The Phenomenology Collective – Details, episodes & analysis

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The Phenomenology Collective

Dr Lewis Barrett-Rodger and Dr Sally Goldspink

Science

Frequency: 1 episode/16d. Total Eps: 14

Turning philosophy into applied academic research. The Phenomenology Collective explores how phenomenology moves from philosophy to academic research. Each episode unpacks key concepts, hosts thoughtful conversations with researchers and practitioners, and reflects on how lived experience can reshape how we see the world. Whether you're new to phenomenology or deep in the field, this is where friends — and philosophy — meet research. Got a question or want to get involved? Email us: phenomenologycollective@gmail.com

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🇬🇧 Great Britain - socialSciences
19/08/2026
#77
🇬🇧 Great Britain - socialSciences
18/08/2026
#59
🇬🇧 Great Britain - socialSciences
17/08/2026
#30
🇬🇧 Great Britain - socialSciences
16/08/2026
#20
🇺🇸 USA - socialSciences
28/07/2026
#95
🇺🇸 USA - socialSciences
21/07/2026
#97
🇬🇧 Great Britain - socialSciences
14/07/2026
#86
🇬🇧 Great Britain - socialSciences
13/07/2026
#56
🇬🇧 Great Britain - socialSciences
12/07/2026
#39
🇺🇸 USA - socialSciences
12/07/2026
#73

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Score global : 32%

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Trailer 2026

Saturday, January 17, 2026 • Duration 00:50

Welcome to The Phenomenology Collective - the new podcast where friends and phenomenology meet. New episodes coming very soon.

What is Phenomenology?

Season 1 · Episode 1

Monday, March 2, 2026 • Duration 20:02

In this introductory episode of The Phenomenology Collective, hosts Dr Lewis Barrett-Rodger and Dr Sally Goldspink offer a gentle but rigorous orientation to phenomenology for listeners who are new to the approach.

Drawing on their experience as applied researchers (rather than philosophers), Lewis and Sally explore what phenomenology is concerned with, where it comes from, and what makes it different from other qualitative methodologies. They discuss phenomenology’s philosophical origins, including the contributions of Husserl and Heidegger, and explain how these ideas have been translated into contemporary research practice.

Along the way, they unpack key concepts such as lived experience, taken-for-grantedness, and the phenomenological attitude, and reflect on how phenomenological research works with people’s stories of experience to develop insight and understanding — even when that insight cannot be easily measured.

This episode is designed as an orientation rather than a methods guide, offering reassurance, clarity, and depth without dense philosophy. It sets the foundations for future episodes on reflexivity, phenomenological interviewing, supervision, and the craft of phenomenological research.

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Send in Your Questions

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 • Duration 00:39

If you have a question or suggestion, why not send us an email and join the conversation at phenomenologycollective@gmail.com

From Positivism to Phenomenology: Letting Go of Certainty with Jade Sampford

Season 1 · Episode 4

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 • Duration 41:17

What happens when the numbers are no longer enough?

In this episode of The Phenomenology Collective, we explore the philosophical shift from positivism to phenomenology—a transition many researchers make when they realise that measurement alone cannot capture the fullness of human experience.

Moving from certainty, objectivity, and clear answers into a world of ambiguity, interpretation, and multiple meanings can feel disorientating. But it can also open up entirely new ways of understanding.

We’re joined by Jade Sampford, a clinical specialist physiotherapist and doctoral researcher, who shares her journey from evidence-based clinical practice into interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). Through her work exploring the lived experience of weight loss medication, Jade highlights how the same “outcome” can mean something profoundly different for different people.

In this episode, we explore:

The differences between positivist and interpretivist paradigms
Why lived experience cannot always be measured or quantified
The discomfort—and possibility—of leaving behind “right answers”
How phenomenology reveals nuance, meaning, and contradiction
The role of reflexivity in challenging our assumptions
Bringing phenomenological insights into practice-driven fields like healthcare and education

We also reflect on how this shift is not about rejecting positivism, but expanding our understanding—seeing paradigms not as opposites, but as companions offering different pieces of the puzzle.

