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260. Emily Mendenhall | Unmasked: COVID, Community, and the Case of Okoboji

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Manage episode 502910627 series 2978917
Content provided by BookThinkers. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by BookThinkers or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Join us for ⁠⁠BookThinkers LIVE 2025⁠⁠! Happening November 9, 2025!

⁠⁠https://www.bookthinkers.com/book-thinkers-live-2025

In today’s episode, we have the pleasure to interview Emily Mendenhall, author of Unmasked: COVID, Community, and the Case of Okoboji.

Emily is a medical anthropologist, professor at Georgetown University, and award-winning author whose research explores the intersections of health, culture, and politics. Her work has taken her from the hospital wards of Chicago to the villages of South Africa—and ultimately back to her hometown of Okoboji, Iowa during the height of the pandemic.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to approach polarizing topics with curiosity instead of judgment, what the COVID pandemic revealed about collective identity and shame, and why public health isn’t just about protocols—it’s about people, empathy, and community trust.

We hope you enjoy this incredible conversation with Emily Mendenhall.

To Learn More about Emily and buy her book visit:

The Book: https://a.co/d/h3uou4J

Website/Socials: https://www.emilymendenhall.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-mendenhall-268b255

https://www.youtube.com/@mendenhall_em

https://twitter.com/mendenhall_em

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

1:23 Anthropology & using it to study COVID

5:53 Experiencing the pandemic in different cities

9:09 Understanding the complex layers of events like the 2020 pandemic

12:50 Shame and subconscious survival mechanisms

14:42 Contrast between local culture & different communities

17:02 Social consequences vs Business consequences

22:48 An anthropologist’s view on the effects of social media

25:25 How to deal with opposing perspectives and opinions

35:12 Leadership in schools & the education system

39:02 Emily’s future work

40:09 How your decisions affect people around you in the long‑run

41:10 The effects of virtual learning & education during the pandemic

43:11 Emily’s perspective shifts after publishing the book

47:52 The importance of long‑form content for deep understanding

________________________________________________

Join the world's largest non-fiction Book community!

https://www.instagram.com/bookthinkers/

The purpose of this podcast is to connect you, the listener, with new books, new mentors, and new resources that will help you achieve more and live better. Each and every episode will feature one of the world's top authors so that you know each and every time you tune-in, there is something valuable to learn. If you have any recommendations for guests, please DM them to us on Instagram. (www.instagram.com/bookthinkers)

If you enjoyed this show, please consider leaving a review. It takes less than 60-seconds of your time, and really makes a difference when I am trying to land new guests. For more BookThinkers content, check out our Instagram or our website. Thank you for your time!

  continue reading

269 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 502910627 series 2978917
Content provided by BookThinkers. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by BookThinkers or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Join us for ⁠⁠BookThinkers LIVE 2025⁠⁠! Happening November 9, 2025!

⁠⁠https://www.bookthinkers.com/book-thinkers-live-2025

In today’s episode, we have the pleasure to interview Emily Mendenhall, author of Unmasked: COVID, Community, and the Case of Okoboji.

Emily is a medical anthropologist, professor at Georgetown University, and award-winning author whose research explores the intersections of health, culture, and politics. Her work has taken her from the hospital wards of Chicago to the villages of South Africa—and ultimately back to her hometown of Okoboji, Iowa during the height of the pandemic.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to approach polarizing topics with curiosity instead of judgment, what the COVID pandemic revealed about collective identity and shame, and why public health isn’t just about protocols—it’s about people, empathy, and community trust.

We hope you enjoy this incredible conversation with Emily Mendenhall.

To Learn More about Emily and buy her book visit:

The Book: https://a.co/d/h3uou4J

Website/Socials: https://www.emilymendenhall.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-mendenhall-268b255

https://www.youtube.com/@mendenhall_em

https://twitter.com/mendenhall_em

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

1:23 Anthropology & using it to study COVID

5:53 Experiencing the pandemic in different cities

9:09 Understanding the complex layers of events like the 2020 pandemic

12:50 Shame and subconscious survival mechanisms

14:42 Contrast between local culture & different communities

17:02 Social consequences vs Business consequences

22:48 An anthropologist’s view on the effects of social media

25:25 How to deal with opposing perspectives and opinions

35:12 Leadership in schools & the education system

39:02 Emily’s future work

40:09 How your decisions affect people around you in the long‑run

41:10 The effects of virtual learning & education during the pandemic

43:11 Emily’s perspective shifts after publishing the book

47:52 The importance of long‑form content for deep understanding

________________________________________________

Join the world's largest non-fiction Book community!

https://www.instagram.com/bookthinkers/

The purpose of this podcast is to connect you, the listener, with new books, new mentors, and new resources that will help you achieve more and live better. Each and every episode will feature one of the world's top authors so that you know each and every time you tune-in, there is something valuable to learn. If you have any recommendations for guests, please DM them to us on Instagram. (www.instagram.com/bookthinkers)

If you enjoyed this show, please consider leaving a review. It takes less than 60-seconds of your time, and really makes a difference when I am trying to land new guests. For more BookThinkers content, check out our Instagram or our website. Thank you for your time!

  continue reading

269 episodes

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