Reciprocal Relationships
with Dr. Danielle Jeudy
Behavior Bites Podcast - Ep60April 9, 2025What’s your favorite thing about what you do?
Do you ever think about how we come from so many different paths, but we all have pretty similar values?
During today’s meal— I speak with a behavior analyst about exploring opportunities, networking with others in and outside of the field, drawing clear boundaries between work and personal life, and gearing up for our spring gardens!
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Amuse-Bouche
What spring activities do you do with your family?
Appetizer
How did you get into Behavior Analysis?
How did you get into adult services?
Something you wish you could have told yourself when getting started?
Palate Cleanser
New Jersey is called the Garden State because of their produce. Would you agree with that?
Entree
What did your decision process look like when deciding to pursue a PhD?
What’s something people are surprised to find out about you?
Dessert
How do you practice self-care and balance life/work?
Favorite thing about what you do?
Excerpts from the Episode
(*Paraphrased highlights)-
I probably would have told myself to explore opportunities and not take the backseat. In the last couple of years, I’ve been putting myself out there more; putting myself into places where I can make connections and build relationships beyond just networking, but being able to have this reciprocal relationship with people— which was never how I used to do things at all.
I would be at a conference and just exchange pleasantries, “Hello, how you doing?“, but anything outside of that, I wasn't exploring. “Hey, what do you do, or what projects are you working on?” I think if I would have been a little more open to push myself outside of my traditional box, I could have probably explored different things, but also have more opportunities to just see things from a different perspective.
Now I'm doing things a little differently. I get to see a lot of different things and meet different people, which I really enjoy. Before, I was content with just being, and now I'm not. I would tell my younger self to put yourself out there and don't be afraid of how people are going to perceive you.
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I draw a hard line for work. When my work day is over, I try not to do any work outside of that. I do have my own consulting business so I will work on those things and some smaller projects on my own time, but that's when I decide to do them.
I prioritize my children during the middle of the day. To be in school all day, then come home to eat dinner and go straight to bed is pretty boring, so I try to make sure we have something to do that's entertaining when they get home from school. My husband gets home pretty late so our family time is on the weekends.
After the kids go to bed is when I do things that I like to do in regards to watching TV, or working on a project, or whatever it is I'm working on at the moment. I'm not a great sleeper, which is not a great thing to be, but it is the time that I get the most work done outside of my traditional nine to five job.
If I'm really having a hard time with sleep, I practice sleep meditation. It allows me to clear my mind and focus on the day; focus on what happened throughout the day, focus on what I have to do for the next day— so when I actually go to sleep I'm not going to sleep with these things on my brain.
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I think my favorite thing about what I do is being able to talk to different people and being able to get perspectives from different walks of life, but also from people who have a different mindset than me.
I've had the opportunity to meet people from all over the place and hear their stories. Even the individuals that I work with, just hearing their path to how they got to our agency or sometimes you talk to their parents and you hear about the struggles that they had early on and then you see who they are currently. To be able to see the growth in people is important for me, but also just making those connections.
In my professional life, obviously I get to meet with different practitioners and individuals who do a lot of different things in regards to behavior analysis or education, social work. It's fun to see how they intersect because we all end up in the same place talking about the same thing, but we all come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives on things— so that's cool.
ABOUT Danielle
Danielle S. Jeudy, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA
Dr. Danielle S. Jeudy has extensive experience supporting individuals and families across diverse settings, including residential treatment, in-home ABA therapy, public schools, and adult services. Known for building strong, trusting relationships with individuals, families, and stakeholders, Danielle has become a respected presence in behavioral health.
With a PhD in Behavior Analysis and certifications in behavior management techniques and American Sign Language, Danielle's research and clinical practice focus on enhancing adult services and addressing social justice issues within the field, specifically colorism.
As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D), she specializes in consulting, assessments, professional development, and presenting at professional conferences. Danielle actively works toward advancing equity and inclusion through her roles on the Association of Contextual Behavior Science (ACBS) DEI committee and as a Peer Reviewer for the Journal of Colorism Studies. In her free time, she enjoys connecting with family and friends.
CONNECT with Danielle
Instagram: @BehaviorDJ
LinkedIn: Danielle S. Jeudy, PhD, BCBA-D, LBAThe Colorism Project, Inc: Conference 8/21 & 8/22Please support our podcast by leaving a rating or review!
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