Positionality is an important aspect of research that is gradually receiving more recognition. We join others in arguing for deeper attention to it. Focusing on positionality highlights how insider-outsider relations influence data collection and knowledge mobilization. In community-engaged research and ‘elite’ research, especially in places that have experienced colonization directly or indirectly, it is crucial to consider power dynamics between the researcher(s) and research participants, as well as gatekeepers along the way. In an era where decolonization of the research process and epistemic justice are becoming an important global discussion, researchers need to be aware of the benefits and drawbacks of their positionality in the field and prepare for the challenges they might encounter during data collection. In this article, we demonstrate how our positionalities played pivotal roles in our research in different parts of the world. These places, located in both the Global North and the Global South, have various colonial histories that exert distinct influences on the research processes. In each location, the researchers’ place of origin and their stance regarding colonization impacted data collection and knowledge mobilization in some cases. The purpose of this paper is to share our range of experiences of how our positionalities played a critical role in our research so that other researchers can be more mindful of insider-outsider relations in their own fieldwork in community-based and/or ‘elite’ or policy research. We draw the attention of researchers to the constraints and opportunities which identity, geography, and most especially, colonialism have orchestrated. While every place and/or situation is unique, more scholars sharing and opening up about their data collection and knowledge mobilization processes will lead to more ethical and impactful research moving forward.