Clinical psychologist, ultra runner, and gravel cyclist... Dr. Rue joins Skinner's Locker Room to explain Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in plain terms, walking through the six core processes (acceptance, cognitive defusion, present moment awareness, self-as-context, values, and committed action) with vivid metaphors like the "poison parrot" and the sky-as-self.

Dr.Rue connects ACT to real-world performance — ultra running, veteran care, forensic work, and daily life — and offers practical tips (anchoring, naming unhelpful thoughts, clarifying values) and resources for listeners interested in applying ACT to their daily life or sports performance.

In this episode, Coach Kirk Kirby, managing director and co-founder of Team ABA, discusses how applied behavior analysis and precision teaching are used to improve athletic performance. Coach Kirby explains the team’s individualized, data-driven approach, examples like free-throw improvements, and how private events factor into high-pressure performance.

Coach Kirby also covers Team ABA’s collaborative model, practical tools for coaches, and steps for bringing behavioral science into mainstream sports programs to measure, train, and sustain elite performance.

In this episode of Skinner's Locker Room, hosts Amy and Jimmy interview Andrew Houvouras and discuss everything from Andrew's new book The Lives of the Silent, and institutionalization to the effectiveness of ABA-based interventions in endurance and elite sports. They explore the benefits of adopting a scientist-practioner model in behavior analysis and coaching, the strengths of being a good listener, and how behavior science applies to elite sports performance.

The conversation blends personal stories, critiques of current trends, and practical ideas — from community-based practice to pre-performance routines and coaching — offering a thoughtful, candid overview of how behavior analysis can improve real lives.