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Commissioned Research
& Insight
Helping organisations understand people, communities and emerging conditions more deeply before making important decisions.
I design and deliver commissioned qualitative research for organisations that need to understand lived experience, changing needs, stakeholder perspectives or emerging patterns more clearly.
My work combines careful enquiry, deep listening, thematic analysis and strategic interpretation turning qualitative evidence into insight that can inform strategy, programmes, policy and organisational decisions.
When Research is Useful.
Evidence
You need qualitative evidence to inform strategy, funding or policy
Listening
You want to hear directly from communities, members, staff or stakeholders
Perspectives
You need to surface perspectives that are not visible in existing data
Signals
You want to understand why something is or is not working
Relationship
You need to understand what people actually need or experience
Design
You are designing a new programme, service or initiative
Project Formats
Research Snapshot
A focused piece of qualitative research around a specific question.
Typically includes:
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6–10 interviews
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thematic analysis
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concise findings report
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strategic implications or recommendations
Commissioned Insight Study
A deeper study designed to inform strategy, programmes or organisational direction.
Typically includes:
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10–20 interviews
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background and evidence review
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detailed thematic analysis
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written report
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strategic interpretation
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presentation or leadership discussion
Bespoke Research Partnership
For larger, multi-stage or multi-stakeholder projects.
Shaped around the specific research question and may include additional research, facilitation or analytical capacity.
Larger projects can be supported by trusted associate researchers and facilitators in the UK and Australia.
What you receive
Good qualitative research does more than produce interview summaries. It helps an organisation see what is happening beneath the surface. Findings can be translated into:
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a written research report
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an executive summary
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a board or leadership briefing
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a presentation
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a facilitated sense-making session
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recommendations for strategy, programme or service design
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or a deliverable that suits your organisation.
The intention is always for the research to be useful, not simply interesting.
What I can Research
Stakeholder and community insight
Understanding experiences, needs, priorities and perspectives.
Strategic insight studies
Using qualitative evidence to inform strategy, service design or future direction.
Programme learning and evaluation
Exploring what is working, what is changing and what can be learned.
Lived-experience research
Bringing human experience into decisions that might otherwise rely only on quantitative data.
Exploratory research
Understanding emerging issues before significant decisions or investments are made.
Future and emerging-theme research
Exploring changing social, cultural and ecological conditions and their implications.
Areas of particular interest.
My work is especially connected to:
Community resilience and belonging
Leadership and organisational change
Women’s lives, transitions and wellbeing
Sustainability and ecological transition
Flourishing and wellbeing
Social and cultural change
Methods and research standards
Methods may include:
Semi-structured interviews · focus groups · stakeholder workshops · document review · thematic analysis · participatory approaches · evidence review
Each project is designed proportionately and with sound research practice.
Where relevant, projects can also include participatory or lived-experience approaches so that people are not simply researched, but meaningfully involved in shaping the enquiry.
Informed consent
Confidentiality and anonymity
Responsible data handling
Participant wellbeing
Appropriate treatment of lived experience
Clarity on how findings will be used
Current Research
What Becomes Possible in a Woman’s Second Spring?
My current independent research explores the conditions that enable women to flourish after menopause.
Using semi-structured qualitative interviews and thematic analysis, the study explores identity, wellbeing, agency, contribution and the wider conditions that support flourishing in later life.
Why work with Louise Marlena
Louise Marlena is a writer, qualitative researcher and organisational leader exploring the conditions that help people, communities and the living world flourish.
She brings more than 25 years of senior organisational leadership, experience across sustainability, finance and social impact, and research training through a Master's in Transpersonal Psychology.
Her approach is careful, relational and grounded in curiosity, deep listening, thematic analysis and making sense of complexity.
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25+ years of senior leadership
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Master's-level research training
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UK & Australia