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  • Scruffy, Shoulds and Mighty Mouse: Executive Functioning and Self-Awareness for ABA Leaders
    2026/10/22

    Why can’t I just be consistent? Stephen and April Smith talk with Nicole Skotz, M.S., BCBA and ADHD coach, about executive functioning, capacity and self-awareness for ABA business leaders.

    Nicole shares ACT tools leaders can use on themselves, from treating “should” as a cue to naming your inner critic. The conversation also covers why the BCBA fixer instinct makes delegation hard, what Stephen calls Mighty Mouse syndrome, and how to rethink loaded words like productivity.

    In this episode, you’ll learn

    Why executive functioning struggles show up with or without an ADHD diagnosis

    How to use “should” as a cue that you want something to be different

    A defusion exercise: naming your inner critic

    How Nicole reframes acceptance as willingness

    Simple body check-ins, the How We Feel app and a joy journal

    Why a BCBA’s training to fix deficits makes delegating hard

    “Mighty Mouse syndrome” and the pull to do it all yourself

    Why planning counts as part of the work

    Connect with Nicole

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-skotz-ms-bcba-841487121/

    Momentum ADHD Coaching

    Have a question for Stephen and April?

    Call the ABA Business Leaders Hotline: (737) 330-1432

    Resources

    Business Essentials List:

    https://www.3piesquared.com/blog/the-essential-list-for-a-successful-business_24

    ABA Business Leaders Support Group:

    https://forms.office.com/r/cigPR8wFFC

    Schedule a Consultation with Stephen:

    https://3piesquared.com/stephen-booking-page

    Free ABA Business Readiness Assessment:

    https://3piesquared.com/aba-business-readiness-assessment

    ABA Billing Tips Guide:

    https://3piesquared.com/productDetails/ABA_Billing_Tips

    ABA Business Leaders Podcast CEUs:

    https://3piesquared.com/productDetails/ABA_Business_Leaders_Podcast_CEUs

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    1 時間 25 分
  • From Burnout to Action: Applying Behavior Analysis to Ourselves and Our Organizations
    2026/10/15

    Dr. Becca Tag returns to the ABA Business Leaders Podcast for Part 2 of a conversation that began with burnout, self-care, systemic challenges, and the realities facing ABA clinicians and leaders. This time, April, Stephen, and Becca focus on the question left open after the first discussion: what do we do with that understanding?

    The conversation explores why there is no universal “easy button” for complex human problems, why leaders need to keep updating their understanding of themselves and the people around them, and how behavior analysts can apply the same curiosity and contextual thinking they use clinically to leadership and organizational systems.

    Becca also discusses interoception, nervous system regulation, self-worth, feedback, power differences, and the importance of understanding the patterns that shape our own behavior. For ABA business owners, the episode is a reminder that sustainable change starts with accurate information, curiosity, and a willingness to update the model when the context changes.

    In this Episode, You'll Learn

    · Why Part 2 shifts the conversation from naming burnout and systemic challenges toward action

    · Why no outside expert can understand another person’s experience better than that person

    · How leaders can treat understanding as an ongoing process rather than something they finish

    · Why expecting an organization to change overnight can create additional pressure

    · How interoception and nervous system differences can affect the way people notice their own needs

    · Why leaders may become less patient, flexible, or responsive when their own capacity is depleted

    · How power differences change the responsibility leaders have when giving advice, feedback, or direction

    · Why self-worth should not depend on credentials, productivity, compensation, or professional status

    · How case conceptualization can be applied to ourselves before trying to change our own behavior

    · Why accurate information and trustworthy feedback can create a stronger sense of safety

    · How leaders can use curiosity to identify breakdowns in policies, training, supervision, and organizational systems

    · Why ABA professionals need to learn the process of behavior analysis, not simply how to follow a protocol

    Have Questions for April and Stephen? Call the ABA Business Leaders Hotline: (737) 330-1432

    Resources and Links

    Business Essentials List: https://www.3piesquared.com/blog/the-essential-list-for-a-successful-business_24

