The Stepping In It Podcast with Renee Schulte & Jason Haglund
The Stepping In It Podcast is a weekly discussion of the latest news and trends in behavioral health policy development and practice. Each episode features interviews with experts from across the field, including policymakers, clinicians, researchers, and advocates. The podcast provides listeners with practical tips and resources for improving the quality and access to behavioral health care.
The Stepping In It Podcast with Renee Schulte & Jason Haglund
124. Live from Houston: Rethinking Behavioral Health Through Data, Economics, and Real-World Impact
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In this episode, recorded live from Houston at the Bridge Think Tank, Renee and Jason dive into the complex intersection of economics, human behavior, and the real-world challenges facing behavioral health systems across the country. From the limits of academia and evidence-based models to the nationwide implications of data gaps across parole boards and community reintegration, this conversation explores what truly matters when building policies that work. Together, they unpack how behavioral health shows up everywhere, why narrow niche solutions often miss the mark, and what it will take to design policy and practice that supports communities nationwide.
In this episode, you will be able to:
- Why traditional academic research often misses the lived realities driving human behavior
- How economics and societal cost shape conversations around evidence-based care
- Why “data-driven” sounds good—but is incredibly hard to establish in behavioral health
- How behavioral health intersects with systems across the country, including 400+ parole boards
- The challenges of managing release, reentry, and community impact
What new policy and practice could look like as behavioral health evolves nationwide
The key moments in this episode are:
00:00:07 – Introduction & Live From Houston Setup
00:02:14 – Academia, Economics & The Cost of Understanding Human Behavior
00:07:42 – Evidence-Based Models & What Actually Matters
00:11:25 – The Data Problem: Behavioral Health Touches Every System
00:14:38 – Parole Boards, Reentry, and Real-World Impact
00:18:03 – Narrow Niches vs. Holistic Community Needs
00:21:16 – Where Do We Go From Here? Policy & Practice Innovations
00:25:10 – Closing Thoughts & What’s Next
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Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4sNh0gB5Nbc