Hi

I hope you had a great weekend! 

I'm reaching out to let you know who will be the guest for Session 8 of the podcast, but before doing so, I wanted to share some informative podcasts I've found and ask for your thoughts on a few things. 

First, if you haven't heard about what's perhaps the only other Behavior Analytic podcast, ABA Inside Track, I highly recommend checking it out. It is hosted by three BCBA's (Robert Parry-Cruwys, Diana Parry-Cruwys, and Jackie MacDonald) and their format includes reviewing specific articles and discussing their implications for clinical practice. They go into quite a bit of detail, and convey this information in a really fun way, so you're bound to get something out of the show. The best part is when you're done with an episode, you can, for what I consider a very reasonable fee, get CEU's for listening. They can be found at www.abainsidetrack.com. Have a listen and give them a rating and review in iTunes (while you're at it, if you haven't given a rating and review of The Behavioral Observations Podcast I would really appreciate it if you took a minute to do so as well ;-).

Second, there is a new book out called, "The Ego is the Enemy," by Ryan Holiday. In full disclosure, I haven't read the entire book, but Ryan reads a chapter of the book on the latest episode of the Tim Ferris Show, and I gave it a listen while moving the lawn the other day. This chapter, in my opinion, should be required reading (or listening in this case) by any recent graduate, regardless of whether we're talking about the high school, college, or graduate level. I wont give away too much more about it, but the chapter extols the virtues of working hard, doing grunt work for little to no recognition or pay, and really learning a craft, skill, etc... Given the supervisory model we have as BCBA's, I think this has applications to what we do as a practice. Long story short, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Mentalistic title notwithstanding, I may check out the book in its entirety in the near future. Please note that the Tim Ferris Show is not for everyone, especially those who dislike the occasional profanity. That said, most of the episode consists of Ryan reading his book chapter.

Third, I have been getting occasional requests for a Q & A show, with the idea of following up on topics from prior episodes. Let me know if that's something you're interested in. You can email me at [email protected], and put Q & A in the subject line, along with whatever questions you might have. I'll collect them in a folder and when it reaches a critical mass, I'll record an episode where I'll go through them. Perhaps I can wrangle a co-host to help me out with this process as well. Again, shoot me an email if this is something you're interested in.

Fourth, I am really excited to share an interview I conducted with my very own Major Professor from my days at Auburn University, Dr. Jim Johnston, BCBA-D. In addition to his many scholarly accomplishments, Jim, along with Jerry Shook and others, was instrumental in creating the Behavior Analysis Certification Board. Later, he was one of the leaders in the field that saw the need to assist practitioners directly, and helped start the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts for that sole purpose. In 1998, I but a graduate student in the audience when he delivered the presidential address for the Association for Behavior Analysis (the "I" came later...). These days, in addition to updating his books (e.g., he talks about the latest iteration of "Strategies and Tactics for Behavioral Research in this session) he writes the occasional article and shares them on his blog, talkingaboutbehavior.com. I should have this episode out in a few days. 

Finally, I want to thank all of you for listening to the show. It is very humbling to know that many of you are taking the time out of your day to tune into this work-in-progress. I recently attended ABAI in Chicago, and it was great to meet many listeners in person! 

All the best,

Matt