from Reuters, and there's not much incentive for them to change their practices — yet. Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) have introduced the SCAM Act, which would take steps to tackle these scams. ABA strongly supports the SCAM Act, and on this crossover episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast and ABA Fraudcast, Paul Benda discusses: How the SCAM Act would introduce new know-your-customer and takedown requirements for tech platforms. Why there aren't sufficient existing incentives for platforms to deal with the deluge of scam ads. Enforcement mechanisms that give teeth to the SCAM Act's requirements. How ABA's advocacy on this issue fits into the association's overall anti-fraud agenda

Major tech platforms make billions of dollars from scammers who advertise on their sites, according to reporting from Reuters, and there's not much incentive for them to change their practices — yet. Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) have introduced the SCAM Act, which would take steps to tackle these scams. ABA strongly supports the SCAM Act, and on this crossover episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast and ABA Fraudcast, Paul Benda discusses: How the SCAM Act would introduce new know-your-customer and takedown requirements for tech platforms. Why there aren't sufficient existing incentives for platforms to deal with the deluge of scam ads. Enforcement mechanisms that give teeth to the SCAM Act's requirements. How ABA's advocacy on this issue fits into the association's overall anti-fraud agenda

Today we're pleased to welcome back Dan Linna, director of law and technology initiatives and senior lecturer at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and the McCormick School of Engineering. Dan was one of our very first guests back in 2021, and it was a real pleasure to reconnect and continue the conversation. Dan's teaching and research focus on innovation and technology in law, including computational law, artificial intelligence, data analytics, legal operations, leadership, and innovation frameworks. He is also an affiliated faculty member at Stanford's CodeX, the Center for Legal Informatics, and continues to serve as lead organizer of the Chicago Legal Innovation & Technology Meetup. In this return visit, Dan joins us for a wide-ranging discussion about rethinking the end-to-end process of legal work, the impact of generative AI on legal education and practice, his work with the ABA legal analytics committee, and why sustained investment in the judiciary is essential to the future of the legal system. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_DanLinnaReturns.pdf

Stepping into your first leadership role can feel overwhelming, and navigating autism services as a parent can feel even harder, even when you're already in the field.In this episode, I sat down with Rayni McMahon for a powerful conversation about leadership, advocacy, and what happens when your professional world and personal life collide. We talked about what it really feels like to move from clinician to administrator, why so many professionals feel unprepared for leadership roles, and the one thing that can make that transition feel more manageable. Rayni shared practical, honest insights about mentorship, managing people, setting boundaries, and learning to lead with both confidence and compassion.We also spent time talking about advocacy from a deeply personal lens. Rayni opened up about her experience as a BCBA navigating the system as a parent of an autistic child and how being “in the know” did not make accessing services easier. Her perspective highlights just how complex and exhausting the system can be, even for professionals, and why empathy, persistence, and advocacy matter so much for families.This conversation is thoughtful, relatable, and full of takeaways for anyone who is stepping into leadership, supporting teams, or advocating for children and families within our field.#autism #speechtherapyWhat's Inside:How to navigate the transition from clinician to leader without burning outWhy mentorship and leadership support are critical in growing organizationsThe realities of advocating for autism services, even as a professionalLessons on balancing leadership, boundaries, and empathyMentioned In This Episode:Virtue Healthcare ConsultingRayni Brindley McMahon on LinkedInEarn CEUs with a community of peers. Join the ABA Speech ConnectionABA Speech: Home

We're joined by Jordan Black, BCBA, co-host of Moms on Their Best Behavior, and co-owner of Best Behavior Solutions, for a meaningful conversation about making ABA strategies more accessible, practical, and relevant beyond the therapy room. Jordan shares her path into the field, including her background in special education and how becoming a parent shaped the way she approaches behavior support.We talk about why ABA should not feel exclusive to autism services and how understanding the function of behavior, teaching replacement behaviors, and using reinforcement effectively can support all children across home, school, and community settings. Jordan also highlights the importance of helping parents understand why behaviors occur, rather than relying solely on consequence-based approaches.Our conversation expands into schools and daycares, where staff often lack formal behavioral training but manage complex environments every day. We wrap up by discussing parent buy-in, collaboration, and Jordan's advice for newly certified BCBAs who are still finding their footing in the field.What's Inside:Making ABA strategies practical for parents and everyday lifeUnderstanding behavior as communication and teaching replacement skillsSupporting schools and educators with behavioral toolsAdvice for newly certified BCBAsMentioned in This Episode:Moms on Their Best Behavior PodcastBest Behavior Solutions@momsontheirbestbehavior on InstagramHowToABA.com/joinHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram

Get into some Louisville football/basketball discussion, sound from PK coaches' show last night & Lloyd Gardner gives us some updates regarding his ABA documentary coming out! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Danielle Terrell discusses her personal and professional journey working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Danielle describes how her background in psychology, early community experiences, and roles as a direct support professional, ABA therapist, and transition specialist shaped her passion for advocacy and health equity. She highlights the complex healthcare and mental health challenges faced by children and adults with IDD, including real-life case examples that underscore gaps in provider training and support systems. The conversation also explores her international advocacy work in countries such as India, Kenya, and Tanzania, where she helped raise awareness, build services, and support families, revealing that barriers to care are global. Danielle concludes by sharing three guiding principles—saying yes to opportunities, learning directly from people with disabilities, and being bold in advocacy—to promote a world where people with IDD are supported not just to survive, but to truly thrive.

For this episode, I've invited Morgan Mroz. Morgan is a special education teacher, ABA graduate student, and founder of She Shapes Behavior, a platform making behavior science accessible and practical for families, educators, and future behavior analysts.Her passion for supporting individuals with disabilities began early, influenced by her uncle with a significant disability. With experience in special education and ABA training, Morgan bridges research and practice, focusing on evidence-based strategies that prioritize student strengths and quality of life, while empowering caregivers and professionals to advocate confidently and ethically.

Send us a textABA on Tap is proud to present Brittany Warnke, SLP (Part 2 of 2):In this episode of ABA on Tap, hosts Mike Rubio and Dan Lowery are joined by Brittany Warnke, MA, CCC-SLP, a dedicated Speech-Language Pathologist from San Diego, California.Brittany brings her specialized expertise in bridging the gap between speech pathology and behavior analysis to the table. Currently serving at Pioneer Day School, Brittany focuses on collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches to support learners with diverse communication needs.In this episode, we dive into:Interdisciplinary Collaboration: How SLPs and BCBAs can work together to create more comprehensive and effective treatment plans.Functional Communication: Strategies for prioritizing meaningful, real-world communication goals that empower students.Bridging the Jargon: Navigating the different professional "languages" of SLP and ABA to foster better teamwork and outcomes for families.Whether you're a practitioner looking to sharpen your collaborative skills or a parent navigating the world of related services, Brittany's insights offer a fresh, compassionate perspective on how we can better serve our learners together.Pull up a chair, grab a cold one, and let's talk shop. Cheers, and always analyze responsibly!.Support the show

In this episode of the Behavioral Observations Podcast, I'm joined by Kim Dean, founder of Apollo Behavior, and Kristen Vaughn, Vice President of Clinical Operations, to talk about what it really takes to build and sustain clinical excellence in autism services. We discuss Apollo's decision to launch in Georgia, their highly selective hiring process, and how values alignment plays a central role in building their culture. Kim and Kristen share how Apollo approaches training differently — including a four-week RBT onboarding program that exceeds certification requirements and a structured mentorship model for BCBAs. The results are notable, with 99% of Apollo's RBTs passing their exams on the first attempt! Even more impressive is that 84% of Apollo-trained BCBAs pass their exam on the first attempt too. Compared to the current average pass rate that hovers around 52-54%, that's simply amazing! We also dig into how Apollo defines and measures clinical excellence, including the use of norm-referenced assessments, family feedback, progress toward less restrictive environments, and ongoing data analysis to improve training and service delivery. This conversation is especially relevant for BCBAs, clinical leaders, and practice owners who are thinking seriously about how to scale services without sacrificing quality — and how to design systems that support clinicians, families, and long-term outcomes. If this sounds like a great work environment to you, and you'd like to learn more, click here. Related BOP Episodes: From Clinician to Leader: Apollo CSS 8 with Kristen Vaughn All previous Apollo Series BOP episodes This podcast is brought to you by: The School Behavioral Solutions for Special Educators & Behavior Analysts. The Behavior Toolbox Conference is a one-day, high-impact professional convening that brings together experienced practitioners and leaders from across education and behavior science to share what actually works in schools. Rather than relying on theory divorced from practice, this conference features presenters who actively operate within classrooms, districts, research settings, and state-level systems. Behavior analysts, educators, researchers, and system leaders come together to examine behavior change from multiple levels of impact — adult behavior, decision-making, values, and the systems that shape outcomes. It's taking place virtually through BehaviorLive on March 5th, 2026, and will be available on-demand for those who can't make it on the day of the event.   Office Puzzle: A thriving ABA practice depends on systems that actually support your team, not slow them down. If you've struggled with software that's buggy, hard to navigate, or offers little support when you need it most, you're not alone. That's why so many practices are switching to Office Puzzle. Go to officepuzzle.com/bop to learn more!   The 2026 Verbal Behavior Conference! Taking place March 26–27, 2026, in Austin, Texas, or livestream and on-demand on BehaviorLive. Presenters will include Drs. Mark Sundberg, Patrick McGreevy, Caio Miguel, Alice Shillingsburg, Sarah Frampton, Andresa De Souza, and Danielle LaFrance will share how Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior can guide the assessment and treatment of generative learning challenges in children with autism and other developmental disabilities. And don't miss the special pre-conference workshop on Wednesday, March 25.   CEUs from Behavioral Observations. Learn from your favorite podcast guests while you're commuting, walking the dog, or whatever else you do while listening to podcasts. New events are being added all the time, so check them out here. 

On this episode of The Hall of Mysteries, Aba al-Sadiq (fhip) gives us the key to understanding the Qur'an, the past, the present, and the future. This episode introduces typology—the divinely intended method for reading the Qur'an through recurring patterns in prophetic history—and explains why God repeats the same stories across the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur'an. From Adam and Noah to Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad ﷺ, history is revealed not as coincidence, but as design. Through this key, long-standing mysteries suddenly make sense: why Al-Khidr lived so long, why the Qur'an speaks without naming names, why figures like Pharaoh and Aaron reappear in every era, and why the Mahdi is never recognized when he first appears. This episode reframes prophecy, revelation, and history itself—showing that the stories of the prophets were preserved not only as records of the past, but as guidance for what is unfolding now and what is yet to come.

