The Bento Club

In this episode, we are joined by Rotimi Merriman-Johnson DipFA, also known as Mr MoneyJar - a financial educator who helps people build better relationships with money.Rotimi shares how running is both a batchable and stackable habit - something you can pair with podcasts or audiobooks to make the most of your time. He also reflects on how small, consistent efforts - whether in running or finances - add up to meaningful, long-term progress.

In this episode, we are joined by Bryony Hancock, a former product designer turned strategist at London-based consultancy 8TH DAY. We explore how running fits into her triathlon training, and how it’s become a powerful tool for personal growth, clarity, and creative thinking.From embracing limits to navigating uncertainty, Bryony shares why running is a paradox that both humbles and empowers, and how it helps calibrate your inner compass in sport, strategy, and life.She also writes beautifully on these themes and more on her Substack, Contrast Therapy: https://bryhancock.substack.com/

In this episode, we are joined by Josh Dickins, Head of Consulting at Modern Citizens and a recently reborn runner. We cover a lot - from football to finding your own rhythm with running. Josh shares why running reminds him of going to the cinema, and how it helps him reconnect with the world around him.

In this episode, I’m joined by Paula Martinez Gutierrez and Stephanie Vincent, two inspiring voices from across the pond.They’re both involved with the Marketing Research Education Foundation MREF, and this May, the market research industry is once again coming together for the Race Around the World for Education.This is a global, month-long challenge to log miles and raise funds for education-focused nonprofits, including Hogar Montiel in Costa Rica, one of this year’s grantees. There's still time to take part - miles can be logged retroactively, so it’s not too late to join! Register here

Join us for a special post-London Marathon debrief where Dave will be chatting with fellow finishers and market research specialists Jemma Ralton, Hollie Jones, Paul Kingsley-Smith and Field Notes' Giulia Romanò.Together, they share their highs, lows, unexpected moments (emotional and otherwise), and what crossing that iconic finish line meant to them.They also discuss brand campaigns and activations at the event - what stood out, what worked, and what brands can learn from the marathon crowd experience.

In this episode, we chat with Ray Poynter, industry legend and ultra-runner, who has run every single day for over six years. From mountain ultras to Park Runs, Ray shares how running helps him stay grounded, focused, and disciplined - both in life and in work. We talk about heart rate zones, daily routines, and the power of running “inside yourself.

In this episode, Adam Chmielowski, co-founder of cultural insights agency Starling, shares how he discovered running in his mid-30s - and how it's become a tool for mental clarity, creative thinking, and staying grounded. From early morning runs to surprising links between running and crime fiction, this episode explores the powerful connection between movement and mindset.

In this episode, Lucie Wernicke  - Manager of the ICG, Life Coach, and New York Marathon finisher - joins The Bento Club to talk about running, resilience, and the power of community. From fitting training into a busy schedule to the mental grit needed for long-distance running, Lucie shares insights that apply just as much to life and work as they do to race day.

Hollie Jones, Head of Strategy at Synthesis, joins The Bento Club to talk about running, resilience, and community. From discovering running during the pandemic to training for the London Marathon, Hollie shares what the sport has taught her about culture, brand-building, and personal growth.Hollie is running the London Marathon for The Royal British Legion and you can support her fundraising efforts at this link.

In this episode, Isabel Parashos, who leads global brand and audience research at Xero, takes us through her journey of unexpected running challenges - from climbing 80+ flights of stairs in the Empire State Run-Up to a 50-mile bike ride around Singapore and now training for her first half marathon.

In this episode, Paul Kingsley-Smith, Commercial Director at Qualzy, joins Dave to talk about the parallels between running, resilience, and business. A (very) sub-3-hour marathoner, Paul shares insights from his training for the London Marathon and his journey creating running content as PKS Runs.

