The Matt Townsend Show

Matt Townsend specializes in energizing and involving audiences with his unique approach to building and maintaining successful relationships. Known as one of America’s top presenters in the field of Human Relations and Development, Matt blends humor and story telling with interactive, real-life solutions that motivate and inspire his listeners.

Latest Episodes:

Student Debt, Office Politics, Movies, Conquering Fear Mar 06, 2015

Show notes

Student Debt (12:08) Paul Conrad from the BYU Student Center for Financial management & Planning joins Dr Matt to discuss the current problems with student debt. America’s total student loan debt is now nearly $1.2 trillion. Paul Conrad on how BYU is trying to educate students on these important financial decisions. Office Politics (1:00:10) Karen Dillon joins the show to talk about Office Politics. She book HBR Guide to Office Politics discusses how to manage relationships in an office setting. She is the former editor of Harvard Business She previously served as deputy editor of Inc magazine and was editor and publisher of the critically-acclaimed American Lawyer magazine. Karen Dillion is the graduate of Cornell University and Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Movie Reviews (1:25:26) Rod Gustafson from ParentPreviews.com previews the new movie The Second Most Exotic Marigold Hotel. New on DVD: "Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1" and "To Write Love in Her Arms." News and Conquering Fear (1:35:48) Ellisa Bean joins the show to talk with Dr. Matt about the news and "How To Conquer The Fear Of Failure." 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:12:08 - Student Debt 01:60:10 - Office Politics 01:85:26 - Movie Reviews 01:95:48 - News and Conquering Fear

Tech News, Anxiety Freedom, Turbulent Times Mar 05, 2015

Show notes

Technology News (10:05) Jay McFarland joins Dr. Matt to discuss the latest developments in technology and technology related news. Jay is a radio host whose career has taken him to Nevada and Dallas and now has him on the air with a daily show called The Browsers on KSL NewsRadio in Salt Lake City. In addition to his daily radio show Jay has also authored two books, "Freedom Ain't Free" and "Joyful Union," and he has created several popular apps and games for the iPhone and iPad devices. Overcoming Worry and Anxiety (55:54) Dr. Tamar Chansky discusses her book “Freeing Yourself from Anxiety: 4 Simple Steps to Overcome Worry and Create the Life You Want” offers great advice on dealing with office shark attacks. We all deal with different levels of anxiety and Dr. Chansky gives us some steps on how to cope in a more healthy way. Thriving in Turbulent Times (1:41:36) John Bush talks about dealing with Anxiety. He is a Performance Consultant, Leadership Coach, and Author. John released a new book last year titled: Thriving in Turbulent Times: A Practical Guide for Alleviating Stress and Elevating Perspective, Purpose and Passion. He was on the show last spring talking about his new book and how to reduce stress and anxiety in our lives. John's company is called Breakthroughs Coaching. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:10:05 - Technology News 00:55:54 - Overcoming Worry and Anxiety 01:101:36 - Thriving in Turbulent Times

Middle East, Art of Social Media, Parents and Social Media Mar 04, 2015

Show notes

The Middle East (11:20) Chibli Mallat joined the University of Utah law faculty in 2007, and was appointed Presidential Professor of Law in 2009. He also holds the EU Jean Monnet Chair of Law at Saint Joseph's University in Lebanon. As a legal practitioner and consultant Professor Mallat has litigated several international criminal law cases, and advises governments, corporations and individuals in Middle Eastern and international law. served between 2008 and 2010 as Senior Legal Advisor to the Global Justice Project: Iraq. Mallat talks with Matt Townsend about the current and historical issues in the Middle East. Excelling at Social Media (56:49) Guy Kawasaki is the author of thirteen books. Guy gives over fifty keynote speeches per year. His clients include some of the biggest companies in the country as well as dozens of trade associations. His topics include innovation, enchantment, social media, evangelism, and entrepreneurship. Today he is talking about how to excel at social media. Parenting Through Social Media (1:41:58) Julie Nelson is an expert in family and human development. Her scholarly research and creative writing have been published in journals and anthologies, and she has won numerous state and national awards for her writing. She joins Matt Townsend to talk about parenting and social media. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:11:20 - The Middle East 00:56:49 - Excelling at Social Media 01:101:58 - Parenting Through Social Media