In this conversation, Awab Abdel-Jalil discusses the evolution and significance of the constructional approach in behavior analysis. Awab Abdel-Jalil is the Associate Vice President of Applied Research at Upstate Caring Partners in Utica, NY, and a doctoral candidate at Endicott College under the mentorship of Dr. Joe Layng. He emphasizes the importance of understanding historical context, the role of ascent in learning, and the scrutiny faced by ABA, which can lead to positive changes. Awab shares his personal journey into the field, the influence of mentorship, and the legacy of Israel Gold Diamond. He also addresses common misunderstandings of nonlinear contingency analysis and highlights the growing resources available for practitioners. The conversation concludes with insights into future directions in constructional therapy and the importance of harnessing negative reinforcers in practice. Continuing Education Credits (https://www.cbiconsultants.com/shop) BACB: 1.5 Learning IBAO:  1.5 ABA Topics QABA: 1.5 General CBA/CPD:    1.5 Learning   Follow us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behaviourspeak/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/behaviourspeak/ Contact LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/awab-abdel-jalil-64541a196/ Upstate Caring Partners: https://www.upstatecp.org/ The Institute for Applied Behavior Science at Endicott College https://www.endicott.edu/academics/schools/institute-for-applied-behavioral-science   Links: The Constructional Approach Website https://theconstructionalapproach.com/ The Constructional Approach Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/700952357829957 Claire St. Peter on The Behavioral Observations Podcast https://open.spotify.com/episode/5NLz4wfAT9paQfzvut11K1 Articles and Books Discussed Abdel-Jalil, A., Linnehan, A. M., Yeich, R., Hetzel, K., Amey, J., & Klick, S. (2023). Can there be compassion without assent? A nonlinear constructional approach. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-023-00850-9  Goldiamond, I. (2002). Toward a constructional approach to social problems: Ethical and constitutional issues raised by Applied Behavior Analysis. Behavior and Social Issues, 11(2), 108-197. https://doi.org/10.5210/bsi.v11i2.92 (Original work published in 1974). Goldiamond, I. (1984). Training parents and ethicists in nonlinear behavior analysis. In R. F. Dangel & R. A. Polster (Eds.), Parent training: Foundations of research and practice (pp. 504–546). Guilford.   Layng, T. V. J., & Abdel-Jalil, A. (2022). Toward a constructional exposure therapy. Advances in Cognitive Therapy, Fall, 8–11. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373767631_TOWARD_A_CONSTRUCTIONAL_EXPOSURE_THERAPY Layng, T. V. J., Andronis, P. T., Codd III, R. T., & Abdel-Jalil, A. (2022). Nonlinear contingency analysis: Going beyond cognition and behavior in clinical practice. Routledge.  Liden, T. A., & Rosales-Ruiz, J. (2024a). Constructional parent coaching: A collaborative approach to improve the lives of parents of children with autism. Behavior Analysis in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00944-y Linnehan, A. M., Abdel-Jalil, A., Klick, S., Amey, J., Yeich, R., & Hetzel, K. (2023). Foundations of preemptive compassion: A behavioral concept analysis of compulsion, consent, and assent. Behavior Analysis in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-023-00890-1  Scallan, C. M., & Rosales-Ruiz, J. (2023). The constructional approach: A compassionate approach to behavior change. Behavior Analysis in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-023-00811-2   Wilder, D. A., Ingram, G., & Hodges, A. C. (2021). Evaluation of shoe inserts to reduce toe walking in young children with autism. Behavioral Interventions, 37(3), 754–765. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.1860   Books coming this summer:  Nonlinear Contingency Analysis: Going Beyond Cognition and Behavior in Clinical Practice. Second Edition.  Layng, T. V. J., Andronis, P. T., Codd III, R. T., & Abdel-Jalil, A. Applications in Nonlinear Contingency Analysis.  Abdel-Jalil, A., & Linnehan, A. (Editors)  