Whether you’re a practitioner, researcher, or simply curious about how we come to understand the world, this episode invites you to slow down, notice more, and embrace the richness of not knowing.

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In the Weeds: The Lived Experience of Phenomenological Data Analysis with Liz Shaw

Season 1 · Episode 3

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 • Duration 51:22

What does it actually feel like to analyse data phenomenologically?

In this episode of The Phenomenology Collective, we step into one of the most challenging—and often isolating—phases of phenomenological research: data analysis.

Without a step-by-step guide, researchers are left with rich, complex material and a deceptively simple question: what now? From transcripts and artefacts to meaning, interpretation, and insight, this episode explores what it means to truly work with data rather than simply process it.

We’re joined by doctoral researcher Liz Shaw, who shares an honest, in-the-moment account of being immersed in interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). Together, we explore the tensions, uncertainties, and unexpected moments of discovery that come with dwelling deeply in data.

In this episode, we discuss:

What “dwelling with data” really means in practice
Why phenomenological analysis is slow, messy, and deeply relational
The tension between researcher voice and participant voice
Navigating uncertainty, doubt, and the feeling of being “lost”
The discipline of staying anchored to your research question
Why analysis is never truly finished—only paused

We also reflect on the emotional texture of this stage—where exhaustion and joy often sit side by side—and why that discomfort may be a sign that meaningful work is happening.

Whether you’re in the middle of your own analysis or preparing to begin, this episode offers reassurance that feeling uncertain isn’t a failure—it’s part of doing phenomenology well.

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Creative Methods in Phenomenology: Ecomaps, Poetry and Plays with Dr Liz Jestico

Season 1 · Episode 2

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 • Duration 56:09

In this episode of The Phenomenology Collective, we explore one of the most exciting—and unsettling—spaces in phenomenological research: the use of creative methods.

Without a fixed “how-to” guide, phenomenological researchers are often required to think carefully—and creatively—about how to access and represent lived experience. But how far can we go? And how do we ensure that creativity remains grounded in phenomenological philosophy?

We’re joined by Dr Liz Jestico, whose work in children’s nursing uses innovative approaches including ecomaps, poetry, and even structuring a thesis as a play. Together, we explore how these methods can deepen our engagement with lived experience, opening up new ways of seeing, understanding, and communicating meaning.

This episode unpacks:

Why phenomenology resists step-by-step methods
How creative approaches can enrich (and complicate) research
The tension between imagination and rigour
What it means to stay “close” to lived experience
How writing, art, and poetry can become part of the analytic process

We also reflect on the emotional and ethical dimensions of this work, including the responsibility of representing others’ experiences with care.

Whether you’re a doctoral researcher, practitioner-scholar, or simply curious about phenomenology, this episode offers both reassurance and challenge: uncertainty isn’t a problem to solve—it’s part of the work.

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No Simple Answers: Navigating Phenomenological Research Decisions

Season 2 · Episode 8

Thursday, August 13, 2026 • Duration 19:28

How many participants does a phenomenological study really need—and are practices such as pilot studies and member checking methodologically congruent?

In this bonus Q&A episode of The Phenomenology Collective, Lewis and Sally respond to questions submitted by listeners. Rather than offering universal rules, they explore why phenomenological researchers must make thoughtful, transparent decisions grounded in their particular methodology and study.

Together, they consider the relationship between participant numbers and analytical depth, the ethical implications of collecting more experiential material than a researcher can meaningfully engage with, and whether pilot studies sit comfortably within phenomenological inquiry. They also discuss the contested place of member checking and reflect on what examiners hope to encounter when reading a phenomenological thesis.

In this episode, we discuss:

Why more participants do not necessarily produce better phenomenological research
Balancing depth, feasibility and ethical responsibility
Whether pilot studies are methodologically congruent with phenomenology
The possibilities and limitations of member checking
Why researchers must take ownership of their interpretations
What examiners look for in a phenomenological thesis
The importance of methodological coherence, accessible writing and researcher voice

A conversation about resisting simple formulas, thinking carefully about methodological choices, and being able to explain the reasoning behind every research decision.

