Meet the Founder, Ana
Guided by God’s grace and years of experience, this journey has been rooted in purpose, compassion, and a deep commitment to serving others.
Beyond the Workplace
Outside of her work in ABA, Adriana enjoys interior design, camping, spending time in nature, traveling, reading, and exploring creative outlets such as drawing, painting, pottery, and DIY projects. She also loves home improvement, attending music festivals and concerts, making memories with friends and family, and seeking out new and meaningful experiences. Adriana values creativity, connection, adventure, and lifelong growth — all of which continue to shape both her personal life and the vision behind The Mustard Seed Behavioral Health.
Faith & Purpose
Faith has played a significant role in Adriana’s journey and ultimately gave her the courage to take the leap into entrepreneurship. Through God’s guidance and years of experience working with children and families, she discovered a deep sense of purpose in advocating for and giving a voice to an incredibly vulnerable population. The Mustard Seed Behavioral Health was founded from a desire to create meaningful change through compassion, dignity, ethical care, and genuine human connection — with the hope of impacting not only individual families, but the community as a whole.
Meet the Founder
Founded by Adriana Wheeler, The Mustard Seed Behavioral Health was built from years of hands-on experience, personal passion, faith, and a deep desire to serve children and families in a meaningful way.
Originally from south Louisiana, Adriana moved to Clay County in 2011 before later relocating to Jacksonville after getting married in 2023. She is a proud wife and mother to four beautiful boys, and family remains at the center of everything she does.
Long before entering the field professionally, Adriana felt drawn toward individuals with disabilities from a very young age. Even as a child around the age of four, she found herself naturally connecting with and caring deeply for individuals with special needs. That passion only continued to grow over time and eventually led her into the world of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).
Her journey in the field began unexpectedly after becoming a substitute paraprofessional. During that time, she connected with a classroom at Lakeside Junior High that served nonverbal students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. When a long-term paraprofessional position became available within the classroom, Adriana accepted the role and quickly discovered a passion for supporting children with diverse needs.
It was there that she was first introduced to the role of a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) by the classroom’s lead teacher. Inspired by the impact ABA could have on children and families, Adriana pursued her RBT credential and officially entered the field in 2019. Over the next five years, she worked across home, school, and community settings, gaining valuable experience while developing a compassionate, relationship-centered approach to care.
Throughout her career, Adriana has had the opportunity to learn from a variety of companies, supervisors, clients, and families. These experiences helped shape her understanding of what systems work well, where improvements can be made, and what truly helps both clients and employees thrive. Through those experiences, she developed a vision for The Mustard Seed Behavioral Health LLC — a company rooted not only in quality care for children and families, but also in creating a supportive, encouraging environment for the professionals who serve them.
As her passion for the field continued to grow, Adriana chose to pursue higher education and advanced training in behavior analysis. In addition to working toward becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), she is also pursuing a certificate in Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) and completing additional requirements for behavior analyst certification in other states with the hope of expanding her reach and impact over time.
Through hard work, perseverance, faith, and God’s guidance, The Mustard Seed Behavioral Health LLC was founded with the hope of making a lasting impact within the community and helping children and families feel genuinely seen, supported, and empowered.
This is only the beginning.