“Drum circles were created to build inclusivity, equity, and diversity.” In this episode, Nick speaks with Andrew Ecker to explore the cultural significance of drumming, particularly within indigenous communities, and highlights the historical context of drum circles as a means of fostering inclusivity and diversity and healing from trauma and addiction. What to listen for: Drumming and sound healing, overall, can positively impact our mental well-being The historical context of drumming reflects a blend of various cultural influences Drumming fosters community and shared experiences Addiction is based in shame and can often be spurred on by our early experiences Embracing our calling heals ourselves and others “All of us are connected to the earth. All of us are indigenous. All of us have the air, the water, the fire, and the earth flowing through us.” Identity goes deeper than culture or job titles; it's rooted in our relationship to the earth and life itself Separation from nature often fuels disconnection, anxiety, and burnout The elements are a reminder that we're not isolated individuals; we're part of a living system Reclaiming earth-based identity can be deeply grounding and healing “Do something for people — and you'll discover the truest truth of who you are.” Service often reveals purpose more clearly than self-reflection alone Helping others pulls us out of isolation and into meaningful connection You don't need to be “healed” or perfect to make a difference Showing up for others strengthens self-trust and self-worth About Andrew Ecker Andrew is a speaker, author, and creator of the Drumming Sounds Protocol, an evidence-based wellness intervention that blends ancient rhythm traditions with modern neuroscience to improve mental health, recovery, and community connection. With over 25 years of experience facilitating more than 5,000 drumming and sound-based programs, Andrew has worked with hospitals, treatment centers, universities, and tribal nations across the country. His book, The Sacred 7, explores identity, ancestry, and the transformative power of ceremony—a topic that resonates deeply with audiences seeking meaning, resilience, and personal empowerment. As a former youth outreach leader and recovery coach with over two decades in sobriety, Andrew brings a powerful, real-world perspective to conversations about trauma, healing, and spirituality. His ability to blend science, story, and spirit makes him a compelling guest for podcasts focused on wellness, recovery, leadership, and conscious living. https://www.drummingsounds.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-ecker-sacred7/ https://www.facebook.com/andrew.ecker1/ For our audience, please enjoy a free copy of Andrew's book, “The Sacred 7” — it's available for download at http://thesacredseven.com/ Resources: Interested in starting your own podcast or need help with one you already have? https://themindsetandselfmasteryshow.com/podcasting-services/ Thank you for listening! Please subscribe on iTunes and give us a 5-Star review! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindset-and-self-mastery-show/id1604262089 Listen to other episodes here: https://themindsetandselfmasteryshow.com/ Watch Clips and highlights: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk1tCM7KTe3hrq_-UAa6GHA Guest Inquiries right here: podcasts@themindsetandselfmasteryshow.com Your Friends at “The Mindset & Self-Mastery Show” Click Here To View The Episode Transcript Nick McGowan (00:02.959)Hello and welcome to the Mindset Self Mastery Show. I’m your host, Nick McGowan. Today on the show, we have Andrew Ecker. Andrew, what’s going on? Andrew Ecker (00:13.602)How’s it going, Nick? Nick McGowan (00:15.649)It’s good. I’m glad that you’re here. I’m excited for us to talk about music and drum circles and sound healing and all the things that relate to all of that. And we were gonna have a call maybe like a year and a half ago or so. And there’ve been some people that have like backed out of the show and I’ve been like, that’s fine. You can do whatever you want to do. But you were one of the people I was like, I hope he comes back. So I’m glad that you’re here. I’m glad that people are gonna be able to hear this conversation. And why don’t you get us started? Tell us what you do for a living and what’s one thing most people don’t know about you that’s maybe a little odd or bizarre. Andrew Ecker (00:48.769)Awesome. So before we do that, I’d like to just take a moment and honor myself in the space by introducing myself formally in traditional language of my ancestors. This is a language called Nde Baza, which basically means the people’s tongue. So Dago Tse, Tse Nde, Andirector Yenise, Adon Dae Nshinigye, Nde Nshe, Irish Pashachin, Nde Dasha Tshe, German Dasha Nali, Kote Goe Itshliye, Portland, Oregon, Enishe. Shama’e, Kathy Lindsay Woye, Shaza’e Del Eccorale. So my name is Andrew Eccor, my mother Kathy Lindsay, my father Del Eccor, my mother’s mother Elva Gallegos, Apache woman from New Mexico. She grew up in a little town called Capitan right outside the Mescalero reservation. Although my ancestral lines go back to the Madera Valley of Texas and Chihuahua, Mexico. The Apaches from this area are called La Pond Band Apache. My father’s mother Evelyn Beatty, an Irish woman from Pennsylvania. She actually was very proud that our ancestor William Beatty fought in the Revolutionary War to establish this country. So I do consider myself a son of the revolution on that side of my family. My mother’s father Leroy Lindsay, a Korean and Vietnam War veteran, and my father’s father Wayne Ecker, a World War II veteran. I have a daughter Bailey, son Peyton, a beloved fiancee named Monica. I was born in the ancestral land of the Multnomah Clackamas of Malamit in Portland, Oregon. although I currently reside in the ancestral land of the Akmal, Atom, the Peaposh and the Hohokam in Phoenix, Arizona. And very grateful to be here with you. So the thing that I do primarily is I work in healthcare and I’m a drum circle facilitator and sound medicine practitioner and also a peer support specialist, recovery coach. Most of the work that I do is in variety of different healthcare settings. So everything from psychiatric lockdowns to memory care, skilled nursing, prisons, jails, drug and alcohol treatment facilities, I facilitated about 5,000 wellness-based events with a protocol I’ve developed called Drumming Sounds. So Drumming Sounds is a step-by-step process of creating outcomes that are wellness-based. So reducing stress, increasing immunity, lowering blood pressure, Andrew Ecker (03:13.865)helping people connect through music and really creating a safe, sacred space for people to come into group drumming. So group drumming is a really powerful wellness intervention and so it’s a small group of studies done on it and it’s pretty amazing what the science community has found. So yeah, so that’s what I do and also do some coaching stuff, of course, help people out. Something unique about me, that a lot of people don’t know. You know, I grew up in a home where both my parents were addicted to drugs and my mom died of a cocaine overdose and my father died of cirrhosis of liver caused by hepatitis C. So growing up in that environment, I was around a lot of really intense experiences. And I think something that a lot of people don’t know about me is that because of that, My relationship with PTSD as a child was something really intense and my first suicide attempt I was seven years old. I remember attempting to hang myself at seven and thankfully, you know, I didn’t succeed. But from the time of that first attempt till really probably my late 20s, I was dealing with suicidal ideation and a severe relationship to other mental health concerns, including situational schizophrenia, depression, anxiety. These are all things I live in relationship with today. Nick McGowan (05:01.261)So, where do I go from here? know, way to drop everything on us. I first off want to thank you and appreciate how you started this and being able to show back to your ancestors and being able to talk from your original language. I think we can sometimes forget about where we come from. Our genetics do not. our generational trauma does not. There’s so many things that, like you dealt with so much with your parents. I’m sure we could just tackle through all of that, but what your parents dealt with, that then they transferred along to you and what their parents dealt with, et cetera, et cetera, and how all of that was tossed to us. Most people I don’t think really think about that because they just think, well, my parents are assholes, so I’m trying to do better or whatever. It’s like, well, let’s actually take steps back generations before that. and before that, before that. And I think we can sometimes also forget about where you actually came from. Like you rattled off a lot of family members. And as I was thinking about it, I was like, I’m making me, I maybe go like two layers deep. People beyond that, I don’t really know. And I don’t really know if they’re still around or what the hell’s going on or whatever, because of the way that I was raised. And it’s interesting to think about how we should. actually get back to more community-based things, but there’s a lot of unlearning to do with all of that. And I’ve read through the stuff you’ve sent. I’ve seen the different things you’ve done. I’ve known about you for a little bit, but I wouldn’t have even been able to know about the things that you’ve just rattled off. And really, mean, shit, where do you want to start with this? and thinking about from a mental health and a mindset and overall transformation, self mastery. I’m not trying to just throw out buzzwords, but like there are categorical things we can talk about here, you know? Andrew Ecker (06:59.456)Yeah. Andrew Ecker (07:03.264)Yeah, for sure. And that’s really why I’d like to share that traditional introduction because it does give us an opportunity to understand what healthy communities have looked at as self-identity, really the foundation of creating a healthy person. We’re talking about tens of thousands of years of this idea that we are our parents, we are our grandparents, we are from someplace and we live someplace. You know, these principles of self-identity. And just like you were sharing, know, remembering that is very important because we live in a time where our earth-based identity has been systematically erased from our mindset. And this is done through systematic organization of space, you know, ideas like the patriarchy, manoralism and feudalism. You know, these really predominant institutions systematically created a separation from us being our family and being from the earth. Yet all of us are connected to the earth. All of us are indigenous. All of us have the air, the water, the fire, the earth flowing through us. And the more that we can remember that, the more that we can validate that we are valuable just as a person. The contemporary culture has created this idea that we’re a job. And that’s our identity, that’s our value. And that idea was really created around feudalism and manalism historically because these were the only… Well, everyone in those systems was a job-based identity other than the landlords. And the landlords were the ones who were able to have an earth-based identity. If you weren’t have land and land title, You were a smith, a parson, a knight, a sewer, all of these behavioral based ideas of identity. And as we begin to really look at these constructs, you can see that the devaluing of the human condition is a purposeful and an intentional plot to really create what we’re faced with today. And what we’re faced with today is a lot of people Andrew Ecker (09:26.423)wandering around feeling valueless, hopeless, and really in a condition that promotes the use of destructive behaviors such as substances. know, myself, growing up in an environment where I remember the D.A.R.E. program coming into my school, and you know, during D.A.R.E., a lot of people don’t remember, but the D.A.R.E. police were getting children to turn in their parents for using cannabis. and for using substances. And I remember my mom was really scared that this was going to happen. So she kind of cornered me one day and said to me, you know, if they come into your school, you can’t tell them that we use this. And it was really weird to me, because like those were the best times I remember. You know, my job as a little boy was to clean the stems and the seeds out of the cannabis. You know, back when cannabis had stems and seeds. You know, and people rolled a joint. It wasn’t a free roll. You know, but my family used to sit around and smoke and that was when they were social. You know, nobody was drunk fighting. Nobody was in the bathroom or in the bedroom with the door shut. You know, doing intravenous drugs, they were social. And I just couldn’t understand that as a kid. But yet I remember them coming into my school and they had flags and Nick McGowan (10:24.073)You Andrew Ecker (10:51.996)guns and these were great big intimidating police officers. And I remember my heart racing and my palms getting sweaty. And thankfully they didn’t interrogate me. But what they did was they said to this group of children, if you have one drug addict parent, you’re 50 % more likely to become a drug addict. Now I’m not saying that they did this intentionally to give children this idea that they’re genetically flawed. They were trying to impart to these kids. that, you know, don’t use drugs. That’s what, you know, is the big thing. You know, just say no, all this stuff. But what it did for me is it told me, well, 50 and 50, that’s 100. That must be who I am. And this was the first time in my life that anyone told me I was genetically flawed. You know, and the extension of eugenics isn’t something that is merely a part of, you know, the Nazi regime. Nick McGowan (11:35.326)Hmm. Andrew Ecker (11:47.256)You know, eugenics enters into childhood ideas in these sorts of systematic ways. You know, now, you know, fast forward, we’ve come to a place of understanding that it’s not just eugenics, but it’s epigenetics and really looking at how we can create environments that create successful human beings. And that’s what I’m able to do with the drum circle. You know, the drum circle is really an environment that creates a healthy human being. as to where the destructive forces of incarceration, imprisonment and devaluing people because they have a mental health concern created those behaviors that were a part of my parents’ lives and unfortunately a part of my life. know, it wasn’t that moment that I became a drug addict when the Derikoff said that to me. But later on, as I would grow older, that seed started to take root. And when I was a teenager, I ended up in the spoon with my dad, meaning I was using heroin with my father. You know, my mom used to use me to shoplift. I was in and out of drug houses. I mean, it was, I was exposed to things as a little boy that only makes sense today in my path of service. You know, as I’ve learned to manage these things and as I’ve learned to show up and help people reconnect to who they are, it’s all made perfect sense to me. But as a little boy, man, I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know how to deal with it. I just wanted the pain to end. know, and, you know, thankfully I found heroin because heroin helped me through my suicidal ideation. Because I don’t know if I would be alive today if it wasn’t for heroin. You know, things got real bad for me when I was, you know, 17, 18 years old. Nick McGowan (13:41.68)I gotta be honest, I never thought I would hear anybody else say that thankfully I had heroin because that changed things. I overdosed on heroin when I was 19. And the people that were there in the room, I’m thankful that they wanted to save their own lives and one person like beat the shit out of me so I threw everything up. But I remember walking home smoking a cigarette after that being like, what the fuck just happened? All right. And looking up being like, all right, I guess there’s some reason why I’m here. And I think back to that. But that wasn’t like that one moment, just like the moment that you were talking about or any of those other little moments were just a bag of moments in a sense. All these things, like even as a little kid, you don’t really know. Like, and I totally understand where you’re coming from with the parents hanging around, smoking joints, all of that. I was in parts of some of that. My mom and dad were never together and it was like totally separate ways of being and all of that. living in and out of bars, basically, like being the kid eating a maraschino cherries and all that shit, and everyone just smoking cigarettes like a pack at a time and out around your face. There are people that don’t understand those things. Even like the dare stuff. I’ve had conversations with people kind of recently, like within the past handful of months, where some people were like, dare scared the shit out of me. And I didn’t want to touch like caffeine or anything else. Other people were like, I learned there were drugs out there. So was like, great, can I have some? And then other people went through stuff like you where they’re like, well, you’re telling me this is how it is. I think it’s interesting how we can suspect that, let’s just say, dare wasn’t trying to brainwash. know, let’s just say that their thing was like, we want to help and we want to make sure that you have the statistics. But these are also adults that are like, well, 50 % of you become addicts. So why don’t we just tell the kids that you take it as one way. Some other kid takes it a different way. And there’s no repercussion to that at all to then like, that wasn’t a thing that you then brought up the next day in school. It like, know what? Yesterday, I learned this thing and now I feel like the rest of my life is gonna change. That just started to grow bit by bit by bit. And then you already had the genes of being addicted. Nick McGowan (16:02.023)I know I have to come back to some fucking question basically. And my question at all times with that sort of stuff is like, how do we stop that from happening? Because even with the DARE stuff, it’s like, yeah, cool, thanks. Now I know there are other drugs out there and also know what the end is and I’ll fall back to marijuana because like, why the fuck? It’s a fucking plan. But all things in moderation and like all those different aspects to it. But what do we do? You know, like you move to music. And as a musician and creative myself, I moved toward that too, but I often think of the times of smoking a joint and playing music and like those are happy moments. but to some people that might be destructive and all of that, but you moved closer into music. So I think music sometimes can be part of our addiction, you know, like I’m addicted to sound. but being able to turn that into a healing thing. So I don’t want to just jump past everything you went through. Andrew Ecker (16:57.041)Thank Nick McGowan (16:59.844)with your parents because that made you who you are. But being able to look back at some of those moments to go, now with the work that you do, the way that you were raised, what are some of those bridge points that you can look at and go, man, I was really looking for community. I was looking for ways to do this and do that. You know what I mean? Andrew Ecker (17:18.16)Yeah, exactly. I really believe that all addiction for me is based around relationship and filling the void of the absence of relationship with the substance. And I remember the first time that this really happened to me, me and my mom were out shoplifting all day. I was just a little guy. I was, you know, probably eight, nine, I don’t know, somewhere around there. I remember being all bundled up and maybe even younger. I was you know, elementary school age. And she takes me to the park and she left me there at the park with a bucket of chicken. And I remember her saying, I’ll be right back and her driving off and me eating that chicken to fill the void and the fear of my mom not coming back for me. Being left at the park and knowing in my childhood mind that she was going to a dope house and there could have been something that happened. It was just the anxiety of that entire situation I was feeling with the warmth of that chicken. And then later on, you know, as I started to grow in my own personal self mastery, I started to look back at the patterns of loneliness and grief and isolation and how every time that I found myself using, really, it was that idea. It was about creating camaraderie at first, community. finding a judgment free zone. You know, I grew up being bounced around family member to family member. So definitely had home insecurity and really wasn’t, you know, in a place where I felt like I had a home. So I didn’t feel that sense of security that maybe most people grow up with. So when I found the security of friends that would accept me, you know, just if I got high with them, that’s all I needed. It wasn’t like I needed to be smart, it wasn’t like I needed to be funny, it wasn’t like I needed to be athletic, you know, it wasn’t like I needed to be a great musician, any of those things. I just needed to show up and get high and you know and have money to get high or be able to hustle and that was really my first support system was the community of people that I was using with and what happens for most people that are in the struggle of substance use disorder Andrew Ecker (19:43.015)is that they focus on what not to do. And they never really understand what the drugs and alcohol gave to them. You know, asking myself, what was it that heroin gave to me? What was it that alcohol gave to me? And how can I effectively create a way of meeting that need? Because we all have human needs. Every single one of us is going through something. And you know, it’s a lot easier when we go through it together and building that foundation of community. is so important in me being able to have functional behaviors today. So I’m constantly evolving in the way that I’m able to show up in community. I have my drum circle community. I have the people that I serve in the institutions and healthcare and the schools. And then I also have other activities like doing poetry or playing pickleball, going to the gym. You know, these are ways that I definitely look at creating community where I’m at. There was a time when church was a really big part of my life. You know, now I go to sweat lodge and I have a spiritual community there. Uh, you know, I’m not opposed to going to meetings, but I, know, I don’t go to a lot now, but definitely going to 12 step meetings and all of these things are a great way that we can build a supportive community. And when you ask, you know, Like when we think about children that have been affected by the mental health crisis, you know, how do we help them navigate? How do we help the youth navigate? And I think it’s really about creating a fortified sense of community. And, you know, when we think about drumming, oftentimes we go to this idea that drumming is this exclusive experience for indigenous communities, that it’s something that really is ceremonial and ritualistic and yes there is definitely ritual and ceremony but drum circles began as creating a culture of inclusivity, equity and really diversity because the drum circle of North America originated in the 1700s in New Orleans and under French colonial occupation Native Americans, Africans, Europeans, people from all over the world Andrew Ecker (22:09.146)were able to gather with the common language of group drumming. And that group