This episode, we’re joined by Jemma Ralton, Commercial Director at Tapestry Research and co-chair of the Media Research Group. Jemma is deep into training for her first London Marathon, balancing work, research, and her passion for running.Jemma is running for Coram, the UK’s longest-serving children’s charity. Support her fundraising here

To kick off season 2, our own Giulia Romanò, Head of Customer Innovation at Field Notes, takes the hot seat! After years of saying she'd never run a marathon, she’s now weeks away from running the London one for Cancer Research UK. In this episode, she chats with Dave about what running has taught her about work, resilience, and leadership.You can support Giulia's journey here

Nick Bonney has worked in the market research industry for over 30 years, including nearly two decades client-side, before founding Deep Blue Thinking in 2018. In this episode, he tells us about his passion for diving, his involvement with the Manta Trust, and what the insight industry can learn from the underwater world.

Kat Hutton is an applied anthropologist specialising in UX research. With nearly a decade of freelance experience in healthcare and tech, she has collaborated with Meta, Microsoft, and Conversion. In this episode, Kat shares her incredible journey from living on a farm to joining Meta, and discusses the importance of perspective-taking skills in business.

Konrad Collao is the founder the multi-award-winning strategic insight agency Craft In this episode, Konrad dives deep into the importance of critical thinking in the research industry, the nuances of context and storytelling, and the dangers of obsessing over data. He shares his insights on the current state of the research sector and challenges us to rethink our approach to data interpretation and analysis.

Emily Sheen has spent the last 5 and a half years living in Singapore and is a Venture Principal at Rainmaking APAC, which is part of Bain & Company.She builds businesses in partnership with corporate companies, secures seed funding, and places the right founders into the businesses to help them scale. In this episode, Emily shares examples of the kind of projects she's been working on, how insights fit into the mix, and how their approach differs from more traditional market research projects. 

Imme Ermgassen is the co-founder of Botivo; before this new venture, she worked for almost 20 years in brand strategy as well as cultural and consumer understanding. In this episode, Imme shares the story behind Botivo and why great brands need to leverage great tensions to succeed. 

Alina Sokolowsky worked as a brand strategist for nearly 20 years across advertising, client-side, and brand consultancy before starting her own practice seven years ago.But in this episode of The Bento Club, Alina focuses on her experience of writing "B is for Borscht," a kids' book that aims to preserve the flavours of Ukraine for the next generation.If you are based in the US, you can purchase a copy at this link; all profits go to UNICEF.  

Greg Wells worked in insight, and he has always loved booze brands. He once completed a project for Diageo where the CMO said that the smartest young people set up food and beverage start ups these days. Which was enough to trigger him to give up a highly paid job to try his own hand at it. His company We Are Beer now runs three beer festivals a year, with over 35,000 visitors; they work with many of the best brands in beer and with their drinkers community, to deliver meaningful insight.

In this episode we chat with Betty Adamou.Betty is a Gamification Designer, Author, and Expert, having won several awards for her work in bringing gamification into the forefront of market research in particular. She wrote a book "Games and Gamification in Market Research" that has been published in 3 languages, she has an audiobook, runs gamification workshops, conference talks, consultation and coaching services have been hired by some of the world's leading brands and cool start-ups.In this episode we focus on the not-for-profit initiative that you launched during the first lockdown, the "Not Sorry Club", that inspires and celebrates women to lead unapologetic lives by first removing the word 'sorry' from their vocabularies. Through inspiring social content, the #NotSorryChallenge, the Importance of Celebration workshop event, and the Tales of Female Badassery podcast, there are multiple ways to be inspired.

Richard has been working in TV drama, mostly in soap operas, for 25 years. He started as a floor runner at EastEnders, and worked his way up the production route until EastEnders gave him the opportunity to direct 12 years ago. Since then, he has directed nearly 150 episodes of the BBC flagship show, and in recent years, has also been working on Coronation St and Emmerdale.In this episode, he shares his memories of working with Field Notes and our Corona Stories initiative in 2020, and how working with research content is similar (and different) to what he does in his daily job. 

Welcome to The Bento Club!In our first episode ever, we chat to Jess Jorgensen from Running With Mushrooms.Jess is an insights person who’s really into mushrooms. She spent 16 years agency-side,  helping brands get strategic at the intersect of people, brands and culture. She’s now merging these two worlds by launching a cultural insights consultancy specialising in global myco-culture.What methods and techniques can market research borrow from mycology? How do you navigate polarising topics when conducting research? And why is understanding the underground so important? Listen to find out!