    ABA Business Leaders Support Group: https://forms.office.com/r/cigPR8wFFC

    Schedule a Consultation with Stephen: https://3piesquared.com/stephen-booking-page

    Free ABA Business Readiness Assessment: https://3piesquared.com/aba-business-readiness-assessment

    ABA Billing Tips Guide: https://3piesquared.com/productDetails/ABA_Billing_Tips

    ABA Business Leaders Podcast CEUs: https://3piesquared.com/productDetails/ABA_Business_Leaders_Podcast_CEUs

    Podcast Production

    This podcast was produced by Max McLellan of MKM Audio. Want to start or grow a podcast for your business or brand? https://www.mkmaudio.com/contact

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    1 時間 34 分
  • You'll Never Train Staff The Old Way Again
    2026/10/08

    How can ABA business owners give employees a clear path to grow while making training and pay decisions more consistent? Stephen and April Smith of 3 Pie Squared welcome Mallory to introduce their ABA training platform and explain the thinking behind its growth path system.

    Mallory has helped develop the platform's training structure and shares how employees can continue learning within their roles. The conversation covers branches, stages, badges, and individual skills, along with competency checks that help supervisors see what a staff member has mastered and where support is needed.

    For ABA owners balancing clinical responsibilities, staffing, and financial decisions, the discussion offers a practical way to connect expectations, development, and compensation. Stephen and April also explain which parts of the system are free and how feedback from users will guide future improvements.

    In This Episode Youll Learn

    • Why staff need ongoing development and a visible future within an ABA practice
    • How growth paths organize roles, career stages, badges, and individual skills
    • How BTs can develop within their current role and explore other career directions
    • How skill requirements clarify required training, certifications, and completion expectations
    • How supervisors can assign specific skills and track demonstrated competency
    • How tagging can connect staff development to the skills needed for particular clients
    • How course participation and completed badges make progress easier to see
    • How growth paths can support more structured comparisons of job candidates
    • How skill acquisition can be linked to pay increases with company-defined controls
    • Why subjective performance ratings can create inconsistent feedback
    • How company values can guide training and employee development decisions
    • What is included in the free system and why some courses have separate costs

    Resources

    • Business Essentials List
    • ABA Business Leaders Support Group
    • Schedule a Consultation with Stephen
    • Free ABA Business Readiness Assessment
    • ABA Billing Tips Guide
    • ABA Business Leaders Podcast CEUs

    Have a question for Stephen and April

    Call the ABA Business Leaders Hotline: (737) 330-1432. Share your questions, stories, and ABA business challenges for discussion on the podcast.

    This podcast was produced by Max McLellan of MKM Audio.

    Want to start or grow a podcast for your business or brand? Contact MKM Audio.

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    43 分
  • Building an ABA Business Around Values, Quality, and the People Doing the Work
    2026/10/01

    The podswap with ABA on Tap continues. In Part 2, Stephen and April welcome ABA on Tap hosts Mike Rubio, BCBA, and Dan Lowery, BCBA, to the ABA Business Leaders Podcast after Stephen and April joined them for Part 1 the previous week.

    The conversation picks up with Stephen’s “vision test” and a practical question: does a company’s mission statement describe how the organization operates, or is it simply language on a page? The group discusses how values show up through decisions about billable hours, training, staff support, compensation, profitability, and growth.

    They also examine the limits of financial KPIs, the need for clinical and quality measures, RBT training and turnover, the difficulty of moving BCBAs into leadership roles without leadership preparation, and the importance of listening to the people delivering services every day.

    Mike and Dan also reflect on building Ascend Behavioral Solutions and the role 3 Pie Squared’s resources played as they developed their own company.