drumming created a foundation for jazz, blues, R &B, gospel, and eventually rock and roll. So when I go in and I facilitate a drum circle, it’s from the American experience of group drumming that has always been about creating a culture of diversity, has always been about creating a space of connection. through diverse groups. And when we have that sacred space, we can know that something good is gonna happen. And we as Americans, we don’t know that the only truly American instrument is the drum kit. The jazz drum kit is really the only truly American instrument. So we have this vast history of drumming together that is hundreds of years old, literally as old as the concept of of America, yet for some reason this sort of stuff isn’t taught in school. And it’s not taught to us about the richness of creating a culture of diversity, of inclusion, of equity, and what the brilliance of that looks like in an artistic sense. And I think today we’re threatened by a voice that is coming from a group of people that says that diversity, inclusion, and equity is something to fear. And I’m like people, that’s the very greatest gifts that we’ve given to the world has come from us coming together as a people. And it feels good. You know, it feels good to give yourself an opportunity to be around people in an activity that you normally wouldn’t be around. And I think that that’s the power of our journey and the wellness and the brilliance of our community. Nick McGowan (23:58.594)Hmm. Andrew Ecker (24:04.405)And when we can get back to teaching each other that, when we can get back to fortifying the space of that concept of what that America looks like, we’ll have the brilliance of being the shining city on the hillside that calls the weary, that calls the hurting, that calls the desperate. And you know, the struggle that my parents went through, the pain that they were going through, and the ostracization of being criminalized for having a mental health issue. You know, that’s what this country has done very effectively. You know, 90 % of people in our prison system have a mental health issue. And that is sad that we have done this to the most vulnerable people in our population. And we have more people in prison than any industrialized nation in the world. But if you counted the people that were in psychiatric lockdowns, memory care, skilled nursing, and other forms of institutionalization, that number would be astronomical. And these are the people that I have spent the past 20 years working with, helping, desperately giving to, because in that space, I feel fulfilled as a human being, but I also get to see some of the most brilliant experiences and miraculous experiences in my life, Nick. I mean, we’ll go into these memory care facilities where we have late stage Alzheimer’s patients that are nonverbal and we’ll set the drum down in front of them. The nurses sometimes will come over and say, they won’t play, don’t even bother. I mean, this is our healthcare workers and we’ll say, no, just keep it there. And next thing you know, you see them tapping their foot. And before you know it, they’re playing and they’re singing and You know, it’s just miraculous to know that the tens of thousands of years of evidence-based practice of utilizing group drumming has not been wasted and that it’s still relevant to the healthcare conversation and it still is meaningful and it still helps people. Nick McGowan (26:15.97)Why don’t see how it can’t not continue that way, you know? Like, I think everybody that will listen to this will have heard at least one time, music is the universal language. And for us to be able to actually feel music, there are people that don’t really understand music. They don’t feel it the same way musicians do, let’s say. Like there are sometimes I’ll share things with people and I’m like, listen to how this happens with this and my God. then it just does things to you. You feel that at different times. Other people don’t know that. That’s just not part of their being. Yet still, they can feel the frequencies. If we really break it down into quantum level, we are all waves and frequencies anyway. And all of this ties into everything. man, I’m sitting here like I got chills even as you’re talking about, because I’m visualizing that older person who the healthcare workers are basically like, we see them every day. They don’t do anything because we also don’t do anything different. Andrew Ecker (26:48.163)yes. Nick McGowan (27:15.083)And we’re kind of jaded and overworked and fuck, I could really use a vacation. Like they have their own problems. And then they’re just like, no, don’t worry about them. They’re not going to do it. But that frequency will still get in there. So I could imagine it’s got to be a, that’s probably one of those things like drum circles per se is one of those things that people probably won’t go to on the top list of 30 things that they’re going to do to work on themselves at first. You know, so even Like if somebody were to say, you’re having these problems, you have some addiction, you have anything and they go, well, go to a drum circle. I would imagine most people would look at somebody like a dog would like, what the fuck does that, what do you mean? so what would you say to those people that haven’t even thought of that? This is one of those things where like, wow, I’ve talked to somebody, I went to a doctor and I’m doing these and we’re doing blah, blah, blah. What advice do you give to those people that this has been one of those things that. was probably not even deep, deep in their mind, even as a musician, to think about how drum circles and drumming could help them. Andrew Ecker (28:19.943)Well, I definitely feel that a lot of that has been because of the cultural stereotypes about drumming and this idea of, you know, the witch doctor or voodoo or, you know, something along these lines. you know, it just is, it’s crazy to really unpack when you have communities that have thrived with a relationship to the earth, lived functionally for tens of thousands of years. And at the heart of those communities, is group drumming, dancing and singing. I mean, this is literally the oldest wellness based event that we have as human beings. And somehow, you know, through the lens of religion and not even really, I would say because I was a pastor for three and half years that I can tell you that there’s a lot of reference in the Bible even of sound medicine. I mean, David, you know, played the leader for Saul who had like mental health concerns. And it’s, mean, there’s references to the women of Israel coming out playing the drum. So it isn’t like an educated Judeo-Christian bias. It’s an uneducated Judeo-Christian bias that creates this narrative that, those brown and black people are the people, those savages, that drum. And it’s really unfortunate because even Nick McGowan (29:21.642)Mm-hmm. Andrew Ecker (29:48.061)in the very progressive world of integrative medicine, there still is a void around drumming. I am a presenter at some of the most prestigious healthcare conferences in the United States. And I remember confronting a doctor that was talking about mindfulness and he had, he was a keynote and he had this tree of mindfulness and all of these branches led to different aspects of mindfulness. One of them, of course, went to yoga, Tai Chi, but there wasn’t a branch that went to drumming and dance. And I confronted him in front of the entire group of doctors, 500 doctors. And I said, why isn’t there a branch to drumming? And he was very apologetic. And he said, there needs to be a branch on that tree to drumming. And I said, yes, we’re working on making that happen. But it is overlooked. Nick McGowan (30:37.513)Hmm. Andrew Ecker (30:46.148)And you know, I can tell you that I am a part of a community of people that have the more that they drum, they may have come to a drum circle and been drinking and smoking. But by the time, you know, a couple of years go by and they get around people like myself that are completely abstinent from substance use and I’m drumming and having a great time and dancing, the more that they start to question, well, do I really need this? And then it’s just Nick McGowan (31:13.566)Hmm. Andrew Ecker (31:13.911)a matter of them just being in that environment. And I have friends come up to me and say, Hey, you know what? I didn’t tell anybody about this, but I haven’t drank in, you know, six months. And I’m like, right on, you know, and friends come up and say, I haven’t smoked in a year and I just kind of went away because drumming as well as you know, Nick, music gives us that feeling of community connection. I mean, there is no deeper connection. that you can experience, then when you hit a note or when you play a rhythm and everybody ends together and nobody said stop, or the thing just fades away into the brilliance of the experience and you’re just like, holy crap. This, mean, as a musician, and if you talk to musicians, they can tell you precisely when that happened in their life, because it’s one of those memories. Nick McGowan (31:51.954)Mm-hmm. Andrew Ecker (32:09.966)that is embedded into you on a cellular level. It is literally like you’re touching God. I mean, it is so powerful. And every person, we have communities where that was literally the entire community experience. I was fortunate enough to go to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and meet with the Havasupai. And I did three suicide prevention programs down there. This is the most remote Native American tribe in the continental United States. Nick McGowan (32:13.95)Mm-hmm. Nick McGowan (32:26.279)you Andrew Ecker (32:39.159)There’s no roads to their nation. There’s no airstrips. It’s only horseback helicopter or foot. That’s the only way you can get down there. And I met with an elder named Tiny Haunan. And Tiny was playing the drum and singing. And he said, when I was a little boy, we used to drum, dance and sing for a week straight. He said the people would fall asleep on the ground, wake up, start singing and dancing again. And they would drum literally for an entire week. Now the frequency of that, the cellular alliance, the reconfiguration of the energetic meridians in the body, like there is no place for depression in that environment. There’s no place for anxiety in that environment. I mean, you’re literally rewiring your nervous system and coming into our harmonic connection with the earth. And this is really what it means to be an earthling. You know, the music that we play, Nick McGowan (33:21.758)you Andrew Ecker (33:38.14)is something that we practice to play at the level that we can play at. But everybody knows that there’s a point where the instrument is playing you. And when you’re in that mystery, man, when you are in that mystery, like every single person deserves to experience that in their lives. Every single person deserves to be in the brilliance of that experience because it solves the issues, man. It solves it. Nick McGowan (33:50.055)Mm-hmm. Andrew Ecker (34:06.196)And when you taste that, you’re hungry for it forever. And I’ll go to, you know, like I facilitate drum circles and that really doesn’t happen in a drum circle. But a taste of that does happen. Like a place of connection to the feeling of support and the intricacy of music and even the freedom that you can experience in that space, it will happen. And You know, it does take a level of mastery to experience the depths of that. And hopefully people will be able to go on their journey with music to that place. like that is, dude, I mean, there’s nothing better than that right there. I mean, if you could take and put that into a bottle, people would spend their lives wanting to… And that’s why musicians do what they do, They will… Nick McGowan (35:02.119)Mm-hmm. Andrew Ecker (35:02.624)They will literally sleep on the couch of their best friend to go experience that. They will literally not go to work to go experience that. They will do whatever they possibly can to experience that. you know, unfortunately, in a world that doesn’t value music like our ancestors did, you know, for tens of thousands of years, and even today, you know, you go to India, they have ceremonies that are a month. where it’s just people drumming, dancing and singing for a month straight. You you go to Hopi right here in the United States on the Hopi reservation. They’re doing that same idea because the practice of living in integration with the earth promotes the quality of the earthling condition. So where you’re not worried, you go sleep in a mud house rather than go try to make a billion dollars so that you have a big old fancy house. if you get that experience of community. You know, and that experience of community solves everything, man. And we got to get it in our schools. We got to get it in our our our health care facilities. We’re trying our best. We train 350 people now in the drumming sounds protocol. We’re out there doing it every day, you know, and just trying to live our best lives. So is it the solution? I think that we have, like I said, thousands, literally people, thousands of years. Nick McGowan (36:17.638)Hmm. Andrew Ecker (36:30.459)of evidence-based practice out there. Like, wake up, people, wake up. Like, yeah, we need drumming. You know? Nick McGowan (36:39.836)Yeah, I mean, even just the community level of that, but the music and the frequency level of all of it and everything that ties into it. I love the work that you’re doing. I really do. I think it’s crazy that the arts and music especially is being taken out of different schools and everything’s being really like commodified almost, even when you think of music. For the most part, pop music. It’s an ABA, CAB sort of situation. It’s the same thing. There was even a thing like 10, 15 years ago where somebody played a Nickelback song forward and layered over another Nickelback song backwards and it was the same. And it was like, that is crazy. But that’s what is being pushed to us instead of feeling through all of this and allowing yourself to actually get into it. I’m really glad that you got to the point where you were saying that the music is playing you. Because any musician that’s really been in, I don’t know, in any sort of jam session or in a live band or something, even if you’ve remotely tasted that little bit, you know that that’s a real thing. And that’s a whole different level. And you’re right, that is divine. Like you are literally in it. I’d played guitar in worship bands for the better part of a decade. And if it weren’t for music, I wouldn’t have been there. Andrew Ecker (37:54.712)Dude, it’s fast, yeah. Andrew Ecker (38:03.5)Yeah. Nick McGowan (38:03.961)I wouldn’t have ended up having a relationship with God. And I also now at this point, no, he’s not some bearded dude on a fucking chair somewhere. Like it’s much bigger than that. But being able to feel that, like there are things where you couldn’t manufacture this feeling. So I’m glad he pointed out, like if we could bottle it, that would be great. But at the same time, the rest of the world is trying to bottle fucking everything else. So I’m glad that we can’t because you need to experience that, you know? Andrew Ecker (38:12.974)Yeah Andrew Ecker (38:20.322)Yeah. Andrew Ecker (38:28.202)I know, I know. You do, Nick McGowan (38:33.743)What a cool thing, man. And I really love the work that you’re doing. I appreciate you being on with us today. For the people that are on their path towards self-mastery, what’s your advice to those people that are walking toward that? Andrew Ecker (38:45.772)You know, I think first just be gentle with yourself and just understand that, you know, loving yourself is the simplest thing. I was doing my best and you know, we man, life is rough, man. I mean, we, we lose people. go through all kinds of stuff and people used to tell me all the time, you know, Andrew, you need to love yourself, especially when I was little, you know, they would tell me this and I, I’d be like, you know, I felt like I was doing something wrong, you know, like What does that mean? And you know, it really is as simple as just saying, I was doing my best through everything, you know, through the alcoholism, through the drugs, but look at what’s going on in your life. And if it isn’t working for you, change, you know, like don’t be stuck in a pattern that is something destructive. You know, being in a place where you can manage your thoughts is a very important aspect to living your successful life. allowing for the thoughts that don’t serve you to simply fade away and sometimes to be confrontational with those thoughts. You know, I remember reading God is love and I thought if I just focus on love, maybe all these thoughts of suicide would would leave me. So every time any anxiety came into my life, I would just simply start screaming love in my mind and take control of my mind. You know, sometimes we just have to overpower those thoughts that aren’t serving us. And, you know, I think that for me, the greatest act of my own self mastery is the place of service. Being of service to others has brought me to a place where I feel the best, Andrew. And sometimes, you know, showing up isn’t easy. Sometimes it’s hard, but I think about the people that I drum with in the institutions and You know, just to give everybody a really brief story before we kind of close this up. For 10 years, I went to this skilled nursing hospital. And for 10 years, this man would come out and he was in a bed and his hands were atrophied. And I’d have to pry his fingers open and put a maraca in his hand. And he would shake the maraca and say, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. You know, and he had this great big smile on his face. Andrew Ecker (41:11.164)And this man’s name that I’m mentioning today is Vance Gribbins. And one day I came to the hospital and I said, Where’s my buddy Vance? And they told me he went home to heaven. I was like, good for him. You know, I said, How long did he live in this hospital? I’ve been coming here for 10 years. And they said he lived in that hospital for 28 years. And for 28 years, man, he lived in a body that that he couldn’t feed himself, you know, and 28 years he was in a hospital bed. But every single time he had an opportunity to show up for drum circle or sing along or balloon toss or bingo, he was there. And you know, today we have people that have everything in their lives. They have money, they have beautiful homes, cars, all this stuff. And to get them to go out to, you know, an art display or to go and show up at an open mic or a drum circle. You know, it’s like the end of the world. They would rather sit in front of their TV and watch Judge Judy need potato chips. And I’m just calling people on their bullshit. You know, if we want to have a good world, we got to get out of our house. We got to connect with our neighbors. We got to say hi to people. We can’t just look down at our phone every time we see a homeless person and try to escape eye contact. You know, we need to engage with people and be the brilliance that we are. You know, the medicine that you have inside of you is a medicine that we need as a community. And that’s what this world needs right now. We need love. We need togetherness. You know, I stopped giving money to people when they would ask me for money on the street. But I immediately will say to a person, hey, can I pray for you? You know, and sometimes people will say, you know, hell no, I don’t want that. And sometimes people will say, you know what? I appreciate that. Please pray for me. And I remember one time me and Monica were in my my fiancee. We were in Salt Lake. And this guy had chains, gold chains on and he just put out a joint. I could tell he smelled like cannabis and everything. He’s like, hey, man, you got any money? I was like, no, but I could say a prayer for you. And I’m saying a prayer for this guy. And he’s like, that’s the good shit. That’s what he was saying. And you just never know how you’re going to impact somebody’s life if you make yourself available. So Nick McGowan (43:34.615)Yeah. Andrew Ecker (43:35.493)You know, want to be in the place of self mastery, be available for community. You know, get out there and do something that is just to be available. Volunteer, you know, go show up at the homeless shelter. Develop a podcast that’s giving to the community. Do something for people. You know, do something for people. And you know, you’re to find the truest truth of the truth that you are. And you’re going to make a difference in the lives of people. Nick McGowan (44:02.656)It’s hard to not clap right now and like really fucking root, you know what I mean? So thank you, dude. I appreciate that. I’ve been refraining back from the like, fuck yeah, yeah. You know, so I really appreciate it. And how that was also one of those. and by the way, one more fucking thing. Here it is. Man, that’s awesome. I think there are small things that we can do. Andrew Ecker (44:13.013)Yeah! Andrew Ecker (44:23.581)Yeah. Nick McGowan (44:32.002)to really help us be able to start down that path? Because you’re talking about a lot of things and to some people, and I try to break stuff down to like, what could anybody be thinking about being super analytical or whatever of like, man, that’s a lot of shit. And there’s like a lot of things that are going on. I’m having really hard time with this one little thing in my life right now. So taking those smaller steps, like even saying get out and do community, do community in the way that feels right for you to do. Like there are people that will go to church on Sunday and that’s my community time. And as soon as they walk out, they’re yelling at their kids, they’re hating on everybody. it’s like, you’re not really doing community at that point. And community can look different to everybody. And sometimes it’s just showing up literally in the neighborhood. And like you’re saying, and dude, I think we all do it. There are people around, look down at your phone. I do that at times where I’m lost in my own head and I’m thinking about things. I’m just… going through my phone, because I’m like, don’t want to have an interaction with somebody else. And as soon as I’m aware of that, I’m like, fucking, I gotta put my phone away. Hi, you know, like, just taking that step to get out there a little bit. You obviously love what you’re doing. And this is part of your calling and a deep purpose of yours. And I think the big thing for all of us to be able to take away from that is whatever that looks like for us, just lean into it. Just get into it a little bit more and enjoy that. And I… I love that you were talking about the amount of music and the things that go into that, like the feelings that we can get from all of that and how that opens people that haven’t been open for years and years and sometimes decades. So, Andrew, I appreciate you being on here. It’s been a pleasure having you on, man. I really appreciate it. Before I let you go, where can people find you and where can they connect with you? Andrew Ecker (46:16.065)so yeah, drumming sounds is pretty much the easiest way there. you know, if you Google drumming sounds, it’ll pull me up, but I’d like to give everybody a free copy of my book based on the traditional introduction of my ancestors, but applicable to any sort of person. it’s just a system of self identity and you can get that at the sacred seven.com. It’ll also put you into my email list and you can find out events we’re doing music festivals, trainings, drum circles, all that stuff. Nick McGowan (46:51.511)Again, man, it’s been pleasure having you on. Thank you for your time. Andrew Ecker (46:54.273)Thank you, Nick.

