THAT BUSINESS OF MEANING Podcast

Erika Hall is a designer, author, and consultant. She is the Co-Founder and Director of Strategy at Mule Design Studio in San Francisco and author of the influential books Just Enough Research and Conversational Design . Her work centers on evidence-based design, organizational learning, and ethics in digital practice. Research Questions are Not Interview Questions : So I start all these conversat...

Nepal Asatthawasi is Director of Development at Mechanism . She leads fundraising and organizational systems that support Mechanism’s work with communities. Before joining Mechanism, she was Director of Development and Operations at the Pratt Center for Community Development. Tanu Kumar is Director of Programs at Mechanism . She leads program strategy and partnerships to help communities design an...

Sam Gregory is the Executive Director of WITNESS , the global human rights group using video and technology to defend rights. A human rights technologist and media authenticity expert, he has led innovation on deepfakes and generative AI, testified before US Congress, and received the Peabody Global Impact Award for WITNESS’s work. I start all these conversations with the same question, which I bo...

Mark Earls is HERDmeister at HERD , his independent behavioral consultancy based in London. He previously served as Chair of Ogilvy’s Global Planning Council , Planning Director at St Luke’s Communications , and Head of Planning at Bates Dorland . He is the author of several influential books on behavior and creativity, including Herd: How to Change Mass Behaviour by Harnessing Our True Nature , I...

Graham Booth is a brand strategy and communications consultant and founder of Movement, a UK consultancy established in 1997. He helps clients develop effective brand positioning and advertising through qualitative research. His clients include Coca-Cola, Aviva, Tesco, Innocent, and Paddy Power. His research has contributed to multiple IPA Effies award-winning campaigns. So, I know that you know t...

Grant McCracken is a cultural anthropologist, author, and consultant based in the New York City area. He is founder and CEO of Tailwind Radar , leads Grant McCracken’s Culture Camp, co-founded the Artisanal Economies Project, and holds a PhD in anthropology from the University of Chicago. If you are here, it is likely that Grant McCracken needs no introduction. His book, “ Culture & Consumption: N...

Remi Carlioz is a French-born creative director, writer, and cultural strategist based in New York. Founder of Studio Paname and Love Machine , he has led campaigns for Lizzo, Rihanna, and PUMA, bridging art, politics, and commerce through a humanistic lens that explores creativity, technology, and cultural transformation. He has a fantastic newsletter, La Nona Ora So I start all my conversations...

Melissa Vogel, PhD , is a business anthropologist specializing in business and organizational research. She founded the Business Anthropology program at Clemson University, directed UX research at Capital One, and leads Great Heron Insights LLC. Prior to this, she studied the Casma culture of Peru as an archaeologist. She has a regular series of short videos called The Anthro Minute , and a substa...

Philip McKenzie is a cultural anthropologist and strategist who founded InfluencerCon and hosts The Deep Dive podcast. A former Goldman Sachs trader, he has served as Chief Strategy Officer at MediaVillage, advises global organizations, and teaches at Hyper Island. I think you know this already, but I start all these conversations with the same question. I actually borrowed it from a friend of min...

Sam Pressler is co-founder of Connective Tissue , which helps communities and leaders rebuild civic life. He founded the Armed Services Arts Partnership, the nation’s largest community arts group for veterans and families. He is a Fellow at UVA’s Karsh Institute of Democracy, a Research Affiliate at Harvard, and studied at William & Mary, Harvard, and Stanford. This was the piece that inspired me...

Meg Kinney is an ethnographer, strategist and co-founder of Bad Babysitter , a consultancy blending documentary storytelling with brand strategy. Named MRS/ICG Independent Researcher of the Year in 2017, she's worked with Fortune 500 companies like Procter & Gamble, Walmart, and Nordstrom. Featured in Gillian Tett's "Anthro-Vision," Kinney pioneered video-based shopper ethnography and holds a Mast...

Linn Davis is Program Director at Healthy Democracy ,, where he leads civic assembly design and innovation. He has managed the Citizens’ Initiative Review and co-designed more than a dozen assemblies in the U.S. and abroad. Davis holds a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from Portland State University. MORE ON THEIR WORK The work of Healthy Democracy was featured in the December 2024 issue o...