Bitcoins, Better Decision Making, Teen Eating Habits, Friends Mar 03, 2015

Show notes

Evolution of Bitcoin (10:27) Trace Mayer is an entrepreneur, investor, journalist, blogger, and podcaster dealing with Bitcoin. Bitcoin is an alternative currency that is being used to make purchases online outside of the established banking system. Mayer talks about the origins of Bitcoin and how is has evolved and the the future holds for the crypto-currency. How to Make Decisions Better (57:03) Art Markman, Ph.D., is Annabel Irion Worsham Centennial Professor of Psychology and Marketing at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Markman joins the show today to talk about how conflicting goals can make you a better decision maker. What Teen Brains Tell Us About Weight Loss (1:20:44) Dr. Chad Jensen from the Department of Psychology at BYU took part in a study of teen eating habits and motivation. Using brain scans the researchers may have found a key to weight loss. Making Friends as an Adult (1:44:43) Denise Cummins, Ph.D., has authored over 40 scholarly publications on reasoning and decision-making from evolutionary, comparative, and developmental perspectives, and serves as a reviewer for distinguished scientific and philosophical journals. Today she joins Matt to discuss why it is difficult for adults to make new friends. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:10:27 - Evolution of Bitcoin 00:57:03 - How to Make Decisions Better 01:80:44 - What Teen Brains Tell Us About Weight Loss 01:104:43 - Making Friends as an Adult

Human Trafficing, Kids and Money, Being a Better Parent Mar 02, 2015

Show notes

Fighting Global Human Trafficking (11:51) Timothy Ballard is the Founder and CEO of Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.). He also serves as O.U.R.'s Jump Team Commander for rescue operations. Ballard began his career at the Central Intelligence Agency where he worked cases dealing with terrorism and Latin America. O.U.R. led by Ballard is working to end human trafficking across the globe. Raising Kids Who are Money Smart (1:08:56) Ron Lieber joins the show to talk about teaching your kids about money. Ron is the “Your Money” columnist for the New York Times, as well as the Author of: “The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids who are Grounded, Generous and Smart about Money” which is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestseller. Being a Better Parent (1:20:53) Andrew Knott talks about being a better parent. Andrew is a contributor to The Huffington Post. He is the father of two boys, whom he raises with his wife. He received a B.S. in Molecular Biology and Microbiology at the University of Central Florida as well as an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge. You can visit his blog, “Explorations of Ambiguity." Avoid Judging Others (1:41:35) Dr. Aldo Civico on avoiding judgment and becoming a better communicator, Anthropology professor at Rutgers University and a conflict resolution lecturer at Columbia University has provided advice in conflict resolution and peacebuilding to national and local governments, NGOs as well as communities and businesses and is here with us today to tell us how we can stop judging and become better communicators. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:11:51 - Fighting Global Human Trafficking 01:68:56 - Raising Kids Who are Money Smart 01:80:53 - Being a Better Parent 01:101:35 - Avoid Judging Others

Changing Weather, Holograms, Deceptive Commercials, Movies Feb 27, 2015

Show notes

Kevin Eubank (12:07) Kevin Eubank, KSL TV Salt Lake City Meteorologist, talks about the changing weather and what we can expect in the coming years. Javid Khan (53:48) Javid Khan from Hiloxicva is involved in the business and innovation involved in holograms. He discusses the use of holograms in Movies, Business, and Medicine. Olga Khazan (1:14:26) Olga Khazan a writer for The Atlantic, on how often people shower globally. The findings are surprising. Marty Nemko (1:37:10) Martin Nathan Nemko is an American career coach, author, columnist, and radio host who talks about deceptive commercials and how we can watch for false information. Rod Gustafson (2:02:39) Rod Gustafson from Parental Previews reviews the movie Lazarus Effect and talks about what is new on DVD this week.