Criminals are calling bank customers. A lot. And those calls often are successfully cloaked as originating from banks themselves. Increasingly, these calls are originating from vast operation centers, often overseas, where the objective is to fool bank customers to hand over personal data and information. There are some steps banks, their customers, federal agencies and even Congress can take to address this growing problem. Joining ABA's Paul Benda to discuss these issues on this edition of the ABA Fraudcast are Mike Rudolph, chief technology officer at YouMail, and Jonathan Thessin, VP and senior counsel at ABA, whose portfolio focuses on the telecom ecosystem, FCC, including the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and all efforts to assist banks and bank customers confronted with this threat. Highlights: 2:00 — Technology as part of a protective ecosystem used by many banks, to short-circuit threats to customers. 13:00 — Defining the "robocall mitigation obligation." 16:00 — The challenge of vetting a telecom company. 18:00 — The difference between an imposter call and spoofed call. 28:00 — How the telecom ecosystem works. 29:00 —  Protecting lawful bank calls, while addressing the problem of calls from bad-actors impersonating banks. And what is the extent of ABA's advocacy on these issues? 31:00 — Urging the FCC to take an important final step. 32:53 — What can Congress do. 36:25 — Shout out to Fraudcast episode 1, where bank CEO Dan Robb describes a mass call spoofing campaign with thousands of calls targeting customers of his bank. 42:00 — Thessin on how do bad guys place hundreds of thousands of phone calls very cheaply. 47:00 — Looking into steps banks can take, such as branding tools for caller ID displays. Also referenced is STIR/SHAKEN, the acronym for the framework allowing verification that a call is in fact from the number displayed on caller ID. Learn more from the FCC site. The ABA Fraudcast will be published every three weeks, here and wherever you listen to and subscribe to your favorite podcasts, such as Apple and Spotify. Please follow! ABA offers resources to help banks prevent, identify, measure and report fraud, and to serve and protect consumers and their financial data.​ ABA's scam prevention campaigns #BanksNeverAskThat and #PracticeSafeChecks are newly updated as well. The ABA Foundation's Protecting Older Americans page includes useful resources to assist the fight against elder financial exploitation and other increasing threats. The episode is also available here. ABA Fraudcast host is Paul Benda, EVP, risk, fraud and cybersecurity at ABA.

