Our permission promise: how we hold stories with care

We love storytelling here at Frank & Earnest.

Holding space for people to share their stories with us – and trusting us to carry them – is a privilege we never take for granted. Whether we’re interviewing a client’s customer for a short testimonial, or spending time with someone to tell a much bigger, more personal story, we’re always conscious of what’s being handed over.

A story isn’t just content.
It’s lived experience.

Our first priority is making sure the person sharing their story feels safe, respected and genuinely part of the process. Because good storytelling doesn’t start with a microphone or a notebook – it starts with trust.

As a former journalist, many of the technical interviewing skills we use are familiar ones. Asking the right questions. Listening carefully. Knowing when to pause. But what happens before and after the interview looks very different.

At Frank & Earnest, we don’t see storytelling as something to be extracted quickly and efficiently. We see it as a partnership.

That might mean sending questions ahead of time so people can think, reflect and feel prepared. It means sharing a draft and inviting input before anything is published. Depending on the story and the person, it can also look like phone calls before the interview to understand comfort levels, accessibility needs, or whether someone would like a support person present.

It can also mean asking about – and respecting – cultural protocols or community considerations that shape how a story should be told.

We approach this work as collaboration between equals, not as “experts” swooping in to run the show. We build time into our processes wherever possible, because people deserve space to think, to feel, and to have a say in how their story is represented.

That approach extends to our clients, too. Many already have sign-off processes in place. If they don’t, we’re upfront about it – this is how we work. A story only runs once the story holder has had the chance to review it.

For us, that’s a matter of respect.
The story holder has the lived experience.
They are the expert.
It’s their story to tell.

The results speak for themselves. People who feel listened to and included are more relaxed. Their stories are clearer, richer and more honest. And they walk away feeling seen, not used.

That’s a win for the story holder.
It’s a win for our clients.
And it’s a win for us – because people continue to trust us with their stories.

And that’s what we love most about this work.

Peita