Rad N Bad Podcast

In this fiery, no-holds-barred episode, Sean Yocum returns to the mic to rip the mask off one of the most dangerous forces creeping through the field of Applied Behavior Analysis — private equity. What started as a clinical revolution has become a corporate gold rush, and Sean calls it exactly what it is: behavioral gentrification.From Wall Street boardrooms to therapy rooms, Sean exposes how venture capital vultures have infiltrated autism services, transforming care into commodity and compassion into cash flow. He breaks down the “three D’s” — Debt, Dominance, and Destabilization — the unholy trinity driving overbilling, burnout, and the collapse of clinical fidelity. Backed by data, real-world examples, and an unapologetic voice for ethics, this episode pulls zero punches.You’ll hear the truth about what happens when finance runs therapy: supervision disappears, turnover skyrockets, and the very kids this field was built to serve become financial line items. But Sean doesn’t just vent — he rallies. He calls on BCBAs, RBTs, and leaders across the country to demand transparency, document pressure, and prioritize people over profit.This episode isn’t about fear. It’s about rebellion.If you’ve ever wondered who really owns your company — and what that means for your clients — this is your wake-up call.Stay rad. Stay bad. And remember: when finance walks in, fidelity walks out the back door.Check out the article here:https://cepr.net/publications/pocketing-money-meant-for-kids-private-equity-in-autism-services/Join the Underground Conference Here:https://sean-s-site-2244.thinkific.com/products/communities/theundergroundLearn about Hi-Rasmus Here:https://hirasmus.com/

Episode 17: The Data Wrecking Ball: De-Risking ABA with a CliniviseRad N Bad moves from calling out the broken system to showing you how to rebuild it. Host Sean Yocum welcomes special co-host Christopher Jones, PhD (CTO & Co-Founder of Clinivise) to dissect the intersection of data science, entrepreneurial excellence, and clinical impact.Dr. Jones, a Caltech-educated veteran and Tillman Scholar, brings his mission-driven expertise to the chaotic world of behavioral health. In this episode, we dive deep into:Eliminating the Blindfold: How data transparency and platforms like Clinivise dismantle the "information asymmetry" that gives multi-billion dollar payers leverage over smaller, clinician-owned practices.The Access Problem: Why simply "revealing" provider deserts isn't monetizing failure, but is the crucial first step in de-risking underserved markets, incentivizing ethical expansion, and utilizing creative solutions like telehealth and mobile units.Negotiation Anchors: How objective market benchmarks for salaries and reimbursement rates can empower new BCBAs and RBTs, eliminate unconscious pay bias, and prevent employers from simply "low-balling" labor costs.Beyond the Billable Hour: Shifting the industry from a "zero-sum game" (volume over value) to a "positive-sum game" by establishing a baseline for outcome-based negotiation, where clinical progress directly translates to higher value.If you believe a broken system can’t be profitable forever, you need the intelligence layer to challenge the status quo. Get ready to raise some hell. Check out Clinivise here:https://www.clinivise.ai/

Ready to stop getting your science from bedtime stories? In this wake-up call of an episode, Sean Yocum and Mike Carrero dive headfirst into the recent, controversial claims linking Tylenol to autism. As BCBAs, they break down the fundamental flaws in this argument, starting with the first rule of behavior analysis fight club: correlation is not causation.They discuss how this narrative oversimplifies a complex neurodevelopmental condition, ignoring decades of peer-reviewed research on genetics and other contributing factors. Sean and Mike challenge the "miracle drug" mentality, calling out the ethical dangers of promoting misinformation and the real harm it causes to families. This isn't a political debate—it's a critical discussion about upholding the standards of evidence-based practice and why the so-called "autism epidemic" is actually a sign of social and scientific progress. Get ready to question everything you think you know and find out why the truth is far more complex, and more hopeful, than a single, simple answer.