ABA Practice Management Software: Why You Need It and What to Look For Running an ABA practice and delivering great clinical care go hand in hand with efficient systems and reliable software. In this episode of ABA Business Leaders, Stephen and April Smith sit down with Charlene Kurth, Chief Operating Officer at Office Puzzle, and Hailu Jardines, CEO of Office Puzzle, to unpack why practice management software (PMS) is a crucial tool for scaling your ABA business, and how the right platform can directly impact efficiency, compliance, and long-term enterprise value. Together, they explore the evolution from pen-and-paper operations to fully integrated systems, common mistakes practice owners make when selecting software, and what to look for if you're considering switching platforms. The conversation also dives into Electronic Visit Verification (EVV), scalability challenges, and why your PMS plays a critical role if you plan to one day sell your practice. Whether you're just getting started or managing a multi-location organization, this episode offers practical insight into aligning your technology with your business goals.

Prompting AAC is abuse? Let's talk about that and a few other AAC conversations that keep coming up again and again.In today's solo episode, I'm diving into five hot topics in AAC that have been surfacing repeatedly in my recent calls, trainings, and collaboration meetings. After more than 20 years as a speech therapist and being dually certified as a BCBA, I've seen how confusing, overwhelming, and sometimes divisive AAC conversations can become. I also remember very clearly when AAC felt intimidating to me too.This episode is about cutting through the noise, grounding ourselves in research, and having better, more collaborative conversations about AAC. I share real scenarios clinicians are facing right now, from AAC evaluations that drag on far too long to device access barriers to strong opinions about prompting that simply don't align with the science. My goal is to help you feel more confident, more informed, and better equipped to advocate for your students and clients.Whether you're newer to AAC or have years of experience, these topics matter. AAC is a student's voice, and we have a responsibility to protect, support, and expand it in thoughtful, ethical ways.#autism #speechtherapyWhat's Inside:Why AAC evaluations should be thorough, but not take nine months, and what may be going wrong when they doHow to approach parent-purchased devices, including those bought online, with collaboration instead of fearThe ongoing core versus fringe vocabulary debate, and why research supports using bothWhy prompting is a teaching tool, not abuse, and how misinformation can harm collaboration and progressMentioned In This Episode:Earn CEUs with a community of peers. Join the ABA Speech ConnectionTake the All About AAC bundleABA Speech: Home

In this episode, host Mic Rogson leads an in-depth conversation with leading representatives of the American Bar Association House of Delegates, Jonathan Cole and Laura Farber. Why do busy lawyers get involved in these demanding roles? The rewards are countless. Hear how you can get involved and make a real difference both in the law and in society.  Hear how (and why) you can get involved. It's your association, and every member can make a difference. Plus, involvement helps you meet and network with attorneys from across the country, even outside your area of focus. The House of Delegates wants your input, and includes tips on its website for getting involved and even drafting resolutions. If you've ever wondered how ABA policies, rules, and opinions are crafted, you'll hear it all on this episode of Litigation Radio. You don't need to be an experienced attorney with a long resume to get involved. All are welcome. Why not start today?  Plus, a quick tip from Elizabeth Kelley, a criminal defense lawyer with a nationwide practice focused on representing people with mental disabilities. She shares the importance of “lowering the temperature,” how to maintain civility and professionalism even if you feel you've been disrespected. Grace under pressure will serve you well. Have a question, comment, or suggestion for an upcoming episode? Get in touch at MRogson@SkywardInsurance.com and JAReeder@JonesDay.com.  Resources:  Previous appearance on the Legal Talk Network, “NCBP 2021: Shaping the Future in the Legal Profession” American Bar Association House of Delegates “ABA Passes Strong Resolutions on Enforceable Ethics, Judge-Shopping,” Fix the Court Attorney Elizabeth Kelley  2026 Women in Litigation CLE Conference American Bar Association American Bar Association Litigation Section  

In this episode, we're diving into one of our favorite and most meaningful topics in ABA: relationship-based motivation. We talk about why reinforcement doesn't have to look like tokens, toys, or snacks and how you can become the most powerful reinforcer in the room. When learners enjoy being with us, motivation shifts from doing work for rewards to genuinely wanting to engage, connect, and participate.We share real-life examples from our own clinical experiences, including moments when we realized we weren't yet reinforcing enough and what changed when we leaned into play, connection, and authenticity. We also unpack common misconceptions around work versus play, breaks, and pairing, and explain why separating social interaction from reinforcement can unintentionally send the wrong message.This conversation applies not only to young learners but also to older students, parents, teachers, supervisees, and even supervisors. Strong relationships increase the value of everything else we do in ABA. When connection comes first, behavior change is more sustainable, more meaningful, and honestly, more enjoyable for everyone involved.What's Inside:Why relationship-based reinforcement is more powerful than external rewardsHow to become a preferred person, not just the person delivering demandsRethinking breaks, play, and motivation in everyday sessionsWhy authentic connection matters across learners, families, and superviseesMentioned in This Episode:Episode 221: ESDM in Action: Embedding Goals in Daily Routines and PlayThe Science Behind ESDM: Why Relationship Matters as Much as ReinforcementHowToABA.com/joinHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram

On the January LSAT, some test-takers noticed their RC section lacked a comparative reading passage. LSAC had quietly updated the test to allow zero to one comparative passages per RC section. Ben and Nathan explain why this change should have no impact on test-takers.Also in this episode- Florida ends the ABA's status as the state's sole law school accreditor- A viewer writes in to share their full-tuition scholarship success story- Should you write a GPA addendum for a semester that ended early?Study with our Free Plan⁠⁠Download our iOS app⁠Watch Episode 543 on YouTubeCheck out all of our “What's the Deal With” segmentsGet caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library0:00 Florida Supreme Court News2:55 Law School Horror Stories10:47 ABA Legal Education Arm Seeks Independence14:50 LSAT Rule Change20:19 Not Paying for Law School21:52 Test D Question — Four Iron32:00 High Diagnostic Score38:44 Things We Actually Enjoy40:02 GPA Addendum45:07 Word of the week — euchre

In this podcast episode, Shannon Hill, Nissa Van Etten, and Jordan Fries interview Thomas Frazier about outcome measurement in behavioral intervention services. Using Frazier and colleagues' work on adaptive social communication measurement as a foundation, the discussion explores why many legacy assessments were not designed for the ABA context or for individuals with autism and developmental disabilities. The presenters distinguish between moment-to-moment ABA data collection and periodic outcome assessment, highlighting how periodic measures support long-term progress tracking, clinical decision-making, and accountability to funders. The episode emphasizes the complementary roles of norm-referenced and skill-based assessments, discusses constraints such as limited assessment authorizations, and underscores the importance of monitoring client and family quality of life. Ethical considerations related to caregiver-report measures, interpretation of sensitive results, and appropriate referrals are also addressed.  To earn CEUs for listening, click here, log in or sign up, pay the CEU fee, + take the attendance verification quiz to generate your certificate! Don't forget to subscribe and follow and leave us a rating and review. Show Notes: References Frazier, T. W., Youngstrom, E. A., Frazier, A. R., & Uljarevic, M. (2025). A critical appraisal of the measurement of adaptive social communication behaviors in the behavioral intervention context. Behavioral Sciences, 15(6), 722.  Aman, M. G., Singh, N. N., Stewart, A. W., & Field, C. J. (1985). The Aberrant Behavior Checklist: A behavior rating scale for the assessment of treatment effects. American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 89(5), 485–491.  Sparrow, S. S., Cicchetti, D. V., & Balla, D. A. (2005). Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (2nd ed.). Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.  Abidin, R. R. (2012). Parenting Stress Index (4th ed.). Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.  Resources  U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2022). Patient-Focused Drug Development: Selecting, Developing, or Modifying Fit-for-Purpose Clinical Outcome Assessments—Guidance for Industry, FDA Staff, and Other Stakeholders.  International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM). Autism Spectrum Disorder Standard Set.  Child and Family Quality of Life (CFQL) Measure. 

Send us a textABA on Tap is proud to present Brittany Warnke, SLP (Part 1 of 2):In this episode of ABA on Tap, hosts Mike Rubio and Dan Lowery are joined by Brittany Warnke, MA, CCC-SLP, a dedicated Speech-Language Pathologist from San Diego, California.Brittany brings her specialized expertise in bridging the gap between speech pathology and behavior analysis to the table. Currently serving at Pioneer Day School, Brittany focuses on collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches to support learners with diverse communication needs.In this episode, we dive into:Interdisciplinary Collaboration: How SLPs and BCBAs can work together to create more comprehensive and effective treatment plans.Functional Communication: Strategies for prioritizing meaningful, real-world communication goals that empower students.Bridging the Jargon: Navigating the different professional "languages" of SLP and ABA to foster better teamwork and outcomes for families.Whether you're a practitioner looking to sharpen your collaborative skills or a parent navigating the world of related services, Brittany's insights offer a fresh, compassionate perspective on how we can better serve our learners together.Pull up a chair, grab a cold one, and let's talk shop. Cheers, and always analyze responsibly!.Support the show

Meanwhile, another Senate body, the Agriculture Committee, is preparing to release its own draft text on Wednesday, raising the possibility that the emerging schism could grow wider as the bill moves forward.Guest: Aaron Day Chairman/CEO of the Daylight Freedom FoundationFollow Aaron on X ➜ https://x.com/AaronRDay~This episode is sponsored by Tangem~Tangem ➜ https://bit.ly/TangemPBNUse Code: "PBN" for Additional Discounts!00:00 Intro00:10 Sponsor: Tangem00:50 Hearing on tuesday01:15 ABA top priority02:00 Propaganda02:45 Aaron hates Ag bill03:30 Ag vs CLARITY04:30 Media is one sided05:45 Did you read the entire bill?07:45 Who's opinion do you trust on the bill?10:30 Who benefits?12:00 DeFi Education Fund gives the greenlight?16:30 So... no regulation?18:45 CLARITY vs DCIA19:00 Congress vs SEC19:30 Crypto vs BSA?21:30 DeFi vs accredited investors22:30 People don't care about stablecoins?26:00 Banks vs Tech Billionaires28:00 Outro#Crypto #Bitcoin #Ethereum~Crypto CLARITY Dead?

