On the 130th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I’m delighted to welcome our guest, Ella Fryer-Smith. Ella is the founder of Do You Research, an agency established with the intention of drawing on over 15 years of research experience, collaborating with the amazing researchers she has met along the way, and maintaining a clear focus on inclusion to deliver exceptional research, consultancy, and training. Specialising in qualitative research methods, particularly film ethnography, her work has taken her around the world—observing people’s everyday lives and exploring everything from toilet roll and white goods to how people manage their money. She has also helped policymakers navigate the future of health services and travel. Ella is the Vice Chair of the Association of Qualitative Researchers (AQR) board and sits on the Market Research Society (MRS) Social Inclusion Group.

In this engaging conversation, Ella shares her journey of embracing uncertainty and the paradox of confidence in admitting what we don't know. We explore the importance of presence in parenting, the significance of her parents as role models, freedom within constraints, and the need for research to reflect the voices of the unheard.

For me, this discussion really emphasises the significance of lived experience in understanding—and truly seeing—each other.

For more of Ella's work, check out the following:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ella-fryer-smith-91281723/
Website: https://www.doyou-research.com/

Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, take part in my 5-week What is a Good Life? group courses, discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams, or you simply want to get in touch.

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00:00 Letting go of saying I know

05:15 Arriving into confidence

09:55 Embracing of the unknown

12:15 Constraints within freedom and creativity 

16:00 Prioritising presence with children

21:30 The importance of parental role models

28:10 We may have more flexibility than we think

32:00 We are inundated with messaging

35:00 Research for social issues

39:30 The significance of meeting people

42:00 Making sense of people’s lives

44:30 Engaging with unheard voices

52:30 Foregrounding lived experience more

1:00:50 What is a good life for Ella?