The IntraCultural Podcast

We are returning to podcasting after a brief hiatus while Lucy was in India. Today we’ll be talking about how to learn to appreciate awkward and ambiguous situations. This episode explores how slowing down and getting comfortable with discomfort is good and can be productive to the self. By embracing what we don’t know, it helps us to grow our curiosity and cultural humility. The team shares examp...

Join us in listening to this podcast episode where Lucy, Missy, and Alex deconstruct the 2026 Superbowl Halftime Show. This episode dives into how the Superbowl Halftime Show can actually be a form of resistance that disrupts white culture, explores identity formation, and promotes solidarity and coalition building with marginalized communities. The team also discusses the. controversy around the...

Join us in listening to this podcast episode recorded live at the American Anthropological Association 2025 Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Lucy, Missy, and Alex discuss why it is important for anthropologists to blend theory and practice in their engagement with diversity, equity, and inclusion. They tell us why we cannot only critique DEI, especially at a moment when it is under attack. Rather, t...

Movies about robots and AI taking over are nothing new, but many of the advances in AI are. One question remains, will AI really replace us? Check out the newest episode of The IntraCultural Podcast to get the perspectives of 3 different anthropologists!  Willing Observers DEI Blog: https://www.willingobservers.com/writ... ►Subscribe for more here:    / @willingobservers    ►Keep the conversation...

This episode focuses on a popular topic in DEIB and generally culture-change, which is cultural competence vs cultural humility. Why do we need cultural reflexivity instead? Today, cultural competence models include cultural humility and have about 3 main components in place - awareness (of self), knowledge (of others), and skills (e.g. conflict resolution). We advocate for cultural reflexivity in...

In this episode, co-hosts Dr. Lucy, Dr. Missy, and Alex focus on a question that you cannot escape from in the U.S: Whether DEIB is a partisan issue and whether or not that should be the case. Although DEIB is now partisan, it should not be as it addresses the tangible impacts of marginalization in ways that are good for everyone \Willing Observers DEI Blog: https://www.willingobservers.com/writ.....

The IntraCultural Podcast Episode 13: Why Do We Need White People To Do DEIB?  What role do white people play in doing DEIB work? How can white people reflect on their identity in order to be good DEIB practitioners? Join us for a conversation centered around cultural reflexivity and the role whiteness plays in DEIB. How should white people be good allies in DEIB work? Should white people be DEIB...

Join us in conversation with anthropologist Alex Brueggeman to talk about the importance of resistance and resilience as a way to meet the current political moment. What can we do in the midst of political turmoil to feel empowered? How can we share stories that inspire as a way to resist the current moment? No one can do it alone, and many are meeting the current political moment through communit...

Immigration has been a hot topic in the news since ICE began their raids in early June. Trump’s immigration policies have affected all aspects of daily life from education to labor. What responsibilities do you have as an employer? As a DEI professional? Tune into this episode to learn more about how DEI can help stop people from being targeted and dehumanized. Link to Land of Open Graves: https:/...

In this episode: It’s legal decision season! How are the courts talking about and making rulings about DEI and discrimination? Are Trump's executive orders holding up? What rulings are coming up that may affect your DEI work? Willing Observers DEI Blog: https://www.willingobservers.com/writ... ►Subscribe for more here:    / @willingobservers    ►Keep the conversation going on Instagram:   / wi...

In this episode:  What do Trump's executive orders on title IX mean for women’s sports? What is the difference between sexual harassment and sex based harassment? How is sex defined in the context of US law, and who are those laws protecting?  Willing Observers DEI Blog: https://www.willingobservers.com/writ... ►Subscribe for more here:    / @willingobservers    ►Keep the conversation going on...

In this episode:  - How Trump interprets “discrimination” and positions DEI as discriminatory (equality vs. equity; reverse discrimination vibes-e.g. race) -What is the status update on Higher-Education’s Pushback Against Trump’s Attacks? Why is higher-ed uniquely positioned to fight back Trump’s attacks? Willing Observers DEI Blog: https://www.willingobservers.com/writ... ►Subscribe for more here...

Is your DEI training BAD? The first in a series of addressing critiques of DEIB. As DEIB is coming into the public consciousness, there are some legit critiques of DEIB that should be addressed, in part because they are being weaponized to suggest that DEIB is problematic or irrelevant. We shouldn’t shy away from the critiques but address them. Willing Observers DEI Blog: https://www.willingobserv...

In this episode, learn about the history of affirmative action and shift to diversity management, the history of the terms (from D&I to DEI), and understand the political context of the Trump administration banning the terms DEI. Additionally, how does this inform the emergence of “banned” words related to DEI? ►Subscribe for more here: / @willingobservers ►Keep the conversation going on Insta...

Should I participate in the anti-DEI boycott? In addition to the elimination of DEI programs in the federal government, we see a number of private companies publicly stating that they are dropping DEI and potentially rolling back DEI initiatives and programs. Some consumers are responding with spending boycotts targeting these organizations. However, as consumers are making choices about activist...

Affirmative action, DEI hires, and meritocracy.. oh my! Who is a DEI hire? Are we all employees hired on merit? Who benefits the most from DEI?In this episode, we’ll discuss what it means to be a DEI hire, and what role DEI plays in creating a world in which people are hired based on merit. We’ll also dig into how meritocracy is often misdirection. Additionally, how do our biases influence our per...

DEI is Illegal! ..right? What do Trump's Executive Orders about DEI programs mean for doing DEI work in this political environment? It is increasingly necessary to do this work given the importance of our collective need to be able to work together productively in our organizations and workplaces in a diverse and global world, filled with different kinds of people who themselves have different...

Welcome to the second episode of The IntraCultural Podcast from Willing Observers LLC, hosted by Dr. Lucy Arciniega, Ph. D., CDP and Dr. Melissa Maceyko! Is DEI dead? What does the future of DEI look like? How are companies responding broadly to the incoming administration? What role do you have in the future of DEI? ►Subscribe for more here: / @willingobservers ►Keep the conversation going on Ins...

The IntraCultural Podcast covers a range of topics and answers common questions that can be better understood using the concept of culture. Today we’ll answer the questions: -in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, is DEIB dead? -what does the future of DEIB look like, in the U.S. and beyond, under the next U.S. presidential administration?

Welcome to The IntraCultural Podcast from Willing Observers LLC, hosted by Dr. Lucy Arciniega, Ph. D., CDP and Dr. Melissa Maceyko! How do you have difficult conversations across political differences? What do you do when someone tells you the monster under their bed has fangs? ►Subscribe for more here: / @willingobservers ►Keep the conversation going on Instagram: / willingobservers ►Let’s connec...

The first clip from The IntraCultural Podcast from Willing Observers LLC, hosted by Dr. Lucy Arciniega, Ph. D., CDP and Dr. Melissa Maceyko! How do you have difficult conversations across political differences? Full episode coming soon!