MEET DENISE
I study behavior. I also live it.
The science behind my work.
My work has grown across behavior analysis, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), health, fitness, and behavior change — because people don’t live in neat little categories.
Education + Credentials
M.Ed. — Master of Education
BCBA — Board Certified Behavior Analyst
ACT — Formal training + ongoing mentorship
NASM-CPT — Certified Personal Trainer
PN1-SSR — Precision Nutrition Coach
BACB ACE Provider — CE for BCBAs
Experience
10+ years in behavior analysis.
RBT → Supervisor → BCBA → Clinical Director → Founder
My experience spans children, adults, parents, caregivers, clinicians, schools, and organizations across direct care, leadership, consultation, mentorship, health, and private practice.
And I’m still learning. Continuing education, mentorship, curiosity, and staying close to the actual work are part of how I practice.
I also host the Define with Denise podcast, where I talk through behavior science, ACT, and real life. Listen here.
YOU GET TO DEFINE WHAT MEANINGFUL CHANGE LOOKS LIKE.
My job is to help you understand your behavior, build useful skills, and move toward what matters to you.
Behavior science for real life.
HOW I GOT HERE
My career hasn’t been one straight line. Every version of it taught me something about behavior, health, helping people — and myself.
FROM RBT → BCBA
I started close to the behavior.
I began as an RBT making $18/hour, eventually becoming a supervisor, BCBA, and Clinical Director. I learned the science, led teams, supported families, and saw firsthand how much meaningful change depends on what happens outside the treatment plan.
FROM BURNOUT → BACK TO PEOPLE
Success changed.
By 2020, I had the title and career I had worked toward — and I was burned out. Leaving leadership and returning to direct client work changed the way I thought about health, capacity, and what sustainable helping actually looks like.
FROM CLINIC → REAL LIFE
Behavior happens everywhere.
My work expanded beyond traditional ABA into ACT, health and wellness, parent support, schools, professional mentorship, and private-pay services — because behavior science is useful anywhere humans are trying to do something differently.
THEN → DEFINE
I built the practice I wanted to exist.
DEFINE brings those pieces together: behavior analysis, ACT, health, and real-life practice. A place where kids, adults, parents, and professionals can understand their behavior and build skills around what matters to them. The name comes from my grandmother, Nghĩa. Her name means meaning and purpose.
Science and warmth can exist in the same room.
Good support should leave you understanding yourself better and needing me less over time.
My work is grounded in behavior science and ACT, but it’s also practical, collaborative, curious, and human. We pay attention to what the data tells us and what your actual life requires.
When I’m not working...
I’m Denise — or Mimi or D to the people closest to me.
Outside of DEFINE, I’m usually spending time with my partner and the people I love, lifting something heavy, training for my next race, reading, creating, traveling, filming way too many little moments, or finding something to laugh about.
I love health and pushing myself, but I also love good food, rest, adventure, connection, and building a life that feels full outside of achievement.
I’m curious by nature, competitive with myself, sentimental about the people I love, and a big believer that you can take your growth seriously without taking yourself too seriously.
The work matters. So does the life happening around it.
Behavior makes sense.
Instead of starting with judgment, we get curious about what a behavior is doing, what surrounds it, and why it keeps showing up.
Values give us direction.
We define what matters to you first, then build the behaviors that move you toward it.
Practice matters.
Insight is useful. Practicing a different behavior when the moment actually shows up is where change gets built.
Your life is part of the plan.
Health, environment, stress, relationships, capacity, and context matter. The plan has to work outside the session too.
The goal is for you to build the skills to define and navigate your own plan.