Dave Jereb didn’t set out to write a bestselling book.
He was running three thriving pediatric occupational therapy clinics in Australia with his wife, Kathy. Together, they’d built MoveAbout Therapy Services — a place that helps hundreds of kids every year. But somewhere along the way, Dave noticed something…
The knowledge he and his team were using to help children wasn’t common knowledge.
Even seasoned therapists were having lightbulb moments in training sessions.
“This is so fundamental… but no one’s ever explained it like this,” they’d say.
So Dave decided to write Challenging the Story — not as a dense textbook, but as a short, relatable story people could finish in about an hour. Think The One Minute Manager for parents, teachers, and therapists working with kids who have challenging behaviors.
The Big Shift: From “Fixing” to “Connecting”
For years, many approaches to child behavior sat at two extremes:
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Strict compliance mode — rules, discipline, and “my way or the highway.”
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Total leniency — letting the child call all the shots, no matter what.
Dave saw the need for a middle path: connection.
Not fluffy, feel-good connection, but connection as a brain-based strategy. When a child feels safe, calm, and connected, their brain is primed for learning, cooperation, and growth.
Instead of just reacting to what a child does, Dave’s framework digs into why it’s happening , factoring in individual differences, environment, relationships, and development.
How a Book Became a Magnet
The original goal wasn’t to sell thousands of copies. It was to give people a shared language.
Whether Dave was talking to a potential hire, a new client, or a fellow professional, handing them the book became a shortcut:
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If they resonated with it, they were likely a good fit for his team or clinic.
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If they didn’t, it saved everyone time.
And it worked.
MoveAbout stopped running job ads entirely, yet hired 15 therapists in 15 months, all from people who sought them out.
The Moment That Made It Worth It
One parent told Dave his book had “changed our life.”
It didn’t “fix” the kids.
It changed how the parents understood their children.
Stressful moments became less frustrating. Mealtimes, school drop-offs, and bedtime routines got smoother because the parents shifted from controlling behavior to connecting with the person behind it.
Scaling Connection
Dave believes the biggest myth in business is the phrase: “It’s just business.”
Whether you’re helping a child self-regulate or leading a team of 35 therapists, it’s always about relationships. And if you can get the “connection first” part right, the rest follows.
For Dave, that means running his clinics, mentoring other OTs through the OT Sanctuary community, and teaching his Challenging the Story of Behavior course to help others put connection into practice.
You don’t have to “fix” kids to help them thrive.
Change the story you tell about their behavior, and you just might change the outcome — for them and for you.
Watch the full episode here.
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