The story of Goldean Lowe and ABA Classroom does not begin in a sterile clinic or a university lecture hall. It begins in the brilliant Hawaiian sun, beside the chlorinated blue of the Lahaina public pool and in the open green of local parks. It was here, in 2016, on the West Side of Maui, that Goldean first began her work with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She was a newly arrived Board Certified Behavior Analyst in a community with a desperate, unmet need. ABA therapy had only recently become funded by health insurance, and for many families, it was a distant, abstract concept. They had no clinic, no resources, and no clear path to the kind of support their children needed to thrive. So Goldean met them where they were, transforming public spaces into makeshift classrooms, her practice defined by equal parts scientific rigor and heartfelt creativity.
When she finally found a small, 700-square-foot classroom, it felt like a sanctuary. This space, now tragically lost to the Lahaina fires, became the official home of ABA Classroom, a name that belied the revolutionary scope of what would happen within and far beyond its walls. For Goldean, a classroom was never just about four walls. It was a launchpad. It was a place to build the foundational skills of communication and behavior, but the real test, the real therapy, happened outside: in the Pacific waves on a surfboard, in the rhythm of a Hula dance, in the responsibility of caring for animals on a farm, in the discipline of an Aikido dojo.
She is a leader who wakes at 4:30 a.m. for mantra meditation before beginning an intense 14-hour workday. She is a trauma-informed therapist who understands that a parent’s stress can mirror that of a combat soldier, and a scientist-practitioner who has seen children, through comprehensive treatment, lose their autism diagnosis entirely. Her journey has been one of profound challenges, from a global pandemic and devastating fires to internal crises that tested her resolve. Through it all, she has taken the road, “less travelled,” building a practice and a culture that dares to ask, “Why set the bar low when inclusion is possible?”
The Winding Path to a Calling
Goldean’s path to becoming a leader in ABA therapy was a winding intellectual and personal journey. Her early university studies from 1994 to 2000 explored Philosophy and Environmental Studies, hinting at a mind drawn to complex systems and deeper questions of human existence. This broad foundation eventually focused on a passion for helping young people, leading her to a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care from the University of Victoria in 2006, where internships in schools and youth empowerment organizations solidified her commitment.
Her academic journey continued with a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from City University of Seattle in 2009, where she specialized in Trauma-Informed Care. She pursued further training in highly specific and compassionate modalities, including Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Response-Based approaches. These frameworks emphasize a client-directed process, engaging families and using Motivational Interviewing to support individuals through their own stages of change. In 2013, she completed her formal training in Behavior Analysis at the University of British Columbia, fusing her deep background in psychology and trauma with the pragmatic, evidence-based lens of ABA.
This rich, layered education, which also includes competencies in addressing bereavement, grief, anxiety, and depression in children, informs every aspect of her work today. She is not just a behavior analyst; she is a clinician who understands the intricate emotional worlds of the children and families she serves.
A Classroom without Walls
What truly sets ABA Classroom apart is its unshakable commitment to pushing the boundaries of what ABA therapy can be. While firmly grounded in the science of precision teaching and a Verbal Behavior Curriculum developed over 30 years by pioneers in the field, Goldean’s vision extends far beyond the clinic.
“Children don’t just practice skills in isolated settings,” she explains, “they gain fluency through real-world experiences.” The list of activities her learners participate in is a vibrant testament to this philosophy. They learn Hula and ukulele, participate in theatre, and play volleyball, basketball, and martial arts. They learn to bike, skateboard, swim, and even work out at The Block, a local gym. The natural classroom of Maui is central to their growth, with ocean-based activities like surfing, stand-up paddle boarding, snorkeling, and boogie boarding building both courage and physical skills.
The program also tackles practical life challenges head-on. Picky eating is addressed through healthy food exploration. Prevocational skills are developed through hands-on internships and farm work. The goal is holistic: to build confident communication, competent work habits, and a well-rounded life filled with leisure and recreation. “By setting high expectations and fostering independence,” Goldean says, “we equip our learners to step into adulthood with the skills they need to live happy, healthy, and self-reliant lives.”