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Crafted Stories: Interpretive Leaps in Hermeneutic Phenomenology with Professor Susan Crowther

Season 2 · Episode 7

Thursday, August 13, 2026 • Duration 56:39

How can a researcher shape a participant’s words without losing the meaning of their experience?

In this episode of The Phenomenology Collective, we explore crafted stories as a creative, interpretive and philosophically grounded practice within hermeneutic phenomenology.

We are joined by Professor Susan Crowther, Professor of Midwifery at Auckland University of Technology, whose work brings together phenomenology, ecological thinking and a lifelong commitment to relational care. Susan helps us consider how phenomenological researchers can move beyond simply reporting what participants say and begin to reveal meanings that may otherwise remain concealed or taken for granted.

At the heart of our conversation is the crafted story: an account carefully developed from interview material through a process of dwelling, interpreting, pruning and writing. Susan also reads a crafted story from her own research, allowing us not only to discuss this form of phenomenological writing, but to experience its emotional and evocative possibilities.

In this episode, we discuss:

What makes hermeneutic phenomenology distinctive
Moving from description towards phenomenological interpretation
What crafted stories are—and what they are not
The relationship between crafting, analysis and representation
Voice, power, ethics and trustworthiness
How rhythm, mood and reading aloud can reveal lived meaning
Why phenomenological writing should speak to us emotionally as well as intellectually

A rich and thought-provoking conversation about the craft of phenomenological research—and the possibilities that emerge when we allow stories to do more than simply report experience.

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Seeing as if for the First Time: Practising Transcendental Phenomenology with Emma Collins

Season 2 · Episode 6

Thursday, August 13, 2026 • Duration 50:34

What does it mean to practise transcendental (or descriptive) phenomenology?

In this episode of The Phenomenology Collective, we explore how Moustakas’ transcendental phenomenology moves from philosophical ideas into the practical realities of doctoral research.

We’re joined by Professional Doctorate candidate Emma Collins, who is using Moustakas’ approach to explore student nurses’ lived experiences of leadership learning. Drawing on her research journey, Emma offers an honest account of what it means to work descriptively with experience and to encounter a familiar phenomenon as if seeing it for the first time.

Together, we explore the distinctive commitments of transcendental phenomenology, including epoché, phenomenological reduction, horizonalisation, imaginative variation, and the movement from individual descriptions towards a composite essence.

In this episode, we discuss:

What makes Moustakas’ approach transcendental and descriptive
Why epoché is central—and what it looks like in practice
Approaching a familiar phenomenon with openness and freshness
Moving from horizons and invariant constituents to phenomenological descriptions
The difference between the texture and structure of an experience
Using imaginative variation to illuminate the conditions of experience
Balancing individual descriptions with the search for shared meanings and essences
How images can support the description of experiences that are difficult to articulate

An accessible, practice-focused exploration of Moustakas’ methodology and the challenges of undertaking transcendental phenomenological research.

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Supervising Phenomenology: Expertise, Curiosity and Shared Learning with Professor Hilary Engward

Season 2 · Episode 5

Thursday, August 13, 2026 • Duration 57:34

What happens when a doctoral student chooses phenomenology, but their supervisor’s own methodological expertise lies elsewhere?

In this episode of The Phenomenology Collective, we explore the possibilities—and responsibilities—of supervising phenomenological research beyond one’s principal methodological specialism.

We’re joined by Professor Hilary Engward, an experienced doctoral supervisor whose own methodological background is principally in grounded theory. Hilary reflects on how supervisors can support phenomenological researchers through curiosity, critical questioning and a willingness to learn alongside the student—without pretending to possess every answer.

In this episode, we discuss:

Why the research question should guide the choice of methodology
What it means to “stick to the methodology like glue”
Balancing creativity with methodological rigour
Supervising beyond your expertise
Learning to think and communicate phenomenologically
The importance of finding a wider phenomenological community

This conversation reminds us that good supervision does not depend upon one person knowing everything. It requires intellectual humility, shared responsibility and a willingness to remain genuinely curious.

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The Phenomenology Collective – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

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The Phenomenology Collective – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities