Podcast
Dr. Nora Engelbert and Dr. Margret Jäger host a dynamic podcast that brings together anthropologists from around the globe to share compelling stories and insights on the vital role anthropology plays in navigating the complexities of the 21st century.
Their discussions aim to inspire today's leaders by highlighting how anthropological perspectives can foster health and wealth for businesses and societies alike. It offers profound and motivating insights into how anthropology's holistic, systemic, and empirical approaches serve as a foundation for co-creative management methods.
This podcast serves as a valuable resource for a diverse audience, including CEOs, HR leaders, IT managers, NGO representatives, and healthcare professionals.
Listeners gain actionable insights into enhancing customer satisfaction, improving collaborative practices amid increasing complexity, and developing innovative technologies that truly address human needs in our digital age, ultimately helping employees, customers, and patients thrive.
Moreover, the podcast showcases the unique methodologies and perspectives of anthropologists that can inspire both small and large organizations to broaden their horizons and amplify their impact.
Join us on a journey to uncover the transformative power of anthropology in shaping our world today!
in collaboration with igdra space
Jump to: Episodes | Meet the Hosts | Episode Descriptions
Meet the Hosts
igdra space: A Hub for Cultural Transformation
"igdra space is an innovative cultural and creative think tank dedicated to education, co-creation and community empowerment. Through workshops, podcasts, and projects, we inspire personal and organizational growth while fostering positive cultural change worldwide. Our team brings decades of global experience in IT, health, and environmental sectors, committed to exploring diverse perspectives and fostering cross-cultural connections. We leverage applied anthropology to guide transformation processes, supporting individuals and organizations in navigating the complexities of the 21st century. We welcome anthropologists, leaders, and anyone passionate about co-creating a positive future. Join us in our events, training, and creative sessions as we discover new worlds together, exploring what it means to be human, envisioning and co-creating a better future."
Nora Engelbert
Margret Jäger
Margret is a medical anthropologist who leads a research department in care studies linking education and practice. She is passionate about medical anthropology and its potentiality to contribute to changes in healthcare. She is a member of Solar Plexus – Sozietät der Gestalter*innen der Gesundheitszukunft” in Austria and of international initiatives that promote teaching of medical anthropology in health education.
Research Department – AWZ Soziales Wien, Austria
igdra space
Nora is an anthropologist with a background in migration, aging, and intercultural communication, who now leads international IT and business transformation projects. With a focus on fostering healthy collaboration, she builds global change agent teams through effective leadership and communication. Nora is passionate about creating human-centered work environments and is part of a network dedicated to advancing collaboration in the digital age.
Sound and cut made by Lars Rühmann from LevelUpYour Podcast https://www.levelupyourpodcast.de/
Episode Descriptions
Episode 1: Margret Jaeger
Our co-host Margret Jaeger from Vienna, Austria talks about her experience and passion of being a medical anthropologist in the health sector since 2010. Her work towards equity and diversity in health services is driven by the right to health for all. Margret teaches health professionals worldwide and offers trainings in structural competency – which links her to Mirko Pasquini, one of our following guests. She lobbies intensively for medical anthropology and is engaged in many initiatives.
Margret on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margret-jaeger-2621498b/
She holds a doctoral degree and a master’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from the Karl Franzens University Graz, Austria.
For contact and publications: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Margret-Jaeger-2
How medical anthropologists fill the gaps in our health systems
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Episode 2: Dan Podjed
In this episode, we talk with Dan Podjed, the founder of the Applied Anthropology Network (AAN) of EASA.
Find out how a wall unites people, what "crisolation" is, and how it spreads around the world. Weand listen in on what kinds of projects anthropologists are involved in to create a peaceful and understanding world.
Dan tells us about his recent projects on how he is bringing people together to co-create cultural change in and with communities and with that boosts fun in and quality of life for many.
Dan is a Slovenian anthropologist who is interested in how isolated people live and create their lives, in human-technology interactions, digitalization, sustainable lifestyles, volunteering and many more topics of our time. He also co-founded the event “Why the world needs anthropologists”. He holds a PhD in Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Contact and Publications via: https://danpodjed.eu/
Disclaimer: »This episode of the podcast is a result of the research project Isolated People and Communities in Slovenia and Croatia, financed by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (J6–4610) and the Croatian Science Foundation (ISOLATION IPS-2022-02-3741).«
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Episode 3: Bo Wang
How can anthropology drive both profit and customer satisfaction in health tech? In this episode, we explore why UX/UI innovation in IT products is an anthropologist’s playground. By applying a holistic, iterative approach that truly understands patients' realities, anthropologists ensure products hit the mark—saving businesses from costly missteps and boosting success. Discover how anthropology is the secret weapon behind profitable, customer-centered health tech innovation.
How can anthropology shape the future of health tech while boosting profits and customer satisfaction? In this episode, we dive into the world of UX/UI innovation with Bo Wang, a Chinese-American medical anthropologist and lead user experience researcher for a U.S. telehealth company. Bo left academia to transform healthcare, using his expertise to design, evaluate, and strategize telehealth services that truly meet patients' needs. A champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Bo’s unique blend of cultural insight and business acumen shows why anthropologists are the secret to successful, customer-centered health tech innovation.
Bo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bowang-uxr/
How anthropology shapes the future of health tech while boosting profit
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Episode 4: Gaia Campanelli
Can anthropologists bridge the gap between politics and society in the fight against climate change?
In this episode, we sit down with Gaia Campanelli, a dynamic climate expert blending anthropology, policy, and youth engagement to tackle one of the world’s most pressing challenges.
As Programme Associate for Climate Strategies, Gaia uses co-creation to translate complex scientific knowledge into actionable policies. With degrees from UCL and Oxford, and a leadership role in youth climate initiatives, Gaia brings fresh insights on how anthropologists can spark real change in the face of environmental crises.
With a background in anthropology, project coordination and youth engagement, Gaia has gained experience in the fields of environmental health and climate change research and policy. In her role as Programme Associate for Climate Strategies, she works on projects at the science-policy interface, using co-creation as an approach to effectively translate knowledge across different stakeholder groups and stimulate timely policy actions to contrast climate change.
She is a co-leader for the Apply Club Health, part of the Applied Anthropology Network, and a member of the team behind the Oxford Global Youth Climate Training, an award-winning course for young environmental activists.
Anthropologists' fight to save our planet and its peoples
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Episode 5: Nora Engelbert
Agile project management may seem recent, but anthropologists have been pioneering co-creative, collaborative methods for over a century. While businesses tout 'innovative' approaches, anthropologists have long applied empirical, iterative, and holistic strategies in their fieldwork—without the corporate world even realizing it. Join Nora as she shares her >10-year journey to merge anthropology, technology and business, culminating in her discovery of the groundbreaking collaboration model of Kyona Group, designed to help companies thrive in today’s complex world.
Nora is an anthropologist with a background in migration, aging, and intercultural communication, who now leads international IT and business transformation projects. With a focus on fostering healthy collaboration, she builds global change agent teams through effective leadership and communication. Nora is passionate about creating human-centered work environments and is part of a network dedicated to advancing collaboration in the digital age.
Anthropologists as key drivers of co-creative collaboration in future companies
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