There is often an uneasy relationship between substantive researchers and quantitative methodologists in the behavioural sciences. This friction arises both from legitimate critiques of prevailing practices and the impenetrable veil that methodological work often wraps itself in – holding itself ostensibly separate and above the messy fray of working with real data. In this talk, I argue that this status quo limits advancement in the behavioural sciences and we can instead create cycles of mutual support and benefit to improve our ability to ask more specific and interesting research questions.