This paper challenges the drawing of explicit boundaries between discourse and practice. Reflecting on the intricacies of practice and meaning, it begins by recounting the "story" of the national evaluation of the Well Being Power and the myriad of ways in which local practitioners interpreted its use. It then draws on political discourse theory to set out the relationship between discourse and practice before drawing on what Glynos and Howarth (2007) have termed "logics of critical explanation" to present a novel set of strategies for evaluating policy practices as well as conceptualising our own practice as policy analysts and researchers.