We turn a critical lens to ethical research practices in the context of 'insider' higher education research. Tensions arise due to the risks involved in navigating academic identity and teacher-researcher authenticity. We offer two case studies where ethical tensions surfaced methodological concerns for researchers and participants. Case study one describes hesitation precipitated by the risk of academic participant self-disclosure. Hesitation in case study two arose through the secondary use of student evaluation data for research purposes and possible reputational risk of teaching academics. We offer a reflective analytical process to map researchers and participants within the research to describe ethical complexity. We drew on three feminist principles useful in higher education research to mitigate ethical tensions, for example, the concept of a 'culture of care', a recognition of emotional labour, and negotiated roles to mitigate against improper power imbalances. We advocate for adopting a dynamic approach to ethical practices in higher education research thereby reframing the insider role.