The results of this comprehensive approach have been profound. In a field where progress is often measured in small, incremental steps, Goldean has witnessed life-altering transformations. “Three of my clients have even lost their autism diagnosis after comprehensive, consistent treatment,” she shares. This remarkable outcome is a powerful affirmation of her belief that by applying science in collaborative and creative ways, children can be launched into lives of independence and joy.
The Family at the Heart of the Plan
At ABA Classroom, parents are not observers; they are essential partners in their child’s journey. Goldean operates with a deep empathy for the immense stress families face, citing studies that show parents of children with autism often experience cortisol levels comparable to those of combat soldiers. This understanding shapes her entire approach to family training.
“We approach families with the highest respect and empathy, always adjusting the pace of change to match their readiness,” she says. The first priority is to stabilize the home environment by reducing stress. This means addressing foundational challenges first: medical concerns, poor nutrition, sleep disruption, and difficult behaviors. Only when a family feels more stable in these areas can they effectively engage with more intensive teaching routines like toilet training, communication development, or academic readiness.
The process is highly individualized. Using the “Stages of Change” model, Goldean and her team first assess a family’s readiness, meeting them wherever they are on the spectrum from precontemplation to action. This allows them to co-design therapy plans that feel realistic and sustainable. Early wins are crucial. “When families see immediate, positive changes,” she notes, “they gain confidence in the process and become more invested in long-term implementation.”
Every plan is anchored in SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound), bringing clarity and accountability to the process. But beyond the strategies and goals, the ultimate aim is to strengthen the parent-child relationship, creating opportunities for joy and connection that may have been lost amidst the stress of managing challenging behaviors. Families are coached to maintain consistency, with the gentle encouragement that they can always “get back on the train” after a setback. It is this patient, empathetic, and collaborative approach that empowers families to become the confident architects of their own success.
An Ecosystem of Community Support
Goldean believes that for a child to truly thrive, the entire community must be part of their support system. ABA Classroom has intentionally built a robust network of collaborations that create a holistic ecosystem of care, ensuring that learning and growth happen in every environment.
A long-standing relationship with the ABA Pediatric team at Kaiser Permanente ensures that medical, developmental, and behavioral care plans are seamlessly aligned. Local community partners provide invaluable real-world learning arenas. At Maui Animal Farm, learners practise responsibility by caring for animals. At Lahaina Rec Center and with Kindermusik, they build social skills through recreation and music. Partnerships with Lahaina Aikido and The Block gym introduce structured fitness and self-discipline. Kahakukahi Ocean Adventures opens up the world of water sports, while a collaboration with Brew Hut – Soil Regeneration provides older learners with vital prevocational internship experience.
Regular communication with school teams ensures consistency in strategies and reinforcement systems, helping children transition smoothly between settings. Together, these partnerships create a web of support that envelops each child and family, reinforcing progress and fostering inclusion in every dimension of their lives.
A Culture of Dignity and Kindness
Beyond these partnerships, Goldean has spearheaded community campaigns aimed at shifting the very culture in which her learners live. The “No More Silence. No More Bullying.” initiative is a powerful example, born from the understanding that many of the children she serves struggle deeply with social belonging and forming friendships. When bullying is present, those challenges grow exponentially. The campaign is more than an awareness effort; it is a call for a collective culture of dignity, kindness, and accountability.
It encourages children and adults alike to ask probing questions about their own behavior:
- Why do people bully?
- Why do we sometimes treat insulting others as a form of entertainment?
- Are we teaching respect and honesty, or are we reinforcing gossip and exclusion?
These questions are designed to invite personal responsibility for the impact of one’s actions.
At the heart of the campaign is a simple, profound truth: All we are is our word. When we align ourselves with unkindness, we lose authenticity. Silence in the face of bullying is a form of reinforcement, allowing harm to continue unchecked. The antidote, she teaches, is to act with courage by choosing compassion and surrounding ourselves with people who lift others up. This philosophy is directly linked to her work as a behavior analyst, which involves observing behavior and asking a critical question:
Is this who I want to be known as? By showing up as people who create dignity and appreciation for others, she believes we can replace cycles of bullying with true respect and belonging, fostering a community where every child feels valued and empowered.
