20th May 2026
Blog: Co-produce like no one is watching…
A blog by Vicky Thomson, Chief Executive of Every-One
As always, I’ve been thinking a lot about co-production lately. Not the version we proudly point to in reports or talk about on conference stages, but the quiet, everyday version. The one that happens when no one is watching.
Co-production can easily become something we perform. A badge of honour. A tick in the box. We invite people in, we consult, we capture a quote, and we move on - feeling reassured that we’ve “done” co-production. But real co-production is far less polished.
It’s messier. It takes longer. And it asks something deeper of us.
For me, true co-production is what we do when the spotlight is off. It’s how decisions are made in team meetings when no one with lived experience is in the room. It’s whose voice we hear in our heads when we’re under pressure, short on time, or navigating risk. It’s whether we’re willing to be changed by what we’ve heard, not just acknowledge it.
As a trained dancer (yes, it was a long time ago), I keep coming back to the idea of dancing in the rain like no one is watching. There’s joy in that kind of freedom. No performance. No judgement. Just movement, connection, and trust.
That’s how co-production should feel. Joyful. Human. Alive.
When co-production is genuine, it’s not heavy or worthy, it’s energising. It creates better ideas, braver conversations, and more honest relationships. It allows us to let go of control and certainty, and to sit with curiosity instead.
So here’s what I’m thinking out loud...
What would change if we practised co-production as if no one was scoring us? If we weren’t trying to prove anything, but simply trying to do the right thing, together?
And maybe the real question is: When no one is watching… are we still dancing?"
This blog featured in the April edition of the Every-One Co-production News. To read the full newsletter, CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW.
More about Every-One
Every-One is a Lincolnshire based charity that works inclusively with people to ensure that every one individual is at the centre of their own wellbeing. We do that by developing and delivering a range of person-centred services and projects that work towards ‘making wellbeing personal’.
