The Deep Dive

Hosted by Philip McKenzie

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Episodes

262

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

The Deep Dive is a culture and insights podcast with Philip McKenzie, an anthropologist who uses his expertise in culture to advise organizations on how best to thrive in an increasingly challenging and uncertain environment. Every week, Philip goes below the surface with the people who matter the most.

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60 recent

June 5, 20261 hr 12 min

Episode 262: How Not to Save the World w/ Anthea Lawson

Philip welcomes Anthea Lawson, author How Not to Save the World: Doing Good Without Annoying Everyone. In their conversation they tackle the state of progressive politics and whether it is possible to change someone’s mind across cultural and political beliefs. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels of intellectual goodness and creative musings. Philip’s Drop: East of Eden – John Steinbeck Anthea’s Drop: Feminism for a World on Fire – Nastasha Walter The Golden Notebook – Doris Lessing

May 29, 202658 min

Episode 261: Ethics and Culture of AI w/ Clara Hawking

Philip welcomes AI expert Clara Hawking to the show. In their conversation, they discuss the current cultural, regulatory and ethical journey of artificial intelligence and what is inevitable and what isn’t. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels of intellectual goodness and creative musings. Philip’s Drop: Maus – Art Spiegelman Clara’s Drop: Klara and the Sun – Kazuo Ishiguro Special Guest: Clara Hawking.

May 21, 20261 hr 3 min

Episode 260: Unvaccinated Under God w/ Kira Ganga Kieffer

Philip welcomes Kira Ganga Kieffer, author of Unvaccinated Under God: Religion and Vacccine Hesitancy in Modern America to the show. In their conversation, they trace the origins of what is popularly known as the “anti-vaxx” movement and how the religious right has influenced its trajectory. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels of intellectual goodness and creative musings. Philip’s Drop: Paprika (film) Kira’s Drop: The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down – Anya Selleck Special Guest: Kira Ganga Kieffer.

May 14, 20261 hr 10 min

Episode 259: Protest History of the United States w/ Gloria Browne-Marshall

Philip welcomes scholar/author and Emmy Awarrd winner Gloria Browne-Marshall to The Deep Dive to discuss her latest book A Protest History of the United States. In their conversation, they trace the social and political structure of the United States through the lens of protest movements. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels of intellectual goodness and creative musings. Philip’s Drop: The Nation That Never Was – Kermit Roosevelt III Gloria’s Drop: Martyrs Day Special Guest: Gloria Browne-Marshall.

May 7, 20261 hr 2 min

Episode 258: Deficit Thinking & Feminist Economics w/ Emma Holten

Philip welcomes Emma Holten, author of Deficit: How Feminist Economics Can Change the World. In their conversation, they discuss how the “deficit’ frame impacts how the economy thinks about women’s labor and how feminist economics can create lasting changes in the world. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels of intellectual goodness and creative musings. Philip’s Drop: The political and economic thinking of Walter Rodney Emma’s Drop: The Director – Daniel Kehlmann Special Guest: Emma Holten.

April 29, 202659 min

Episode 257: Redesigning Thinking & Service Design w/ Clive Grinyer

Philip welcomes Clive Grinyer, author of Redesigning Thinking: How Service Design is Solving Our 21st Century Challenges. In their conversation they reflect on how thinking itself can be framed as a design issue, how we build care into our processes and what constitutes “doing the right thing?” The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels of intellectual goodness and creative musings. Philip’s Drop: Library of America Clive’s Drop: Designing Hope: Visions to Shape Our Future – Sarah Housley Special Guest: Clive Grinyer.

April 22, 20261 hr 1 min

Episode 256: The Great Resistance w/ Carrie Gibson

Philip welcomes Carrie Gibson, author of The Great Resistance: The 400 Year Fight to End Slavery in the Americas. In their conversation they trace how the history of resistance has been purposely obscured and how the lessons from those ancestorial responses to slavery and oppression are relevant today. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels of intellectual goodness and creative musings. Philip’s Drop: The Deep – Rivers Solomon https://rivers-solomon.com/ Carrier’s Drop: Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business – Neil Postman

April 16, 202654 min

Episode 255: The Business of Meaning w/ Peter Spear

Philip welcomes. Peter Spear, host and curator of the newsletter and podcast That Business of Meaning to the show. In their conversation, they discuss all things culture and how the current marketing and media landscape make sense of the world around it. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels of intellectual goodness and creative musings. Philip’s Drop: Vox – Christine Dalcher Primal (HBO Max) Peter’s Drop: Stephen Asma on Imagination Stephen Asma on Monsters & Imagination Book: The Evolution of Imagination Article Imaginology: Towards a New Study of Imagination Stephen Asma on the Strange & Unusual YouTube Professor Asma’s Guide to Unusual Knowledge Spotify Chinwag with Paul Giamatti Ursula LeGuin "Listening is Telling” Jeffrey Kripal Jeffrey Kripal on Humanities & the Impossible Books The Flip: Epiphanies of Mind and the Future of Knowledge How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief and Everything Else.

April 2, 20261 hr 9 min

Episode 254: Bernie Goetz, Reagan and the Rebirth of White Rage w/ Heather Ann Thompson

Philip welcomes Heather Ann Thompson author of Fear and Fury: The Reagan Eighties, The Bernie Goetz Shootings and the Rebirth of White Rage to the show. In their conversation they discuss how the pivotal Bernie Goetz shooting of four innocent Black teens alongside the conservative austerity and race baiting of the Reagan Presidency set the tone for the current climate of white rage. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels of intellectual goodness and creative musings. Philip’s Drop: Future Home of the Living God – Louise Erdrich Heather Ann’s Drop: Tell Her Story: Eleanor Bumpurs & the Police Killing That Galvanized New York City – LaShawn Harris Special Guest: Heather Ann Thompson.

March 26, 202654 min

Episode 253: Crafting Stories of The Future w/ Betty Sue Flowers

Philip welcomes Betty Sue Flowers, author of Scenarios: Crafting and Using Stories of the Future to Change the Present to the show. In their conversation they discuss the power of stories and narrative to influence the stories we tell to shape our future. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels of intellectual goodness and creative musings. Philip’s Drop: Jesse Jackson Jesse Jackson’s 1984 Democratic National Convention Speech Jesse Jackson’s 1988 Democratic National Convention Speech Betty Sue’s Drop: Barbara Jordan Barbara Jordan On Nixon Articles of Impeachment Special Guest: Betty Sue Flowers.