Ada Chen Rekhi
The Five-Friend Survey
Inspired by Ada Chen Rekhi episode
Product marketers run quick surveys before big decisions. Try it for parenting dilemmas - five friends, one question, twenty minutes.
Ada Chen Rekhi needed podcast prep. She sent one question to 10 friends: "Here are nine topics. Pick your top two and why." Twenty minutes. Incredible insights. She calls it a Curiosity Loop.
Your toddler refuses vegetables. Your partner says "I never ate vegetables and I'm fine." Your mom insists she fixed this by hiding broccoli in brownies. Reddit has opinions that would constitute war crimes in several countries.
Try the loop. Text five friends who've met your child and still answer your calls. One question: "Kid won't eat green things. What worked?" You're not seeking consensus. You're hunting for the perspective that makes you go "huh, never thought of that."
Twenty minutes. Zero unsolicited advice. Years of context from people who know your kid once cried because their sock was "looking at them wrong." The goal isn't finding THE answer. It's catching blind spots before you commit to pureeing spinach into everything for three years.
