Partnering with me, you receive
Director-level, subject expertise
I design and lead projects end-to-end, bringing specialist insight and strategy expertise in health and wellbeing.
Plug-in, Agile Support
Flexible collaboration tailored to your team’s needs, with latest AI tools to assist — I can do it with you, or for you.
Access to Global Network
For larger projects, I bring in trusted specialists: qual and quant researchers, data-analysts and creatives
Areas of expertise
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Work Includes:
Ethnographic and data science analysis of gaming and mental wellbeing.
Development of a youth mental health behaviour change toolkit and campaign.
Innovation in nature-based mental health solutions for young people.
Exploration of drivers of mental wellbeing among content creators.
Mental health has been a central focus in much of Amanda’s research, whether as a primary topic or as part of broader explorations of work, finances, older age, nature-prescribing, and leisure. Between 2021 and 2022, Amanda spent 18 months in-house with the Mental Health Foundation’s research team, leading an in-depth and transformative study on gaming and wellbeing, as well as overseeing the strategic delivery of the resulting behaviour change campaign.
Amanda’s approach to understanding mental health combines deep ethnographic lived experience insights with large-scale data analysis. She has a strong interest in emerging preventative tools and is a trained Mindfulness UK Teacher and Mental Health First Aider (MHFA England)
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Work Includes:
Understanding the lived experience of Dementia and Stroke recovery
Communicating Cholesterol and Heart Health.
Lived experience of Sleep and Stress disorders
Exploring Mobility and Accessibility
Social Isolation and Poverty in Older Age.
Campaigning for Universal Health Coverage.
Narrative Change around Avoidable Blindness.
Amanda has conducted multiple projects addressing various aspects of healthy ageing, including understanding dementia, mobility, socialisation, and ageism. She has explored how definitions of ‘independence’ evolve in later life and the barriers to healthy ageing faced by marginalised groups. Her work in this area earned an MRS Award for Inclusive Design.
Her experience includes collaborating with NGOs, UK charities, Agencies and health-related brands. Amanda’s strategic contributions include campaigns on Universal Health Coverage for the World Health Organization and avoidable blindness for the Fred Hollows Foundation
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In the past few years, I’ve worked with both UK and international climate and conservation NGOs, to develop new strategies for engaging young people in nature with a health and wellbeing lens.
This work has included:
In-depth interviews, ethnography and co-creation workshops exploring the value of nature for young people’s wellbeing
Developing a campaign strategy for engaging low-income, inner-city based kids in conservation
Developing sustainability messaging for an FMCG food brand, examining the interplay of health and sustainability on product perception
More recently, as a member of a cross-discipline working group for the United Nations FCC, I have been helping to develop new models for Sustainable Health in Climate Crisis.
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Work Includes:
Addressing the employment needs of care leavers and young people seeking asylum.
Co-developing an “Inclusive Employment Toolkit” for UK businesses.
Investigating attitudes and behaviours towards moderate drinking among 18-24-year-olds.
Engaging young people with nature across the UK.
Conducting UK ethnography with LGBTQI, low-income young people to understand gaming and mental wellbeing.
Young people today are both the most revered and criticised demographic. In today's economy, they face countless systemic challenges, from wage stagnation to crippling housing costs and inaccessible NHS mental health services.
Collaboration and co-creation with young people across any issue space is highly valuable but requires expertly designed methodologies for meaningful engagement. Amanda has employed a range of participatory techniques to work with young people from marginalised backgrounds, including those from minority ethnic groups, LGBTQI communities, and low-income families
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Work Includes:
Hearing and visual impairments.
ADHD and Autism.
Living with limb amputation.
Neurological head trauma and accessibility
Research with people with disabilities requires bespoke methodologies tailored to individual needs and intersecting disabilities. Too often, people with disabilities are treated as an afterthought in research, with methods that fail to accommodate their experiences.
Sometimes, there are not enough spoons to give.
Amanda ensures that all her projects adopt participatory, co-design approaches from the very beginning, working closely with advisory groups to ensure a holistic and meaningful understanding of participants’ needs.
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Exploring the role of meaningful work and reflexivity for furloughed workers in Covid19
Providing insight and strategy for the “Lift the Ban” campaign advocating for the right to work for People Seeking Asylum
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With a commercial background in Market Research, I’ve delivered audience insight and strategy work for global health FMCG brands such as Danone, Unilever, GSK and Johnson and Johnson and Bupa.