In the Season 8 premiere of ABA On Call, Rick and Doug kick off the year by responding to three of the most pressing listener questions from the past season: how behavior analysts should think about punishment and ethics, how well-intended ABA can accidentally cause harm, and how the field can better address professional burnout. The conversation examines punishment through a technical, ethical, and real-world lens, emphasizing wellbeing, context, and the necessity of replacement skills rather than simple behavior suppression. The hosts then explore how skipping analytic steps, overreliance on familiar techniques, and systems-level pressures can lead to harmful outcomes despite good intentions. Finally, they turn to burnout as an organizational and relational problem, discussing supervision, workplace culture, and systemic contingencies that shape staff wellbeing. Together, these topics frame a practical, ethically grounded roadmap for doing ABA in a way that is both effective and humane.   To earn CEUs for listening, click here, log in or sign up, pay the CEU fee, + take the attendance verification to generate your certificate! Don't forget to subscribe and follow and leave us a rating and review.   Show Notes: Procedural Fidelity Data as an Indicator of Quality Service Delivery in Aba Organizations  

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger PictureThe world is continually paying the [CB]s more and more of their hard earned labor. In Germany the people are taxed 42%, almost half of their income. Fed inflation indicator reports no inflation, Truinflation reports inflation is at 1.2%.BoA and Citibank are in talks to offer 10% credit card. Trump says US will the crypto capital of the world. Globalism/[CB] system has failed, the power will return to the people. The patriots are sending a message, DOJ 2.0 is not like DOJ 1.0, same with the FBI, you commit a crime you will be arrested. The message is clear, the protection from these agencies are gone. Bondi arrest the Church rioters. Trump’s message at DAVOS is clear, the [DS] power and agenda is no more. Trump is now in control and the world will begin to move in a different direction, either you are on board or you will be left behind. The power belongs to the people.   Economy https://twitter.com/WallStreetMav/status/2014289396112011443?s=20 (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); Fed’s Favorite Inflation Indicator Refuses To Show Any Signs Of Runaway ‘Trump Tariff’ Costs The Fed’s favorite inflation indicator – Core PCE – rose 0.2% MoM (as expected), which leave it up 2.8% YoY (as expected), slightly lower than September’s +2.9%…   Bear in mind that this morning’s third look at Q3 GDP printed a +2.9% YoY for Core PCE. Under the hood, the biggest driver of Core PCE remains Services costs – not tariff-driven Goods prices…   In fact, on a MoM basis, Non-durable goods prices saw deflation for the second month in a row…   Source: zerohedge.com https://twitter.com/truflation/status/2014322072286302619?s=20 – Food – mostly Eggs – Household durables – particularly housekeeping supplies – Alcohol & tobacco – mostly alcoholic beverages Our number is derived by aggregating millions of real-time price data points every day to calculate a year-over-year CPI % rate. It is comparable but not identical to the survey-based official headline inflation released monthly by the BLS, which was 2.7% for December. Bank Of America, Citigroup May Launch Credit Cards With 10% Rate Two weeks after Trump shocked the world by demanding lenders cap credit card interest rates at 10% for one year, Bank of America and Citigroup are exploring options to do just that in an attempt to placate the president.  Bloomberg reports that both banks are mulling offering cards with a 10% rate cap as one potential solution.  Earlier this week, Trump said he would ask Congress to implement the proposal, giving the financial firms more clarity about what exact path he's pursuing. Bank executives have repeatedly decried the uniform cap, saying it'll cause lenders to have to pull credit lines for consumers.  Source: zerohedge.com Trump sues JPMorgan Chase and CEO Jamie Dimon for $5B over alleged ‘political’ debanking The lawsuit claims JPMorgan’s decision ‘came about as a result of political and social motivations’ to ‘distance itself’ Trump and his ‘conservative political views’  President Donald Trump is suing JPMorgan Chase and its CEO Jamie Dimon in a $5 billion lawsuit filed Thursday, accusing the financial institution of debanking him for political reasons. The president's attorney, Alejandro Brito, filed the lawsuit Thursday morning in Florida state court in Miami on behalf of the president and several of his hospitality companies.  “ Source: foxnews.com https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2013984082640658888?s=20  WEF Finance/Banking Panel – If Independent National Economies Continue Rising, Global Trade Drops and We Lose Control Globalism in its economic construct is a series of dependencies. If those dependencies are severed, if each country has the ability to feed, produce and innovate independently, then the entire dependency model around globalism collapses. Within the globalism model that was historically created there was a group of people, western nations, banks, finance and various government leaders, who controlled the organization and rules of the trade dependencies.  The action being taken for self-sufficiency, in combination with the approach promoted by President Trump that each nation state should generate their own needs, then the rules-based order that has existed for global trade will collapse. If nations are no longer dependent, they become sovereign – able to exist without the need for support from other nations and systems. If nations are indeed sovereign, then globalism is no longer needed and a threat of the unknown rises. How will nations engage with each other if there is no governing body of western elites to make the rules for engagement?  The need for control is a reaction to fear, and it is the fear of self-reliance that permeates the elitist class within the control structures.   If each nation of the world is operating according to its individual best interests, the position of Donald Trump, then what happens to the governing elite who set up the system of interdependencies. This is the core of their fear. If each nation can suddenly grow tea, what happens to the East India Tea Company.  Who then sets the price for the tea, and worse still an entire distribution system (ships, ports, exchanges, banks, etc.) becomes functionally obsolescent. Source: theconservativetreehouse.com  Political/Rights TWO-TIERED JUSTICE: Conservative Journalist Kaitlin Bennett Charged and Fined for Interviewing Democrats in Public — While Don Lemon Storms Churches With Zero Consequences The United States now operates under a blatantly two-tiered justice system, where conservative journalists are criminally charged for speech in public spaces, while left-wing media figures face zero consequences for harassing Americans and disrupting religious services. Conservative journalist Kaitlin Bennett revealed this week that she was charged with a federal crime and fined by the National Park Service in St. Augustine for the so-called offense of asking Democrats questions on public property. According to Bennett, federal agents targeted her while she was conducting on-the-street interviews, a form of journalism protected by the First Amendment. Despite being on public land, Bennett says she was cited and punished simply for engaging in political speech that the Left finds inconvenient. Bennett addressed the incident directly in a post on X, writing: https://twitter.com/KaitMarieox/status/2014174254799958148?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2014174254799958148%7Ctwgr%5Ef4a6650cd0c60d38edfea018c5665c2cc2fe5199%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2026%2F01%2Ftwo-tier-justice-conservative-journalist-kaitlin-bennett-charged%2F When asked by another local journalist exactly what “lawful order” Bennett had disobeyed, the ranger reportedly could not provide a straight answer. WATCH: Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/2014322865848406370?s=20   Alexander Conejo Arias, fled on foot—abandoning his child. For the child's safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias.   Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates. This is consistent with past administration's immigration enforcement. Parents can take control of their departure and receive a free flight and $2,600 with the CBP Home app. By using the CBP Home app illegal aliens reserve the chance to come back the right legal way. https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/2014049440911303019?s=20   inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant. An immigration judge issued him a final order of removal in 2019. In a dangerous attempt to evade arrest, this criminal illegal alien weaponized his vehicle and rammed law enforcement. Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired defensive shots. The criminal illegal alien was not hit and attempted to flee on foot. He was successfully apprehended by law enforcement. The illegal alien was not injured, but a CBP officer was injured.  These dangerous attempts to evade arrest have surged since sanctuary politicians, including Governor Newsom, have encouraged illegal aliens to evade arrest and provided guides advising illegal aliens how to recognize ICE, block entry, and defy arrest. Our officers are now facing a 3,200% increase in vehicle attacks. This situation is evolving, and more information is forthcoming.   https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/2014063905413177637?s=20  CNN Panelist Issues Retraction and Apology After Going Too Far in On-Air Trump Attack    footage of CNN's “Newsnight with Abby Phillip” was posted to social media platform X featuring 25-year-old leftist activist Cameron Kasky alongside panel mainstay Scott Jennings. A moment between the two went viral when Kasky casually declared that President Donald Trump had been involved in an international sex trafficking ring. Jennings wasn't going to let that remark go unchallenged by host John Berman. The topic of conversation had been Trump's interest in Greenland and the Nobel Peace Prize, but Kasky threw in a jab at Trump with an allusion to the president's relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — an allusion Kasky's now trying to walk back. “I would love it if he was more transparent about the human sex trafficking network that he was a part of, but you can't win 'em all,” he blurted out. https://twitter.com/overton_news/status/2013455047288377517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2013455047288377517%7Ctwgr%5E20edbbd712c7076d1aafdac2d1e39d7eb8307263%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2026%2F01%2Fcnn-panelist-issues-retraction-apology-going-far-air%2F   Berman asked Jennings a follow-up question about Greenland, but instead of addressing that, Jennings circled back to Kasky's remark. “You're gonna let that sit?” Jennings asked Berman. “Are we going to claim here on CNN that the president is part of a global sex trafficking ring or …?” After assuring Jennings that he would do the fact-checking, Berman asked Kasky to repeat what he'd said about the global sex-trafficking ring. “That Donald Trump was … probably … very involved with it,” the arrogant young man replied, with perhaps a touch less confidence. To Berman's credit, and the CNN legal team's, he immediately said, “Donald Trump has never been charged with any crimes in relation to Jeffrey Epstein.” https://twitter.com/camkasky/status/2013760245298864477?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2013760245298864477%7Ctwgr%5E20edbbd712c7076d1aafdac2d1e39d7eb8307263%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2026%2F01%2Fcnn-panelist-issues-retraction-apology-going-far-air%2F Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/2014189561002291385?s=20 DOGE Geopolitical https://twitter.com/brentdsadler/status/2014311942119137584?s=20  important as these agreements cover the entirety of the Chagos group of islands/features. Critical as future third party presence in those areas proximate Diego Garcia could in practical terms render those U.S. military facilities operationally impractical (ie useless). The current deal under consideration in the UK parliament in a rushed vote as soon as 2 February is ill advised. And it likely would break the decades long understanding with the U.S. government. See: Active U.S. treaties: https://state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Treaties-in-Force-2025-FINAL.pdf 1966 Foundational Understanding: https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20603/volume-603-I-8737-English.pdf 1972 Understanding regarding new facilities on Diego Garcia: https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%20866/volume-866-I-8737-English.pdf 1976 Understanding and concurrence on new communications facilities on Diego Garcia and references as foundational the 1966 Understanding: https://treaties.fcdo.gov.uk/data/Library2/pdf/1976-TS0019.pdf?utm_source https://twitter.com/HansMahncke/status/2014150131247874267?s=20 The EU-Mercosur deal is a major free trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay). Negotiated for over 25 years, it aims to create one of the world’s largest free trade zones, covering more than 700 million people and reducing tariffs on goods like cars, machinery, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural products.  It includes commitments on sustainability, labor rights, and environmental protections, but critics argue these are insufficient to address issues like Amazon deforestation and unfair competition for European farmers. The agreement was politically finalized in 2019 but faced delays due to environmental concerns and opposition from countries like France and Austria. It was formally signed on January 17, 2026, after EU member states (with a qualified majority, despite opposition from five countries including France) greenlit it on January 9.  The Stupidity of Davos Explained Using an Example of Their Own Creation China is manufacturing a product to create a carbon credit certificate in response to the demand for carbon credits from all the world auto-makers.  Any nation that has a penalty or fine attached to their climate goals is a customer. Those are nations with fines or quotas associated with the production of gasoline powered engines if the auto company doesn't hit the legislated target for sales of electric vehicles. In essence, EU/AU/CA/RU/ASEAN car companies buy Chinese car company carbon credits, to avoid the EU/AU/CA/RU/ASEAN fines.  The Chinese then use the carbon credit revenue to subsidize even lower priced Chinese EVs to the EU/AU/CA/RU/ASEAN car markets, thereby undercutting the EU/AU/CA/RU/ASEAN car companies that also produce EVs. China brilliantly exploits the ridiculous pontificating climate scam and has an interest in perpetuating -even emphasizing- the need for the EU/AU/RU/ASEAN countries to keep pushing their climate agenda.  China even goes so far as to fund alarmism research about climate change because they are making money selling carbon credit certificates on the back end of the scam to the western fear mongers.  This is friggin' brilliant.   The climate change alarmists are helping China's economy by pushing ever escalating fear of climate change.  You just cannot make this stuff up. What does the outcome look like? Well, in this example we see hundreds of thousands of unsold BYDs piling up in countries that emphasize climate regulations with no restrictions on the import of EVs (which most don't even manufacture), which is almost every country.  Big Panda doesn't care about the car itself; they care about generating the carbon credit certificate to sell in the various carbon exchanges. Put this context to the recent announcement by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about his new trade deal with China to accept 49,000 EVs this year. Prime Minister Carney bragged about getting the Chinese to agree to only super low prices for the Canadian market.  Mark Carney was very proud of his accomplishment to get much lower priced vehicles for Canadian EV purchasers.   No doubt Big Panda left the room laughing as soon as Carney made his grand announcement. 1. China sells EV's in Canada, creating credits available on the carbon exchange scheme. Europe et al will purchase the carbon credits because Bussels has fines against EU car companies. 2. With a foothold already established in Europe, China will then take the money generated by the carbon credit purchases and lower the prices of the Chinese EV cars sold in Canada. It's gets funnier. 3. Carney bragged about forcing China to only sell low price EV's as part of the trade agreement. The low price of the EV's in Canada will be subsidized by Europe. China doesn't pay or lose a dime. But wait…. 4. Carney can't do anything about the scheme he has just enmeshed Canada into, because Canada has a Carbon Credit exchange in law.