    In This Episode, You'll Learn

    • How Stephen’s “vision test” can help owners evaluate whether a mission or vision has meaning inside the business
    • How to evaluate whether your mission and vision truly guide the business
    • Why employee experience often reveals company values better than a mission statement
    • How generic AI-generated plans can miss the owner’s deeper thinking
    • Why profitability matters without becoming the only measure of success
    • How financial, clinical, and quality KPIs can work together
    • Why RBT training, support, compensation, and turnover are connected
    • How leadership roles can pull experienced BCBAs away from clinical work
    • Why ABA owners need both clinical judgment and business knowledge
    • How listening to RBTs can uncover issues leadership may miss
    • Why asking “Why are we doing this?” can help businesses get back on track

    Continue the Podswap This is Part 2 of the conversation. Listen to Part 1 on ABA on Tap.

    Have a Question? Call the ABA Business Leaders Hotline: (737) 330-1432

    Resources & Links

    Business Essentials List

    ABA Business Leaders Support Group

    Schedule a Consultation with Stephen

    Free ABA Business Readiness Assessment

    ABA Billing Tips Guide

    ABA Business Leaders Podcast CEUs

    Podcast Production

    This podcast was produced by Max McLellan of MKM Audio. Want to start or grow a podcast for your business or brand? Get in touch with MKM Audio.

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    58 分
  • The Only Practice Management System You'll Ever Need
    2026/09/10

    Welcome back to the ABA Business Leaders Podcast, brought to you by 3 Pie Squared.

    In this episode, Stephen and April Smith are joined by Taylor Beagle, BCBA and Director of Product Experience at 3 Pie Squared, to officially introduce 3 Pie Squared's new ABA practice management software.

    Built from the ground up with input from BCBAs and people who have worked inside ABA practices, the platform is designed around the real operational and clinical challenges ABA business owners, and their teams face every day.

    Taylor brings 10 years of ABA experience to the product, having worked his way from RBT through roles including trainer, BCBA, assistant director, and clinical director. In this conversation, he joins Stephen and April to explain how that experience helped shape a platform built specifically for the needs of ABA providers.

    From managing your waitlist and client intake to scheduling, billing, data collection, documentation, parent communication, staff permissions, and training, the episode explores how 3 Pie Squared is bringing the systems needed to run an ABA practice together in one place.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    -Why 3 Pie Squared decided to build its own ABA practice management software

    -How Taylor's experience from RBT to clinical director influenced the platform

    -Why building the software with direct input from BCBAs matters

    -How the platform helps organize waitlists and streamline client intake

    -How centralized, HIPAA-compliant messaging can improve communication with families and staff

    Have a question for Stephen and April?

    Call the ABA Business Leaders Hotline: (737) 330-1432

    Have a question, a story to share, or a recruiting nightmare you'd like Stephen and April to discuss on the podcast? Give them a call.

    Resources & Links

    Business Essentials List

    https://www.3piesquared.com/blog/the-essential-list-for-a-successful-business_24?utm_source=chatgpt.com

    ABA Business Leaders Support Group

    https://forms.office.com/r/cigPR8wFFC?utm_source=chatgpt.com

    Schedule a Consultation with Stephen

    https://3piesquared.com/stephen-booking-page?utm_source=chatgpt.com

    Free ABA Business Readiness Assessment

    https://3piesquared.com/aba-business-readiness-assessment?utm_source=chatgpt.com

    ABA Billing Tips Guide

    https://3piesquared.com/productDetails/ABA_Billing_Tips?utm_source=chatgpt.com

    ABA Business Leaders Podcast CEUs

    https://3piesquared.com/productDetails/ABA_Business_Leaders_Podcast_CEUs?utm_source=chatgpt.com

    Podcast Production

    This podcast was produced by Max McLellan of MKM Audio.

    Want to start or grow a podcast for your business or brand?

    Get in touch with MKM Audio

    https://www.mkmaudio.com/contact?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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    56 分
  • Hiring the Right People: Building a Stronger ABA Team with Joseph Bolden
    2026/09/03

    Welcome back to the ABA Business Leaders Podcast, brought to you by 3 Pie Squared.

    In this episode, Stephen and April sit down with Joseph Bolden, Head of Recruiting at 3 Pie Squared, to take a deep dive into one of the biggest challenges facing ABA business owners: finding, hiring, and retaining the right people.

