In this episode, Stephen and April Smith sit down with Josh Levine, co-founder of Momentum, for a conversation about burnout, leadership, and the role of self-awareness in the ABA field. Josh shares how a simple habit of daily reflection helped him grow as a clinician and develop a mindset focused on continuous improvement rather than perfection.

The discussion explores the emotional side of behavioral work, from overcoming negative self-talk to recognizing how burnout affects business owners, staff, and clients alike. Stephen, April, and Josh also talk about the importance of trust, delegation, and hiring team members who align with your organization’s values.

The episode closes with a powerful reminder that meaningful change in leadership starts internally. When clinicians and business owners prioritize self-awareness, compassion, and personal growth, it creates healthier teams and better outcomes for the families they serve.

Have a question for Stephen and April?

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

Resources & Links

SILNA
https://www.silnahealth.com/?ref=3Pie#get-started

ABA Support Group for Business Owners

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

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

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

Audit anxiety is one of the most common — and least talked about — pressures facing ABA business owners.

Hosts Stephen and April, joined by Alecia Barrett from A. Barrett Academy LLC, share candid stories about the audits they personally went through, including moments when accusations of fraud and recoupment demands threatened their stability. These stories highlight an important truth for ABA owners: audits are stressful, but they’re also manageable when you understand your rights and keep strong documentation.

They also walk through what happens when insurers raise fraud concerns, how to respond to recoupment demands, and the importance of preparing long before an audit begins. Clean documentation, consistent systems, and proactive processes can make the difference between a stressful review and a business-threatening crisis.

If you’ve ever felt the weight of compliance anxiety or worried about what an audit might uncover, this episode offers reassurance, practical guidance, and real-world lessons from leaders who have navigated these challenges themselves.

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

Resources & Links

MarginKeepers:
https://3piesquared.com/business-affiliate/MarginKeepers

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

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

In this solo episode, April Smith takes a direct and nuanced look at burnout in the ABA industry, and challenges the way we talk about it.

Rather than accepting burnout as an inevitable byproduct of leadership, April explores the illusion of burnout and how it shows up specifically for ABA business owners. She unpacks the subtle ways leaders can feel trapped: by their standards of excellence, by financial pressure, and by the belief that exhaustion is simply “part of the job.”

This episode goes beyond surface-level self-care advice. April examines how a lack of operational options—limited margin, no leadership depth, unclear systems—creates the emotional experience we label as burnout. When you don’t have choices, everything feels heavy. When you can’t step away, every problem feels personal.

If you’re an ABA owner who feels constantly behind, stretched thin, or questioning the reason you built your business, this conversation will resonate.

Have a question for Stephen and April?

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

Resources & Links

Free ABA Business Leaders Support Group

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

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

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

In this episode of the ABA Business Leaders Podcast, April and Stephen discuss the evolving landscape of prior authorizations in ABA with Jeff Morelli from Silna Health. SILNA handles prior-authorizations using the power of AI, all designed specifically for ABA Businesses and their workflows.

They explore the challenges faced by clinicians due to administrative burdens and how technology, particularly AI, is reshaping the reimbursement process.

Jeff introduces Silna's Predictive Document Intelligence, which aims to streamline authorizations and reduce denial rates. The conversation highlights the importance of efficient systems in ABA practices, the financial risks associated with denied authorizations, and the need for delegation and resource utilization to enhance clinician focus on patient care.

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

Resources & Links

SILNA:

https://www.silnahealth.com/?ref=3Pie#get-started

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

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

In this episode, Stephen and April sit down with Dr. David J. Cox, a uniquely cross-disciplinary thinker whose work spans behavior analysis, bioethics, behavioral economics, and data science. With formal training from Union Graduate College, a PhD from the University of Florida, and post-doctoral work at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Insight Data Science Fellowship, David brings a rare lens to one of the most pressing conversations in ABA today: What does AI mean for clinical quality, professional judgment, and business leadership?

Having worked in behavior analysis since 2006 as a clinician, academic, technologist, and researcher—with more than 70 peer-reviewed publications—David helps unpack the signal vs. noise around artificial intelligence and its real implications for BCBAs and the organizations they lead.

📞 Have a Question for Stephen & April?

Call the ABA Business Leaders Hotline:

(737) 330-1432

Sponsored by Office Puzzle

This episode is sponsored by Office Puzzle, an all-in-one practice management software built to streamline workflows, simplify data collection, and help ABA practices operate more efficiently from intake to billing. With intuitive tools and an easy learning curve, teams can spend less time on administrative work and more time on client care.

Join our ABA Business Leaders Support Group

Sign up here (free)

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

🔗 Resources & Links

Office Puzzle

https://3piesquared.com/business-affiliate/office-puzzle

ABA Business Leaders Support Group for FREE:

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

Business Essentials List

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

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

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 ABA

• Tasneem 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

💬 Interested? Sign up here : https://forms.office.com/r/LLpAHCXUN8

Resources & Links

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

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

Have a Question for Stephen and April?

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

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?

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

Resources & Links

• MarginKeepers: https://3piesquared.com/business-affiliate/MarginKeepers

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

• 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

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.

📞 Have a Question for Stephen & April?

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

🔗 Resources & Links

Office Puzzle Affiliate Link

https://3piesquared.com/business-affiliate/office-puzzle

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

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