Gender Inequality and Peace, Worm Robot, Self-Expectations Feb 26, 2015

Show notes

Gender Equality and World Peace (12:01) Perhaps if we treated women better globally, we'd do a better job achieving world peace. Matt talks with Valerie M. Hudson, Professor and George H. W. Bush Chair in the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. Worm Robot and the Brain (1:01:16) Timothy Busbice has built a "worm robot." It's a machine that mimics the thought processes inside's a worm's mind. He says he built it in an effort to understand better how neurons work. Self-Imposed Expectations and Happiness (1:46:25) Matt talks with Jaime Kurtz, Ph.D., an associate professor at James Madison University, about the effect of self-imposed expectations on our emotional state, specifically: How to achieve sustainable happiness and how to enjoy the important events of our lives without unrealistic expectations. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:12:01 - Gender Equality and World Peace 01:61:16 - Worm Robot and the Brain 01:106:25 - Self-Imposed Expectations and Happiness

Political News, Exercise and Depression, Selfish Love Feb 25, 2015

Show notes

Joe Cannon, Political Insider (10:39) Joe talks about the current political news including, Comments from Rudolph Giuliani, Elections 2016 update, and how the media cover the probable candidates, and the XL Pipeline. Dr Jorge Ruas is Assistant Professor at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden (58:41) Ruas talks about how exercise protects the brain from depression. By moving and being active we can flush out the chemicals in our bodies that may lead to symptoms of depression. Jeremy Sherman, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Theory (1:45:27) Dr. Sherman on how we can keep love's give and take from becoming give and give. He talks about making sure that you can develop relationships without becoming overly dependent. Steps to create a more robust conflict management process. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:10:39 - Joe Cannon, Political Insider 00:58:41 - Dr Jorge Ruas is Assistant Professor at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden 01:105:27 - Jeremy Sherman, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Theory

Prosthetic Arms, Corporal Punishment, Preventive Health Feb 24, 2015

Show notes

PROSTHETIC ARMS (11:08) Dr. Greg Clark is working on a prosthetic hand that users would be able to move just by thinking about it . Dr. Clark's staff is basing their research on the Utah Slanted Electrode Array. It’s a tiny neural interface with 100 electrodes connecting an amputees arm to his or her brain through peripheral nerves. They end result will be the arm feeling like a part of their body. CORPORAL PUNISHMENT (51:46) Liz Gerschoff has been studying corporal punishment for 15 years and has done a systematic analysis of the hundreds of studies exploring the effects of corporal punishment, said the research shows that spanking is more common among African Americans than among other racial and ethnic groups in the United States, including whites, Latinos and Asian Americans. PREVENTITIVE HEALTH (1:39:42) Ron talks with Matt about how preventive health is a better approach than reactive health. Discussion of how modern medicine can be adjusted to prevent issues instead of just fixing the problem 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:11:08 - PROSTHETIC ARMS 00:51:46 - CORPORAL PUNISHMENT 01:99:42 - PREVENTITIVE HEALTH

FBI Anti-Terrorism, Reduced Sentencing, Wandering Minds Feb 23, 2015

Show notes

PROTECTING AGAINST HACKERS Todd Palmer, an FBI agent, joins Matt to discuss the FBI's role in preventing terrorism. Palmer also talks specifically about cyber terrorism. He expalins what we can do to stay safe in our everyday lives. REDUCED SENTENCES FOR DRUG CRIMES Anna Brower, from the Utah Chapter of the ACLU, gives us insight into a new public poll about reduced sentences for minor drug related crime. The benefit would be getting offenders help and using tax dollars in a more responsible way. WANDERING MINDS Jenni Ogden shares the pros and cons of letting your mind wander. There is a time for focus and a time for mind-wandering. She explains that we can control, to some extent, when our minds wander, and there are even situations where mind wandering is advantageous. 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:12:43 - PROTECTING AGAINST HACKERS 00:52:39 - REDUCED SENTENCES FOR DRUG CRIMES 01:98:38 - WANDERING MINDS

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