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About

I’m Toni Cavey. Behavior science, in plain English.

I built Rooted Pathways for the people who fell through the cracks of traditional coaching and traditional therapy — and especially for neurodivergent adults and the families that love them.

Toni Cavey, founder of Rooted Pathways Behavioral Wellness
  • M.S.
    Master of Science in Applied Behavior AnalysisGraduate-level training in behavior science
  • PhD
    PhD in progress — Developmental PsychologyDoctoral studies in how humans grow, learn, and change
  • 12+
    12+ years in child developmentDirect experience supporting children, families, and caregivers
  • ABA
    ABA-informed coaching practiceBehavior science applied as coaching, not clinical ABA
  • ND
    Neurodiversity-affirming approachCoaching with you, not at you
  • IKI
    Certified Ikigai Life CoachCPD-certified · ICAHP, IPHM, CPD, CMA, NCCAP accredited

My story, briefly

My background is in clinical ABA — the world of behavior intervention plans, fieldwork hours, and parent training. I love the science. I’ve spent over 12 years applying it to children, families, and the systems that surround them, and I’m currently continuing that work as a PhD student in Developmental Psychology.

What I kept noticing was something the clinical setting wasn’t built for: the parents leaving sessions wishing they had this language for themselves. The neurodivergent adults whose own routines had quietly fallen apart while they were busy supporting everyone else. The late-diagnosed clients realizing for the first time that the problem was never effort — it was a system designed for a brain they don’t have.

Rooted Pathways is the practice I built for those people. It is coaching, not therapy. Education, not treatment. Behavior science translated into language a tired human at 9pm on a Tuesday can actually use.

Why I’m a coach and not a clinician here

I hold a Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis. I am not a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and the services I offer here are not clinical ABA. There’s an important reason for that distinction: clinical ABA exists for a specific population and is delivered inside a specific regulated framework with insurance, diagnostic codes, and supervision structures. That framework is right for who it’s built for — and it’s the wrong tool for an adult who wants help building a morning routine.

Coaching gives us room to do the actual work without dragging it through a clinical system. You’re not a patient here. You’re a person with a goal.

What I believe about behavior change

  • Behavior is data, not character. When something isn’t working, we don’t look for what’s wrong with you. We look at the conditions.
  • Smaller is more sustainable than bigger. A two-minute version of a habit beats a perfect 30-minute version that never happens.
  • Environment beats willpower. Always. Forever.
  • Neurodivergent isn’t broken. It’s a different operating system — and it deserves a coach who has read the manual.

Ikigai life coaching

Alongside the behavior-science work, I’m a Certified Ikigai Life Coach. The certification is issued by the CPD Certification Service and accredited by ICAHP, IPHM, CPD, CMA, and NCCAP. Ikigai is a Japanese framework for finding the overlap between what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. Learn more about Ikigai sessions →

How to work with me

The easiest first step is the free Routine Audit. If something in it lights up — or you already know what you’re stuck on — book a single session or join the Coaching Membership. I read every message that comes in personally.