Behaviour Science in Sports: How N'Kayah Kersey Is Transforming Athlete Development, Leadership, and Team Culture

What happens when a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst brings behavioural science into competitive athletics?
In this episode, Ben Reiman welcomes N'Kayah Kersey, BCBA, former Division I basketball player, athlete wellness consultant, and founder of Practiced.
N'Kayah shares her journey from mentoring at-risk youth at Boys Town to building an innovative consulting practice that helps athletes, coaches, parents, and organizations improve performance through behavioral systems.
The discussion explores athlete confidence, leadership development, team culture, video modeling, coach education, parent behaviour, organizational systems, and the growing role of behaviour science in sports.
Along the way, N'Kayah explains her Practice Method framework, the Athlete Wellness Ecosystem, and her collaboration with WNBA star Brittany Sykes on the Return to the Brick Athlete Wellness Experience.
Whether you're a behaviour analyst, coach, parent, educator, or athlete, this episode demonstrates how behavioural principles can create meaningful and measurable change far beyond traditional ABA settings.
 

What You'll Learn

How N'Kayah discovered behaviour analysis through Boys Town
Why leadership should be explicitly taught
How confidence can be operationally defined and strengthened
The role social skills play in athletic performance
Using video modelling to improve confidence and leadership
Why culture is built through reinforcement rather than slogans
How parent behaviour influences athlete development
The Practice Method framework
The Athlete Wellness Ecosystem
Opportunities for behaviour analysts outside traditional practice settings

Watch on Youtube:  https://youtu.be/DxWgJMIClds

Contact N'Kayah:

https://www.instagram.com/yayakersey/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nkayahkersey/

https://www.instagram.com/wearepracticed/

https://www.wearepracticed.com/

Links:

Transforming Basketball

https://transformingbball.com/about-us

Boys Town

https://www.boystown.org/