Elle Griffin writes The Elysian , a publication dedicated to exploring utopian ideas, reimagining the future of capitalism, democracy, work, and humanity through essays and fiction. She is aformer journalist at Esquire, Insider, and Forbes. She's writing her book "We Should Own The Economy” in public. I start all these conversations with the same question, which I borrowed from a friend of mine. S...

Shannon Gallagher is a brand strategist & writer based in the Hudson Valley. I start all these conversations with the same question, which you know, of course. I borrowed it from a friend of mine because it’s such a big, beautiful question—but because it’s big, I tend to over-explain it, like I’m doing now. Before I ask it, I want you to know that you’re in total control. You can answer or not ans...

Andy Crysell is a cultural strategist, author, and former music journalist. In 2008, he founded **Crowd DNA**, a global cultural insights and strategy consultancy with offices in London, New York, Amsterdam, and beyond. In 2023, he stepped down, and is the author of * Selling The Night * and * No Way Back *, and remains active in creative and cultural projects across the UK and US. I start all my...

Diana Lind is a writer, urban policy specialist, and founder of The New Urban Order newsletter. She is the author of Brave New Home: Our Future in Smarter, Simpler, Happier Housing (2020) and has held leadership roles at Next City, the Penn Institute for Urban Research, the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, and the University of Pennsylvania. A Visiting Fellow at Johns Hopkins’s SNF Ag...

Adam Talkington is Head of Ethnography at Further&Further , a strategy and research firm known for immersive cultural insight work with brands like Spotify, Boston Beer, and Adidas. Trained as a sociologist, Adam began his career in academic research. He now leads a team focused on helping brands uncover deep human truths—and isn’t afraid to challenge client comfort zones in the process. So I star...

Tara Isabella Burton is an American novelist, essayist, and theologian whose work explores religion, enchantment, and self-creation. Her books include the nonfiction works Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World , Self-Made: Creating Our Identities from Da Vinci to the Kardashians , and a forthcoming study of magic and modernity. She has a great substack - The Lost Word . So I start all t...

Josh McManus is a Partner at M|B|P, an advisory firm that helps communities and organizations grow their economic and social potential. He is known nationally for revitalizing post-industrial cities through place-based development, small-business growth, and organizations that combine social impact with market success. As COO of Rock Ventures, he oversaw the transformation of 14 million square fee...

Thomas Klaffke is a foresight researcher in Berlin, and the author of Creative Destruction , a weekly newsletter exploring thought-provoking reframings to help build regenerative systems. Previously Head of Research at TrendWatching, he led trend analysis for clients including Adidas, Porsche, and Lufthansa. So I start all my conversations with the same question, which I borrowed from a neighbor o...

Natalie Black is the Founder and CEO of Culture x Curate, a strategic foresight and brand advisory based in Atlanta. She also serves as Chief Marketing Officer at Mia (Mission Impact Academy), empowering women globally through tech skills training. For over 20 years, Natalie has worked with Fortune 100 companies including Coca-Cola, UPS, AT&T, Estee Lauder, and The Home Depot. So I start all these...

Simon Roberts is an anthropologist and co-founder and Partner at Stripe Partners in London. Simon’s 25-year career has included founding the UK’s first dedicated ethnographic research company and running an innovation lab at Intel. He is currently Board President of EPIC People. His book “ The Power of Not Thinking ” was shortlisted for The Business Book Awards 2021. Stripe Partners have one of th...

Michael Powell is a Partner at Practica Group. A cultural anthropologist by training, with a PhD from Rice University, he has been an ethnographic research consultant since 2006. He is the author of, “ The Sound of Friction: How to Do Things With Listening ” EPIC 2023 I start all these conversations with the same question. I borrowed it from a friend of mine who lives in Hudson. She helps people t...

Oliver Sweet is an ethnographer who leads the Ethnography Centre of Excellence at Ipsos MORI. He has led research across 35+ countries for clients including Unilever, Tesco, UNICEF, and the UK Department of Health. He is a board member of the AQR, a published author, and an advocate for immersive, empathetic, and participant-led qualitative research. He has a great newsletter CultureStack . I star...

Cyril Maury is a Partner at Stripe Partners , where he leads strategy and innovation work for global technology clients including Meta, Microsoft, and Spotify. Based in Barcelona, he specializes in integrating social science and data to guide product strategy and business model development. Late in our conversation, we discuss these two pieces: “ When place matters again: strategic guidelines for...