Forged in Fire
The journey of ABA Classroom has been marked by a series of profound challenges that would have broken a less resilient leader. Founding a clinic in 2021, at the height of the COVID pandemic, was the first hurdle. Just two years later, the clinic was evicted with only one month’s notice after their building was condemned. Though they were able to purchase a permanent commercial site, providing much-needed stability, disaster struck again just three months after they settled in. The Lahaina Fires of 2023 threatened to destroy everything. “Walking away from the clinic, I thought it would all be lost,” Goldean recalls, “but miraculously it was spared.”
However, the most difficult challenges were not external crises, but internal ones. A group of staff members created a toxic environment that undermined the clinic’s mission and culture. Addressing this required Goldean to make incredibly difficult decisions, including terminating employees and investing significant resources in legal counsel to resolve false accusations.
“Through this process, I learned the importance of setting clear expectations, upholding a strong Code of Conduct, and addressing issues of negativity or competitiveness immediately and directly,” she says. These experiences were painful turning points, but they ultimately strengthened her resolve to build a team culture rooted in respect, cooperation, and shared purpose. Today, she is surrounded by a team she deeply appreciates, knowing firsthand that a positive, supportive culture is vital to the mission.
The Road Less Travelled
Goldean’s life outside the clinic is as intentional and disciplined as her professional practice. Her 80-hour workweeks are balanced by daily meditation and yoga, bodywork, and time spent with family, friends, and her Portuguese Water Dog, Rishi. She co-hosts meditation and women’s support groups, nurturing community and shared resilience. Each year, she takes a month-long trip to India, working remotely while immersing herself in practices that refresh her vision and consciousness.
When asked to share a piece of wisdom, Goldean offers a long, poignant quote about the courage it takes to challenge accepted truths and take the road less travelled. It speaks of how untruths, repeated long enough, can become culture and tradition, and how it takes rare individuals to question what everyone else passively accepts.
“If someone tells a lie loud enough and long enough, others begin to accept it as truth. When enough people are convinced by that ‘truth’ it becomes a culture. If that culture is somehow transmitted to the next generation, it becomes a tradition. Such traditions, and the worldviews and behaviors they espouse, become etched into society, followed by millions, usually without question. Our weapons of mass instruction—educational systems, media powerhouses and community structures—reinforce these traditions, causing untruth to perpetuate over decades and centuries. Blind leading the blind, all completely oblivious to the illusion. Amidst the mass of people are some unique individuals who begin to challenge what everyone else passively accepts. It takes courage to question, intelligence to search, and determination to change. Beware… going against the grain is risky business! It’s much easier to go with the flow and tread the path of least resistance. The world has its preconceived notions—what’s acceptable and what’s not—and most people seamlessly fit right in. Yet some just can’t. The excitement, intrigue and hunger to find out what lies beyond the ‘safe’ path in life drives them to embark on the road less travelled.”
“This resonates deeply with me,” she says, “because in both life and in my work, I’ve had to take the road less travelled, sometimes at great risk.” Building ABA Classroom through fires, relocations, and internal turmoil has been a testament to that courage. It would have been easier to accept the status quo, to offer a more conventional, limited form of therapy. Instead, she chose to stand firmly for honesty, kindness, and a model of science-based care that is as creative and boundless as the children it serves.
Her message is an encouragement to others to find that same courage. “Don’t be afraid to question what everyone else accepts,” she urges. “Change takes courage and persistence, but when we live with integrity and compassion, we become the leaders we’ve been waiting for.” In the lush, resilient landscape of Maui, Goldean Lowe has done just that, becoming a leader who is not just changing lives, but is quietly, profoundly, changing the very definition of what is possible.
Quotes
“Don’t be afraid to question what everyone else accepts. Don’t be afraid to take responsibility for yourself and your community.”
“Change takes courage and persistence, but when we live with integrity and compassion, we become the leaders we’ve been waiting for.”