I believe that business has a vital role to play in innovating around societal health and wellbeing.
Services
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Good social research isn’t just about asking questions, it’s about deeply understanding people’s lives, experiences, and the systems that shape them. In working on sensitive social issues, is about understanding context, body language and centring ethical implications in design.
With a background in Sociology and Social Research Methods and 15 years’ experience in qualitative research, I specialise in inclusive and creative methodologies that uncover rich, actionable insights, ensuring the voices of marginalised and underrepresented communities are truly heard.
I’ve led in-depth research on complex wellbeing issues with:
Lower-income families & older people
LGBTQIA+ communities
Young people with mental health & neurodiversity challenges
People with physical disabilities
Research methods include:
Ethnography (digital & in-person)
Co-creation workshops
Discussion groups & in-depth interviews
Cultural intelligence research
Expert interviews
Digital communities & panels
Every project is bespoke, designed to fit your brief.
Where needed, I collaborate with a trusted network of specialists in quantitative research, data science, AI, and academia to provide a full-spectrum research approach.
➡ Let’s build research that leads to real change. Get in touch at amanda@amanda-powell.com
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Great insights require great execution. I help organisations translate research into clear, actionable strategies that drive impact.
Core strategic services include:
Campaign & Communications Strategy – Designing compelling, insight-led campaigns
Narrative Change – Shifting perceptions and influencing public conversations
Brand Strategy & Positioning – Defining purpose and strengthening identity
Stakeholder & Donor Engagement – Crafting strategies to mobilise support
Innovation – Developing new approaches to complex challenges
With experience spanning commercial, non-profit, and movement-building work, I bring a blended strategic perspective. My early career at Flamingo, one of the world’s leading insight-led strategy agencies, sharpened my ability to solve diverse business and social challenges. Later, as a Senior Strategist at Purpose, I focused on creating campaigns that don’t just communicate but build real movements.
I also work in-house with agencies as a freelance Strategy Director, providing senior support and training.
➡ Let’s discuss how strategic thinking can amplify your impact. Click here to book in a chat today
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Effective campaigns don’t just speak - they connect, persuade, and drive action. I help health, wellbeing and social equity organisations craft messaging and strategies that resonate with audiences and create lasting impact.
Creative Idea Development & Testing – Refining campaign concepts based on real audience insights.
Messaging Strategy & Testing – Ensuring messages are clear, compelling, and aligned with audience values.
Campaign Strategy – Identifying the right audiences, messengers, channels, and KPIs to maximise effectiveness.
Whether shaping public awareness campaigns, movement-building initiatives, or donor engagement strategies, my approach is always grounded in research and audience insight.
➡ Let’s create a campaign that moves people. Get in touch (here) to discuss your project
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Great facilitation isn’t just about running a session, it’s about creating spaces where people feel held, voices are heard, ideas spark and meaningful co-creation happens.
I have led hundreds of sessions, including:
Co-Creation Workshops – Bringing communities, stakeholders, and teams together to develop solutions collaboratively.
Focus Groups & Interviews – Guiding insightful discussions to uncover lived experiences and audience perspectives.
Training & Capacity Building – Equipping teams with the skills, confidence, and strategic thinking to create change.
My approach is tailored to the room—whether working with C-suite leaders, grassroots organisers, or young people leaving foster care. As an accredited Unilever Gold Standard facilitator, I blend mindfulness, compassion, and a bit of fun to create sessions that are productive, inclusive, and energising.
➡ Let’s create a session that delivers real insight and impact. Get in touch (here) to discuss your facilitation needs.
audience insight
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ethnography
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narrative analysis
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co-creation workshops
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digital communties
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cultural intelligence
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innovation sprints
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group discussions & interviews
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audience insight • ethnography • narrative analysis • co-creation workshops • digital communties • cultural intelligence • innovation sprints • group discussions & interviews •
Researching topics such as
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Loneliness and Social Isolation
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Mental Health and Gaming
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Wellbeing and Employment
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Wellbeing in Nature with UK Youth
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Communicating on Heart Health
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The Attention Economy and Mental Health
Client testimonials