    The wrong hire can create operational problems, impact your existing team, increase turnover, and ultimately affect the families you serve. On the other hand, taking the time to identify the right person and build a strong hiring process can create a healthier culture and give owners more room to grow.

    Stephen, April, and Joseph discuss everything from writing better job descriptions and using platforms like Indeed and LinkedIn to understanding what candidates want from their next opportunity.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    • Why hiring for an ABA company requires more than simply checking someone's credentials
    • How Joseph's background in ABA operations shaped his approach to recruiting
    • Why the needs of a startup can be very different from those of an established ABA practice
    • The importance of understanding company culture before hiring
    • Why a strong clinical background doesn't necessarily mean someone is ready to lead a team

    Have a question for Stephen and April?

    Call the ABA Business Leaders Hotline: (737) 330-1432

    Have a question, a story to share, or a recruiting nightmare you'd like Stephen and April to discuss on the podcast? Give them a call.

    Resources & Links

    Business Essentials List

    https://www.3piesquared.com/blog/the-essential-list-for-a-successful-business_24?utm_source=chatgpt.com

    ABA Business Leaders Support Group

    https://forms.office.com/r/cigPR8wFFC?utm_source=chatgpt.com

    Schedule a Consultation with Stephen

    https://3piesquared.com/stephen-booking-page?utm_source=chatgpt.com

    Free ABA Business Readiness Assessment

    https://3piesquared.com/aba-business-readiness-assessment?utm_source=chatgpt.com

    ABA Billing Tips Guide

    https://3piesquared.com/productDetails/ABA_Billing_Tips?utm_source=chatgpt.com

    ABA Business Leaders Podcast CEUs

    https://3piesquared.com/productDetails/ABA_Business_Leaders_Podcast_CEUs?utm_source=chatgpt.com

    Podcast Production

    This podcast was produced by Max McLellan of MKM Audio.

    Want to start or grow a podcast for your business or brand?

    Get in touch with MKM Audio

    https://www.mkmaudio.com/contact?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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    1 時間 5 分
  • The Joy of Running an ABA Business: Finding Meaning in the Day-to-Day
    2026/08/27

    Running an ABA business can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be demanding. Between operational challenges, leadership responsibilities, staffing, and the constant needs of the people you serve, it can be easy to lose sight of what made you want to do this work in the first place.

    In our final episode of National Wellness Month, April and Stephen explore what it means to rediscover and protect the joy of running an ABA business. They talk openly about the ways stress and routine can take over, and how intentional practices can help business owners reconnect with their purpose.

    April and Stephen share personal experiences, mindset shifts, and practical strategies for finding more meaning in the everyday moments of business ownership. From paying attention to your energy and tracking what brings you joy to practicing mindfulness and gratitude, this conversation offers a reminder that building a successful ABA business doesn't have to mean losing the enjoyment that comes with it.

    🔑 Key Topics & Insights

    • Why joy can get lost in the day-to-day demands of running an ABA business
    • How to reconnect with your purpose and remember your "why"
    • Why joy doesn't always happen naturally and how to intentionally create space for it
    • April's approach to tracking joy and identifying what brings energy into your life
    • Stephen's perspective on finding meaning in the mundane parts of business ownership

      Have a question for Stephen and April?

      Call the ABA Business Leaders Hotline: (737) 330-1432

      Resources & Links

      Business Essentials List

      The Essential List for a Successful Business

      ABA Business Leaders Support Group

      Join the ABA Business Leaders Support Group

      Schedule a Consultation with Stephen

      Schedule a consultation with Stephen

      Free ABA Business Readiness Assessment

      Take the Free ABA Business Readiness Assessment

      ABA Billing Tips Guide

      Get the ABA Billing Tips Guide

      ABA Business Leaders Podcast CEUs

      Learn More About ABA Business Leaders Podcast CEUs

      This podcast was produced by Max McLellan of MKM Audio.

      Want to start or grow a podcast for your business or brand?

      Get in touch with MKM Audio

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    45 分