Tim Talks: Behavioral Health
Tim Talks: Behavioral Health is a fast-paced podcast featuring candid, 10-minute conversations with leaders across the behavioral health field.
Hosted by Timothy Zercher, CEO of A-Train Marketing, each episode dives into what’s actually working in marketing, practice growth, and leadership — with a sharp focus on ethics, sustainability, and smart strategy.
Designed for behavioral health providers, practice owners, and executive leaders, Tim Talks delivers real insight from real operators shaping the future of care.
Short talks. Big insights. Smarter growth.
New episodes weekly.
Tim Talks: Behavioral Health
Margaret Fitch – Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Boys & Girls Village
In this episode of Tim Talks, Tim Zercher sits down with Margaret Fitch, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst at Boys & Girls Village, to explore the transformative power of applied behavior analysis (ABA) in supporting children with autism and other special needs. Margaret shares her journey into the field, practical strategies for building trust and rapport with learners, and how small, empathetic interventions can create big breakthroughs for students. From early exposure to autism in her youth to her impactful work today, Margaret provides a window into the heart of ABA and what it truly means to support children in therapeutic and educational settings.
Tune in to hear actionable insights on fostering connection, debunking behavior myths, and helping students thrive in environments that might initially feel overwhelming.
00:00 – 00:08
Tim Zercher: All right, well, Maggie, thank you so much for hopping on. Thank you for joining us and taking time out your busy schedule. I'm super excited to talk with you today.
00:08 – 00:10
Maggie Fitch: Thank you so much for having me, Tim.
00:10 – 00:19
Tim Zercher: Absolutely, absolutely. So I always like to start off with, if you wouldn't mind, tell us a little bit about how you got into this space. I find almost everyone has an interesting story.
00:19 – 00:55
Maggie Fitch: I had a very interesting experience when I was younger… [shares early exposure to autism and volunteering at a special needs school].
00:55 – 01:00
Tim Zercher: That's awesome. And then that just kind of kept naturally growing and growing until you found a full career. That's really cool. And if you can point to kind of a single moment, what is one that has kind of reminded you how important the work you do is?
01:00 – 02:02
Maggie Fitch: [Shares story of a student who progressed from avoiding class to engaging successfully in school].
02:02 – 02:09
Tim Zercher: Absolutely, absolutely. And I bet his quality of life is significantly better now that he can actually engage better. Yeah, that's awesome. You've seen a BA applied in a lot of different environments… What is one practice that seems to stay pretty effective almost no matter what the setting?
02:09 – 03:00
Maggie Fitch: [Emphasizes building rapport with clients, developing trust, and creating meaningful relationships].
03:00 – 03:12
Tim Zercher: Absolutely, absolutely. Therapeutic day schools can feel really overwhelming for a lot of new students. What is one thing that you do kind of early on to help them feel safe and understood and secure?
03:12 – 04:03
Maggie Fitch: [Talks about predictability, safety, coping strategies, and helping students feel secure in the environment].
04:03 – 05:00
Tim Zercher: Absolutely. If you don't mind, what's one kind of coaching move that you use that helps you more quickly establish a connection with some of those tough-to-reach learners?
04:14 – 05:00
Maggie Fitch: [Discusses dropping agendas, following the learner, building trust, and addressing challenges outside school like housing instability].
05:00 – 05:21
Tim Zercher: Absolutely, take time to kind of let the connection grow and then you can actually help and establish an agenda that's effective. In your experience, what's one behavior myth or misunderstanding that you wish more educators and families would retire, and what happens when they finally do?
05:21 – 06:14
Maggie Fitch: [Clarifies the misconception that students are defiant on purpose, and emphasizes empathy and skill-building].
06:14 – 06:23
Tim Zercher: Makes complete sense. I think it always comes down to empathy, and understanding where they actually are and how far away that is from your experience sometimes. Yeah, well thank you so much for joining us, Maggie. Thank you for sharing your insights and thank you for the work that you're doing in some of these kids' lives.
06:23 – 06:34
Maggie Fitch: Yes. Thank you so much and thank you for having me.
06:34
Tim Zercher: Absolutely.
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