The Researchers Who
Made This Possible
Dive Deep Dialogues stands on the shoulders of remarkable researchers whose work transformed our understanding of family narratives and resilience.
Sometimes a single moment changes everything.
I was watching one of Dr Justin Coulson's school webinars on building resilience in children — something I'd been thinking about constantly as my daughter Tess was growing up. At the same time, I had my laptop open, working on a set of StoryBuilder+ questions for my ultra-premium MyStories FOREVER 360° 3D video offering.
Justin mentioned research by Professor Marshall Duke about family narratives and their connection to children's wellbeing. He referenced something called the "Do You Know?" scale.
I looked up from my screen.
Some of the questions he was describing were almost identical to the ones I was writing at that very moment.
I'd been developing these questions intuitively, based on decades of experience coaxing stories from people in front of a camera. I had no idea there was rigorous psychological research validating exactly what I was trying to do.
The Research That Changed Everything
The Family Narratives Lab at Emory University
"Do You Know?" Scale
& lower anxiety
confirmed
Professor Marshall Duke and Dr Robyn Fivush, psychologists at Emory University in Atlanta, had spent years studying how families share their stories. Through their Family Narratives Lab, they developed the "Do You Know?" scale — twenty simple questions that measure how much children know about their family history.
Their findings were remarkable. Children who scored higher showed higher self-esteem, a stronger sense of control over their lives, lower anxiety, fewer behavioural problems, and better family functioning. They had what Duke and Fivush call a strong "intergenerational self" — they knew they belonged to something bigger than themselves.
Then came September 11, 2001 — just two months after their initial study. When the researchers returned to reassess the families, they found something profound: the children who knew more of their family stories were more resilient in the face of shared national trauma.
But the part that changed what we built came next. Duke and Fivush were careful about why it worked. The stories themselves aren't magic — knowing them is simply the mark of a family that talks to each other. The telling, the retelling, the arguing over whose version is right: that's the mechanism. That single distinction is why this company is called Dive Deep Dialogues.
The Power of the "Oscillating" Narrative
The most protective family story isn't about constant success or decline
"We came from nothing and now we have everything"
"We used to have it all and lost it"
"We've had our ups and downs, but we stuck together"
"We've had our ups and downs. Your grandfather built a business, but your uncle struggled. We lost our house once, but we rebuilt. No matter what happened, we stuck together as a family."
Dive Deep Dialogues exists because of this research.
We're not the experts — we're the curators.
Our role is to take the valuable work being done by psychologists, neuroscientists, and researchers around the world and share it with a wider audience. Findings that might otherwise remain buried in academic journals or discussed only at professional conferences deserve to reach the families, couples, and individuals who could benefit from them most.
Every app we build, every conversation prompt we design, every piece of content we create is grounded in evidence. We curate, translate, and transform research into practical tools that people can use in their everyday lives.
The wisdom belongs to the researchers. We simply try to be worthy messengers.
With Deep Gratitude
To those whose work forms the foundation of everything we build
Dr Justin Coulson
The Bridge
Happy Families
Thank you for being the bridge. Your dedication to translating research into practical wisdom for Australian families led me to Duke and Fivush's work at precisely the right moment.
Professor Marshall Duke
The Researcher
Emory University, Atlanta
Thank you for proving what storytellers have always sensed: that our family narratives shape who we become. Your research gave me the evidence and the courage to build something that might help families realise the power of their own stories.
Dr Robyn Fivush
The Pioneer
Emory University, Atlanta
Your groundbreaking work on family narratives and the "Do You Know?" scale has transformed how we understand resilience in children. The Family Narratives Lab's research continues to inspire everything we build.
To the Broader Research Community
To every researcher whose work we reference throughout our apps — thank you for the rigour, the curiosity, and the commitment to understanding the human experience.
We stand on your shoulders, doing our best to carry your insights to those who need them.
Nigel Miller
Founder, Dive Deep Dialogues
Experience the Research in Action
Explore our apps built on the foundation of this research — designed to help you build resilience through deeper conversations.