Human questions.Impactful experiments.

I'm Laura Smith — a researcher, writer, adviser and human problem-solver exploring how we can better understand, connect, resonate, align and work with ourselves and one another. UPWARD is where I investigate human questions in public— through research, experiments, conversations, and real-world work.

Explore a question Join in

CURRENTLY ANSWERING

How do we decide where to invest our time?

Life · Work · Ongoing

Portrait of Laura Smith, smiling — Laura, the one asking

Participants at an UPWARD meetup in Helsinki — An UPWARD meetup, Helsinki

Human questions I'm considering

Here's what I'm considering, what I'm actively exploring, and what I've learned already. See what applied curiosity has opened for others -- and note if any questions or findings resonate with you, as well.

LifeWorkOngoing

How do we decide where to invest our time?

In practice

LAMP — Life Actions Mathematical Planner

Our time is finite, but the people, places, possibilities and problems competing for it are not. How do we decide what deserves more of our time—and when to persist, redirect our attention, or let something go? For this experiment, I apply a LAMP, a repeatable decision-support process to compare possible actions against priorities, values, constraints, energy, future direction and the forms of connection that matter in a particular season of life.

LifeHomeTesting

When does a place become home?

In practice

Under consideration

What transforms somewhere we live into somewhere we feel at home? An exploration of the people, conditions, experiences and attachments that create a sense of home—and what might be missing when a place never quite becomes one.

LifeSocietyResearched

How can we make new friends as adults?

In practice

The Friendship Experiment

I publicly recruited new friends — a real application process, written assignment and group interviews — to test whether adult friendship could be approached more explicitly and intentionally, while also enabling connection among the other participants.

CommunityLifeHomeResearched

Can belonging be built?

In practice

The Belonging Experiment

A June 2026 first-person public experiment asking whether I actually belonged where I lived, what belonging consisted of, and whether it could be strengthened.

See all questions →

What should I explore next? Add your question →

Hi, I'm Laura.

I write, research, build things, gather people and run experiments — usually because I've encountered some human problem I don't think we should simply accept. I'm interested in connection and alignment: with ourselves, with one another, within communities and at work.

Laura outdoors in a park on a bright day

Eight people at an UPWARD meetup outside a Helsinki café at night — Helsinki meetup — arrived separately, left connected.

More about me →Connect on LinkedIn ↗

And what about you?

Questions (and answers!) become more interesting when other people bring their experiences, perspectives, disagreement, curiosity and care to them. What are you adding today?

The open notebook

Recently added

Nothing published here yet. Questions appear once Laura has read them.

BETTER YET - BETTER TOGETHER

From Inquiry to Application

Want to discuss or explore a human solution? I'm here to help.

ONE:ONE CONVERSATION

Think with me

Bring a question, a problem or a possibility that would benefit from an intelligent outside perspective.

30 minutes — €149 incl. 25.5% VAT
60 minutes — €289 incl. 25.5% VAT

A single focused session. You bring the situation; we take it apart and put it back together with something useful to do next.

Think with me →

A room of people

Bring me in

Speaking, lectures, workshops, facilitation, and moderated conversations.

Sessions built around a real question your people already have, not a generic keynote. Designed so the room does some of the work.

Bring me in →

WIDER WORK

Build with me

Research, advisory, connection and community design, employee experience, communication, collaboration and unusual human problems.

Experiments, tools and structures that outlast the engagement — the same method as the public questions, pointed at your organisation.

Build with me →

Longer-term

Interested in working together longer-term? I'm potentially open to in-house opportunities with interesting people solving interesting problems.

See my professional background ↗Talk about working together →

Not everything is commercial

There are many ways to support -- and all of them help us work UPWARD.

Follow the work
·
Share a question
·
Make an introduction
·
Support a project

Join in

Ways to take part

None of this requires a budget or an invitation. Show up, add something, or share what you know.

Gather

UPWARD Meetups

Public events, in real rooms, with real strangers who become less strange.

See upcoming events on Luma ↗

Contribute

Expertise, introductions, disagreement

If you know something I don't, or someone I should know, that's genuinely useful.

Offer something →

Open right now

Nothing needs participants just now. That's probably temporary.

Participants at an UPWARD meetup outside a Helsinki café at night — An UPWARD meetup, Helsinki. People who arrived separately and left with connections worth continuing.

What's a human question you wish someone would actually try to answer?

Write to Laura Add it to the open notebook Connect on LinkedIn ↗

Bringing a question to your team? See how we could work together →