On a brand-new installment of our "Who The Hell Is That?" series, Sean and Mike welcome a guest who's not afraid to challenge the status quo: the brilliant Dr. Lindsey Sneed. As the Vice President of Clinical Excellence at Catalight and a licensed psychologist, Dr. Sneed is fiercely passionate about an approach with robust evidence that is often resisted by the mainstream: Parent-Mediated Interventions (PMI).In this no-holds-barred conversation, we dive headfirst into the why behind this resistance. We explore the ethical and clinical reasons for prioritizing PMI as a least-restrictive, highly effective treatment model. Dr. Sneed shares her "aha" moment that drove her to champion this cause, revealing how she's swimming upstream against a field that often equates intensive, 30-hour-a-week models with quality—despite the evidence suggesting otherwise.This isn't a conversation about tearing down traditional ABA; it's about evolving. Dr. Sneed argues that by ignoring PMI, we are limiting access to care, contributing to clinician burnout, and potentially damaging outcomes for families. She offers a compelling argument for a future where we stop chasing dosage and start chasing fit, focusing on what truly empowers caregivers and improves well-being.Join us as we challenge our biases, question the comfort of our current models, and fight for a more effective, humane, and collaborative approach to ABA.Find out more about Dr. Sneed's work at:LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/catalightcares/(14) Lindsey Sneed, Ph.D., BCBA-D | LinkedIn Instagraminstagram.com/catalightcares/Lindsey Sneed, Ph.D., BCBA-D (@drlindseysneed) • Instagram photos and videosFacebookCatalight | Walnut Creek CA | Facebook YouTubeCatalight - YouTube X (though, we don’t really use it anymore)Catalight (@CatalightCares) / XPodcastWhat’s Up With Catalight - CatalightWhat’s Up With Catalight! - Podcast - Apple PodcastsWhat’s Up With Catalight! | Podcast on SpotifyDon't forget to stay edgy, stay bad, and don't forget to analyze that behavior!

Get ready, Rad N' Bad fam! Sean and Mike are tearing into another unapologetically honest episode of "Who The Hell Is That?!"—our series dedicated to the fearless individuals igniting real change in ABA. This week, we welcome the brilliant and uncompromising Dr. Kristen Byra, PhD, BCBA-D, a true force in clinical excellence who's not afraid to push back against the norm.Kristen, a highly credentialed BCBA with vast experience in autism services, reveals the "fed up" moments that fueled her mission to transform quality and accountability in our field. She pulls back the curtain on the alarming inconsistencies in ABA training and supervision she witnessed, contrasting it with her own rigorous Western Michigan University experience. Discover the genesis of her game-changing Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) and Quality Assessment tools—innovations designed to tackle the biggest systematic failures in clinical practice. We dive deep into why she demands "fridge-worthy" work, the power of her "red dot" system for RBT feedback, and the audacious medical analogy that exposes why we're defaulting to the most restrictive interventions when evidence-based alternatives are available.This episode is a candid, no-holds-barred discussion on everything from the nuances of non-billable time accountability to the critical importance of parent involvement beyond "tuck and roll" drop-offs. Kristen shares her vision for standardizing quality across agencies, empowering BCBAs and RBTs, and safeguarding the future of ABA by prioritizing client outcomes over mere billables. If you're craving brutal honesty, radical insights, and a blueprint for elevating your practice, strap in! This is where the real insights break loose.You can contact Kristen at:Website: Her professional website is UpskillABA.com.LinkedIn: She primarily posts and is active on her personal LinkedIn profile, Kristen Byra.

Let’s stop pretending supervision is working just because someone hit 2,000 hours. In this episode of Rad N Bad, Sean Yocum and Michael Carrero rip into the broken culture of ABA supervision—and what we actually need to start producing real-deal BCBAs, not just test-passers with clipboards.We’re talking:Why more hours don’t equal more skill (and what to do instead),How agencies are using “supervision” to churn out cheap labor,The myth of “you’re ready to supervise after a year” (spoiler: you’re not),What real mentorship looks like—and why most of the field isn’t doing it,And why ethical decision-making can’t be taught in a PowerPoint.Whether you're a supervisee lost in the hour-hustle or a supervisor wondering why your mentee still can't write a goal—this episode will hit home.