2025 was an exciting year for rare bird sightings in the ABA Area, with two first ABA records and a fascinating array of interesting and unexpected records from all corners of the US and Canada. North American Birds editor Alex Lamoreaux and writer and teacher Tim Healy join host Nate Swick to have some fun remembering the highlights of last year. Check out the 2026 Bird of the Year merch available NOW at aba.org/store Subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and please leave a rating or a review if you are so inclined! We appreciate it!

In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of welcoming Dr. Kathleen Dyer, Dr. Anna Linnehan, and Dr. Mary Jane Weiss for a powerful conversation around their article Fostering Belonging in Autistic Individuals. This was actually the first time I've had three guests on the podcast at once, and it felt like the perfect conversation to mark that milestone.We spent time unpacking the difference between inclusion and true belonging and why simply being “in the room” does not always mean someone feels connected or accepted. As behavior analysts and speech-language pathologists, we've made incredible progress with access, inclusion, and participation, but this conversation challenged us to take a deeper look at the quality of those experiences.We talked about what happens when autistic individuals are included but don't feel they belong, the emotional toll of masking and camouflaging, and the very real systemic barriers that still exist for autistic adults. I also loved hearing how this work grew from their experiences in higher education and from listening closely to autistic individuals and families who shared that they often had to create their own communities.What really stood out to me was how much this conversation aligns with compassionate, individualized care. Belonging looks different for everyone, and if we're not asking about it, observing it, and building it into our assessments and interventions, we're missing something essential. This episode felt like an invitation for our field to stretch, reflect, and evolve, and I'm so grateful to these three leaders for helping start that dialogue.#autism #speechtherapyWhat's Inside:The difference between inclusion and true belonging, and why access alone is not enoughHow masking and camouflaging impact mental health and long-term well-beingBarriers autistic adults face in education, employment, and community participationPractical ways clinicians can keep belonging at the center of assessment and interventionMentioned In This Episode:Earn CEUs with a community of peers. Join the ABA Speech ConnectionGet the book Perspectives on Neurodiversity and BelongingABA Speech: Home

In this episode, we sat down with Mellanie Page, BCBA, MBA, and founder of The ABA Collective, to dive into the world of Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) and how it can transform the way we experience our work. We talked about why so many BCBAs feel burnt out or stuck in leadership and supervisory roles and how OBM offers practical, behavior-analytic solutions that go far beyond surface-level self-care.Mellanie shared how OBM can help us pinpoint high-impact problems, improve workplace culture, and increase job satisfaction—whether we're clinicians, supervisors, or business owners. We explored why burnout isn't just an individual issue, how small behavior changes can create meaningful ripple effects across teams, and why reinforcing the process matters just as much as reinforcing outcomes.This conversation is full of practical insights, real-world examples, and a refreshing reminder that we can apply the science we already know to organizations, leadership, and even ourselves. If you've ever wondered how to use ABA to improve your work life, this episode is for you.What's Inside:What OBM is and why it matters for BCBAsUsing behavior analysis to address burnout and job satisfactionApplying OBM to leadership, supervision, and workplace culturePractical examples of small changes with big organizational impactMentioned in This Episode:The ABA CollectiveThe OBM Practitioner ProgramHowToABA.com/joinHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram

In this episode, I'm joined by John Guercio for a wide-ranging and practical conversation about leadership through a behavioral lens. John and I dig into what it actually means to lead in applied behavior analysis, especially when so much of the existing leadership literature is vague, mentalistic, or disconnected from observable behavior. We start by talking about the need to operationalize leadership in behavioral terms and explore the four leadership hats developed by Dr. Paulie Gavoni: leading, training, coaching, and managing. We break down what each of these roles looks like behaviorally, how they function across time, and why effective leaders need to move flexibly between them rather than relying on a single style. A major theme of the episode is the role of positive reinforcement in leadership. John shares real-world examples from his OBM coursework and his work at Cornerstone Behavioral Services, highlighting how difficult—but necessary—it can be to shift away from punitive and avoidance-based management strategies. We discuss why punishment often "works" in the short term, why leaders continue to rely on it, and how reinforcement-based leadership creates better outcomes for both staff and organizations. We also spend time unpacking the distinction between leadership and management. John reflects on his own strengths and limitations, describing how he focuses on vision and direction while intentionally surrounding himself with strong managers who excel at systems, logistics, and follow-through. This leads to a powerful discussion about positional authority, seniority, and the myth that leadership status entitles people to treat others poorly. Throughout the episode, we return to the importance of psychological safety, consistent feedback, and emotional regulation in leadership roles. John shares practical strategies for navigating tough conversations, including how to balance empathy with accountability, how to manage staff expectations, and how to avoid letting emotion drive professional communication (including when not to send that email). We also talk through concrete tools and exercises for improving leadership practice, such as symbolic problem-solving activities to surface unspoken team issues, written acknowledgment systems, and using assessment tools like the Performance Diagnostic Checklist to guide supervision and coaching. John closes by sharing future directions for developing empirically grounded management assessment tools, along with a preview of his upcoming work and conference presentations. This is a practical, honest conversation for anyone supervising staff, leading teams, or trying to build reinforcing, values-consistent organizations in human services. Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode RBT Course for Adult Services (the 'bridge' course too!) Sims and Szilagyi (1975). Leader reward behavior and subordinate satisfaction and performance Stone Soup Conference Registration (use code PODCAST26 at checkout) Carr and Wilder (2015). The Performance Diagnostic Checklist—Human Services John's previous BOP appearances Session 274: Psychological Safety in the Workplace (Supervision CEU!) Additional Books, Articles, and Ideas Discussed John's books on Amazon Komaki (1998). Leadership from an Operant Perspective McGregor (1960). The Human Side of Enterprise Daniels and Daniels (2023). The Measure of a Leader Elliot (2012). Leading Apple With Steve Jobs: Management Lessons From a Controversial Genius Covey (2020). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, 30th Anniversary Edition Harley (2013). How to Say Anything to Anyone Grenny et al. (2021). Crucial Conversations (Third Edition): Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High Sponsor shoutouts! Office Puzzle: A thriving ABA practice depends on systems that actually support your team, not slow them down. If you've struggled with software that's buggy, hard to navigate, or offers little support when you need it most, you're not alone. That's why so many practices are switching to Office Puzzle. Go to officepuzzle.com/bop to learn more! HRIC Recruting. Cut out the middleman and speak directly with Barbara Voss, who's been placing BCBAs in great jobs all across the US for 15 years. The 2026 Stone Soup Conference! This is one of the best values in the online conference space. I'm actually going to be one of the speakers at this year's event, along with a great cast of other characters you're probably familiar with. Save on your registration by using promo code PODCAST26 Behavior University. Their mission is to provide university quality professional development for the busy Behavior Analyst. Learn about their CEU offerings, including their 8-hour Supervision Course, as well as their RBT offerings over at behavioruniversity.com/observations. Don't forget to use the coupon code, PODCAST to save at checkout! The 2026 Verbal Behavior Conference! Taking place March 26–27, 2026, in Austin, Texas, or livestream and on-demand on BehaviorLive. Presenters will include Drs. Mark Sundberg, Patrick McGreevy, Caio Miguel, Alice Shillingsburg, Sarah Frampton, Andresa De Souza, and Danielle LaFrance will share how Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior can guide the assessment and treatment of generative learning challenges in children with autism and other developmental disabilities. And don't miss the special pre-conference workshop on Wednesday, March 25. CEUs from Behavioral Observations. Learn from your favorite podcast guests while you're commuting, walking the dog, or whatever else you do while listening to podcasts. New events are being added all the time, so check them out here.